Past Seminar:
Jaguar E-Type Seminar
July 22, 2021 at 7pm
The Jaguar E-Type, or XKE as it was introduced in the America, is one of the most iconic sports cars of all time.
An unforgettable combination of beauty, power and universal appeal, the E-Type was destined to be a classic the moment it was introduced in 1961. Called by Enzo Ferrari “the most beautiful car in the world” it is among the most sought after collector cars across the globe.
To help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the E-Type, we’ve invited Dean Cusano of Motorcars Incorporated, a Jaguar specialty restoration shop in Plainville, CT to chat with Donald Osborne as they look at a selection of E-Types that show the development of the model and explain its enduring presence.
It should be nearly as compelling a time as a drive in a Jaguar E-Type- well, perhaps not quite so….
Dean Cusano
Dean is the CEO of Motorcars Incorporated in Plainville, Connecticut. He has been involved in the Automotive Restoration industry for over 35 years and is a certified judge for Concours D'Elegance by Jaguar Cars. He has also been responsible for the restoration and distribution of over 225 E-type Jaguars worldwide.
Motorcars Incorporated has prepared multiple North American winning Jaguar show cars in recent years and is proud to announce that in 2019 won 3 separate North American Champion Jaguar divisions.
Dean is currently the New England Regional director for Jaguar Clubs of North America and has Created and Judged many Concours D’Elegance venues all over New England. Dean is the creator and Lead Judge of the Dream Show in Farmington Ct. which began in 2013. Dream Show is one day of a multi-day Cause Related Event that attracts vehicles and participants from all over the world. Deans judging team consists of 17 incredibly qualified and well respected judges from all aspects of the automotive industry.
Dean was awarded the Dream Ride hall of fame in 2019 presented by Special Olympics and in 2020 was awarded the Andrew Whyte Distinguished Service award by Jaguar Cars for overall Automotive contribution.
Outside of work Dean is a Vintage Jaguar Racing Hobbyist and he holds numerous records in slalom, road racing, and has earned multiple awards in automobile display and Concour.
Sneak Peak at the Begovich Collection
with Brian Oliver
Thursday, May 13th, 7:00pm EST
When the exhibition “Engineering + Design = Passion: The Nick Begovich Collection” opens in November of this year, it will mark not only the first time that most of these vehicles will be seen by the general public, but also their return to the road after decades of resting in silence.
The Audrain is committed, in our mission of “Preserving, Celebrating and Sharing Automotive History”, to keeping all the cars in the collections in ready, running condition.
As this is being written, specialist experts are slowly and carefully bringing these ‘sleeping beauties’ back to brilliant life. One of the shops chosen for this work is Automotive Restorations, Inc. of Stratford, Connecticut. Join Donald as he chats live with managing partner Brian Oliver about how this company works, the range of cars they have restored, some of their greatest challenges and triumphs.
We’ll also get a glimpse at two to the stars of the Audrain’s Begovich Collection, the 1954 Pegaso Z-102 and the ultra-rare ATS 2500GTS- the spiritual sister of the Ferrari 250GTO and the Alfa Romeo 33. It will be an exciting look “behind the curtain” sure to be a thrill.
Watch live and have the chance to ask Brian and Donald questions about these cars and the choices made in bringing them back to full, glorious life!
Brian Oliver
Brian Oliver is owner and director of Automotive Restorations Inc. (ARI), a full service restoration facility with over 20 dedicated craftsmen located in Stratford Connecticut. Brian has a lifelong love of vintage vehicles, a passion inspired by his father and countless hours tinkering in the garage. He began working at ARI at age 16, first washing cars and working as an apprentice on the shop floor. Brian obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Southern Connecticut State University, all the while working his way up the ladder at ARI, first becoming Parts & Transportation manager and then Operations Director. In 2017, Brian purchased the company from ARI’s founder, Kent Bain. Brian is passionate about educating future generations of vehicle restoration technicians. He works closely with McPherson College, the only school to offer a bachelor’s degree in Restoration Technology, providing internships and hiring students upon graduation.
Women Take The Wheel
The Relationship between Automotive and Fashion Design in the Early 20th Century
June 10th at 7:00pm
Dennita Sewell
Is an accomplished fashion curator, professor and writer with dozens of exhibits and books over her career. Her multidisciplinary talents have taken her from the metropolitan museum of art’s costume institute, where she served as collections manager; to phoenix art museum’s curator of fashion design for nearly two decades, where she and helped curate the 2010 fashion and cars exhibit at The Petersen Auto Museum. She has been at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, as the founding professor of practice for its undergraduate fashion program since 2016.
Dennita thrives in innovative, collaborative settings and enjoys fostering an exchange of ideas and creating a dialogue among fashion veterans and the next generation alike. As a keen follower of the cultural pulse, she enjoys speaking engagements and research trips. One of her annual highlights is Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture, where she participates in the celebration of fashion as art with her wide network of industry colleagues. Her lifelong enthusiasm for fashion construction has been invaluable in interpreting garments and collaborating with designers as well as fashion houses and collectors.
Rebecca Kelly
Rebecca is a visiting scholar at Newport Historical Society and will serve as fashion curator and principal textile conservator for the forthcoming exhibition A World in Motion: Fashion and Modernity 1880-1945. She is a dress and textile historian and a part-time faculty at The University of Rhode Island and The Rhode Island School of Design where she teaches a variety of courses related to dress and textile history and textile conservation. Rebecca is the author of "Fashion in The Gilded Age: A Profile of Newport's King Family," in Twentieth-Century American Fashion, edited by Linda Welters and Patricia Cunningham. Rebecca worked for many years as a conservator holding positions at The Preservation Society of Newport County and later at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She continues to work as a consultant assisting numerous organizations with the interpretation and installation of textile exhibitions.