Exotic car show kicks off St. Armands' events season

Longboat Key
Neighbors

St. Armands Circle has played host to a plethora of curiosity-inspiring vehicles over the years, from the 1966 maroon Roadster that appeared in the 2009 "Star Trek" film to a 1956 Jaguar formerly owned by Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and all manner of stylish, rare contemporary cars.

The first car show of the season, Exotic Cars on the Circle, delighted onlookers with a variety of interesting wheels on Sept. 6.

Proceeds from registration fees, sales of Christmas ornaments and other donations went to the Flight to the North Pole charity.

Wife and husband duo Sylvia Gillotte and Sidney Ettedgui are the leaders of the nonprofit, which began in 1985.

Gillotte said she appreciates the car community's ongoing support for their aim to bring as much holiday cheer as possible to families with terminally ill children.

"It started out with a group of Eastern Air Lines stewardesses, and when that shut down, my husband, who had been assisting with it, took it over and made it a 501(c)(3)," she explained.

The event has shifted venues several times, but for the past few years, it has been hosted at Feld Entertainment in Palmetto.

"It's amazing. They transform this huge building into a winter wonderland, with snow, Christmas trees and a train to take the kids around," she said. "It's just a wonderful time."

She noted the Christmas celebration is the group's main focus, but it also offers support to participating families throughout the year whenever possible. The organization recently donated an accessible van to one local family.

"We also offer some respite care by sending kids to camp so parents get that respite, because a lot of this is so overwhelming," she said.

This 2005 Ford GT drew many curious onlookers at the Exotic Cars on the Circle show on Sept. 6 at St. Armands Circle.

Sage Auto Studios and Ferrari Drivers SRQ hosted the annual car show, which drew Porsches, Lamborghinis and, of course, Ferraris.

One of this year's big attention attractors was a 2005 Ford GT, one of about 1,300 built. The model draws inspiration from the Ford race car that dramatically dethroned Ferrari as the dominating sports car brand in the 1960s, as owner Gary Curry explained.

"It was designed after the GT40 cars that won the Le Mans race in France," he said. "They took the top three spots in the race."

Curry bought the car that used to reside at the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Florida, about a year and a half ago. He said he loves getting to share such a unique car with visitors to such a show.

He added, "I'm typically a GM person, but this is a pretty special car."

The white car body and contrasting dark blue racing stripes caught the eye of many passersby.

Attendees shared their enjoyment of the variety of cars showcased on the Circle that afternoon.

Angelo Zeno, 87, and his son-in-law, Jim Carr, pose for a photo by the Lamborghini with their favorite paint job at Exotic Cars on the Circle.

Angelo Zeno, 87, checked out the show with his son-in-law, Jim Carr. Zeno ran his own car body shop in Brooklyn, New York, for decades.

He appreciated many of the cars there that day, especially those with custom paint jobs like he would do at his shop. But of them all, he is still partial to a Lamborghini.

Plenty of the biggest names in the luxury car industry were well represented, but other unique brands were on display as well. Joseph Staskowski from Car Cave SRQ presented a strikingly orange, Dutch-manufactured 2010 Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85.

"This color combination was only available in the 14 that they made," he added.

Along with plenty of new entries this year, the car show also welcomed some fan favorites, including the Batmobile owned by Eugene Nock.

Garrett and Eugene Nock bring smiles to visitors of all ages at the Exotic Cars on the Circle show on Sept. 6 with the iconic Batmobile, a staple a local car shows.

The vehicle famously appeared in the 1960s "Batman" TV series and 1966's "Batman: The Movie."

Nock said nothing brings him pride like supporting organizations such as Flight to the North Pole over the years with the Gotham crimefighter's famous ride.

"This car, no matter where you park it, always gets lots of attention and photos," he said, adding that he's always delighted to support organizations like Make-A-Wish, local schools and this foundation.

He continued, "It makes me proud to give back to Sarasota and support worthy causes."

This year's Flight to the North Pole celebration is planned for Dec. 12 at Feld Entertainment.

Ettedgui said the organization has grown to support at least 400 children. For information on how to donate, visit FlightToTheNorthPole.org.

The next car show scheduled for St. Armands is Ferraris on the Circle, taking place on Nov. 1.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.