Annual antique car 'Cruise Night' kicks off

Butch DellaPietro blew into town last week with his pink and purple 1953 Mercury Monterey to take the People's Choice award at the first of Metuchen's annual Cruise Night antique car series.

The car, dubbed "Hot Stuff," also features flames that shoot out of the tailpipe

"Hot Stuff" was one of many antique cars that lined Main Street on the night of May 3.

"I've won other trophies before at this event, but this is the first time I won People's Choice," DellaPietro said.

Why the pink and purple color scheme?

"It's a hot rod," he said. "It's a '50s car. The pink and purple makes the car stand out."

DellaPietro bought the car seven years ago from a friend who has since died.

"You can say I'm continuing on with the flame thrower," he said.

Besides "Hot Stuff," DellaPietro and his wife have two other antique cars.

"My wife has a 1967 Mercury, which she named after herself, 'Mary Sue,' and a 1950 Ford that we call 'Little Red,' " he said.

Husband and wife plan to compete against each other in future shows, he said.

"It will be a family affair," he said.

DellaPietro is just one of many who have participated in Metuchen's Cruise Night since it started 10 years ago.

Besides "Hot Stuff," onlookers got to ogle various classics, hot rods and custom-built cars up close.

"People participate from Staten Island to the Jersey Shore," said Cruise Night chairwoman Leah Kane. "We have a DJ, and in July we have a live band play."

In the end, three cars were picked for first, second and third place, and two cars were picked for honorable mention. The People's Choice and the first-, second-, and third-place winners received gift certificates.

Ed Hesse of Edison came in first place with his black 1959 Lincoln Continental, which he has had for three years.

"I have always loved old cars," Hesse said. "I used to work in a junk yard for the love of cars."

Robert Belluscio Sr. of Edison came in second with his yellow 1964 Chevy Impala convertible, which he has had for four years.

"I grew up in Metuchen and went to car shows with my friends," said Belluscio, who over the years has had eight antique cars. "I would say it's been a good 16 to 18 years that I have been interested in antique cars."

Bob Massey of Edison came in third with his brown 1935 Ford pickup, which he has had more than 10 years.

Massey is not new to the antique car scene. He has participated in car shows for more than 10 years with his pickup and his maroon and silver 1949 Ford Custom.

"It [Ford Custom] has a continental kit [spare tire] with a picture of Marilyn Monroe from the movie 'Seven Year Itch' on it," Massey said.

J.J. Pat's 1955 Chevy Bel-Air and Bill Young's 1955 Thunderbird took honorable mention. Pat and Young are Edison residents.

Metuchen Cruise Night is sponsored by Precision MotorSports in Metuchen, Chick-fil-A in Menlo Park Mall in Edison, Cross-Country Motorcycles in Metuchen, Reydel Volkswagen in Edison, and Honda Power Equipment in Metuchen.

"This is a good event to get our name out," said Brynn Gilbreath, owner of Chick-fil-A in the Menlo Park Mall. "We also bring out the cow for the kids."

Antique car Cruise Nights are scheduled to be held from 6 to 9 p.m. June 7, July 5, Aug. 2 and Sept. 6.

For more information, contact Leah Kane at (732) 321-1731.

- Kathy Chang