Edsel enthusiast Currie Weed of Harbor Springs poses proudly in his 1958, baby-blue, Edsel Pacer convertible, which won one of two Best Convertible prizes at Antiques on the Bay in St. Ignace Saturday, June 21. "There's no question, the cream of the crop is here," said automobile judge Lee Ortman of Moran Township, as he perused 82 registered antique vehicles, 30 of them featured convertibles glimmering in the sun Saturday, June 21, at the 12th Annual Antiques on the Bay show in St. Ignace.

The weather, the cars, and the turnout were "perfect," said show organizer Ed Reavie.

Car owners enjoyed spending the day showing off their vehicles.

"The first car I ever owned was a Hudson. The first car I ever drove was a Hudson," said Eldon "Ziggity" Hostetler of Indiana, whose Dual Cowl Phaeton convertible stood under a tent at the far end of the marina.

He attended with his son, J. R., and his wife, Esta, who also learned to drive on Hudsons.

Mr. Hostetler said he was amazed at the publicity he was able to generate through the show for his Hudson museum, which boasts the most complete collection of Hudsons in the world.

A crowd gathers in the early hours of Antiques on the Bay Saturday, June 21. Thirty of the 82 cars displayed were featured convertibles this year. The photograph was taken from a nearby rooftop. What began as a hobby became his passion, and in St. Ignace he displayed one of only 10 Hudson Dual Cowl Phaetons in the world. The rest, he said, are scattered from the United States to New Zealand, to Africa.

There were only 20 built.

Hudsons were made to be noticed, he said. They were created for people who wanted cars that were just a little bit different than the average, so they included off colors and special features, all of which drew attention at Antiques on the Bay.

Mr. Hostetler took his car out of contention for the Best of Show category, although he remained eligible for other awards among a host of spectacular cars, many of which had been driven to St. Ignace.

Some collectors focused on common cars, vehicles that represent the age in which they were built.

Showgoers admire a 1949 Cadillac convertible at Antiques on the Bay in St. Ignace Saturday, June 21. Owned by Ron Brooks of Twin Lake, the car was number 13 in the show's Hagerty Insurance top 20 picks. "It looks just how it would look in the Great Depression, and that's how I like it," said Gary Olsen of St. Ignace, standing next to his black 1923 Ford Model T.

Mr. Olsen has been to every car show Ed Reavie has organized. His car stood in a long line of gleaming Model Ts, as if a 1920s street side had been recreated to bring showgoers back in time.

Nearby, Currie Weed of Harbor Springs explained that he has made a special project out of Edsels. Standing next to a 1958, baby-blue, Edsel Pacer convertible, he said antique convertibles are rare, because there were always fewer convertibles of any model built.

They are generally sleeker. Manufacturers put more style into them, he said.

Mr. Weed knows Edsels. He worked as a technical writer to create the shop manual for the Edsel he now owns. After several revisions, he learned every detail of repairing them.

Eldon and Esta Hostetler of Middlebury, Indiana, pose next to their 1929 Hudson Dual Cowl Phaeton at the Antiques on the Bay show in St. Ignace Saturday, June 21. The car won one of two Best Convertible prizes. Once president of The Edsel Club, one of three national Edsel organizations, he is especially fond of the Pacer.

"I drive it every nice day." It's like cruising a boat through calm water, he said.

Fond of the St. Ignace antiques show, Mr. Weed is a self-proclaimed automobile purist. He has no interest in modified cars, preferring to delve into the original vision of car designers.

"I like to see them as they were," he said, and Antiques on the Bay is "the only show I go to up here."

"If I can't drive it, it's for sale," said Ron Brooks, standing next to his gleaming red, 1949 Cadillac convertible, a vehicle which took two junk cars and 2,000 hours of effort to rebuild.

Mr. Brooks likes to take his antique cars on the road. The St. Ignace show was one stop on a fourday trip through northern Michigan, where he and his wife, Shirley, turned heads as they cruised their showpiece to Sault Ste. Marie, Tahquamenon Falls, Newberry, Deer Park, Grand Marais, and Manistique, on a 1,700-mile run.

Don Berg of Alanson stands next to his 1941 Cadillac convertible sedan, which won Best of Show at Antiques on the Bay Saturday, June 21. He and his wife, Carol, won a two-night stay at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Mr. Berg rescued the once-rusty car from a barn in Frankenmuth. Even with modern innovations, "I'd rather drive an old Cadillac than a new one," he told The St. Ignace News

Rescued from a barn in Frankenmuth, a once-rusted 1941 Cadillac convertible sedan gleamed in the sun near the center of the show, in perfect condition, as if it had just rolled off the assembly line.

"It looks like a slick gangster's car," said a showgoer passing by.

Owner Don Berg of Alanson painstakingly restored the vehicle.

"I took it down to the frame, sandblasted it, and worked my way up," he said.

