American Muscle Cars Take Top Prizes at Crozet Car Show

Pollack Vineyards hosted another successful Crozet Car Show September 19. This year’s beneficiary was the Crozet Trails Crew. There was something for everyone who loves cars— Corvettes and Porsches, Mustangs as well as Chevy and Dodge muscle cars, exotics like the Lotus, plus roadsters, 4x4s and vintage pickups. Attendance was free for spectators and they could take a chance of winning over $200 in a 50/50 lottery. Crozet Seafood and Whistlestop Grill offered food, and there were fine wines available from Pollack. The Boomerangs provided live music.

The Gazette chatted with a few of the owners displaying their cars this year. Marty Straume, who brought his 1965 Cobra that won the Vineyards Choice Award in 2024, said, “This car was built in 2005 by Marcus Motors in Richmond using a 1998 Mustang GT 4.6L V8 shipped from California and it has an 8.1 liter supercharger. I regularly drive it to Lake Anna, where I enjoy my other fast hobby, running my flat bottom on the lake.”

From left: Ryan Pollak Gardner of Pollack Vineyards, Kurt Arnold (Best in Show with his red 1973 Dodge Charger SE), Jay Bason (Founders Award with his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro), Lyle Camblos and Sam Harris (Crozet Car Show directors). Photo: Ron Wade.

Donnie Seal of Batesville said of his ’64 Corvette, “The car has only 64,000 miles and has its original paint. I purchased the car last year, and it was a complete mess. It had been parked for years in an unfriendly garage environment. I learned that the car was originally bought as a birthday present for a wife in Charlottesville. At this point, we just have it cleaned up and running. We’re venturing on taking it out further from Batesville all the time.”

Donnie Seal of Batesville is restoring this 1964 Corvette with the original paint. Photo: Ron Wade.

Bouvard Hastica brought his 1910 Franklin from Charlottesville. “I bought this car in 2002 and got it on the road in 2005,” he said. “Since then, I have put 28,000 miles on it and have driven it on Skyline Drive every year for the last 17 years. When I got the car, the engine had seized up due to the previous owner letting the engine overheat. I have had every piece of this vehicle in my hands at one time or another.” He demonstrated how easily it starts now. You have to stand in front of it and crank the engine.

Charleigh Swisher sits in the drivers seat of a 1910 Franklin owned by Bouvard Hastica of Charlottesville. Photo: Ron Wade.

Entrants in the car show chose the top five cars they believed deserved recognition. Those were: Michael Fitzgeorge (1992 Mini), Mark and Peg Carty (1967 Mustang Fastback), Daryl Salmons (2024 Lotus Emira), Charleigh Swisher (1956 Chevy), and Tom Thompson (1960 Triumph). The winners of the premier prizes included Kurt Arnold winning Best in Show with his red 1973 Dodge Charger SE and collecting the Pollack Cup; Jay Bason winning The Founders Award with his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro; and Raymond Thomas winning the Trails Crew Award with a 1970 Chevy C-10. His truck was voted capable of carrying tools to the Crozet trail worksites.

The car show had a number of sponsors that were thanked, including Denise Ramey Real Estate, Lauren Morris/State Farm Insurance, CVille Classic Cars; Automotive Aesthetic, The Lodge at Old Trail, Evestia Clinical, and Patina Wealth.