The parking lot of Sears in Hicksville transformed into a sea of cars this past Saturday as part of the ninth annual Long Island Cruizin’ For A Cure Car Show.
The show, which was founded by Jericho prostate cancer survivor Sandy Kane, is the only car show on Long Island dedicated to raising funds for research, testing and also education for early detection of prostate cancer. The all-volunteer car show usually draws around 4,000 attendees. It features 600 cars, trucks, motorcycles and more; a perfect day for car enthusiasts and the like.
Among the endless sea of cars are vintage autos in mint condition. A classic 1926 Stutz Speedster, a car that belonged to the Vanderbilts, was one on display. The vehicle’s current owner, Steve Gidelman, has been “Vanderbilt crazy for many years.” As the former president of the Vanderbilt museum as well as an author of books on this railroad empire, he was determined to obtain a piece of Vanderbilt history.
“For 15 years, I kept hearing about this car,” said Gidelman. “I would check if the car was for sale. It would go from a million dollars to $500,000. Finally, it got down to a price that
I could afford, so I bought it.” Though a high performance car, it does run into problems daily. As Gidelman puts it: “She was pushing the technology back then. She’s now 88 years old and she gets cranky.”
Another notable car was a 1934 Rolls Royce 20/25 Park Ward, owned by Mark Rudes. This automobile has 20-25 horsepower and was one of only 40 made. According to Rudes, this one is the last in existence. “My friend saw it in the St. Louis Car Museum sent me pictures of it to my phone. I bought it fifteen years ago and finished the mechanical restoration,” explained Rudes. He went on to highlight the cool features of the Rolls Royce, which included a dual breaking and ignition system, courtesy lights, ashtrays, a sunroof, and automatic turn signals. “It’s an engineering marvel. It has every modern convenience a car has today,” he says.
The 1975 Buick Electra 225 was another standout at the car show. Bought in 1995 by Gene Hilinski, the car is in 90 percent of its original state. The interior was the only part that was redone. “The way you see it is the way I bought it,” says Hilinski.
