NEWPORT BEACH : He’s Leading Classical Revival at Hard Rock

When Corona del Mar resident Jerry Hill was forced into early retirement four years ago by Parkinson’s disease, he turned his energies to his longtime passion: classic cars.

Now the Ford Mustang aficionado and three-year member of the Orange County Mustangs car club is taking his pastime public. He has organized a classic car show this summer at the Hard Rock Cafe in Newport Beach.

“There are lots of cars that haven’t been out from under their dust for years,” Hill said. “Somebody’s always saying, ‘I’ve got a friend who has . . . ,’ but they don’t go to shows. If they can come to a place that’s close and safe, they’ll bring the cars out and show them.”

Hill, 63, a former mobile-home park developer, anticipated some resistance when he approached the management of Hard Rock Cafe with his idea for a biweekly show featuring pre-1975 American cars. “I had to prove to them that I, who had never run a car show in my life, could deliver,” he said.

He was successful. On June 7, Hill’s first show opened with 118 cars--far more than the 75 he had expected. The second show, June 21, drew 150 cars and scores of auto buffs, as well as Fashion Island shoppers, diners and passersby.

The Hard Rock Cafe and other Fashion Island merchants said the show has been a big draw, boosting their business on exhibit nights.

“Since we’ve had the car show, it’s picked up quite a bit more. We’ve had a longer wait on those nights, and people stayed longer,” said Kelly Wadinski, a Hard Rock cashier.

“We’ve had a lot more people interested in buying merchandise. The crowd seems a bit happier,” she said. “We felt this would be a nice addition to our summer lineup, and the other merchants have really supported it.”

About a dozen of the mall’s 200 stores have donated gift certificates or prizes for raffles held to cover show costs, said Michelle Bohrer, sales and marketing manager at Fashion Island.

Any raffle ticket money left over after costs is donated to charity, Hill said.

“There must be people at Hard Rock saying, ‘Where in the hell did this guy come from? Nobody does anything for free,’ ” he said.

He maintains that his payment comes in an intangible form.

“I know that I have brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people, or made it possible for that to happen,” he said.

The free car show is scheduled six more times this summer: on Mondays, July 3 and 17, Aug. 7 and 21; and on Wednesdays, Sept. 6 and 20.