Vintage car adds fun to road trips for Overland Park man

Some collectors mount their vintage cars on trailers while touring auto shows, but not Peter Levy. He grabs the wheel and enjoys a cruise to the past.

“That’s the biggest thrill,” said Levy, Overland Park, owner and driver of a 1937 Riley Adelphi Touring Car.

Levy travels to exhibit his vintage car but limits trips to the Midwest so he can drive his British-made Riley, an antique auto he has owned for four years. People frequently ask him what he will do if the car breaks down with parts nowhere to be found.

“That’s part of the adventure,” Levy said. “If it breaks down, you find out how many friends you have.”

Levy’s Riley Touring Car tops out at 50 miles per hour which is why he and his wife stick to highways and back roads when touring. Last year they drove to an auto show in Iowa, and then toured the bridges of Madison County. Their vintage auto attracted attention in small towns where they stopped for food and gas.

“It took us a whole day to get here,” he said. “It’s wonderful. In the town square, you instantly have a group of people.”

Levy said there are about 500 Rileys in the United States today, with six in Kansas City. He said his Adelphi model remains only one of two in the U.S., based on statistics gathered through his research and claims at vintage auto shows.

The Riley Touring Car was manufactured in England from the early 1900s through the 1970s.

“It was a very popular car in Europe,” he said. “They never exported them in the U.S.”

Levy said the original owner of his Riley was British and brought the car with him when he moved to Canada. The car eventually found its way to Des Moines, Iowa, where Levy bought it four years ago.

He said the auto maker built a small 12 ½ horse power engine to conserve on gasoline during World War I and World War II.

“It’s a small engine for that size car,” he said. “It’s a relatively big car for its time.”

Levy said the car seats five passengers, features a moon roof and has a steering wheel on the right side. The pre-select feature, which is not a clutch, predated automatic shifting. Levy got used to driving with a right-sided steering wheel quicker than maneuvering the transmission.

“It was very unique for its time,” he said. “It’s quite unique to drive.”

Levy started collecting vintage cars 35 years ago during his college years. His first collector car was a Triumph TR-3, which he sold to finance his honeymoon, but still owns his second, a Jaguar XK-120.

Levy exhibits his Riley three to four times a year, most recently June 27 at the Art of the Car Concours, sponsored by the Kansas City Art Institute. He has participated in the event for three years, saying vintage cars have a place in the art world.

“They’re quite unique,” Levy said of the participating vehicles. “They’re a form of art themselves.”

According to the Art Institute, the Art of Car Concours is the largest show of its kind in the Kansas City region, this year featuring more than 180 vintage vehicles including classic and special interest cars, trucks, racing cars and motorcycles belonging to Midwest area collectors.

The show raises student scholarship funds, last year making more than $50,000 dollars.

Levy said this year’s show included an all-electric 1900s Detroit Electric, still in original condition.

“You can be an art lover and love this show,” he said. “You can be a car lover and love this show. It appeals to a lot of different people.”

Institute announces Art of the Car Concours winners

Five People’s Choice awards were presented to top vote-getters at the third annual Art of the Car Concours, held June 27 on the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute.

Winners are:

• First place: 1930 Packard 745 7 Pass Touring Car, owned by John Hamilton of Topeka, Kan.

• Second place: 1911 Stafford #47 Sports Roadster, owned by DeNean Stafford of Tifton, Ga.

• Third place: 1960 Dodge Matador 2-Door Hardtop, owned by Holly and Everett Moore of Kansas City, Mo.

• Fourth place: 1936 Ford 810 Phaeton, owned by Bob Coleman of Mission Hills.

• Fifth place: 1933 Hupmobile K-321 4-Door Sedan, owned by Ron Smith of Louisburg, Kan.

People’s Choice winners were selected by spectators at the event, who received a ballot when they entered the concours. Attendees were invited to view all of the vehicles and vote for their favorite.

There were two repeats from last year’s concours in the top five: the 1933 Hupmobile, which took first place last year, and the 1936 Phaeton, which took third.

Organizers said the event raised more than $70,000 for student scholarships at the institute, a private, independent, four-year college of art and design founded in 1885 and enrolls about 650 students a year.

Attendees viewed about 180 vehicles, including vintage, classic and special interest cars, motorcycles, and fire engines.

Seventeen sponsors participated in the event, including Aristocrat Motors, Baron BMW, Baron Mini Cooper, The Branson Auction, Chubb Insurance, Curves Ahead Transport, FedEx Auto Transport, Grass Pad, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Hyman Ltd., Maserati of Kansas City at Aristocrat Motors, Meguiar’s, Residential Parking Solutions, Hagerty Insurance, Overland Park Jeep/Dodge, DeLaSalle Education Center, and McPherson College.

To view photographs or watch a video of the show and winners, visit www.kcai.edu/advancement/ways/ArtoftheCarconcours.php.

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment