All posts by emedina

HERITAGE DAY’S MIAMI 2026

April 12, 2026 emedina

Thank you to Jr Valdez, David Sanchez, Alex Clay and Richard Whittington along with their respective better half’s, for coming out to support this inaugural event for Heritage Day.

Our host, Robert Geitner, long time supporter and friend of our club, has already spoken with me about doing this again next year. We are going to expand the display to include cars of the 60’s.

Heritage Days Celebrates the day Henry Flagler arrived In Miami with his railroad, April 11th 1896. Again thank you to all the participated and all that tried to come out and support the event.

Looking forward to doing this again next year!

Biltmore Way Classic Car Show

BILTMORE WAY CLASSIC CAR SHOW 2026

April 9, 2026 emedina

A AUTO TECH 2025 BILTMORE WAY

CLASSIC AUTO SHOW, March 8, 2026

Submitted by Jean Hawa

While Carnival on the Mile was going on across the street on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, the South Florida Region was having its annual judged car show on Biltmore Way. As in the past it was well attended by the cars and spectators. The weather was picture perfect.

We are very thankful for the work and guidance from Chairman and Registrar Ed Medina, Chief Judge Manny Garcia, and Ira Shapiro who supervised the Youth Judges. Our worker bees were the volunteers who set up and dismantled the tent, parked the cars, judged the cars and trained the apprentice judges, procured the port-a john brought the morning and lunch refreshments etc. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the everyone who assisted throughout the day. Without any of our members stepping up and volunteering, events like these are almost impossible to have. An added surprise was a brief gratis performance by the Belles of Harmony at noon time. Onlookers enjoyed their musical talents and dancing.

As with any judged show, the highlight of the day is the Awards Ceremony. Brany Binker of A Auto Tech, our main sponsor, provided the trophies and put on a very nice display of two restored vehicles beside the Coral Gables City Hall. Another display was provided by long-time sponsor Williamson Group with several Cadillacs.

AWARD WINNERS

(1) AMERICAN PRODUCTION- 1925-1949

BEST IN CLASS- 1934 Buick 56C Sport coupe- Larry Epstein

RUNNER UP- 1939 American Bantam Roadster- Alberto Naon

(2) AMERICAN PRODUCTION- 1950-1959

BEST IN CLASS– 1957 Ford Thunderbird– Nivardo Mora

RUNNER UP– 1955 Buick Century– Al Padilla

(3) AMERICAN PRODUCTION—1960-1970

BEST IN CLASS– 1966 Ford Thunderbird– Richard Manso

RUNNER UP– 1970 Chrysler Newport Cordoba– Pablo Sanchez

(4) –

(5) FACTORY HIGH PERFORMANCE– 1955-1973

BEST IN CLASS– 1970 Dodge Challenger– Ignacio Alonso

RUNNER UP– 1969 Pontiac GTO RAIV– Claudio Marcelo Beruvides

(6) FACTORY HIGH PERFORMANCE– 1974-2001

BEST IN CLASS-1986 Buick Grand National– Pete Rodriguez

RUNNER UP– 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28– Carlos Alvarez

(7) CORVETTE- 1953-1973

BEST IN CLASS-1965 Chevrolet Corvette– Mark Tenzer

RUNNER UP– 1966 Chevrolet Corvette– Barry Delphus

(8) CORVETTE– 1974-2001

BEST IN CLASS– 1975 Chevrolet Corvette– Art Fernandez

(9) MUSTANG– 1964.5– 1973

BEST IN CLASS– 1969 Mustang Mach 1- Juan Bruno Zayas III

RUNNER UP– 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1– Everado Padron

(10)-

(11) FOREIGN CARS LUXURY– ALL YEARS

BEST IN CLASS– 2000 Bentley Armage Red Label– Bob Caplan

RUNNER UP– 1964 Rolls Royce Phantom– Carlos Gomez

(12) FOREIGN CARS– NON-SPORTING– ALL YEARS

BEST IN CLASS– 1988 Mercedes Benz 560 SL-Marcos Quintero

RUNNER UP– 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL– Ysmael M Benitez

(13) FOREIGN CARS– SPORTING– 1950-1969

BEST IN CLASS– 1960 Jaguar MK-2-3.8– Luis Fernandez

RUNNER UP-1952 MG TD- Francisco Matallana

SPECIAL SURVIVOR AWARD– 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE OTS – Jaime Del Valle

