August 2014 - Volume 69
In This Issue...
Cammack Tucker Gallery
Big Sky Deadline Extended!
New Music City Region
A Boy and His Love For Bikes
License Plates
AACA Library eBay Store
Calendar Spotlight
AACA Staff Listing
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links

It Will Soon Be Membership Renewal Time

 

The end of the year will be here before we know it...


65 days until Halloween
 

92 days until Thanksgiving
 

120 days until Christmas
 

This is just a friendly reminder from your AACA Staff that membership renewal time is right around the corner. 

 

Look for your first opportunity to renew your membership in September. A renewal form will be included with your September/October issue of Antique Automobile magazine. Simply fill out the form and send it back to the office with a check or credit card information. 

 

We know the end of the year can get hectic with all of the holidays and family, so make sure to renew early so you don't forget. 

IMPORTANT!!! 2015 AACA National Board of Directors Election


In the September/October edition of Antique Automobile is a postpaid ballot for the 2015 Board of Directors election. It is your ONLY ballot and must be filled out according to the instructions or it will not be counted.

 

Please read the biographies of all the candidates and vote for the 7 of your choice. Our candidates this year come from widely different backgrounds, so please give serious consideration to those who match your ideas of what is important to the future of the club. Your ballot must be postmarked by November 15, 2014.

 

Photos From the Central Fall Meet


Thank you to AACA member Larry Gordhamer from Minnesota for sending us some great photos of the Central Fall Meet in Oconomowoc, WI.

 

We're always looking for photos from the AACA meets and tours that our members attend, so please make sure to send them to Stacy at szimmerman@aaca.org. In fact, did you attend the Central Divisional Tour in Texas in mid-August? Send us your pictures so we can include them in the next Speedster!

 

 

 

 

 

Half Price AACA Memberships Available 

 

Do you have friends who have been thinking about joining the AACA? Do you know a fellow collector or car enthusiast who should be a member of the club, but isn't? Between now and October 15, new members can join for half price - that's right, only $18! This half price membership would then expire on December 31, 2014.


Grand Opening of the Cammack Tucker Gallery


Join us for a fun filled night of friends and fellowship at the AACA Museum as we celebrate another great Meet Week in Hershey! Another reason to celebrate this year is the official Grand Opening of the first phase of the Cammack Tucker Gallery!


Plenty of great food and beverages will be scattered throughout all levels of the Museum, plus live entertainment, silent auction, automotive artist gallery & more! Proceeds from this grand event benefit the AACA, AACA Library & Research Center and AACA Museum. 

 

Advance reservations required - Tickets @ $125 each.

Call us immediately at 717-566-7100 ext. 100.

For more information, visit www.NightAtTheMuseum.org

 

AACA Museum Meet Week Hours

Mon. 10/6         9 AM - 5 PM

Tues. 10/7         9 AM - 5 PM

Wed. 10/8         9 AM - 2 PM

(Night at the Museum & Cammack Tucker Gallery Grand Opening 6 - 10 PM)   

Thurs. 10/9        9 AM - 9 PM

(Public Opening of the Cammack Tucker Gallery)

Fri. 10/10          9 AM - 9 PM

Sat. 10/11         9 AM - 5 PM

 

The AACA Museum sits just off Rte. 39 @ 1 Mile from the Meet Field.
A MUST SEE Stop for 2014!

 

Western Fall Meet - DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Sept 18-20, 2014 - Big Sky, MT

Click here for the meet brochure

 

The "Meet Under the Mountain" will be at the beautiful Big Sky Resort. This will be the first time this country's oldest car club will be in the state of Montana with a National Meet. The registration deadline has been extended and they are still accepting cars. Register today to make sure you are part of this historic event!

 

Don't miss the special Gerrard Classic Auto Collection Reception on Thursday evening, the Friday night BBQ or the Sunday tour of Yellowstone National Park. 

 

Introducing the New Music City Region AACA

 By: Randy Shemin, Music City Region AACA Secretary

 

The Music City Region AACA, based in Nashville, Tennessee, received its charter in late June 2014 and in six weeks has grown to a 49 member club made up of a very diverse group of both new and existing AACA members who share a common goal: HAVING FUN!

 

The club's founders and many members have experience as AACA club or Board members for other local middle Tennessee AACA groups and other clubs. We hope to use this experience and these relationships to forge bonds for collaborative efforts in recruiting members to the AACA and holding joint events and meets with those surrounding clubs. We feel that we represent a region rather than just Nashville and will encourage our members' interaction with those other clubs, who were very supportive of our formation, which is greatly appreciated. We feel that we all share the same last name, AACA, and what helps one club helps all.

