Model-A citizens motor to Manhattan

The post-Christmas shoppers, ice skaters and tree lovers at Manhattan's Rockefeller Center were joined Monday by vintage automobile fans and their motorcade of more than 70 classic cars.

The procession of Ford Model As -- some as old as 80 -- drove in from Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey as part of a holiday tradition.

"It's so much fun and rewarding when everyone is excited to see the cars," said Northport retiree Bruce Adams, 67, who wore a Santa Claus stocking cap as he waved to tourists along Sixth Avenue before driving into Rockefeller Plaza in his 1931 Model A yellow convertible. "You bring a big smile to the world."

The annual ride, which Monday was led by a motorcycle motorcade of retired Nassau County Highway Patrol officers, also drove through Central Park and to the World Trade Center.

"It's a grand old time," said Adams, a member of the Model A Ford Club of Long Island, which helped sponsor the trip. "People love to hear the 'ahoogha' horn. And the kids love it. It's a lot of fun and they are easy to maintain."

The Long Island club started in 1959. Club members and their vintage cars have made the annual holiday trip into Manhattan for three years.

Adams said he saw his first Model A 10 years ago and decided to buy one for $3,000. He said he is not a "motor head," but is able to make some repairs himself by reading the car's manual. He said car owners also have the option to buy original replacement parts, or newly made ones.

Also a member of the Northport Historical Society, Adams said joining the Model A Ford club is an experience of living "automotive history. This is totally Americana."

Sal Miliotto and his wife, Mariann, of Patchogue, married for 49 years, have been members of the club for seven years. They came in their 1928 Model A two-door, which was Ford's first "people's car," said Sal Miliotto, 74.

"It was the first affordable family car -- $500," said Miliotto, who is retired and drives his car year-round in antique car parades in the Tri-state area and in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"If we break down on the highway, there is always someone with us who can fix the cars," said Miliotto. "It's a good piece of machinery," he said patting the driver's door.