People say a dog resembles its owner, and a similar relationship often holds true for cars. At the Middlebury Car Show & Fall Festival on Sunday, Oct. 12, Middlebury resident Diane Mott, the owner of an orange 1973 Volkswagen Type 2 camper van, wore a peace sign baseball cap of a matching shade, dangly orange Volkswagen van earrings and a shirt with the words “they can’t steal what they can’t drive,” a nod to the vehicle’s manual transmission. With large sunglasses pulling the outfit together, her nature befitted that of a classic VW bus owner.
Mott’s van was one of the many special vehicles in town as cars new and antique, their owners and visitors transformed Main Street for the fourth annual Middlebury Car Show & Fall Festival. Organized by the Addison County Chamber of Commerce and the Better Middlebury Partnership (BMP), the event brought over 30 vendors, various food trucks, music, children’s activities and of course, cars, parked from the Middlebury Marquis to the Congregational Church.
The show’s 75 entries represented a truly international collection. American muscle cars were parked beside British roadsters, and a diversity of German autos shared the road with lightning fast Japanese machines. The vehicles ranged from a rare 1965 Shelby Cobra with distinctive writing adorning its hood to a jet black, right-hand drive Nissan Skyline GTR, a Japanese market import capable of hitting 165 mph from the factory. However, the show was more than just a gallery of unique cars. It was a rich collection of stories and personalities.
Peering through the open rear door of Mott’s Volkswagen van, a small wooden plaque read “God Bless our Camper.” Vinyl wood-grain panels lined the interior, and the sun peeked in between intricate yellow curtains pulled to the side. A mismatched collection of pillows rested on the bench seats, which were a shade somewhere between the orange exterior and yellow curtains.
“All original,” Mott boasted from her folding chair on the sidewalk. Getting up from the chair, she told us about the van. The Type 2 is the oldest of her collection of Volkswagen vans, but is still functional for camping trips. Like the typical Volkswagen vans of the era, the roof can be propped up to create extra sleeping space and increase interior headroom. Every label and safety warning in the car was also printed in German and English, a testament to the van’s origins and wide-reaching reputation.
A few cars past the Volkswagen camper, another orange vehicle appeared in the lineup — yet this car was nearly twice the length, extending well over the double yellow lines of Main Street. A rust orange 1971 Buick Riviera sat parked in the sunlight, a true American “landshark” according to its owner, Les Myers. With doors long enough to access both rows of seating and expansive plush bench seats, an ambitious driver easily could fit six passengers. They may not all have seatbelts — an option the owner paid extra for — but nobody would be fighting over the nonexistent airbags.
Myers of Wells, Vt., explained the car’s history alongside his own. First interested in planes as a child, cars were a more feasible hobby for Myers. Yet he still found his own way to fly, heavily modifying old vehicles to reach speeds of over 150 mph.
“Lucille” is painted on the trunk of the car like a tattoo, a V8 engine lurks under the hood and a modified air suspension system allows Myers to keep up with newer cars on twisty roads. Myers himself is a member of the Snake Mountain Cruisers, a group that hosts car shows, goes on drives, “pigs out” at restaurants and drives some more.
Farther down the street, in front of Danforth Pewter, sat a classy British roadster. Its silver-haired owner, Michael Sussman, wore a deep green sweater beneath a wool vest and tan corduroy pants, perfectly coordinated with the car’s paint and pristine beige leather interior.
Sussman traveled from Williamstown, Mass. with his British Racing Green MG MGA MK1 1600, and happily stood by his immaculate roadster as we approached. The MG was not his first British roadster, though. His love for such cars began in high school; his wife told us that when they first met, he was driving an Austin-Healey Sprite, another small and stylish British coupe.
Sussman permitted seating in his MG and used Socratic questioning to explain its quirks.
“Why doesn’t it have door handles?” he asked, prompting consideration of the design rationale (to reduce drag and increase speed). He demonstrated opening the car by pulling a wire within the door panel and guided the starting sequence: pull the choke with both hands, depress the clutch and turn the ignition key. He also verified familiarity with the functions of the three pedals in a manual transmission.
Although there was no recognition for the best story, Sunday’s competition did recognize excellence in cars across multiple other categories. The Best of Show, decided by car owners’ votes, was won by a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. The People’s Choice, cast by visitors, was a 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup. Finally, the Kids’ Choice award, determined by the number of small rubber cars placed on vehicles by young attendees, went to a bright blue 2023 Chevrolet Corvette. Vehicles were also recognized within their respective decades, with the “Best of” award ranging from the 1920s to the 2010s.
Ting Cui '25.5 (she/her) is the Business Director.
Ting previously worked as Senior Sports Editor and Staff Writer and continues to contribute as a Sports Editor. A political science major with a history minor, she interned at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. as a policy analyst and op-ed writer. She also competed as a figure skater for Team USA and enjoys hot pilates, thrifting, and consuming copious amounts of coffee.
Simon Schmieder '26 (he/him) is a Senior Sports Editor.
Simon is an avid runner and biker and enjoys spending time outdoors. He is a philosophy and political science joint major with a minor in German, in addition to being a Philly sports fan.
