Submitted by Hermann Schaller
In 2022, the Paradise Porsche Club invited the BCCSWF to come to Naples and show off the pride of Britain’s automotive industry in the VIP parking spots on the circle in front of the English Pub. This year they offered us 14 spots on November 19, which we filled with 15 cars due to the compact size of many MGs and Triumphs.
To do that, we had to meet at a parking lot just outside of the Mercato shopping and entertainment mall at the early hour of 7:45 AM. That required some BCCSWWF members to be on the road at 6:30 AM, driving all the way from Charlotte County. And what a drive it was! Cruising south on I-75 just after sunrise, listening to classic music over the base noise coming from the tires, while the engine sound is surprisingly unnoticeable. And no, I was not driving our full electric car. Welcome to the world of Bentley!
Arriving at the parking lot, the two Lotus’ from Peter Blackford and Jeff Wenger were already there together with Gary Blessing’s TVR, Jack Shilling and his TR3. Shortly after, Jan Lindberg arrived in his TR6PI, Jack Dunning in his Jaguar XK120 and Brian Hayek with his MGB. Then we saw Bill Reinheimer driving by in his TR4A, followed by Jim McArthur in his Morgan 4 Plus 4 directly to the VIP circle. Since the Porsche Club wanted to make a video of our club driving into the venue, we gave them a call, jumped in our cars and drove up. We filled in the remaining spots for our British car display, supported by Peter Ballard in his Austin Healey 3000, Chris and Mary Jane Cosden with their MGA, Bill Longley in his Aston Martin V8 and Peter and Jimany McLaughlin looking very stylish in their Bentley Arnage Green Label. Dan Tiedge had placed his MG TC in the correct spot long before we all arrived. An additional Austin Healey 100 arrived and was looking for a remaining spot in our group. To make room for Steve Regester (potential new BCCSWF member) and his Austin Healey, I decided to drive the youngest of all the cars, the Continental, onto the lawn parking area, where it would be surrounded by a Mustang and Corvette, but later joined by a Morgan Three-Wheeler and a Jaguar XK150 Fixed Head Coupe.
As expected, our cars attracted much attention, and the owners of other British cars inquired about joining the BCCSWF.
This event is something special! The quantity and quality of cars coming to Mercato is mind-blowing and feels sometimes overwhelming. I caught myself talking with one person and getting distracted by another car driving by. They call it Cars and Coffee, but I had never time to get a coffee due to all the people I wanted to talk with about their cars.
When an endless stream of cars headed to the exit roads around 11:00 AM, our group got ready to drive around the corner to Seasons 52, where Peter Blackford had reserved the long row of parking spots for our club. There were eight British cars and one anglophile Ferrari nicely facing the front entrance of the restaurant. Finally, being freed from the surrounding cars on the lawn, I arrived late. But Peter directed me to park the Bentley just in front of the entrance – thanks Peter. Shortly after, Peter worked with the staff of Seasons 52 to accommodate 22 participants for our BCCSWF lunch, as we had far less RSVPed for it. They graciously managed, and we all had a great time with reasonably priced, good food while talking cars. Cars and the experiences with them filled the conversation at the long table, while the ladies at Sandy Blackford’s table of four with her daughter, granddaughter and daughter-in-law enjoyed the opportunity not to talk cars for a change.
Driving home and reflecting on the many cars, conversations and the perfect weather conditions and location made me smile while cruising along and listening to classic music in my oh so quiet Bentley. What a great day to enjoy!
