Exotic Car Show Revs Up Ocean City

By Donald Wittkowski Kathy DiDonato had her husband, Tony, snap a photo of her posing in front of a sleek, black Lamborghini Huracan that boasted a jaw-dropping price tag of $267,115. “I want to send the picture to my son. My birthday is coming up,” Kathy DiDonato said with a hearty laugh. If her son didn’t buy her the Lambo — and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t — DiDonato joked she would have to wait until she hit the lottery before she could afford the stunning, Italian-made sports car that has a top speed of more than 200 mph. The DiDonatos, of Drexel Hill, Pa., were among the admirers, dreamers and just plain car buffs who marveled over the millions of dollars worth of exotic, elegant and vintage autos Saturday in Ocean City. The grounds of the Ocean City Tabernacle were transformed into what was perhaps the town’s most expensive piece of real estate for a day, thanks to the 60 ultra-high-end cars that were parked there. One Ferrari alone, a red F40, was said to be worth about $1.5 million. Asked which car he was planning to take home with him, Tony DiDonato replied, “Any one of them. You see cars here that you usually never see anywhere else.” Now in its second year, the Cars & Coffee Show is organized by 18-year-old Matthew Gabriel, of Haddonfield, N.J. His family has a second home in Ocean City. Matthew Gabriel, the car show's 18-year-old organizer, is joined by his mother, Colette, in front of a Ferrari F40. His mother, Colette Gabriel, said people have no idea just how young her son is when he is organizing the event, lining up sponsors and using social media to promote it. Matthew Gabriel, who is barely old enough to drive in New Jersey, said he wanted to create a show that mixed classic American autos with the most exotic foreign-built sports cars. “We have everything from a 1954 Corvette to a Ferrari F40,” he said. “I like everything from classic cars to the newer stuff.” Frank Kerbeck, one of the biggest car aficionados in the country, brought a striking collection of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and Maseratis from his luxury auto dealership in Palmyra, N.J. The Kerbeck dealership was one of the show’s sponsors. One Kerbeck car that drew a lot of attention was a gorgeous Aston Martin DB9 GT Volante convertible with a sticker price of $231,831. Even the Aston’s exterior and interior colors were exotic: “morning frost white” and “all spicy red leather.” Frank Kerbeck, who also owns dealerships in Atlantic City and Pleasantville with his brothers, Charlie and George, proudly showed off a 1991 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible that is one of his personal cars. “It has only 3,000 miles on it,” Kerbeck said of his white Rolls with the tan top. Frank Kerbeck, owner of the Kerbeck auto dealerships in New Jersey along with his brothers Charlie and George, shows off his personal 1991 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible. Most people have a garage for their cars. Kerbeck explained that he has an airport hangar filled with his personal collection of cars. “I drive them all at different times,” he said. “It changes from time to time. I simply love cars. It started from when I was a young kid.” The Kerbeck car empire includes the largest Corvette dealership in the world, in Atlantic City. Kerbeck noted the dealership possesses the first Corvette ever manufactured, an EX-122 concept car that made its public debut in 1953. One highlight of Saturday’s show was the lineup of vintage cars, including a white 1954 Corvette, a red 1961 Corvette, a blue 1957 Thunderbird and a red 1969 Mercedes-Benz. Steven Lucuski, of Yardley, Pa., who is particularly fond of classic autos, said his favorite car in the entire show was the 1957 Thunderbird, which was resplendent in its powder-blue exterior, matching interior and whitewall tires. A lineup of classic convertibles, including two Corvettes, a Thunderbird and a Mercedes-Benz from the 1950s and 1960s, wowed the crowds. “It’s the character of the car, the style,” Lucuski explained of his admiration of vintage cars. Then, Lucuski looked at the 1957 Thunderbird: “It’s got style that can’t be replicated,” he said. “When you look at something like this, you’re looking at a work of art.”