I would like to introduce you to AACA's newest Region. This Region was formed to promote the enjoyment and preservation of AACA eligible Chevrolet cars from the 1955 model year through the 25 year cutoff. This includes all Chevrolet cars from 1955 and later, such as full size Chevrolet, Corvette, Corvair, Chevy II, Chevelle, Camaro, Monte Carlo, Vega, Monza, Chevette and the later front wheel drive cars. These cars are some of the all-time best selling cars, but they have little club support. Clubs that claim to support and promote these cars either feature modified cars or focus on a parts business.

The founders feel that this Region will give owners of AACA eligible 1955 and up Chevrolets a place to discuss the history of these cars and to showcase their own cars. Members can share information and experience with like-minded enthusiasts.

It was difficult to decide on a name that focused on all the eras included between 1955 and 1989. Since the Space Age began in 1957, and the United States still has astronauts serving in space, it was thought the name Space Age Chevrolet Region would be the most inclusive. Other names were discussed based on some of Chevrolet's slogans, such as Jet-Smooth, but were rejected because they focused only on a few model years. We think the name is catchy and it is also fun, which is the main purpose of this non-geographical Region.

Some Region activities include a bi-monthly electronic newsletter, which will be known as The Space Age Star. The newsletter will include historical articles, member car stories, classified ads and anything else related to the included eras.                         

The first newsletter will contain information about the 1964 Chevrolet model year, since this is the 50^th anniversary. An annual meeting is planned at the upcoming Eastern Fall Meet at Hershey. Several of the charter members have vendor spaces and can accommodate a gathering of these Chevy enthusiasts. These Charter members would also like to present a seminar on these cars at the AACA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

Anyone interested in joining this non-geographical Region should contact Russell Heim at jetsmooth61@optimum.net.   

October 10, 2008

This is the eve of the 2008 AACA Eastern Fall National Meet in Hershey, PA. I've been attending this meet since 1968 or '69. Most likely I attended first in '68 because that was the year I bought my first old car, a 1928 Buick Model 28-58 Five-Passenger Coupe. That means I have been pursuing a dream off and on for forty years. Perhaps not with the Buick, but definitely with the 1926 Model T Ford closed cab one-ton truck that I got in 1969. I dreamed of one day driving a restored antique onto the show field of Hershey. When I bought the Buick, I knew absolutely nothing about auto mechanics or restoration. When I got the Model T, I started buying books and manuals. I even changed my college major to secondary education in industrial arts with a major concentration in power mechanics. I didn't want to teach auto shop; I wanted to learn auto mechanics to further my hobby.

With the vagaries of married life, child rearing, house building, relocating to different geographic areas, jobs, jobs and more jobs, old cars took the proverbial back seat for a long time. Along the way, I also set aside the dream of winning an AACA national first prize, perhaps cynically saying it wasn't important. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't important.

But here I am on the eve before the Hershey meet with our 1954 Studebaker Commander Starliner hardtop - restored, primed and polished - in our garage. Tomorrow morning brother Bob and I will drive it to the show grounds and enter it for judging in Class 27A for 1954 and '55 production cars ('55 Chevies excluded). Can the car score a 1^st Junior award? For sure I don't know, but it was awarded a first place in Division 4 at the 44^th Annual Studebaker Drivers Club International Meet in Lancaster, PA, in September with 394 out of 400 points. AACA judges have a different standard by which they judge, but the minimum number of points for a 1^st Junior is only 365 out of 400. So, after the dream was born 40 years ago and after a ten-year restoration, the dream might just come true.

October 11, 2008 

I'd say that like a kid, wide-eyed with anticipation on Christmas morning, I was up long before the sun, but in truth, it was our old dog, Molly, who got me up so she could go outside. I went back to bed and tried to sleep, but I couldn't, so I got up, showered and shaved. Around 7 a.m., I got Bob up. The other hounds, Emmy and Maddie, awakened Cathy. Soon, Bob and I went out to the garage, uncovered Grace - that's what we named our car because of her amazing styling - and headed down the road on our 4-mile drive to Hershey. There was a bit of mist in the cool air. The morning sun was still low enough in the sky that it just peeked under Grace's sun visors. People were lined up all along the fence behind the Giant Center, many in lawn chairs to watch the entry of the show cars. With cameras flashing, I resisted the urge to wave. I was a bit peeved by all the officials who wanted to see our registration packet with the big "R-13" on it that indicated we were to drive on the right side of the show field to row thirteen. I knew where I had to go; I had studied my map repeatedly on Thursday when I picked up my registration. More people, more cameras. Many of the trees surrounding the show field were beginning to show their fall colors, and the early morning sun cast the place in a golden glow.