(14) FOREIGN CARS SPORTING– 1970-2001

BEST IN CLASS-2001 BMW Z8– Justo Aspiazu

RUNNER UP– 1996 Porsche 911– Felipe Isaza

(15) TRUCKS, WORK VEHICLES, MILITARY VEHICLES

BEST IN CLASS-1999 GMC C2500 Sierra Ext 3 door cab- Cliff Gibson

RUNNER UP-1966 Vespa Piaggio 150 with sidecar– Ernie and Miriam Bernal

BEST OF SHOW– 1970 Mercedes Benz 280 SL Pagoda– Volker Ribniger

Art Deco Weekend

ART DECO WEEKEND CLASSIC CAR FEST 2026

January 15, 2026 emedina

Another amazing Art Deco Weekend Classic Car Fest. The weather was perfect on both Saturday and Sunday, a little warmer on Sunday but beautiful South Florida weather. The event as amazing as always, vendors, artists, artisans and many others lined the East side of Ocean Dr. from 5th street to 14th street. Yes this years event was extended all the way to 14th street unlike the past 30+ years it ended on 10th street. Unlike previous years there were no food street vendors and the local restaurants were invited to participate in the event, all those choosing to participate had tables and chairs out on the street and many had special menus just for the event, with surprisingly decent rates. On the West side of Ocean Dr. the spaces in between the restaurants the classic cars were lined up all the way from 5th street to 14th street on Saturday and to 13th street on Sunday. The display and almost everything about the event had a new clean and appealing layout, the cars were better setup with protection from the strollers, cyclist, and scooters. The one thing we all agreed that was a drawback was the change of dates, as the Art Deco Weekend has always taken place on the long weekend of MLK but this year due to the Orange Bowl and National Championship game taking place on the long weekend the festival was forced to move to the weekend ahead. We are assured the Festival will move back for next year to its original long weekend.

In no particular order these are the cars that received awards each day, keep in mind these are popular awards.

Saturday: 1995 Porsche 911 by Bernardo Abello, 1973 BMW 3.0 CS by Drew Gregg, 1966 Ford Thunderbird by Eddie Gil, 1981 Chevy Camaro Z28 by Carlos Alvarez, 1967 Chevy Corvette by Terry Cullen, 1952 MG TD by Francisco Matallana, 1986 Buick Grand National by Peter Rodriguez, 1969 Plymouth Road Runner by Jay Pilch, 1992 Mini Cooper by Henry Gonzalez, 1967 MG B by Peter Lacao, 1975 Chevy Corvette by Art Fernandez.

Best of Show Saturday: 1930 Rolls Royce Phantom by Henry Kohn

Sunday: 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 by Bob Mayer, 1969 Pontiac Firebird by Mike Penn, 1936 Ford Roadster by Diane Ash, 1959 MG A Roadster by Luis Fernandez, 2000 BMW Z8 by Eduardo Areas, 1970 Chevy Corvette by Julio Martinez, 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 by Bruno Zayas, 1955 Chevy Corvette by Henry Kohn, 1934 Buick 56C sport by Larry Epstein, 1964 Ford Thunderbird by Jose Trujillo, 1929 Ford Woody by Ross Battaglia,

Best of Show Sunday: 1958 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham by Junior Valdes

Awards and Club Support by Williamson Automotive Group

AACA South Florida Region would like to also extend a thank you to the Miami Design Preservation League for hosting the event and always having AACA as the classic car show representatives.

A special thank you to Ira & Jorge who chaired and organized the event and to Angel, Tony H., Junior, Millie, Manny, Tomas, Al, Alejandro. Hector, Ed, Anthony N., and Art F. for helping out and donating water and ice on Sunday.

Holiday Party

2025 South Florida Region Holiday Gala

December 8, 2025 emedina

The Holiday Gale (Party) this year was at the same location we celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the club earlier this year. The Miami Outboard Clyb hosted both events and did an amazing job. Thanks to member Tony Hernandez for all the assistance with the MOC in getting everything ready. In charge of decorating Yovanna Hernandez, Millie Garcia, Al and Miriam Padilla did an amazing creative job as always. The venuw was set up with a very festive holiday theme and colors in red and white.

