Cars on Fifth

There were a lot of nice cars parked on Fifth Ave. South in Naples this weekend. 

There are almost always nice cars parked on the iconic shopping and restaurant strip, but this past Saturday, it was different. Over 700 of the most gorgeous, exotic, and expensive autos in the world lined the street for Cars on Fifth, the culminating event of the Naples Automotive Experience. All regular parking was prohibited, and the streets surrounding Fifth Avenue were closed to traffic. 

They needed to be closed off; there was no way anyone could possibly have driven through on Saturday. Packed around the cars being exhibited were something over 20,000 spectators, filling every square foot of the street not occupied by the cars on display. There were so many people milling about it was virtually impossible to make your way down the avenue, and quite difficult to actually see a particular vehicle, let alone photograph one without a mass of bodies in the way. Southwest Florida’s biggest car show has, in some respects, become a victim of its own success. 

That success is noteworthy. Last year, the weekend raised $1.2 million to support the work of St. Matthews House, and the goal this year was $1.5 million, said organizer Tom O’Riordan, President of the Ferrari Club of America and also its Naples chapter. 

“I think we will meet our goal,” he said, although the take was still being tallied up at press time. “We sold a lot of cars” at the auction that is part of the program.

Cars on Fifth is in its 20th year and marks the culmination of a series of private functions taking place for several days leading up to the big public show on Saturday. On Thursday, the Naples Automotive Experience Jetport Reception showcased private jets, helicopters and more at the Elite Jets hangar and tarmac at the Naples Airport. 

Friday, the Naples Motorcar Auction at Ultimate Garages presented 125 lots of exotic, luxury, and collector cars, along with automobile memorabilia. But the big show was Saturday on Fifth. There were Lamborghinis by the score, vintage Corvettes by the dozen, and over a hundred Ferraris. In fact, the count of Ferraris was 130 and noted car enthusiast and Ferrari collector Bill Young of Marco Island had the job of judging them all. Young owns four Ferraris but did not bring any of them to the show or submit them for judging. He did show up with his 2010 Spyker C8 Spyder, which took top honors in the “super car” category – judged by someone else. 

With 130 cars to compare, the Ferraris were divided up by eras. Young awarded first prize in the modern Ferrari category to the silver 2021 Ferrari F8 shown by Joe Biondo of Naples. With 711 horsepower, it clocks 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and can reach 211 mph. For the “late Enzo” era, the 1970s and ’80s, top billing went to a 1985 288 GTO shown by JR Amantea. 

In the “other luxury” category, Chris Centrella of Naples won for his 2023 Bespoke Ghost Rolls-Royce. Centrella, who is also a Lamborghini owner, also showed an exotic beast, his McLaren 720 S Spider, and said it’s tough sometimes deciding which car to drive. For crossing Alligator Alley, he said maybe the Rolls was best, but “I’ll take it to Walmart too.” 

One of the major features of Cars on Fifth was the unveiling of the new Shelby Series II, an updating of one of the most storied marques in the automotive world – and there too, was a Marco Island connection. Islander Gary Vilk, working with Island Automotive owner Keith Pershing, was instrumental in giving this show the honor of being the first to showcase the new Shelby, heir to a racing tradition going back to the glory days of “Ford vs. Ferrari.” 

Both Vilk and Pershing, in addition to spreading the word on the new Shelby, brought their own Shelbys to a special dedicated area. Pershing’s 1965 Cobra is the one that started the Shelby legend.

There were muscle cars, Porsches, classics, exotics, and a few that stood out by being “something entirely different,” like the 1988 Citroen 2CV, that looked as though it should be driven by Inspector Clouseau. 

With so much going on, and such a crush of spectators, you couldn’t possibly see it all. Even O’Riordan commented on the crowd. 

“It’s too many cars, almost. You can’t see the cars very well,” he said. “Why do they come?” Perhaps the billion dollars worth of premium cars on display is the answer. 

Why he puts on the show – and is too busy to display any of his own collection – is easier to fathom. O’Riordan is a fervent believer in the work of St. Matthew’s House. 

“St. Matthew’s House runs the only emergency homeless shelters in this community, and they are opening another one in Ft. Myers,” he said. “They are the best in the country for their addiction recovery program. They really retrain people – when they come out, they’re changed. And 100 percent of every dollar raised goes right into their programs.” St. Matthew’s House, he said, served 800,000 meals with their mobile food pantries. 

For those who would like to visit a car show where there are fabulous vehicles, but a little easier to navigate, not to mention closer to home, mark your calendars. The Marco Island Kiwanis Car Show, also in its 20th year, is set for Saturday, February 24 at Veterans’ Community Park – and with the retirement of longtime organizer John de Rosa, it will be helmed for the first time by Bill Young.