Classics on Main to feature Ford Cobras
Andy Tumicki and his wife, Bernie, of Eighty Four in their 1966 red Ford Cobra. It is one of many classic cars Andy collects and restores.
Andy Tumicki of Eighty Four leaning on his 1937 Buick-powered Indianapolis 500 race car.
Five classic cars sit outside the garage of Andy Tumicki of Eighty Four. From top to bottom: 1930 Model A Ford Coupe, 1968 red Ford Mustang, 1937 Buick-powered Indianapolis race car, 1966 red Ford Cobra and 1928 Ford Model A Roadster.
On Sunday, Main Street in Washington will be covered in Cobras.
More specifically, Ford Cobras. The annual Classics on Main Car Show will focus on the high-performance Cobra as collectors and restorers bring their cars to show off on Main Street.
One that attendees can expect to see is a 1966 red-and-white Cobra owned by Andrew Tumicki of Eighty Four. Tumicki has been collecting and restoring classic cars since 1990, when he obtained a yellow 1928 Ford Speedster. He restores his cars in a shop next to his home, which he shares with his wife, Bernie.
Tumicki has participated in the Classics on Main show since it began 11 years ago, and takes his cars to several other events, such as the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade. In addition to the Cobra and Speedster, he also restored a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe, a 1968 Mustang and a 1937 Buick-powered car that raced in the Indianapolis 500.
“You have to start with something saveable,” Tumicki said about the process of restoring a car. “Then you got to take it all apart, sandblast it and paint it, if necessary.”
As antiques often do, some of the cars have out-of-the-ordinary stories attached to them. While Tumicki doesn’t know the specific past of all of his cars, he knows of a grisly tale for one of them, the 1937 Buick race car.
“I own the remnants of a crash in 1940, two people were killed. It was just a pile of rubble when I got it,” Tumicki said.
The Buick was specifically a race car, and Tumicki added the necessary components to make it street legal, such as headlights. He owned the car for 20 years before finally deciding to restore it, after which it took him another four years to complete. This is the longest stretch of time it has taken him to restore a car.
Tumicki will likely continue to participate in Classics on Main for years to come, as well as continue to work on cars, as he sees it as a way to pass something on to future generation.
“I enjoy the old days … I’m just a keeper for awhile. After that it will get passed on, sold or given away to the next generation who hopefully will be a keeper of these things for the next generation,” Tumicki said.
The Classics on Main Car Show will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in downtown Washington.