Forty-one antique cars travel from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace during the annual Mackinac Bridge Rally Friday, June 20. The procession passed by the Mackinac Straits Hospital Long Term Care facility, to be admired by residents there, before being displayed at the Antiques on the Bay show Saturday, June 21, at the St. Ignace marina. The process took five years. Antiques on the Bay was only the second event at which he had shown the fruits of his labor. He got the radio working only days before the show.

"I think most everyone likes convertibles," he said. "They hold their value. Everybody gets to see you, and they're fun."

Mr. Berg, 61, has been into antique cars for 20 years. New cars may be more comfortable, but antiques are more exciting to drive, he said.

The challenge of restoring his sedan got him in contact with great people, he added.

"Everybody in the hobby has been nice to work with," he said.

In his quest for parts, Mr. Berg contacted people from Florida, New Jersey, and California. Now, with the chrome, flying-lady ornament on the hood, he has every option and special feature the manufacturer originally included on the vehicle, including spotlights at both the driver and passenger sides.

Chuck Laughbaum and his son, Tyler, pose next to their prized possession, a 1966 dubonnet red Oldsmobile Tornado during Antiques on the Bay in St. Ignace Saturday, June 21. The model was the first front-wheel-drive car built in the United States. Although he loves the Cadillac, he knows he will get the itch to restore another car, and when it hits, he'll sell the sedan and move on, he said.

Not far away, a 1966, dubonnet red, Oldsmobile Tornado took in the crowd's praise.

"It actually changes colors," said owner Chuck Laughbaum of Pellston, who pointed out how the unusual hue is designed to make the car appear to be a different color red, depending on whether it is in shade or sunlight.

"I drive it once a week. It's really smooth, almost like an airplane ride," he said.

The first American car with front-wheel drive, the Tornado was the 1966 Motor Trend car of the year, he noted.

Like many retirees, Mr. Laughbaum chose it because it was same model he drove as a kid. Back then, he enjoyed its ability to handle on snow and ice, in part, the result of being a very heavy car, at 4,450 pounds.

Unlike the car he drove as a youth, however, his restored Tornado spends the winter in a heated garage, 24 inches off the ground.

"I baby it," he admitted.

Owing to its aggressive styling, he said, "I like to think of it as a Corvette on steroids."

The vehicle is sought by the RE Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, but Mr. Laughbaum isn't willing to sell it, yet. And if he does, he has no intention of diversifying his interests.

If Mr. Laughbaum acquires a new antique, he will only get a Tornado.

Echoing the sentiment of owners throughout the show, driving the cars they had as youths has a powerful incentive.

The model, he said, "brings back good memories."

Berg's 1941 Convertible Takes Best of Show

2008 Antiques on the Bay Awards Best of Show: 1941 Cadillac Convertible - Don and Carol Berg of Alanson, winners of a two-night stay at Mackinac Island Grand Hotel Best Convertible (1): 1958 Edsel - Currie Weed, Harbor Springs Best Convertible (2): 1929 Hudson - Eldon Hostetler, Middlebury, Indiana Mayors Choice Truck, pre-World War II: 1934 Ford Pickup - Jerry Boomstra, Jennison Mayor's Choice Car, post-World War II: Escort Wagon - Cleon Moss, Hessel Nostalgia Productions Picks 1954 Ford Convertible - Don Marx, Presque Isle 1941 Chevrolet - Philip Hubbard, Onsted 1934 Plymouth - Larry Dreyer, Jenison 1955 Ford Crown Victoria - Merle and Pat Ryan, Sault Ste. Marie 1966 Rambler Convertible - David Knowles, Sault Ste. Marie 1926 Pierce Arrow - John Wissink, Spring Lake Mackinac Ford Sales Pick 1956 Mercury Convertible - Robert Gilstorff, Onsted 1929 Ford Pickup - Stan Brick, Traverse City Hagerty Insurance Top 20 Picks 1948 Lincoln - Nelson Hansen, Hudsonville 1955 Chevrolet - Gary Hough, Rudyard 1955 Chevrolet - Thomas Pickard, Hart, MI 1954 Pontiac - Thomas Meter, Flushing 1930 Ford Woody Station Wagon - Dick Lutey, Marquette 1963 Chevrolet Impala Convertible - Bob Collia, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 1930 Chrysler - Clyde Doll, Holland, MI 1929 Essex - Robert Boorsma, Sparta 1964 Pontiac Convertible - Kirk Brandt, Auburn 1965 Chevrolet SS Convertible - Tom West, Fort Wayne 1932 Chevrolet - Stewart Galbraith, Hessel 1948 Studebaker Commander - Wes Myrick, Belmont 1929 Ford Model A Sedan - Dick Chambers, Holland, MI 1959 Ford Skyliner - Lauretta Chromicz, Indian River 1969 Dodge Super Bee - Mary and Don Brilley, Pellston 1949 Cadillac - Ron Brooks, Twin Lake 1962 Cadillac Convertible - Ed DeVries, Grand Rapids 1941 Cadillac Convertible - Kay Ambs, Grand Rapids 1967 Mustang Convertible - Robert Wysseldyke, Sparta 1963 Ford Galaxie Convertible - Leonard Larson, Ludington