Upon parking the car, Bob and I unloaded all the requisite stuff that you always have in the trunk of your car - the chairs, the California car duster, the Windex, the bag of tools, the jumper cables, etc. Then, I went around Grace with a paint brush and a little bottle of black paint and touched up the spots that needed it. Round two was the little bottle of red paint. I then called Cathy to pick us up for breakfast at Bob Evans in Hummelstown.

Around 9:30 a.m., Cathy brought Bob and me back. Cars were still coming in, but the field was crowded by now. Time for the California car duster. People were already looking at all of our cars. I was really surprised by the large number of people who came to look at Grace, take her picture and talk to me about her. Why was I surprised? After all, Bob Bourke's design has been called one of the best automotive designs of all time. Maybe it's simply because I'd been working on our car for so long that I'd come to take the styling a bit for granted.

Now the judging team has come to our row on the field. They pass us by. In a while, they come back... and keep going in the other direction. Finally, they stop at the '55 Buick next to us and its owner comes over and asks if I have a screwdriver. The head judge has told him he needs to take his front license plate off. Huh? No sooner had I given him a couple of screwdrivers than the same judge comes over to me and tells me the same thing, adding that he doesn't want us to lose points unnecessarily. He didn't give us the reason, but I suspect that it's because both of us have old Pennsylvania plates up front and PA has only used one plate for years.

Our time has finally arrived. As instructed, I roll up the windows and open the trunk. The hood is already up. Only the head judge is allowed to talk to me - and I to him. AACA judges don't ask that the engine be started or the lights be turned on. I try not to hover like a backstage mom at a little girl's beauty pageant, but I want people to stop trying to carry on conversations with me so I don't miss any questions from the head judge. I even go over to him and ask if any of his team has questions. No, he says, and the judges start to move off to another car. Great, no one has asked about the missing trunk mat. As if on cue, the head judge stops, turns around and asks, "Did your car originally have a trunk mat?" I tell the truth; correct trunk mats are made of unobtainium.

From here on out, there's nothing for Bob and me to do but enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and hundreds of beautiful old cars and trucks. We wear ourselves out, and Bob finds a tree to lean against and take a nap. Cars are starting to leave. I get a couple of bottles of water, shake the condensation off them and onto Bob to wake him. He says he's going to take a last look through the car corral while I go back to Grace and put all the stuff back into the trunk. When we finally leave sometime after 4 p.m., there are fewer than a dozen vehicles still on the field. It only takes a few minutes to drive home. I have about an hour and a half to relax and tell Cathy about our day before it's time to change and go to the awards banquet. Cathy and Bob declined to attend, and I'm a bit envious that I'll miss out on one of Cathy's great apple pies that she has just taken out of the oven. Oh, there will be some left over, but it won't be warm.

The lobby of the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center is a mad house of conversations. I meet up with one of my former coworkers and her husband. They're both retired now. I spend some time with a couple I've known from church and later sit in the banquet hall with other friends from church and work. I'm at the right table because one of the other women there coordinated the banquet, so nothing is going to go wrong; the ma�tre d' and the wait staff won't let it happen. The meal is excellent - puree of wild mushroom bisque with truffle cream and thyme, Niman Ranch thick cut pork chop with apple jack sage jus, chef's choice of vegetables, sweet potato, Hershey's Dutch chocolate cheese cake and coffee.

The speeches begin; the introductions are made; the awards presentations commence, not with Class 01A, but with Class 26. Cool, I may not have to wait all night to find out the results of the judging in our class. Almost as fast as he can, the fellow at the mike reads off the names of the award winners. Class 26 consists of sections A through D for 1946 through 1953 production cars.

"Class 27A and we've got a lot of awards here. First Junior, 1955 Buick (car owner's name). First Junior, 1954 Studebaker, Alan Mende. First Junior, 1955 Ford...."

October 12, 2008  

It's 5:30 Sunday morning.  I can't sleep anymore.  Holy cow, the dream has come true!

You're a Good Car, Ford Falcon!

By: Matthew Hocker

In the world of advertising, it is common for companies to partner up with popular intellectual properties, especially cartoon characters. For example, Chevrolet promoted its 1955 model year cars with a comic book featuring Woody Woodpecker, and Tintin graced the pages of some of Citroen's 1980s 2CV literature. When Ford introduced its Falcon for the 1960 model year, they turned to Charles M. Schulz and his beloved Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown and the gang would appear in Ford Falcon sales literature and advertisements through 1965.

Inspired by the popularity of Volkswagen's Beetle in the U.S., the Falcon represented Ford's first serious foray into the compact car market. Though options were limited, the Falcon's appeal lay in its low price point and claims to comfort (with enough room for six passengers) and fuel economy. While Chevrolet and Plymouth also introduced compacts in 1960 (the Corvair and Valiant), the Falcon smashed the competition and became one of Ford's most successful cars. Over 474,000 1960 model year Falcons rolled off the assembly line - more than the Corvair and Valiant combined.

