BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Above, Dennis Byrne (l) of South Brunswick and his sons, Chase and Garrett, get a rare glimpse of one of the most recognizable cars in the world. Below, Kelly Kelly, of Hamilton, and her daughter, Brittney, admire the details of the “All American” motorcycle at the 12th Annual Cops and Rodders car show at DeVry University in North Brunswick on Sunday. NORTH BRUNSWICK – Jack Sanchez always dreamed of owning a 1955 Ford Thunderbird. When he was a teenager, the most popular car on the market offered style and substance, coolness and confidence and just sheer pleasure. “You’ll have fun, fun, fun ’til your daddy takes the T-Bird away” rang through his ears for most of his life.
That is, until 12 years ago.
Proudly displaying the first-year model of the Thunderbird, as well as the 2005 50th anniversary model they also own, Sanchez and his wife Candie showcased their two cars at the 12th annual Cops and Rodders Car Show held at DeVry University on Sunday.
“All my life I’ve been with cars. I used to race them, I used to drive them, I used to do it all,” Jack Sanchez said.
After tirelessly scouring the market for the 1955 version, the township resident finally found the exact car he had been searching for: a Thunderbird Blue with purple trim, purchased on consignment from a dealership specializing in classic cars.
“It definitely was a good investment. It’s doubled in value since we bought it,” his wife said.
The Sanchezes, along with nearly 350 other car lovers, brought their vehicles to the kickoff show of the season in North Brunswick, which benefits the Death, Retirement, Widows and Orphans Fund.
“The money raised is for a good cause, and I enjoy seeing the same people every year plus the new ones that come out every year to support us,” said Detective Dave Varga, who now coordinates the event with Lt. Keith Buckley.
From muscle cars to Escalades, motorcycles to buggies, even an assortment of nostalgic police and emergency vehicles, the car show had something to offer everyone interested in transportation models. Robert Sickles, the president of Professional Offroad Services [POS] Performance Offroading, brought a selection of 11 cars – nine Jeeps and two Ford pick-ups, – that he and his 30 or so other friends build for rock crawling.
“[We do it] just for the fun of it, honestly. It’s the most fun you can have at 2 miles per hour. You see what kind of trails you can go through with it,” he said.
Started in 2002 after a few friends worked on smaller cars and then graduated to bigger trucks, the club usually has around 20 trucks or so they take to various offroad parks in Pennsylvania and Englishtown, as well as the Cops and Rodders show every year.
“[We come here] to get recognized and to get support for our township’s police department,” Sickles said.
And the police department is the focus of the entire event. Implemented in 1994 by Mike Grasso to benefit the families of any North Brunswick officers who pass away in the line of duty, the association has already raised an undisclosed amount of money and supported the relatives of Detective Howard Susan and Detective Robert Baron.
In that regard, the proceeds from the car registration, T-shirts, food and plaque sales are added to the fund.
“We’re going to go look at the vendors and get some great food,” spectator Joe Whalen of Brick said.
He and his daughters, Allison and Erika, visited the show for the first time because their friend, Amanda Smith, drives a Junior Dragster in competitions across the country. Smith began racing at age 8 after a trip to an amusement park at age 2 and the influence of her father, Ivan Durham, who has always been into racing.
“Just a kid being behind the wheel is a privilege,” she said, adding that she likes to drive as fast as she can, topping 85 mph in her racer. “I want to go as fast as I can. I love speed.”
Although she cruises a lot during the summer and races practically every weekend from April through November, she enjoys the Cops and Rodders show because of the exclusive nature it provides to her sport.
“I’m the only car here of my type. There’s no other Junior Dragster here besides mine so I get a little bit of attention,” she said.
Although the Whalens came to support Smith in the show, they also gave attention to the other vehicles on display.
“The beauty, the time and the effort they put into it [are great],” the elder Whalen said.
Georganne Benanti of North Brunswick agreed with Whalen’s sentiments, admiring the older cars as compared to the newer versions.
“It seems more time and effort and heart are put into the older cars,” she said.
A frequent attendant who enjoys the day out with her family, Benanti expects to continue coming to the car show to view all of the cars and motorcycles.
“It’s something to do, it’s close to home, and it’s nice,” she said.
The car show was sponsored by the Malouf Auto Group as well as 50 other local businesses. George Logan Towing, Puleio’s Towing, Rich’s Towing and the North Brunswick First Aid and Rescue Squad were also integral to the day.
For more information about the show, e-mail [email protected].