By Pete Pandolfi
On September 16, 2023, the Bull Run Region conducted its 47th Edgar Rohr Memorial Car Meet. After more than 15 years on the lawn of the Manassas Museum, the Region decided to change the venue for economic reasons. Our new venue is still in Manassas, but is being held at the Manasseh Masonic Lodge 182 on Cockrell Road. This facility is easy to access and provided a show field larger than the Museum lawn. We were again partnered with the Crusin For Heroes group raising funds for the Fisher House charity. This year we were also joined by the American Legion Post 10 and the Freedom Museum who brought the nose section of an actual World War II B-25 Mitchell Bomber and an Army field ambulance. Returning again this year were displays by the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company and the Greater Manassas Volunteer Rescue Squad. In addition to all this, we had ten flea market vendors on site selling everything from fudge to handcrafted iron tools and stained glass. In between administrative announcements, the crowd was treated to a range of music from DJ Mark Ramsey. Overall the show was a great success with over 130 cars on the show field and a range of activities for spectators and registrants. Food was provided by the Masonic youth group, the Demolays, in the lodge building dining hall, which provided an area out of the sun and in air conditioning. The Model T Club was again on hand to thrill the crowd with their Ford Model T assembly demonstration. In their noon demonstration, they provide some history and explain the process of assembly of their 1919 Model T truck. The real excitement is at the 2 pm demonstration. For this assembly, the team reassembles the truck as fast as they can and drive it off the show field. This year they were able to assemble the functioning truck in just over 10 minutes. Henry Ford would be proud! The weather for the show was absolutely glorious. The sun shone brightly, the humidity was non-existent and the temperatures were in the upper 70s and low 80s. You could not ask for better weather to walk the field and marvel at the many beautiful and unique vehicles on the field. For the first time in Rohr Show history, we had a DeLoren on the field. But, not just one when a second Deloren entered. The show field was also graced with the presence of a Rolls-Royce Corniche and a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur II. The oldest car on the field was Chip Rohr’s 1912 Buick, which he still drives on tours. Do the math, that is a 111-year-old car. The rarest car on the field was a 1962 Fiat. This Fiat was built in cooperation with Maserati and featured a Maserati engine and power train. This was a short-term collaboration so not many of these models were made or sold. According to the owner, this car is one of only 3 in the United States and one of only 20 in the world. This vehicle received the Bull Run President’s Award. An event of this magnitude does not come together easy, and it takes a large team of volunteers to take care of all the aspects of the show. Our chairmen Gene Gilkey and Randy Higgins did an outstanding job organizing the event and coordinating with all the different groups assembling to make this show a success. The level of cooperation we received from the Masonic Lodge was beyond expectation, and the level of support we received from the American Legion was tremendous. The Crusin For Heroes group did a marvelous job and will once again be sending over $1,000 to the Fisher House. It was a wonderful day at an excellent venue, but enough of all this.
Click HERE to enjoy the photo album from the show.