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An Opportunity to Be Part of What’s Next
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With ~249k YouTube subscribers, The Collector Car Podcast has more subscribers than RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, and Gooding Christie’s combined!
Add in my 9,400+ newsletter subscribers, with a 58% open rate, and thousands of weekly podcast listeners, and that’s a highly engaged audience of collector car enthusiasts.
I’m now accepting sponsors for future installments of The Enthusiast’s Guide book series, including Porsche and Ferrari!
Want to put your brand in front of passionate car enthusiasts? Simply reply to this email for more information!
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I went to the Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week expecting to spend my time thinking about prewar Alfas, wonderful little Oscas and a few hypercars. Instead, the significant history around the event had me wondering what our hobby might have looked like before cars even existed.
That’s what Newport, Rhode Island, will do to you.
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When you’re surrounded by historic homes, grand architecture, a harbor filled with sailboats, and places like Fort Adams and the International Tennis Hall of Fame, your imagination has plenty to work with.
Naturally, mine wandered to a very important question: If I had been here in 1850, would I have been attending Carriages & Coffee?
I’m going to say yes. And judging by the picture below, I apparently would have owned a rather impressive waistcoat.
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New to this newsletter?
Don’t miss out—subscribe over there—->
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Newport: History Around Every Corner
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One of the things that makes Audrain special is Newport itself. The cars are wonderful, but the setting adds another dimension.
Founded in 1639, Newport became an important colonial seaport long before its name became associated with extravagant summer homes. Its history includes maritime commerce, religious freedom, and skilled craftspeople—including the celebrated Townsend and Goddard furniture makers. Later, during the Gilded Age, wealthy families such as the Vanderbilts helped turn it into a summer society destination.
Then there’s Fort Adams. Construction of the current fort began in 1824 and continued until 1857, with soldiers stationed there by 1841. In the imaginary 1850 world I was creating, the fort would already have been occupied, even as construction continued.
It puts our definition of an “old car” into perspective.
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Before the Concours, There Was the Court (of Corvettes?)
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The International Tennis Hall of Fame adds another layer to Newport’s story.
Its home, the Newport Casino, opened in 1880 as a social club for the city’s fashionable summer crowd. The following year, it hosted the first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships—the tournament that would eventually become the US Open.
During the Audrain weekend, those historic grounds showcased a different kind of American sporting legend: every generation of the Corvette, from the original C1—offered exclusively as a roadster—to today’s fire-breathing, mid-engine C8.
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Welcome to Carriages & Coffee
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Imagine arriving at Fort Adams on a beautiful Newport morning. Instead of Ferraris, Porsches, and Packards, you find elegant carriages, polished brass lanterns, hand-fitted leather, and horses providing the actual horsepower. I suspect the conversations would sound familiar.
“Is that the original upholstery?”
“Who restored the wheels?”
“I knew the previous owner. You should have seen what he paid for it.”
Someone would insist the older carriages were better built. Someone else would explain why his latest purchase was a wonderful investment. And somewhere nearby, a spouse would ask why one perfectly good carriage wasn’t enough.
I’m fairly certain I would be trying to justify more stable space.
This is all my imagination, of course. But a gathering of people admiring craftsmanship, comparing details, and deciding which example they would take home?
That sounds an awful lot like us.
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And imagine if a Lambo suddenly showed up on the cobblestoned streets of 1850 Newport…sorry, I just had to put this in here…I love the imagery. An Antebellum selfie!
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There’s One in Every Crowd
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Of course, someone would arrive with something that would stop every conversation on the field.
In my imaginary gathering, that would be a carriage inspired by the famous Gypsy Rose lowrider: pink paint, elaborate roses, gold accents, plush upholstery, and a stance sitting just a little closer to the grass.
Period correct? Absolutely not. But once you’ve invented Carriages & Coffee, you might as well invite the custom crowd.
I can picture the traditionalists inspecting it over their spectacles while everyone else gathers around for a better look.
The owner’s explanation? “It’s just a few tasteful modifications.”
Some things never change.
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The Judges May Have A Few Questions
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“Lovely carriage. One point deducted for incorrect lanterns. They should be brass…not nickel.”
No imaginary carriage concours would be complete without proper judging.
I can picture the head judge in a top hat and frock coat, delivering the morning briefing: “Gentlemen, we are judging the carriages. Please do not deduct points because the horse won’t cooperate.”
The teams would examine paint, upholstery, brass fittings, and every wooden spoke.
Owners would stand nearby with restoration records and a familiar explanation:
“That’s exactly how it left the coachbuilder.”
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Originality would still inspire spirited debate.
“Those lanterns are lovely, but they’re from 1852. This is an 1850 carriage.”
“The owner says the velvet was a special order.”
“We’ll need the head judge’s ruling on that.”
Our Gypsy Rose carriage would probably require a class of its own.
The biggest challenge might be the operational check. Today, a judge asks you to start the engine and demonstrate the lights. In 1850, your horsepower might choose that exact moment to wander toward the refreshments.
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For all the silliness, being surrounded by Newport’s history made me appreciate our hobby a little more.
At a concours, we discuss specifications, production numbers, and restoration details. But the cars also connect us to the people who designed them, built them, bought them, and cared enough to preserve them.
Newport offers those connections everywhere: in its colonial buildings, the defenses of Fort Adams, the historic grounds of the Tennis Hall of Fame, and the grand homes of a later era.
A preserved car can tell a story. So can a city. At Audrain, you get to enjoy both.
And my favorite part of this hobby would probably translate quite well to 1850: meeting people, hearing their stories, and getting far too excited about something with wheels.
Although recording The Collector Car Podcast would have been considerably more difficult…perhaps The Collector Carriage Gazette?
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Would you arrive at Carriages & Coffee in something elegant and comfortable—or something low, pink, and slightly irresponsible?
Hit reply and tell me. I have a feeling I already know a few of your answers.
Thanks, as always, for coming along for the ride.
Greg
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“See A Kid, Give A Book” Campaign
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One of my favorite parts of The Enthusiast’s Guide project is my “See a Kid, Give a Book” campaign. The rules are pretty simple: at select car shows and events, if I see a young enthusiast genuinely checking out the cars, I may hand them a free copy of the book. There are, however, a few important rules. The kid must actually be there.
The goal is to reward the kids who show up, wander the field, ask questions, and remind us that the future of the collector car hobby might be standing right next to us. If you would like to sponsor a book or books, just respond to this email to learn more.
The Enthusiast’s Guide to Collector Cars is available here and online through Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble, making it easier than ever to encourage the next generation of enthusiast. Stay Driven, Greg Stanley
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New Podcasts Every Thursday
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Then catch up on some of my previous blogs:
As always, thanks for listening, watching, reading, liking and sharing fun automotive content. I will talk to all of you this Thursday on The Collector Car Podcast.
Greg Stanley
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Here’s Your Handy Corvette Cheat Sheet
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