Classic cars are picture perfect on the North Fork

It’s not uncommon to see typical and exotic automobiles on North Fork streets. Locals and guests alike push out east with their beloved vehicles, no matter whether for a pleasurable outing or a person of the area’s regular car or truck demonstrates, and they practically constantly have an attention-grabbing tale to inform.

Two corporations — North Fork Classic Cars and North Fork Image Cars — are capitalizing on the classic car or truck trend, leasing out stunning vehicles for photo shoots, commercials, Television and movie. 

Retired Jericho Significant School store teacher Mike Malkush bought his prized possession, a 1949 Ford F-1 pickup, 18 many years in the past. The truck, which the Cutchogue resident affectionately refers to as Ruby, is now a mascot, of sorts, for his organization.

“I would get it wherever I experienced to go and it was so amazing,” he reported. “I did car shows, and above the a long time, men and women would question me if they could use it for photos for weddings [and other events].” 

As Malkush’s common pickup — and his Corvette — became more and much more in-demand from customers, he understood there was an chance to make some income by renting it out for image shoots and activities. Then, five yrs in the past, his daughter required several common cars and trucks for her wedding ceremony. “She claimed, ‘Dad, could we use equally your vehicles for the marriage ceremony, and possibly get a few more?’” he stated.

Malkush organized for some of his good friends to generate family and wedding ceremony visitors to New Suffolk seaside in their possess typical vehicles, and the thought for North Fork Classic Cars and trucks was born. 

“When I noticed the reaction, it was pretty much like a car present,” Malkush recalled. “Right there, I realized I’d been undertaking this in any case, permit me make this into some style of business enterprise.”

Currently, Malkush rents autos out for image shoots, commercials, marketing and advertising situations and much more. He’s really associated in the nearby group, owning served as president of the Peconic Bay Vehicle Club, as perfectly as the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council, but his cars and trucks have been applied off the fork, as properly. Malkush owns quite a few cars, but also functions as an “agent,” getting autos owned by other collectors for situations. 

He’s specially very pleased of locating a 1960 Aston Martin for a Tommy Bahama shoot in Southampton this previous summer months and previous thirty day period he restored a 19th century carriage for a screening of Amazon Prime’s Cinderella at the Surf Lodge in Montauk. “They preferred me to paint it white, and the price tag was proper, so I did it myself. It was the outdated store trainer in me.”

North Fork Image Autos is the newest image motor vehicle enterprise in town. Father-daughter duo Jim and Grace O’Doherty started out North Fork Photo Autos last yr during the lockdown, when, like Malkush, they realized how much men and women loved taking pics of their family’s have classic vehicles.

The company started off when Jim, a tv author, comic and actor, and Grace, a television producer who is also researching medication at Columbia, were remaining in their East Marion residence during the COVID shutdown and they discovered the prospect.

“My dad would travel through town [in his 1940s Cadillac Convertible] and individuals with their phones would choose shots and I believed, we could do superior than this,” claimed Grace. 

Jim has been collecting basic autos for lots of years, with some of them appearing on tv sequence like That ’70s Display.

“It started off with me going to car or truck exhibits and admiring them,” he mentioned. “I achieved Charles Bronson — not the actor — who’s a really major automobile male. He collects automobiles for kings and ayatollahs, and we turned good friends.”

Jim has amassed a collection of cars and trucks over the yrs, and was thrilled to get started utilizing them for far more than his possess personal collection.

“After 30 yrs of comedy writing I’m type of at the position exactly where I want to plant tomatoes and generate cool cars and trucks,” he mentioned.

Like Malkush, Jim and Grace have a selection of cars and trucks and associates they use to discover shoppers what they are wanting for.

“I shaped an alliance and we have 75 cars and trucks now,” he mentioned. “I know the ropes and how to get these cars to exhibits, as perfectly as events. The slogan Grace came up with is cars from every decade for any occasion.”

Grace observed that her other two sisters have assisted with some of the social media and internet marketing of the business.

“It’s truly great mainly because we’ll be at the supper table in advance of all people else sits down and we’ll be chatting about the business enterprise and then all people will sit down for supper,” she explained. “This is just one of my beloved points to ditch my schoolwork for.”

And even though it is a modest location, there does seem to be home plenty of for the two North Fork Vintage Vehicles and North Fork Photograph Vehicles.

“Everybody is aware everyone,” Jim stated, noting that he and Malkush know every other. “It’s not about level of competition.”