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Welcome to SPEEDSTER! | |
Happy Summer!!!
Check out our AACA website for results from our past meets and information on upcoming events.
You may also view the results and some fantastic photos from The Elegance at Hershey . The show capped the two-day Elegance, which also featured Saturday's The Grand Ascent, a re-running of the historic Hershey hill climb featuring vintage race cars sanctioned by the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA). The entire weekend of Elegance at Hershey events benefited the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the AACA Museum and the AACA Library and Research Center located in Hershey.
See The Elegance Facebook page here for several galleries of photos from the weekend events.
www.aaca.org
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| Member Contribution |
The Great Race Stop in Hershey, PA!
 What a great turn out and night it was at the AACA Museum when The Great Race, America's premier old car rally, made a pit stop at the in Hershey.
The Great Race, which was run coast to coast for 25 years from 1983-2007, is not a speed race, but a time/speed/distance rally. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret check points along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins. Cars start - and hopefully finish - one minute apart if all goes according to plan. The biggest part of the challenge other than staying on time and following the instructions is getting an old car to the finish line each day, organizers say.
 Cars range in age from 1911 to 1969, with most having been manufactured before World War II. For the first time, a 100-year-old car will be participating in the race - a 1911 Velie owned by Howard and Doug Sharp of Fairport, N.Y. Jeff Stumb, from Huntsville, Ala., has competed in the Great Race several times in his 1916 Hudson with his wife Karen. "I love this country and wanted to see every corner of it," Stumb said. "And I love old cars. So the Great Race has been a way for me to see places in the United States that most people never get to see while driving my 94-year-old car."
Over the years, the Great Race has stopped in hundreds of cities big and small. "We have been to Austin, Nev.; Fayetteville, Tenn.; Twin Falls, Idaho; Corning, N.Y.; Hayes, Kan.; and many others in between," Stumb said. "When the Great Race pulls into a city it becomes an instant festival. We have seen as many as 40,000 people at stops, like in Huntington Beach, Calif., and Sioux Falls, S.D." In years past, the drivers and navigators vote on their favorite stop.
The Great Race was started in 1983 by Tom McRae and was sponsored by Interstate Batteries. It takes its name from the 1965 movie, The Great Race, which starred Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk, which was a comedy based on the real life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris. In 2004, Tony Curtis was the guest of the Great Race and rode in his car from the movie, the Leslie Special. The Great Race gained a huge following from late night showings on ESPN when the network was just starting out in the early 1980s. The first entrant, Curtis Graf of Irving, Texas, is still a participant today and will be racing a 1932 Ford this year.
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| Member Contribution |
Fallbrook Vintage Car Club
By Member Tom Conley
On Sunday, May 29th, the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club, a chapter of AACA, held its 46th annual consecutive Vintage Car Show on the grounds of a local junior high school in town. Months of meetings and preparation went into this event on the part of about 15 members who acted as chairpersons under the direction of ex-president Dave Bergeson. It was decided many weeks ago that this year, for the first time, the club would have a "Featured Car" for the show. This year woodies were selected and about 10 wonderfully restored examples of these unique cars were provided by the members of two prominent Southern California woodie clubs. A long time club member and another past president of the FVCC - Tom Long -- has been involved as a member and an officer in both these clubs in the past and was able to give us extensive input on the evolution and history of woodie vehicles internationally.
The display and judging of about 300 classic and vintage cars in 26 categories. The tents were set up, the field marked off, a system for parking both for guests and participants was finalized, the judges' meeting had been held and everyone retired Saturday night anticipating the arrival of the first show
cars early Sunday morning.
The earliest set-up members awoke in the morning about 4:00 am to a steady downpour of rain and some heavy wind. Several worried phone calls bounced around the Fallbrook area among club members, committee chairs and participants while we collectively held our breath waiting for the rain to stop. Would we do the show in the rain? OF COURSE we would. Everyone started to breathe again about 6:00 am when the rain ceased. We still had a heavy cloud cover but no pesky downpour. Participants started to arrive shortly thereafter but our plan to have the field closed at 9:00 am had to be modified as some distant car owners decided whether or not to chance it. In the end we still fielded about 270 cars but couldn't close the field until about 10:30 am. The sun came out about 11:00 am, the woodies sparkled, the judges scurried around handicapping the various classes and the car owners, as always, very much enjoyed the event. Our best estimate is that about 7,000 to 8,000 people attended the show.
The sound system, set up and monitored by another club ex-president - Monty Voigt - played 50s and 60s rock 'n roll to set the stage for the show. Both breakfast and lunch were provided by the local Fire Department and other vendors had treats available for sale.
The early rain had delayed the class trophy presentations but all the judges' findings were tallied and prizes awarded around 2:30 pm. A box of locally-grown avocados, Fallbrook's trademark product, was awarded with each trophy. In addition to the Best of Class winners there were also trophies presented for Best of Show, Miss Fallbrook's Favorite, Club President Roy Moosa's Favorite and the Honorary Mayor's Favorite.
