This weekend’s car show at Engels Repair & Towing will include a lot more than cars, with antique tractors, hydroplanes and a vintage semi-truck on display at the annual event.
“If you’re into anything that goes bang or vroom, we’re going to have it here,” said Paul Engels, who with his father Lou puts on the show outside their Maury Island repair shop each year.
The Engels car show began about 10 years ago and has been organized each year with the help of a small group of islanders, including the late Michael Spakowsky, a local artist and musician who died in January. The group would like to honor Spakowsky with this year’s show, Engels said.
“We’re kind of calling this the Michael Spakowsky memorial show this year,” he said.
The event has grown in popularity, and now about 70 vehicles attend. Most cars are from Vashon, Engels said, though there are some off-island regulars as well.
He emphasized that unlike some car shows, the Engels one includes all types of cars, from classic roadsters to drag racers to more modern or unique cars. There’s no entry fee, Engels said, and the group tries to make it a fun community event rather than a serious show.
“We’ll see cars that are rust buckets to Pebble beach cars,” he said.
Organizers also try to offer something new each year, and this summer they decided to invite the Fourth of July hydroplane racers to display their boats.
“People can actually see what they look like, rather than just hear them,” Engels said.
Last year some local antique tractors were at the show, and the owners gave rides to children. They were so popular that Engels decided to invite them back.
“That actually became the hit of the show last year,” he said.
There will also be one or two vintage speedboats and likely an 18-wheel semi-truck on display.
“It’s nice to see something different,” Engles said. “We try to bring something new every year to have a new show.”
The Engels car show will be from 11 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. Sunday outside Engels Repair & Towing. Admission is free, and the Vashon Grappler Society will sell hot dogs and hamburgers as a fundraiser.
