Club di Shell, Curacao 01 May 2025: As part of the Dutch kingdom, the island of Curacao celebrates the king’s Birthday. As per tradition, the Oldest antique car club on the island, “Wabi Club,” celebrates this with its annual King’s Day Tour. It is a day for the members to catch up with each other and enjoy their rides. Also, this year, the Caribbean gods were on our side, blessing us with a warm breeze, sunny weather, and no raindrops, making it a perfect day for a tour.

Text: Benjamin Wefer
Pictures: Omar Martha (Friwil), Wabi Club

Depending on the occasion, the Wabi Club’s King’s Day road trip will end in an exhibition moment somewhere on the island. This year, the oldest car club on the island (Wabi Club will celebrate its 65th anniversary in October. The club went on an old-school road trip—just a moment for the members to enjoy their cars with their spouses and the Wabi family. Approximately 26 club members and two invitees gathered at the Sambil Shopping Center parking lot northeast of the island capital. Around 11:00 in the morning, they started their traditional tour, which took them around an hour to the first stop, ‘ Club di Shell,’ located in the Muizenberg neighborhood. It was a moment for the participating members to get lunch and beverages.

However, with 15 cars participating in the tour, the stop became a small antique exhibition. One of the cars that popped up during the first stop was the 1963 Ford Falcon from member Norman Provans. Norman has been a member for 20+ years and has had his Falcon, which seems like forever. It still has its original engine, and most parts are still or close to the original. The Falcon was produced from 1959 to 1970 and had a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine.

Another eye-catcher was a fully customized 1976 four-door Datsun 1000 from member Steve Wit, or this beautiful red Bordeaux 1966 Ford Mustang.

After lunch, all members returned in their cars for the second part of the tour, which took them to Heineken Snek on the east side of the capital city. Although the tour was over, the members had the opportunity to stay for a while, enjoy some beverages, and talk about the good old days as a way to spend a sunny Sunday.

Of course, we asked Wabi Club’s president, Sherwin Clemencia, to reflect on how the day went. He replied, ” I am delighted with how the day turned out. Twenty-six of our members showed up, and most brought their partners, which made it more fun.”

Wabi Club’s next appearance will be at the Jet Auto Show, which will be held on 1 June 2025 in the parking lot of the Tera Cora community center. Make sure you don’t miss it!  Enjoy the King’s Day Tour Gallery.