Despite some early morning trauma over the weather, the show went very well and all the club's members and show car owners are already talking about the 47th consecutive annual Fallbrook Vintage Car Show to be held next year on Memorial Day week-end. This is an important civic event because the net proceeds from this show allow the car club to support local charities
throughout the year.
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| Member Contribution |
Teaching Kids about the Hobby
By Member Rick Linder
For the last couple of years the local Scioto Model A Ford Club has been teaching kids about the hobby. The 5th grade class of JC Sommer Elementary School had asked us to show the Model T and Model A Ford cars to them, as they have been studying Henry Ford and his assembly line. We had seven Ford's show up last year and had a very good time. I drove my 1915 Model T and asked for ten "volunteers" to whom I let pick a job from my job jar. They may have had to check the oil, gas, adjust the spark, or some other task. They all were very interested in the demonstration and the teachers were thrilled also. To teach is one thing, to be able to see, touch, and learn from the actual car is something else indeed. We received a very nice packet of "Thank You" letters from the class - and did it again this year.
 
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| Member Contribution |
Tires and Brakes
By Member Bob Logue
 | | Past President Lloyd Riggs and wife Jane |
We have all probably had near misses in our life...incidents where we could have been severely injured or killed. My wife, Etta. and I purchased a 1930 Model A Ford in 2009 and have driven it quite a bit without a problem.
In July, 2010 our Mon Valley Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club Of America members took a tour (drive) through West Virginia to Green Bank Observatory and Cass Railroad. At one point in the drive, we encountered a 10% grade hill...which is very steep. During the descent, the brakes of the Model A (which are manual--not hydraulic) began to fail.
As I was struggling trying to keep the car from running away down the hill with Etta and me in it...and as the car was rolling faster and faster...one of our club members and his wife in a 1954 gorgeous Pontiac, sped by me on my left, and then after allowing me some space...he pulled back in front of my 'runaway' car and began tapping his brakes. My wife asked me what he was doing and I said, he wants me to hit his car to get us stopped.
Using the hand brake and the 30% or so of the foot brake that I had left, I managed to get the car stopped and pulled onto the berm of the road. Lloyd and Jane Riggs of Uniontown, Pennsylvania had placed themselves and their vehicle at risk. Knowing that I was encountering difficulties...these kind souls, that I only met a year ago when we joined the AACA Mon Valley Chapter, put themselves in harms way with the intent of stopping my car from running further down the hill and perhaps killing or injuring my wife, Etta and me, not to mention destroying our beloved 1930 Model A.
In thanking them, I asked Lloyd why he would put himself and his wife at risk like that. He said, "We were prepared for you to hit us and we would have stopped you." He assured me he and Jane would not have been hurt. Then I said, "What about your car, I would have damaged your gorgeous car." He responded, "Cars are replaceable, people aren't."
The next day, while browsing at an 1880 General Store in Slateyfork near our hotel at Snowshoe, West Virginia, Lloyd found and bought a banner to tease me with...and remind me of this experience so I don't make the same mistakes in the future.
It is the consensus of the club members that I had not fully gotten the vehicle out of overdrive before beginning the descent. As in my case the problem was with the inexperienced driver, not the car.
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| AACA Library | |
 Bookmobile Progress
Rick & Nick Hoover of Rick Hoover Antique Restorations in Middletown, PA are hard at work on the AACA Library's "new" bookmobile. Work is progressing at a nice pace and library staff is already dreaming about the day when we can finally take the wheel.
The first thing the bookmobile needed after its arrival in Pennsylvania was a good cleaning. Thanks to a good pressure washer, scraper, and plenty of sweat from Nick Hoover, decades of grime came off so a true assessment of the vehicle's condition could be made.
 The Hoovers then removed the book box from the chassis and constructed a rolling carrier that makes moving what Rick calls "the heavy little bugger" a bit easier. The bulk of the book box is wood with sheet metal over top. Naturally, much of this internal wood will need to be replaced. In addition, all of the heavy duty hinges for the side boxes need replacement as well. Fortunately the walk-in area of the book box is in fantastic shape and we plan, at this point, to simply clean it up and leave that area as original as possible. Most recently the Hoovers' removed the hood, fenders, grille, and radiator; it will soon be time to tackle the engine.
The bookmobile was donated to us by Tom Gibson and Dave Bowman of Crossroads Restorations in Anderson, SC. It is a 1955 Chevrolet 3600 that served residents of Anderson County, SC from 1956-1991. The book box was made by the Rock Hill Body Company, also from Anderson, SC.
We hope that you are as excited about the bookmobile as we are. If you would like to support this project by providing parts, accessories, or cash please contact Executive Director Steve Moskowitz, Librarian Chris Ritter, or any member of the Library Committee. Before we know it the bookmobile will be on the streets serving as an ambassador for the library, AACA, and the old car hobby that we all love so much.
