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Welcome to SPEEDSTER!
In the Driver's seat again ... AACA members and guests of ALL ages participated in two more entertaining AACA National Tours ~ the April 15-18 Southeastern Divisional Tour in Birmingham, Alabama and the May 4-9 Founders Tour in Midland, Texas! Thank you to the AACA Dixie Region and AACA West Texas Region for all your hard work and long-range preparation that went into making these tours such pleasurable experiences. 
AACA Touring, a unique motoring opportunity. Explore interesting places, connect with other spirited hobbyists, and get the chance to drive, show-off and share your antique treasures with others. What more could you ask for ... Gas up and Go!
Over the next month, magnificent antique vehicles and impassioned hobbyists will assemble to enjoy the activities at AACA National Meets around the country ~ Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Tennessee! 
attend an AACA event with family and friends... Visit the Calendar Spotlight, Click here or Call Headquarters 717-534-1910 for details. Thank you for helping AACA to thrive as the premier destination and resource for the collectible vehicle community!
New "road trip" added for the Prior Lake, Minnesota Central Spring Meet ... a fascinating Friday morning excursion! Registration deadlines have been extended for the Central Spring and the Southeastern Special Spring Meets! See the Calendar Spotlight section below for details.
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 Test your Automotive Trivia Knowledge! Try your hand at the Questions below...
1. What automobile had the first dash-mounted gas gauge and when did it become a normal accessory?
2. Who first produced over 10,000 cars in a single day? 
3. What current farm machinery makers once made cars?
4. This man is famous as the father of two American luxury cars which survive today. Who is the man and what are the cars?
Curious? Scroll down for the Answers! |
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AACA HISTORY IN MOTION ...
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Headquarters Starting Grid... Meet Kathy Armstrong!
You open the mailbox to find your favorite car magazine delivered. Now imagine hundreds of them spilling out! Well, Kathy can, as Assistant to the AACA Librarian she manages over 200 monthly periodicals and display magazines that the Library receives to ensure each is recorded, filed and classified properly.
Kathy has been with the AACA family since 1993, shifting to full-time status in October 1997. In addition to periodical administration, her primary duties include cataloging literature details, checking inventory, reviewing current holdings, updating the physical stacks, evaluating item quality, cleaning/making minor repairs with specialty tools, managing literature donations, and updating the collection's electronic database. She also assists patrons with requests helping to locate specific information from the vast wealth of automotive historical material housed in our AACA Library.
"While I enjoy all phases of my position, I find cataloging particularly exciting as it provides an opportunity to continue learning about cars, to discover new facts and interesting information," Kathy explained. "And, building relationships with members, working with the prestigious specialty and 'one marque' collections housed at the AACA Library continues to be very rewarding."
A true "car-gal", Kathy is an active Board Member of the Susquehanna Valley Vintage Sports Car Club, a non-geographic AACA region, and the Mustang Club of Central Pennsylvania. Along with fellow hobbyists, Kathy and her husband, Sam, organize and participate in various automotive events. They own a 1992 Mustang GT Fox Body and 2001 Mustang Bullitt. While her family has been involved in some type of auto racing since 1959, presently they appreciate racing events as spectators whether attending sprint car races or watching all forms of competitive broadcast racing from Formula 1 to NASCAR.
Kathy is also an avid reader, enjoys photography and creating recipes in the kitchen, and even finds time to volunteer at Hershey Theatre and AACA Museum. A native Pennsylvanian and graduate of Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), prior to AACA Kathy worked for 18 years in public television. She has a son, Jon, and a granddaughter, Renee who has inherited her love for cars!
When in Hershey, be sure to visit your
Headquarters and Library & Research Center, and Meet the Crew! |
Who are the DFers? 
The AACA discussion forum is a FREE online community for those interested in exchanging ideas and information about all antique, classic and collectible automobiles. Share news, ask questions, provide answers, convey anecdotes, post a picture, and connect with "car-nuts" across the globe.
It's informative, it's interesting, it's "laugh out loud funny", and it's even been IMPROVED.
Just recently, the "mechanics" of the forum have been upgraded! A revolutionary change to new forum software using vbulletin technology will offer many new features including dramatically better search tools, individual blogs, spam protection, better/faster photo support, video support, new calendar features... and the list goes on. Future plans include addition of AACA-style youtube and expanded social networking.
Forums may not be available until May 17 due to upgrade!
So, be sure to check back!
What DFers are saying about the FORUM...
"..for me it has provided entertainment, a knowledge base, a source for parts and automobila, and  the chance to meet people.."
"I was so lost on my car projects until I stumbled across this forum. Every day that I log on to this forum, I learn something. I meet really good people.. "
"It's a wonderful feeling knowing that someone from the other side of the world is looking at this site and helping others out."
"99.9% of the people I would love to meet sometime. I have been involved with old cars since late 50's early 60's...I couldn't believe the help out there.."
Explore, Read, Contribute and Enjoy...
JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
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AACA Library & Research Center NEWS 
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Be careful, you might get burned... because the AACA Library & Research Center's new informational brochure is hot off the press. We are very excited about this 12-page, full-color brochure!