 

Our objectives are to hold at least one major quarterly event and to also publicize and participate in other local and regional automotive events with an emphasis on those that promote charitable or philanthropic efforts in our community. We will also continue to promote our hobby and passion. We will encourage our members to formulate and organize activities that they think their fellow club members would like. We will emphasize recruiting like-minded new members to reach as broad a base of members as possible and capitalize on that diversity as well.

 

We would like to thank the AACA for their support, and look forward to representing them, Music City USA, our region and our members in a positive way to grow our club and the AACA in our area.

 

To learn more about the Music City Region AACA, visit www.musiccityaaca.com.

Any questions can be emailed to musiccityaaca@gmail.com.

 

69th Revival AAAź Glidden Tour (VMCCA)

September 21-26, 2014 - Defiance, Ohio 

 
This year's tour is hosted by the Great Lakes Region, Defiance Chapter. The tour is for 1942 and earlier cars and will travel mainly through the "Black Swamp/Flatlands" area of northwest Ohio. Further information is available from Bob Brown or Dave Plassman, Tour Chairmen (gliddentour2014@yahoo.com). 

 

Enter to Win a 2014 Camaro LS Coupe! 

Drawing will take place on October 11, 2014

 

Each $20 ticket will give you a chance to win the grand prize - a brand new 2014 Camaro (or $17,000 cash)!  Second place will win $3,000 cash and third place will take home $1,000 cash.  Proceeds from this charity raffle will benefit the AACA, The AACA Library and Research Center, and The AACA Museum. Winner need not be present to win and is responsible for all taxes. Call (717) 534-1910 or click here for an order form.

Clarification Regarding the Space Age Chevrolet Non-Geographical Region

By: Bob Parrish, VP Membership

Last month, I wrote an article in the Speedster introducing the newest AACA Region. The Space Age Chevrolet Non-Geographical Region was formed to promote the enjoyment and preservation of AACA eligible Chevrolet vehicles from the 1955 model year through the 25 year cut off.

 

I omitted the fact that VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America), which I am also a member, represents the interest in all Chevrolet makes and models for all years.

 

Thank you for your understanding of this omission. Further information about VCCA can be found on their website, VCCA.org.

 

AACA Eastern Fall Meet - Have You Made Your Plans to Go to Hershey Yet?

Oct 8-11, 2014 - Hershey, PA

Click here for the meet brochure

How BIG is the Hershey Meet?
 

Over 9,000 flea market spaces 

Over 1,000 car corral spaces 

Approximately 1,500 show cars  
 

Each year, the show attracts visitors from all over the world. Some of the most unusual cars and parts can be found at Hershey. If you love antique cars, Hershey is the place to be! 

 

For more information, visit www.hersheyaaca.org. 

 

The Greatest (Antique Auto) Show on Earth - Judges Needed @ Hershey!

By: Ron Rubinstein, Chief Judge - Eastern Division National Fall Meet 


My name is Ron Rubinstein and I have the honor and privilege of being the 2014 Chief Judge for the Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey, PA.

 

Please plan on coming to Hershey to judge as I have made arrangements for a 72 degree day with light winds, sunny skies and lots of chocolate, if you care to indulge. In addition, you will have the unique opportunity to judge the finest antique cars, trucks, race cars, motorcycles and fire apparatus in the world. Hershey also attracts the largest HPOF and DPC classes shown anywhere. 

 

If you have considered judging at Hershey but haven't made the commitment, make this year "the year" to attend and judge. I guarantee you will find the experience amazing and rewarding. If you have taken a break from judging at Hershey, we want you back! And finally, thank you to those judges who year after year, through rain, snow, sleet and wind, have continued in their commitment to judge at Hershey. Hershey Region members have been hard at work to make sure you will enjoy your judging experience.  The more judges we have, the easier it is for everyone.

 

The Judge's breakfast will take place on Saturday, October 11, 2014, at 7:00 a.m. in the Giant Center and free parking is provided. The entrance for the breakfast remains in the back of the Giant Center. You can obtain a parking pass by sending me a self-addressed stamped envelope. Please note that even if you register online, you will still need to send me a self-addressed stamped envelope. Golf cart rides will be available for those judges in need of assistance for transportation from the breakfast to the show field.

 

Judging school is scheduled on Friday, October 10, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. at the Giant Center with CJE courses to follow. The 2:00 p.m. start time is an hour later than last year so you have more time to enjoy the flea market and the race car/high wheeler exhibition. If you are attending judge's school, you should enter the Giant Center using the main doors in the front of the building and follow the signs. Parking passes are available for those attending the school and CJE programs by contacting Pat Buckley at 717-534-1910 or pbuckley@aaca.org. Parking will be behind the Giant Center in the grassy area along the access road.

 

Administrative facilities remain improved with protection from the weather, two trailers for team captain check-in and paperwork processing, and an increase in administration personnel. 

 

The success of Saturday's Hershey Antique Auto Show depends on you, the judges. We hope you will be part of the judging team at Hershey 2014.    

