Some young men begin their obsession with their four wheeled loves when they are teenagers. For others, the love affair comes later. Chris Casarona of West Windsor first began to appreciate exotic cars in his early 20s, when he acquired a 1960 British-made Austin-Healey 3000 roadster.
Casarona, now 41 and the owner of the marketing firm, Creative Counsel, is still enamored with the sports cars of yesteryear. “The initial attraction is just the rarity of seeing it on the road,” he says. “Then as a driver there’s the peaceful experience of being on a back road out in the country — maybe past Allentown, New Jersey — and feeling the open air while you’re driving about four inches off the ground. Plus they just don’t make cars like this anymore.”
Whatever the origin of your attraction, you are likely to see a car that will melt your heart again at the 14th annual Princeton Corridor Rotary Club Auto Show & Fair this Sunday, May 15, adjacent to the Hyatt Regency at Carnegie Center on Route 1 north, West Windsor. The show features antique and classic autos; exotic, custom, foreign, and muscle cars from regional auto clubs and private owners as well as brand new models from more than 12 dealers.
This year, thanks to event coordinator Casarona, visitors can expect more cars than ever (the show will be held regardless of weather, but some of the older roadsters and more fragile cars will not likely appear if it rains) and more British cars, as well. Casarona expects that more than 300 show cars will be pre-registered.
Participating area car clubs include the Garden State Chevelles, Schattenbaum Region Porsche Club, Corvette Express, Central Jersey Corvette Club, Central Jersey Antique Car Club, Garden State Late Birds, Jersey Shore Buick Club, Mercedes Benz Club of America, Jaguar Drivers Club, Austin Healey Sport & Touring Club, Keystone MG Club, Delaware Valley Triumph Club, Positive Earth Drivers Club, Prowler Owners Association, the VCCA Historic Region, and many more. Also on display will be new models from regional dealers including Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Nissan, Saab, Acura, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen, and Honda.
Casarona joined the Princeton Corridor Rotary last year, was involved slightly with last year’s show, and this year committed himself to a major effort. “The show began as an event primarily for American cars,” he says, “mostly cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Last year I noticed that it was still mostly American cars, with maybe 20 foreign cars. This year we have 50 to 75 British cars alone.”
Combining his position as club service director with his business skills of producing integrated marketing for companies, Casarona has helped with registration and the design of the flyer and poster. He has spent hours on the Internet recruiting new and unusual auto clubs and sponsors.
Some of the cars are “phenomenal,” he says, and “are only seen in private collections.” The 1937 Bugatti, the first car to have aluminum alloy wheels, is usually only seen in museums or private collections. The 1956 Jaguar D, a unique automobile created to race with very limited production, will be on display. In auctions it usually goes for over $1 million.
A first time visitor is the U.S Antique Truck Club with pick-up trucks and 50-foot rigs from the 40s, Mack trucks, antique trailers, and components that would have been hauled in that time. Surprisingly, the club is run by lawyers and military pilots who have interest in these vehicles and going to shows where they can cruise around. They will have their own lot. If you see 17 antique trucks streaming down Route 1 that morning, you can bet they are headed to the Hyatt.
Casarona was born in Alabama and raised in South Brunswick. His father was a pilot in the Army and flew with TWA for 30 years. His mother was a stay-at-home mom. They both live in South Brunswick. His brother is a high school teacher in Alabama. “Growing up I was active in baseball and school — we didn’t fly anywhere.”
An art major in college at then Trenton State (now College of New Jersey), Casarona worked with large companies including ITT, Goody Products, and American List Counsel, before starting his own marketing company, Creative Counsel. “As in most careers, the most valuable education was in the field.”
The company, started in 1992, maintained offices in Plainsboro for seven years but then created a home office in West Windsor. “I used to have meetings with clients every week in the office,” he says. “Now that we have internet, PDFs, and E-mail, the need for offices is irrelevant — as long as we are doing an excellent job for them.”
His wife Kim, a health clinician with a master’s in social work, was a long-time certified drug and alcohol counselor. “She is very supportive of the mission of volunteer work,” he says. “She also works the accounting and bookkeeping part of the business.” They have two children: Lauren, 10, a student at Millstone River School, and Michael, 12, a student at Grover Middle School.
As Casarona’s business matured, he began to look for opportunities to do pro bono work for the community. “I realized I couldn’t do as much as I wanted to on my own,” he says, “so I decided to join Rotary, which can make a much bigger impact.”
Rotary meets at the Hyatt every Friday at 12:15 p.m. “Rotary is an amazing organization without political or religious affiliation — the stuff that tends to separate people. Members range from 20s to 80s, including young professionals and retirees,” says Casarona.
“It is not just a networking session to promote business. It is all about good will and the more you put into it the more you get out of it. We all share the common goal of helping other people less fortunate than ourselves.” And in Casarona’s case, the good will happens to take the form of a project that is a true labor of love.
— Lynn Miller
Princeton Corridor Rotary Club Auto Show Extravaganza & Fair, Carnegie Center, adjacent to the Hyatt. $5 admission includes a raffle ticket for round-trip Continental Airlines tickets to any destination within the contiguous 48 states and a second prize of a free weekend at a Hyatt resort. Children under 12 free. Parking free. Rain or shine. Sunday, May 15, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All owners of pre-1981 US & foreign makes and/or exotic and custom cars are eligible. Contact Chris Casarona at 609-275-7055 for more information.
The Rotary Club of the Princeton Corridor Foundation will use all funds raised from this event to support local charities and non-profit community activities such as Home Front, the Trenton Soup Kitchen, Triad House, Trenton Rescue Mission and others, as well as the club’s scholarship in support of local high school students.
Interact service groups from High School North and South will do face painting and arts and crafts activities for kids, work in the food tent, and act as messengers. “It’s wonderful to see young people doing that,” Casarona says. “These kids are special.”
