Hempstead dedicates car show to Arnie Levey

The Town of Hempstead's seventh annual Seaside Spectacular Car Show was dedicated in memory of Atlantic Beach resident Arnie Levey who died on Feb. 14. He was 81.

The car show took place on Saturday, Sept. 15 at the town park at Point Lookout from noon to 4 p.m.

It featured more than 500 vintage vehicles, as well as various car clubs and special exhibits, are expected to cruise into the park for a trip down memory lane.

Supervisor Kate Murray presented award plaques to car owners in over a dozen categories, including Classics, Antiques, Mustangs and the Best in Show. The day's festivities also included exotic, classic and movie car displays, live music, food and beverages.

Levey loved cars, and not only collected them — Elizabeth Levey-Pruyn, Levey’s oldest daughter — remembered the family having a different car every six months — but raced them at Connecticut’s Lime Rock and Long Island’s Bridgehampton tracks. He was an East Coast champion in 1960, Andrew said.

Having a “Levey car” meant being prepared for its idiosyncrasies — and the possibility that it could fall apart, Levey-Pruyn recalled. “I bought my first car and he had open-heart surgery,” she said, previously “I blew a tire the first night. He spent his recovery from open-heart surgery rebuilding this little MG.” Later, she said, she found motorcycle parts and coat hangers under the hood. “He used whatever he could find.”

Later in life, Levey worked for the Town of Hempstead, producing television spots. “Arnie was a very well-loved member of the town family and will be missed dearly,” Murray said, previously.