EVs at Lime Rock Historic Fest

Lime Rock Gathering of the Marques

The Westport Electric Car Club is poised to participate for the second successive year at the Lime Rock Historic Fest and the Gathering of the Marques on Sunday, September 6. The club will again exhibit the 1898 Riker electric car from Dragone Classic Motors, along with EVs owned by club members.

Miggs Burroughs did a great poster for us this year. We hope to see EV owners and other interested people at Lime Rock!




The Past as Herald to the Future

Members of the Westport Electric Car Club in front of the first EV exhibit at Lime Rock Part Historic Fest.

The 1898 Riker EV was situated front and center. Behind it were a Tesla Model S, BMW i3, and Chevy Volt, all part of the WECC exhibit.

1898 Riker EV at Lime Rock Historic Fest
Photo: Barry Kresch

Some impressions of a LIme Rock newbie:

Yogi Berra was right: Nobody goes there anymore – it’s too crowded! The crowds, combined with the country roads and one entranceway made for a king-sized traffic jam. Even the food vendors were surprised as they sold everything they had after a few hours.

According to track president Skip Barber, there were approximately 1000 cars lining the 1.5 mile track, every kind of collector car imaginable. Below is a Ferrari from the collection of Ralph Lauren, who was the honored collector.

Antique Ferrari Owned by Ralph Lauren at Lime Rock Historic Fest
Photo: Barry Kresch

Fortunately, among all those car buffs and the just plain curious, there were many who stopped by the booth to talk to us. Whenever we publicly exhibit, we note the large number of questions we get. Said another way, as far along as EVs have come, there is still a lack of awareness about the specifics of the various models available. This is a reminder that we are still very much in the early-adopter phase. Hopefully, not too much longer.