CLAYTON, New York (WWNY) – It looked like a scene straight out of the early 20th century at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, with vintage vehicles as far as the eye could see.

It’s the Early Ford V-8 Club Eastern National Meet and it’s a chance for folks to get up close and personal with pieces of history, specifically Ford and Mercury vehicles from 1932 to 1954.

“I’m very impressed. The quality of restorations is just superb,” said Ted Koudys, event judge.

Authenticity was key with judges rating cars on how much they resembled a model fresh off the assembly line.

“Fasteners today are different. Bolts and nuts today are different. To restore correctly, you need the original fasteners,” said Koudys.

Every sedan, coupe, and truck had a tale to tell. Take a look at Joseph Vetter’s 1933 model that previously sat in a Long Island garage for 30 years.

“In the middle of the Depression, this was a nothing truck. They only made about 66,000 of them,” said Vetter.

The model may be modest. The color, not so much. Believe it or not, they were available in orange back then.

“I just like it because you always see all the other color trucks. You never see orange trucks and it pops,” said Vetter.

Frank Eppley’s 1940 coupe actually used to be his daily driver back in the ’60s but once he retired in ’99, he decided to go for a full-scale restoration.

“All during those years, I hunted in flea markets for stock parts. That car has approximately all new old stock parts on it,” he said.

According to current owner Albert Zimmermann, his 1934 standard sedan was the grand prize of a radio contest back in the day.

“The person had to write a 25-word essay and they won the car,” he said. “The entire car is amazing because all of the running gear is original except for very few parts. The engine is intact and today it only has a total of 35,000 miles on it.”

No matter how many more miles the old sedan has in it, it’s sure to dazzle.

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