The brochure provides a general history of the library, details of the collection, and the services we offer. The beautiful photographs were generously provided by Michael Furman. Just as your AACA Library & Research Center is unique, our brochure is unlike any other library brochure currently available. You can download a copy of the brochure from our website or by following this link. Feel free to spread the word about the library and pass the brochure link on to your email contacts!
A few weeks ago, a message was posted on the AACA Discussion Forum asking for help identifying a bumper. The requestor also forwarded an email to the library with a picture attached. The bumper had an emblem on it that read, "WEED". The man who owned the bumper thought it might be for a car manufactured by the Weed Automobile Company, however no such company existed.  As it turned out Weed Bumpers were an aftermarket bumper option that fit more than 180 vehicles in the early 1920's. And, the library actually owned a catalog for Weed Bumpers! We were excited with the find and highlighted the catalog cover as our " Image of the Week". It was rewarding for the library to make a connection for someone like this. Holding the Weed Bumper catalog made this act of research even more enjoyable. 
Another "Image of the Week" featured the March 1888 issue of "The Hub", an example of one of our Library's older holdings. If you think the library has something in its collection that you would like to see as our " Image of the Week", feel free to ask and we will do our best to post an image as soon as possible.
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How did you do? Trivia Answers!
1. What automobile had the first dash-mounted gas gauge and when did it become a normal accessory?
Answer -- The 1914 Studebaker had the first dash-mounted gas gauge, but it did not become a regular feature on production autos until 1922.
2. Who first produced over 10,000 cars in a single day? Answer -- Ford set a single day production record in 1955; 10,877 vehicles rolled off the lines.
3. What two current farm machinery makers once made cars?
Answer -- International Harvester and Case.
4. This man is famous as the father of two American luxury cars which survive today. Who is the man and what are the cars?
Answer -- Henry Leland created both the Cadillac and the Lincoln.
Thanks for playing!
Source: Automotive Milestones, Trivia of a Most Unique Machine, Edited by Clark Cassell and Charles Merritt, Braddock Publications. | |
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Calendar Spotlight!
Central Spring Meet
Prior Lake, Minnesota ~ June 4-6, 2009
NEW Friday Morning Activity at the Meet! 
Join us on Friday, June 5 at 8:30 am for a fascinating excursion! You will have an opportunity to take a short tour and see a relatively new idea in Auto Hobby space needs. The Auto MotorPlex Minneapolis is located in Chanhassen. One of our members, Richard Bury, will host our group at the clubhouse for coffee and doughnuts. His garage space (one of over 60 spaces) will be open for viewing and his collection of automobiles is well worth the trip alone!
You may tour using the maps and directions provided, a total of 18.5 miles to the MotorPlex and 14.3 miles returning. Your collector car can be driven, some of you may opt to go modern, if so, try to condense passengers in the modern cars. The route is, for the most part, easy and scenic and the only caution is after 7 miles on the return trip, you will encounter a 1/2-mile downhill descent. We will depart from meet headquarters, the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, starting at 8:30 am. You may return as desired. Any questions, please contact Tom Anderson, the Meet Chairman. Otherwise, see you Friday morning!
Click Here to VISIT the Antique Automobile Club of America's (AACA) online calendar.
Attend and Participate in these Upcoming 2009 National Events:
November 5-7 - Western Fall Meet, LaQuinta, California (Palm Springs area)
If your AACA Region or Chapter would like to sponsor a future National Event, please contact Hulon C. McCraw, Vice President of National Meets & Tours at 828-606-2918.
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 Speedy's News and Notes
● Father's Day is June 21 ... Hats, Shirts, Ties, Jackets, Signs ... AACA has a wide array of quality gear and merchandise for him, his garage, and his prized antique vehicle! Call us at 717-534-1910, if you need gift ideas or help with a purchase.
● Resource for AACA Newsletter Editors! Free images, articles, newspaper reprints with copyright authorization available for a LIMITED trial period (program may become permanent depending on usage and interest).Click here to visit the MotorMatters website. For log-in information, send an email request to general@aaca.org or call Pat Buckley at 717-534-1910.
● Join the AACA Family for a memorable Night at the Museum during "Hershey", Wednesday, October 7, 2009 from 6-10 pm. Tickets are on sale Now! Consider Sponsoring this exciting automotive event or even Donating an auction item ~ Click Here for additional information or contact Myra Toomey, 717-566-7100.
● View SPEEDSTER issues ... Click Here to access the SPEEDSTER Archives! Read and print newsletters, visit the links provided in each section for more information, join our mailing list, edit your profile, and share issues with family, friends and future AACA members. 
● The Judges Newsletter is available online - Register today to judge at an upcoming meet, it is another interesting way to enjoy our wonderful hobby!
● Your Hobby is always under attack so make sure you are keeping up with local, state and national laws that could affect you and your hobby. An excellent source of information is www.semasan.org. | |
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 Contact Information
Phone: 717-534-1910 Email: speedster@aaca.org
About The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA)
The Antique Automobile Club of America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the country's premier resource for the collectible vehicle community. Since its formation in 1935, the Club, through its national office, publications, and membership, aids individuals, museums, libraries, historians and collectors dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of automotive history.
For additional information on the AACA family, please visit www.aaca.org, www.aacalibrary.org,
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