As the members arrived they were greeted by Jean and Ed and guided to the cocktail hour by the Tiki bar, appetizers and beverages were served as the club members mingled and awaited to enter into the main ballroom. At 7:15 the members were welcomed into the main dinning room as they collected their name cards on the way way inside. Once everyone was inside president Tomas Hernandez opened up with a welcoming to everyone, then Manny Garcia said a blessing over the whole evening. Then the DJ tony announced that each table would be called in order to take pictures at the step and repeat and Al Padilla would be acting photographer. During the picture time the staff started bringing out and serving bread and salads

As the dinner was being served the Swearing in Ceremony was conducted, swearing in the new 2026 Board of Directors. Ira Shapiro presided over the swearing in of the board as the clubs Parliamentarian, the 2026 board welcomed in 4 new members on the board Junior Valdes, Tony Hernandez, Alejandro Clay and Angel Aulet. After the swearing in took place, Tomas Hernandez presented the ‘Steering Wheel’ to newly sworn in president elect Al Padilla, to conclude the board ceremonies.

Then Ed Medina presented the clubs annual donation to the Neva King Cooper School for Special Needs and accepting on their behalf was Cliff Gibson. Cliff spoke a little bit towards what the school does and how they are a 100% school for children with special needs. Tomas Hernandez alsdo presented the Member of the Year award to Angel Aulet.

After almost everyone had finished dinner a short fun session of raffles and give aways took place as the beautifully decorated cake done by Gina Medina was being cut and served. Then the fun began, an evening of all different styles and genres of music and the members danced and celebrated away. During this time there was also an open air photo booth provided by the Infinity Sound and Tony with plenty of gag props provided for fun photo selfies. Around 10pm we had a second session of raffle give away in the form of Gift Cards, the members that stuck around for the fun and music took home a little extra! the dancing and celebration continued until 11pm it was an amazing evening has by everyone that attended.

Progressive Dinner

2025 Progressive Lunch

December 1, 2025 emedina

The 2025 progressive Lunch was more of a progressive morning and afternoon. We saw members gather together early at 9am at the warehouse of fellow members Manny & Ed for light breakfast of cofee, Orange Juice and Donyts and Pastries. We had a great start with members showcasing their rides and socializing.

Then everyone received their driving directions to the second stop which was 15 miles away down in Homestead. The group took a nive scenic drive through the Redlands until reaching the second destination which was a Latin Cafe organized by fellow member Ben. There everyone enjoyed many appetizer options like Tequeños, Beef Empanadas, Ham and Cheese Empanadas. mini Cuban Sandwiches, Plantain Chips and a few other things with plenty of water and soda options. After socializing, and hanging out for a little over an hour everyone received the directions to stop number three which was roughly 21 miles away.

Everyone jumped back into their classics and drove a nice route via Krome Ave all the way back to Kendall where everyone gathered at the Winston Park Clubhouse for an all you can lunch feast. Lunch included things as Strip Steak in Mushroom Gravy and Chicken Breast in sauce, accompanied by vegetables, mashed potatoes, salad and bead. Catering was organized by Millie and provided by Exquisite Catering by Robert. Then we had some fun prizes and giveaways with the raffle.

Overall it was a beautiful day with amazing weather and great club members getting together.

Video of the evnt provided by Alejandro & Rossana Clay

Memory Lane

2025 MEMORY LANE

October 7, 2025 emedina

Another successful display at Memory Lane at the Miami International Auto Show, from September 26th through October 5th an amazing 10 days.

We had 46 vehicles on display this year, ranging from 1928 to 2000! A variety of makes, models and years. The display began with an 1928 Chevrolet Coupe that once was owned by Larry Fine of the Three Stooges. The Featured car of the event was Al Rocoe’s 1940 Ford Sedan now owned and displayed by Guy Lewis who also brought out a 1936 Ford Convertible with rumble seat also belonging to a past South Florida Region member, Harry Gobels. The display also featured a tribute to the movie Bullit with Steve McQueen and had both the 68 Mustang and 68 Charger side by side, and to continue with some movie tribute we also had a 1981 DeLorean as featured in the 1985 film Back to the Future.

We had an amazing crew of volunteers working a rotation every day, keeping a watchful eye over all the pristine vehicles. It was the most well attended and behaved group of spectators in years.

3rd annual Rally to the Convention Center we had the Sunshine Corvette Club & the South Florida Classic Mustangs come out and display their vehicles out in front of the Convention Center on Saturday, then on Sunday we had the Atomik Playground VW Group come out with the classic Volkswagens.

Thank you to all who brought their cars out for the display or Rally and to all the volunteers that came out and spend some quality time as a club!

