Raymond Arsenault on Life and Business: Scenes from the 2016 Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car Show

Fiat 124 Sport Spiders were well-represented at the 11th annual Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car Show. Photos by author.

What can you say about a car show that serves up everything from vintage Volkswagens (and even a Volkswagen dune buggy) through classic British sports cars and Japanese grand-tourers from the 1980s? For lovers of foreign cars, the 11th-annual Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car Show, held on Saturday, August 7 at Saratoga Springs State Park in Saratoga Springs, New York, offered something for everyone to appreciate.

Gary Venable’s 1967 Duetto was the pick for favorite Alfa Romeo Spider. It’s hard to believe the car shows 320,000 miles on the odometer.

Featured classes for 2016 included the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, the Alfa Romeo Spider, pre-1992 Jaguars, the Porsche 356, pre-1992 BMW motorcycles and pre-1992 Toyota Sports & GT cars. Contemporary exotic cars were represented as well, with a class dedicated to post-1992 imports from any overseas manufacturer.

The favorite French car was Ira Goldstein’s 1969 Citroen DS21. He was happy to demonstrate the car’s hydropneumatic suspension to curious attendees.

Though the day began with rain, the clouds cleared by mid-morning, producing spectacular weather for a car show on the greens of Saratoga Springs. A total of 33 trophies were awarded to participants in 16 classes, and we think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all. It’s never too early to start planning for next year’s show, so if you’ve got a passion for the kind of cars seen in the pages of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car magazine, pencil in the show for the first weekend in August.

Jim Whalen’s 1968 Triumph TR250 was near-flawless, earning Best in Show.

If you missed this year’s extravaganza, enjoy the gallery below and look for details on our Best in Show pick, the superb 1968 Triumph TR250 owned by Jim Whalen of Loudenville, New York, in tomorrow’s Hemmings Daily.