Text and photos by Derek Meluzio –
“If you build it, they will come.” We all remember the famous quote from the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams. It has become a cultural reference basically implying that if you create something of quality it will bring in an audience or will naturally attract people towards it.
That could not be any more true when looking at and considering the success of the Dream Ride Experience over the last 25 years. Benefiting the Hometown Foundation, and held at the Farmington Polo Club in Connecticut, the three day fundraising festivities host a series of events ranging from a Police K-9 challenge and expo, to a huge chili cookoff, to the Dream Ride Motorcycle Ride (a 40 mile police escorted drive through the countryside), to the Dream Cruise (hundreds of individuals with intellectual disabilities are paired with drivers of classic and exotic cars for a 12 mile drive, and the last and biggest event … the Dream Show.
The Dream Show attracts well over 1,000 of the nicest and highest profile cars from all over the country. It is one of the largest collections of hypercars and supercars in one place that you will find anywhere in the world. Many cars that were featured actually had just previously been across the country on the other coast for Pebble Beach week.
The event founder is Michael Bozzuto. He is a real “car guy” in the full sense of the phrase. Not only that but he is truly a visionary. I would compare him to Walt Disney. Trust me, after attending the Dream Ride Experience this year, I can tell you, it is literally like Disney World for car lovers and for people lovers. I have spent my whole life in the car business and I have been taking part in car related happenings for about 40 years. I am also the proud uncle of a wonderful niece with down syndrome. I sort of had an idea heading into the event what I was getting myself into but I really did not understand it and appreciate it fully until after I was home and looked back and reflected.
The festivities over the weekend include not only the car and motorcycle events but also adaptive activities and sports for Special Olympians including swimming, basketball, fishing, and cheerleading. Many of these Special Olympians have been coming as guests of Mr. Bozzuto for years. Each night there is family friendly entertainment. This year “Americas Got Talent” winner Terry Fator performed.
The last day is the Dream Show. I have attended some amazing car events in the past such as Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, and the Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals. All of them have been amazing and enjoyable and all of them in different ways showcasing different types of cars. They all feature a showfield as well as venders and manufacturers.
The Dream Show was like nothing I have ever experienced. The sheer quantity of cars on display was unrivaled. The vendor displays and the manufacturer displays alone were impressive. There were 100s of them. Then, car clubs were on display, concours level cars were displayed and judged under giant tents (Wayne Carini and Dean Cusano were some of the judges that I recognized) and then there was the open showfield of cars. That alone had over 1,000 vehicles. I don’t mean just 1,000 random cars. Each one of these were potential award winning. Like the top cars and coffee cars on a sunday or cruise night cars you see on a Saturday back home…only there were 100s and 100s of them. All so different.
Pagani, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, McLaren, Aston Martin, Morgan, Bentley, RUF, Glickenhaus, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Tuatara, Kimera, Mosler, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Gemballa, Lotus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, AMG, Delorean, Renault, Nissan, you name it it was there. It was the who’s who of the automotive world. There were multiple examples of each brand. There were cars that I had never even heard of before. I saw my first ever Czinger and my first Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.
All of these cars were in one place. All surrounded by car lovers. On top of that there were large amounts of vintage and historic cars as well. I would say the most elegant car of the entire show was the 1929 Pierce Arrow owned by Bob Bujak. It even won the esteemed Dream Riders Choice Award. The fun didn’t stop there. Military vehicles, monster trucks, diesel trucks, street rods, and even race cars were all on hand.
From what I understand, the event had humble beginnings but over the years it gained traction and gained momentum until it grew into what it is today.
What is it exactly? It really is a phenomenon. Aside from being an event that featured a huge amount of amazing cars, it is an event that raised a whopping $7,650,000 for charity. Yes, you read that correctly. I didn’t add too many zeroes by accident. Isn’t that amazing? It all benefits the Hometown Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that benefits individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, individuals with major Illness, animal welfare, emergency response personnel, and the Military.
The car lover side of me was going nuts all day long. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. The uncle who spends time at Special Olympic events was also super happy all day long. The event supplied scooters for individuals with mobility issues. It also featured multiple sensory tents set up on site to assist individuals with noise and touch issues. I met so many wonderful automotive enthusiasts but also met so many families of people with disabilities that were just so excited to be featured and included.
Believe it or not I did not even begin to touch on how many amazing cars were on display. I didn’t even see all of them let alone photograph all of them or even mention all of them. You need to see it for yourself. Farmington Connecticut is where it is held each year. The Farmington Polo Club hosts everyone and the parking and ticketing was handled just as well as the show itself. Do yourself a favor. Make plans to attend next year, especially if you live in the Northeast. You will not regret it.
You can learn more by visiting their web site.
More photos are in the slide show below and below that is a YouTube video.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Derek Meluzio grew up in a car loving family in Central, PA. He still lives there with his wife, daughter, and car loving sons. Derek is an amateur autocrosser who attends track events, Concours/shows, and Cars and Coffee events all over. He has an appreciation for all cars but especially anything Porsche.
Amazing! Thank you Derek.
Thank you Wes. It really was a fun time. I had heard about the show but never attended before. I will certainly be going back next year that’s for sure!