Photos courtesy of Jevon Olea

Best of Show award went to Mr. Koethers 1931 Cadillac V12 Imperial

Other Events

70th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

June 5, 2025 emedina

A.A.C.A. SOUTH FLORIDA REGION

70TH ANNIVERSARY

By Jean Hawa

Questions about the where, when and how to celebrate our club’s upcoming 70-year history were quickly changed to a “this is what we’re going to do” thanks to a lot of team work. Plans for the May 3rd Thursday evening general meeting and summer picnic were scuddled for a return to a former meeting place. Tony Hernandez obtained the venue, the Miami Outdoor Club where our club met many years ago, and did the DJing for us as well as provided the camera for our self portraits; Yovanna Hernández, Myriam Padilla and Millie Garcia handled the decorations and catering details for the tapas buffet; Ed and Gina Medina handled the emails, gift bag items, and registrations; George Harvey brought his late father’s 1934 Plymouth 4 door sedan and obtained photos from his father’s memorabilia (Lanzo Harvey, member 1960-2003) for a slide presentation created by Tony Hernandez & Ed Medina; Ben Cardonne provided the souvenir mugs; Mike Penn obtained the gift bags from Williamson Cadillac; and former editor Bob Mayer brought several vintage issues of Sidelights from the mid-late 90’s.

Past Presidents in attendance: Maurice Hawa, Jean Hawa, Oscar Castro, Bob Mayer, George Zima, Ira Shapiro, Manny Garcia & Millie Garcia

Memory Lane

2024 MEMORY LANE

March 21, 2025 emedina

Another successful display at Memory Lane at the Miami International Auto Show, from Aug 30th through Sept 8th an amazing 10 days.

We had 48 vehicles on display this year, ranging from 1896 to 2000! A variety of makes, models and years. The display began with an 1896 Ford Quadracycle and was organized in chronological order all the way to the year 2000. We would have loved to have a couple more of 30’s and 40’s era vehicles but overall it was an incredible display.

We had an amazing crew of volunteers working a rotation every day, keeping a watchful eye over all the pristine vehicles. It was the most well attended and behaved group of spectators in years.

In addition we had several added bonuses, on Monday Labor Day we had the Sunshine CorvetteClub come out and display their Corvettes out in front of the Convention Center, then on Saturday 09/07 we had the South Florida Classic Mustangs display out front and Sunday 09/08 we had the Atomik VW Group come out with the classic Volkswagens.

Thank you to all who brought their cars out for the display or Rally and to all the volunteers that came out and spend some quality time as a club!

Best of Show award went to Volker’s 1973 Citroen DS Henri Chapron Series II

The Outside rallies

Progressive Dinner

Dauer Museum and Breathless Racing Tour – 2025

March 21, 2025 emedina

On February 1st the South Florida Region was invited by Edward Dauer to visit his Classic Car Museum in Sunrise. All South Florida Region members wishing to participate were invited at no fee to go and tour his amazing museum and private collection.

As an added Bonus Ernie & Monica Zima Francis invited club members to visit their Breathless Racing facility in Southwest Ranches. This combination made for an incredible eventful morning and afternoon for the club members that participated.

The club in order to make this a complete package tour date, had hot fresh breakfast waiting for all participants early morning at Dauer Classic Cars upon your arrival. Then in the afternoon at Breathless Racing all members received a box lunch as well. Our South Florida Region members are the backbone of the club and as we always say, “this is your club” so what a perfect way to treat the members with two incredible tours and breakfast and lunch.

The South Florida Region would like to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you to Edward Dauer and Ernie and Monica Zima Francis for their hospitality.

These are pictures of the Dauer Museum Tour

These are pictures at Breathless Racing

Winston Park

WINSTON PARK CLASSIC CAR SHOW 2025

March 9, 2025 emedina

The 5th Annual Winston Park Classic Auto Show was a great hit this year. The Show began several years ago between the South Florida Classic Mustang group and the Winston Park HOA, the show also features Food trucks. It is a great community event for the residents of Winston Park.

The show features automobiles that are 25 years or older, it is an open to all cars original stock and modified versions, there are best of class awards in every category and a best of show, the cars are voted by the participants as it is a people’s choice show. Contributions and Sponsor support comes Infinity Sound providing the DJ and music, Williamson Cadillac and The great Winston Park Community hosts the location.

This year we had an unexpected but yet great visit from your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Man, gracing the entrance to the show field, it was a huge hit with the children of the community attending the show.