 

If you have any questions, please contact me...

 

Ron Rubinstein

256 East Kercher Ave, Lebanon, PA 17046-9240

superbird1@comcast.net, 717-383-1337

 

Judges registration deadline is September 12, 2014.

Judges can register and pay their $7 registration fee online with Visa or MasterCard.

 

AACA Library to Host 1st Ever Yard Sale During Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey


Do you collect automotive sales literature? Be sure to visit the AACA Library for their first-ever yard sale! The Library will be selling a wide variety of duplicate materials including sales literature, manuals, books, etc.

 

Date:         Tuesday, October 7, 2014

 

Time:         4-7 p.m.

 

Location:   AACA Library & Research
                   Center (
Lower Level)

                   501 West Governor Road
                   Hershey, PA 17033

 

Click here to watch an
advertisement for the sale!

 

 

Member Submitted Story

 






 

A Boy and His Love For Bikes

By: Ron Fish, Valley Forge, PA 

 

 

I have liked motorbikes, motor scooters and motorcycles since I was a little boy growing up in Mt. Lebanon, PA. My two older brothers and their friends had things like Cushmans, Powells, Whizzers and Salsburys. But the one that really got me hooked was a BSA motorcycle that was a mid-1950s twin. When a friend of theirs stopped by one evening on it, I could not get enough of it. When I asked what BSA stood for they of course told me it was Boy Scouts of America. Those were the pre-Google days. I later learned that the BSA name evolved from the Birmingham Small Arms Company.

 

Around that time, I built a Briggs & Stratton powered scooter that I rode around town until the solid rubber came off the wheels. Pneumatic tires were not within the reach of my modest 12 year old's income generated by delivering the Post-Gazette and the motor next found its way onto a go cart.

 

But two wheels were much more exciting and, as I grew older, I had a Sears Moped, 2 Velocettes, a Honda or two, some Triumphs. Now at age 70, I just purchased my third Harley-Davidson.

 

A few years ago, a good friend mentioned having "most" of a 1968 Triumph Tiger 500cc in his basement. We chatted about it for a couple of years and finally one evening during a Christmas party we came to an agreement and I went to claim it a few days later.

 

Parts were everywhere - in his attic, garage and basement. And, as we hauled it all out one chilly January evening, it was obvious that it would be quite a restoration project. As luck would have it, the bike turned out to be one of the rare high pipe models.

 

About two years later, it had progressed from the "before" photos shown to a beautiful, dependable piece of history representing the glory years of Triumph. It has been featured in a book of the top one hundred classic bikes in this area, exhibited at The Simeone Museum in Philadelphia and displayed at the Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance. 

 

While the finished bike is beautiful, it is a rider and never fails to garner a thumbs up from those who know these rare bikes.

 

 

AACA Founders Tour

October 20-24, 2014 - N & S New Jersey 

Registration Deadline: September 20
 
This is a progressive tour starting and ending in Vineland, NJ, with a two-night stay in Clinton, NJ. You will enjoy the beautiful scenic country roads of rural New Jersey and see many private collections only our group will be privileged to see. Tour the famous Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and experience the magnificent 33,112 pipes of the world's largest pipe organ.

This tour is hosted by the Buzzards Breath Touring Region and takes place during the peak of the Fall foliage season, a beautiful time to travel in our vintage automobiles.

 

Trivia Question

Trivia Question Mark

 

 

Built in 1940/1941, these cars were known as
"The Cars of the Future." Which cars are we referring
to and how many were actually built?


Member Benefit of the Month: Unlimited Free Admission to the AACA Museum


Have you been to the AACA Museum in Hershey, PA? If so, you know how wonderful it is! If not, what are you waiting for? Did you know that one of your many benefits as an AACA member is that you can visit the museum anytime for free?

 

The AACA Museum was completed in 2003 and encompasses over 80,000 square feet of antique automobile history and collector cars. The Museum hosts educational programs, a gift shop and special rotating exhibits year-round. Take a virtual tour of the AACA Museum by clicking here.

 

To take advantage of this benefit of unlimited free admission to the AACA Museum, members should present their current AACA membership card when they enter the Museum.

 

AACA Library & Research Center

 

License Plates

By: Matthew Hocker

 

Labor Day weekend is on the horizon and, with it, will come the last major spurt of summer travel. On long drives to family cookouts, children often turn to handheld gaming devices and on-board DVD players for entertainment. Before these amenities became widespread, children of the past needed to find creative ways to avoid boredom. Among the favorite pastimes were playing games involving license plate spotting. With a wide variety of colors and designs, license plates helped break up the monotony on the highway; these differences also helped them become highly sought after collectibles. You might find yourself wondering how on earth they came to be.

