At Motorcars Incorporated, we work on cars for several reasons: to preserve history, to promote the artistry of vehicles, and to just have fun. It’s not about the win, it’s how a moment at a car show can feel.
Thanks to Greg Bavedas for sharing that feeling with everyone.
Years ago, I got into races at Goodwood. Watching E-Types race is how I caught the English car bug and started searching online for my own car. I came across the Motorcars Incorporated website and started to realize that the foremost expert in these cars lives right here in Connecticut. Who knew?
Dean’s history with these cars goes back to when his father started the garage and through to Dean’s love of Jaguar and how his experiences translate to knowing how to restore and judge these cars. He, his nephew, Joe Cusano III, and the guys in the shop really know their stuff.
Two years ago, I bought my 1971 Series III 2+2, Ascot fawn with red interior. I immediately applied for a heritage certificate and discovered that the original interior had been beige. That would be a lot of tan and probably why the prior owner had changed the interior. Red had been offered so, while not original, the color was correct.
Dean led me through the “growing pains” of owning a classic car. When the car was reliable and where I wanted it to be, I decided to bring it and my daughters to as many shows as I could.
I remember putting my hand over my mouth when I heard the event organizers announce my car as a winner. I was astonished!
We took another trophy and I just had to share the good news with Dean. He’s been so patient with me, teaching me to be a Jaguar Whisperer. My car isn’t a 100-point car, but my heart is in it. And it’s so important to have people you can trust when you’re a novice, like me.
The latest trophy from the Bridgeport PAL Trunk or Treat Car Show was special as the day was also my younger daughter’s birthday.
I am happy to share my story and hopeful that so many of Motorcars Incorporated's other great clients will talk about how we enjoy their contributions to the car community. I remember picking up my car from Motorcars Incorporated and seeing a younger couple climb into the mid-90s XJ convertible they’d just bought from Joe. It was black and tan and in really good condition. I had to lean into the window to tell them, “It’s a beautiful car and you guys are in great hands.” That’s how I feel about Joe and Dean.
Thanks to Greg Bavedas for sharing that feeling with everyone.
Years ago, I got into races at Goodwood. Watching E-Types race is how I caught the English car bug and started searching online for my own car. I came across the Motorcars Incorporated website and started to realize that the foremost expert in these cars lives right here in Connecticut. Who knew?
Dean’s history with these cars goes back to when his father started the garage and through to Dean’s love of Jaguar and how his experiences translate to knowing how to restore and judge these cars. He, his nephew, Joe Cusano III, and the guys in the shop really know their stuff.
Two years ago, I bought my 1971 Series III 2+2, Ascot fawn with red interior. I immediately applied for a heritage certificate and discovered that the original interior had been beige. That would be a lot of tan and probably why the prior owner had changed the interior. Red had been offered so, while not original, the color was correct.Dean led me through the “growing pains” of owning a classic car. When the car was reliable and where I wanted it to be, I decided to bring it and my daughters to as many shows as I could.I took the car to the fundraiser in Shelton, CT for the Pine Rock Park Fire Company 4 and hung for a few hours looking at about 200 cars before Ubered home to have breakfast with my daughters Lily and Olivia. That way I wasn’t missing out on my weekend with my girls, bringing them back with me to enjoy the show. They’re good crew members, helping me to take care of the Jaguar and all our cars.
I remember putting my hand over my mouth when I heard the event organizers announce my car as a winner. I was astonished!
The next show was peer voting, unranked, for excellence out of a field of about 300 cars at the Italian American Police Society Car Show 2023 in Norwalk. We’d won two shows in a row and I enjoyed the trophy in the shape of a spark plug!
At the 7th Annual Antique and Classic Car Show at Captain's Cover Seaport in Bridgeport, I’d say there were about 300 cars. My daughter was with me as they announced the awards. We watched the pile of plaques get smaller and smaller and, when they were all gone, I bent down and whispered to her, “Hey, no trophy but we didn’t need it to have a good time. We met a lot of cool people and saw a lot of cool cars. That’s what is important.”
I hadn’t finished my little pep talk when a gentleman announced that they would present the Connecticut Cruise News Rings to the top 10 of show.
We were interested to see who’d get the rings and I nearly fell over when they announced my car midway through the list to the top car!
We got a photo of the presentation, which was neat. Imagine. A Top 10 for “Fats” — the car’s nickname is short for Fat Clemenza, which was my request and bestowed by Dean.
The Car Show to Benefit REACH Newtown at Fairfield Hills was really big. Maybe 400 cars. El Caminos won the day but we had a good time.
I followed my usual practice at the 12th Annual Ross Jenacaro Car Show, registering the car at 8 a.m. and hanging until 10. I got back around 12:30, noticing that there were only about 100 cars. I had mentioned to Dean that the rains had pushed so many shows to the fall that people have had a lot of choice about which car shows to attend this fall.
At the 7th Annual Antique and Classic Car Show at Captain's Cover Seaport in Bridgeport, I’d say there were about 300 cars. My daughter was with me as they announced the awards. We watched the pile of plaques get smaller and smaller and, when they were all gone, I bent down and whispered to her, “Hey, no trophy but we didn’t need it to have a good time. We met a lot of cool people and saw a lot of cool cars. That’s what is important.”
I hadn’t finished my little pep talk when a gentleman announced that they would present the Connecticut Cruise News Rings to the top 10 of show.We were interested to see who’d get the rings and I nearly fell over when they announced my car midway through the list to the top car!
We got a photo of the presentation, which was neat. Imagine. A Top 10 for “Fats” — the car’s nickname is short for Fat Clemenza, which was my request and bestowed by Dean.
The Car Show to Benefit REACH Newtown at Fairfield Hills was really big. Maybe 400 cars. El Caminos won the day but we had a good time.
I followed my usual practice at the 12th Annual Ross Jenacaro Car Show, registering the car at 8 a.m. and hanging until 10. I got back around 12:30, noticing that there were only about 100 cars. I had mentioned to Dean that the rains had pushed so many shows to the fall that people have had a lot of choice about which car shows to attend this fall.We took another trophy and I just had to share the good news with Dean. He’s been so patient with me, teaching me to be a Jaguar Whisperer. My car isn’t a 100-point car, but my heart is in it. And it’s so important to have people you can trust when you’re a novice, like me.
The latest trophy from the Bridgeport PAL Trunk or Treat Car Show was special as the day was also my younger daughter’s birthday.
I am happy to share my story and hopeful that so many of Motorcars Incorporated's other great clients will talk about how we enjoy their contributions to the car community. I remember picking up my car from Motorcars Incorporated and seeing a younger couple climb into the mid-90s XJ convertible they’d just bought from Joe. It was black and tan and in really good condition. I had to lean into the window to tell them, “It’s a beautiful car and you guys are in great hands.” That’s how I feel about Joe and Dean.