Schulz' Peanuts characters were introduced just ten years prior and were household names by 1960. Despite this apparent popularity, the pairing between Charlie Brown and Ford might not have happened, had it not been for a chance comment from a little girl. In the 1950s, advertising agency J. Walter Thompson did television commercials for Ford and was looking for a spokesperson for the upcoming Falcon. Company President Norman Strauss held a dinner meeting at his home, and discussion revolved around characters they could use. According to Bill Melendez, an animator with the company, Strauss' granddaughter overheard the conversation and randomly suggested, "Why don't you use Peanuts, Grandpa?" 

The young girl's idea struck a chord with the company, for they became seriously interested in working out a deal with Schulz. Having heard rumors of Schulz' potential disinterest in commercializing his characters, there was an air of uncertainty. When approached, Schulz was reported to have enthusiastically replied, "Of course I don't mind. The only car I've ever driven is a Ford. I like the cars!" In this case, Schulz was more than willing to lend his characters to a brand he believed in.

When it came to selecting an animator, Schulz was particularly impressed with Bill Melendez. The first TV commercial in the series debuted in 1959 and depicted Charlie Brown handing out chocolate cigars in honor of the "birth" of the Ford Falcon and 1960 model year Fairlane 500. This also marked the first animated appearance of the Peanuts characters and the beginning of a long term partnership between Schulz and Melendez. What started out as a series of car commercials would eventually transition into several TV specials including the timeless holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).

In the realm of magazine advertising, Peanuts characters lauded the strengths of the Falcon in a series of ads, including several comic strip-style examples. One 1960 ad proclaimed, "No other compact car measures up to Falcon," and featured images of Schulz' characters with measuring tape alongside descriptions of major selling points. In one of the illustrations, Snoopy could be seen running with measuring tape in his mouth, dragging poor Linus behind him. 

The tape measuring theme persisted into the 1961 model year when Charlie Brown and friends made their first appearance in Falcon sales literature, blending together images of cartoon characters with real-life photographs and artistic renderings of the car. Along with the cover's tagline, "new measure of compact car value," each piece featured Snoopy dragging measuring tape throughout the pages and folds. Schulz also used other Peanuts characters to illustrate some of the Falcon's key features. One image had Linus pulling a wagon filled with six children, an acknowledgement of the Falcon's ability to seat up to "...six (not five) big people."

As the 1960s wore on, the Ford Falcon's popularity began to wane. Production gradually declined and, with it, so too did the appearance of Schulz' characters in Ford's advertising. The final year of their presence in Falcon literature was in 1965, and they served a more limited role than before. In the catalog for that year, Charlie Brown and Lucy had two small spots, and two of the children photographed could be seen playing with Peanuts dolls.

While 1970 marked the final year of Falcon production the Peanuts universe continued to thrive, even beyond Schulz' death in 2000. Though often remembered for its role in America's gradual shift toward compact cars, the Falcon's legacy has extended to some of our most cherished childhood memories. Next time you find yourself watching Charlie Brown and his friends on TV, remember... It all started with the Ford Falcon!   

Discover More:

The library has a large collection of Ford Falcon sales literature and clippings, including several examples from Ford's Peanuts advertising campaign. If interested in viewing any of this material, be sure to contact the library or pay us a visit. We would love to hear from you!

New Items in the AACA Library's eBay Store!

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite motor head?  The AACA Library's eBay store offers a wide variety to choose from, with everything from automobilia and photographs to books and sales literature. 

We will also be holding our monthly eBay auction, with over seventy unique listings!  The auction began on Sunday, July 27th at 7:00 PM EST and will end on Sunday, August 3rd at 7:00 PM.

To view our available selection, be sure to click the links below!

Items Available for Auction (7/27/2014 - 8/3/2014):    

* Books & Periodicals:

            - 1957 3^rd Annual Global World Series baseball program

* Sales Literature:

- 1953 Chrysler New Yorker catalog

- 1960s Ford

- 1962 & 1963 Studebaker Avanti

- 1949 - 1965 Sunbeam

- 1960s Pontiac

- 1960s Buick

- 1960s Plymouth

- And more!

* Manuals & Guides:

- 1950s MG shop manuals

- Triumph TR4 shop manual

- 1976-1979 Pontiac parts & accessories catalog

- 1970s Buick, Chevrolet & Pontiac owner's manuals

- 1980s Chevrolet Productivity Network laser discs

- 1975 Ford Facts Book

Items Available for General Sale:

*Reproduction Factory Photos:

- More than 2,000 different vehicles!

*Books:

-

- Racing

- Biographies & In-Depth Histories

- Car & Truck Reference Books

- Manuals & Guides

- And much more!

*Sales Literature

*Shop Manuals

Check back often, as we will continue to add new items throughout the year!

For more information, contact our Library Assistant,

Matthew Hocker, at mhocker@aacalibrary.org or 717-534-2082.