The first stop for the July 11-15 event was at 566 Highland Ave. for an evening get together and vintage car display hosted by David W. Johnson, president of the CCCA Education Foundation, at his classic car carriage house.

Johnson is a vintage car owner with a number of classic vehicles, one a 1938 Packard Darrin once owned by film actor Gary Cooper, and he clearly throws himself into this event.

Seventy vintage cars are set to appear at the Classic Car Club show on from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Salem Golf Club The show is free and open to the public and features these tall-standing, immaculately presented classics, including Dave Gano of Salem’s award-winning 1931 Cadillac Limo that he spent 22 months restoring.

The show stopper this year is the 1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith that David Timmons brought up from Columbus.

This group of five Packard Darrins were on display at David W. Johnson’s classic car carriage house on Highland Ave. Wednesday and represent the featured car for the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Ohio Mini-CARavan two-day tour now in progress in Columbiana, Mahoning and Stark counties. The 1938 Packard Darrin in the foreground is owned by Johnson and was once owned by movie star Gary Cooper.

The car was used by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and served as his staff car from May 26, 1944 when the British minister of war designated the car for use by the famous army commander.

“Monty used it throughout the remainder of the war,” Timmons said while noting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill rode in it three times while King George VI traveled in it twice.

There is a great photo of the Supreme Allied Commander, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, opening the door and saluting the king as he disembarks from the car. He said the king made two visits to troops in Europe — one was on June 26, 1944, 20 days after D-Day.

Timmons said it’s unknown if Eisenhower ever rode in the car.

“While U.S. generals drove around in Jeeps (worried about snipers), Monty drove around in this,” Timmons said.

Dave Gano of Salem, chief executive of TruCut Inc., spent 22 months restoring this 1931 Cadillac 452A Fleetwood Imperial Limousine. He bought the big V-16 in 2013 and it won third place in its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2016, the top classic car show in the world. The car was featured in the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 27, 2016 and will be among 70 vintage cars appearing at the Salem Golf Club from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The car show is free and open to the public. (Salem News photos by Larry Shields)

Churchill, Timmons explained, went to the Rhine River crossing in the Rolls-Royce but didn’t cross in it. He said there are lots of British-filmed Pathe news reels that the car appears in.

The British army kept the car until 1957 and sold it as surplus and it worked its way across the ocean.

Timmons has owned the car for 30 years and, not being shy of showing it off, he trailers it to shows, but noted, “I drive it in several Classic Car Club tours.”

The Wraith was the very last pre-war model and only 400 chassis’ were built, all with custom bodies and Timmon’s car was ordered by an Indian prince but couldn’t be shipped because of WWII and it sat as a new car until eventually the order was canceled.

The CCCA tour will hit the road with two days of caravaning through the rolling countryside of Columbiana, Mahoning and Stark counties, touching on historic sites and visiting other classic car collections.

Johnson said, “We have packed lots of stops into a relatively short period of time.” He noted there “are some absolutely extraordinary Full Classics being shipped here from all over the United State”

Fifteen states are represented and the featured car is the Packard Darrin.

Some of the stops include the Hanlon’s Classic Car Barn Museum in Congress Lake, the Canton Classic Car Museum, Canfield, Youngstown, Gene Tareshawty’s Packard Darrin Museum in Austintown, and the Spread Eagle Tavern & Inn in Hanoverton.

The big finale will be at the Salem Golf Club from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday for the public to view these big, glistening icons from another era.

lshields@salemnews.net