On Saturday May 21 our driving season started off strong, with 15 members and their navigators making their way to Arundel, Maine, several miles south of Biddeford on Rte 1, to tour the Maine Classic Car Museum. Our club was given special parking right in front of the museum for their classic cars before touring this small but impressive museum of meticulously detailed classic cars, both foreign and domestic. Our club had also invited members of the Northern New England Mercedes club, who added 10 or so very handsome Mercedes to the group.
Next on the agenda was to head just a few more miles down the road to visit a small shop called SL Tech, whose proprietor, Gernold, specializes in only high end restorations of Mercedes 280 SL roadsters. Several car in the shop ‘in work’ left no doubt of the meticulous attention to detail and absolute demand for quality of this man’s passion.
After the second leg of the tour was perhaps the highlight of the day, our luncheon at Bentley’s Roadhouse. Event co-ordinator Paul Barresi thought this establishment a perfect lunch venue, issuing the now famous quote “It’s not REALLY a biker bar anymore.” Well, that’s EXACTLY what it was. There must have been 200 bikes and bikers there, plus another group fo 20 or so Harleys that came roaring in just as we were parking. The place is huge, has 3 bars and numerous sitting areas, so we entered and just kept moving towards the back until we passed through a narrow passageway (the lavatories) and finally broke out into an open areas in back with picnics tables set up. To their credit, the staff was there in several minutes taking drink and lunch orders, which arrived promptly (we must have looked like a tough group). The food and drink was good and the atmosphere definitely . . . . unique. Biker bar . . . .been there, done that!
But the day did not end there. Completing the day’s event was the actual ‘dustoff’ drive down to the coast in Kennebunkport and then continuing north along the shore through Cape Porpoise, Biddeford Pool and eventually back into Biddeford. A lovely drive to end the day.