Heavy rain did not deter the scores of people searching for serious horsepower at the Car Party at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo on Saturday.
“It’s a good day Terry,” Tony Krncevic, 48, said with a smile to his friend and fellow car enthusiast, Terry McKelvey, 60, of Maumee, from under the protection of an umbrella.
After moving to Toledo Mr. Krncevic cultivated the Car Party, “a community for sports and exotic cars.”
The Car Party, which enjoyed its first reveal to the public Saturday, has been an unofficial meetup for Mr. Krncevic starting on the one-year anniversary of his wedding July 7, 2008.
From a dozen or so cars ogled at on the front lawn of Mr. Krncevic’s home in Old Orchard to a public event with over 60 automotive masterpieces, the Car Party was in full swing, and not bothered by the rain.
“This is super cool,” Tony Khoury, 52, of Sylvania Township, said as he looked over different cars with his 13-year-old son, Naseem. “It exceeded our expectations. We weren’t sure what kind of cars we’d see.”
And for young Khoury, the green 812 GTS Ferrari micro flaked with gold was the show-winner of the exotic cars.
A V12 engine able to go from 0-62 in 2.9 seconds was hidden under a sleek design Rick Lederman, 76, of Swanton, Ohio, was happy to show off.
Mr. Lederman, who owns two other Ferraris, mentioned maintenance on the car is free for the first seven years, but one of the older models he has costs about $750 an oil change.
While some car shows focus on appreciating vintage artifacts, the Car Party is centered on appreciating the unique.
Interesting curves and designs proliferated the event, and perhaps the best example of this was Mr. Krncevic’s own blue 1978 Lotus Esprit S1.
The Esprit is a British sports car with a distinctly angular build echoing the famous DMC DeLorean used in the Back to the Future movies.
A DeLorean was also present at the show.
And for attendees, this was “a perfect opportunity to enjoy something in Toledo,” Mr. Khoury said.
First Published July 8, 2023, 10:07 p.m.