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| AACA Museum | |
 Drive-In Movie Weekend July 15-17
Drive-in movies were first introduced in New Jersey in the 1930's as a way to make the movie going experience more comfortable for guests by allowing visitors to watch movies from the comfort of their own car. Drive-ins reached the peak of their popularity in the 1950's and 60's. At that time there were over 4,000 drive-ins in the United States. The AACA Museum will be hosting a drive-in movie weekend on July 15, 16, and 17, allowing guests to experience the nostalgia brought on by this iconic characteristic of the time! Every night will have a double feature with the first movie beginning at approximately 8:45pm each evening. Food vendors will be on site with your drive-in favorites.
Buses and Baseball
With the 2011 Baseball Season upon us, the Museum of Bus Transportation invites you to visit their newest display: Buses and Baseball, featuring the All American Girls Professional Baseball League and the Negro Leagues Baseball Teams and the buses they rode in during that time. The Museum of Bus Transportation which displays 12 vintage buses on the lower level of the AACA Museum has arranged this special exhibit from June 1 to September 15, 2011.
For more information the Drive-In Movie night features or current exhibits at the Museum visit www.aacamuseum.org
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| Trivia | |
1.This revolutionary automobile was the first to completely eliminate running boards and to make the trunk an integral part of the coach (that is, still an extension, but no longer a separate piece of equipment?
2. Several changes occurred in automobile styling during the 20s, but three stand out as the most significant in the development of the modern car. Can you name them?
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Speedy's Notes
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Introducing the AACA Credit Card!
Members can now apply to receive an AACA Visa Card!
- No annual fee.
- $50 donation by the bank when you first use your card.
- Ongoing contributions made when you continue using the card.
- Low introductory APR on purchases and no balance transfer fees for 6 months.
- Enhance Visa Platinum benefits, including 24/7 Emergency Customer Service.
- Earn point at hundreds of participating online retailers.
- Choose one of the four created cards or upload your own vehicle.
- Show off your very own car on the front of card.
Visit the website to apply and learn more about the AACA Credit Card.
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2011 Raffle! AACA Merchandise and Gifts
New items are on the way! We have lots of unique Merchandise and gift ideas available on our online catalog. Plenty of to choose from for the whole family and friends. Visit the merchandise website and start shopping!
Join in the discussions and check out our topics on the AACA Forum
SPEEDSTER Archives
Read and print newsletters. Visit the links provided in each section for more information. Use the articles in your region publications and updates. Join our mailing list and please share issues with family, friends and future AACA members! SPEEDSTER Archives Here. |
| Calendar Spotlight! | |
July 24-29 AACA Special Vintage Tour (pre-1938) sponsored by AACA Susquehannock Region in North Central PA/Lower NY. Info at 570-368-2570 August 11-13 AACA Southeastern Fall Meet in Bristol, TN sponsored by AACA Appalachian Region. Info available at 423-217-1201. *UPDATE Host hotel Name & Phone Number Change:
It is now the Bristol Virginia Hotel & Convention Center, phone: 276-466-4100 (same address)
* The deadline for registration is now July 30, 2011
August 24-28 AACA Annual Grand National and Western Fall Dual Meets sponsored by AACA Redwood Empire Region in Santa Rosa, CA. Info at 707-539-6073 September 8-10 AACA Central Fall Meet in Oak Brook, IL sponsored by AACA Illinois Region. For info call 630-852-9893.
Septermber 18-24 Glidden Tour AACA in Cumberland, MD. AAA Revival Glidden Tour (pre-1943 vehicles) - sponsored by AACA Queen City Region, 301-729-1653. October 5-8 AACA Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey, PA sponsored by the AACA Hershey Region, 717-566-7720.
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| Trivia Answers | |
1.This revolutionary automobile was the first to completely eliminate running boards and to make the trunk an integral part of the coach (that is, still an extension, but no longer a separate piece of equipment? The 1938 Cadillac Sixty Special. This trendsetter was designed by the remarkable 23 year old William Mitchell, who was brought on by Harley Earl a year previously, and who would succeed Earl as head of GM styling in 1958. Mitchell also designed the 1963 Buick Riviera, the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray, and many others.
2. Several changes occurred in automobile styling during the 20s, but three stand out as the most significant in the development of the modern car. Can you name them? The three major styling development of the 20s are the following:
- vertical, boxy lines indicative of the carriage look gave way to long, curving horizontal lines making an impression of forward movement
- fenders lost their flat mud-guard look to become rolled with turned over edges
- in 1919 90% of the cars produced were open models, while 90% were closed in 1929
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The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), 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.
Contact Information for Speedster Newsletter:
AACA Headquarters
501 W. Governor Road
Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: 717-534-1910
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