Candy Colored Paint Jobs and Other Delights

Today’s 22nd Annual Belmont Shore Car Show began promptly at 9 a.m. with two motorcycle police officers escorting a vintage fire truck through the closed off stretch of Second Street. It was a solemn reminder of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Small U.S. flags were placed on cars featured in the show from Bayshore Avenue to Livingston Avenue. The song, “Could This Be Magic,” played on the loudspeaker as eventgoers had the rare opportunity of seeing upwards of 700 classic cars lined along the main artery of Belmont Shore.

Cars of every color under the sun can be spotted on the walking tour of automobile history. Not a single blemish or smudge of dirt could be seen on these cars. Many vehicle owners kept their cleaning supplies close by for emergency detailing jobs.

“I really like the T-shirts, Hot Wheels, and hot rods here,” said 10-year-old Andrew Mathinson, of Belmont Shore.

Mathinson has been coming to the car show every year with his father since he was a baby. He had a handful of favorites from the past car shows, but “the army truck was my favorite car this year.”

A car fit for the occasion belongs to Richard Frisby. He owns a ’34 Ford three-window coupe painted in gray with a hand-painted mural on the car's exterior.

While murals aren’t unusual on classic cars, Frisby’s mural echoes the “American Spirit."

Frisby did not know anyone that died on 9/11 but he was deeply affected that fateful day. The front of the car had a tattered flag wrapping the front portion of the car. The flag symbolized the iconic one that hung at Ground Zero.

On the trunk of the car was a mural that shows the Twin Towers along with the U.S. Flag and the Statue of Liberty.

This car is one of many showcased today.

The event will continue until 3 p.m.