 

The story of the license plate actually predates the existence of the automobile. No one knows for sure when the first registration numbers went into use, but they were definitely used for horse-drawn carriages. For example, hansom cab drivers of Victorian England were issued numbered plates.

 

The birthplace of the automotive industry was Europe thanks to the introduction of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Motor vehicle registration also appeared to have originated in the Old World. Paris, France issued an automobile permit in April 1891, making it the earliest known example of such a transaction. By 1893, the city enacted a police ordinance in which drivers were required to fix a numbered plate to their vehicle.

In America, it wasn't until 1901 before New York became the first state to pass official legislation for motor vehicle registration. Drivers were required to have plates on their cars with their initials. Eventually realizing this system would be unable to accommodate the growth of automotive transportation, the state began issuing numbers in 1903. Numbers were printed on a small metal seal and intended for placement on the rear of the car.

 

Unlike the plates of today, American license plates of the early 1900s lacked standardization and came in a wide array of shapes and sizes. More often than not, drivers assumed responsibility for having the plates created. Those who needed assistance turned to blacksmiths, woodworkers and even shoemakers. The average plate consisted of tin numbers affixed to a stitched leather pad (See photograph of Charles Duryea's leather plate below). Some drivers simply painted the numbers on the body or bumper of their cars.

 

The first state issued license plates were from Massachusetts in 1903. The manufacturing process behind these plates involved coating steel with porcelain enamel, and many states would adopt this method into the next decade. However, porcelain plates proved expensive to make and chipped fairly easily. This gradually gave way to tin plates, though Delaware continued using porcelain into the 1940s.

 

In the early 1900s, traveling between states often required a plate for each state! From 1915 through the early 1920s, Maryland insisted travelers from D.C. purchase Maryland plates. Maryland rationalized that, because the capital was so small, D.C. drivers were more likely to frequent the Old Line State's roads.  Virginia took note, briefly enacting similar regulations in 1915 and 1916, so some cars needed three plates! Not even the White House fleet was immune.

 

The 1920s witnessed the emergence of symbols and slogans which have continued into present day. In 1928, Idaho became the first state to use a graphic design on its plates with the image of a giant potato surrounding the numerals. Wyoming's famous cowboy astride a bucking bronco first appeared in 1936. New York even promoted its World's Fairs by issuing special themed plates in the late 1930s and mid-1960s. 

 

With America's entry into World War II, the military's thirst for material had a significant impact on license plates in two ways. First, scrap drives witnessed legions of patriotic drivers donating their old plates toward the war effort. Second, metal shortages meant states would have to find alternative materials for which to use. One common method was to issue small aluminum year tabs to be placed on the old license plate. In other cases, windshield stickers were used.

 

Some states used soybeans to fabricate fiberboard plates. Illinois even continued manufacturing such plates during the first few years after the war had ended. Stories were abound of animals with an appetite for fiberboard. In 1947, an Illinois man reported "...he caught his collie yesterday zestfully gobbling up the rear plate on his automobile." Illinois would return to making steel plates in 1949.

 

Flash forward to the present, in which silk-screening has allowed for more elaborate designs, and state websites now accompany slogans of old. Despite changes in appearance throughout the ages, the popularity of the license plate as a collectible is a testament to its timelessness. More than just a series of letters and numbers designating our place in the transportation system, they have transformed into symbols of our heritage and cultural identity.   

 

Discover More:

The library has reference books dedicated to this subject and files on individual states. We even have a leather plate that once graced Charles Duryea's 1904 3-wheeled Duryea! To use this material and learn more about the history of license plates, feel free to stop by or contact us. We would love to hear from you!      

Visit Our Blog
Tumblr Logo  

http://aacalibrary.tumblr.com/ 
 

 Interested in doing research with the AACA Library?

More information is available on our website. Visit AACA Library  or contact
our head librarian, Chris Ritter, at 
critter@aaca.org or 717-534-2082.

  

Check Out These AACA Museum Events & Exhibits!

 

March 28 - October 24: Indian Nation Motorcycle Exhibit
May 16 - Sept. 14: Motoring Mysteries of the Far East
September 13: Corvair Club Car show
September 21: Matchbox Diecast Car Show
September 26 - October 12: 100 Years of Dodge
October 8: Cammack Tucker Exhibit GRAND OPENING (Night at the Museum Event)
October 8-11: AACA Eastern Division National Fall Meet
October 25: Trunk or Treat
November 7: Autos & Ales
November 15, 2014 - January 4, 2015: Cars & Christmas


Visit the Museum's website at
www.AACAMuseum.org for all the details! 

 

 The AACA Library's eBay Store!

New ebay logo

 

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 90 unique listingsThe auction began on Tuesday, August 26th at 7:00 PM EST and will end on Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:00 PM.

 

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

 

Items Available for Auction (8/26/2014 - 9/2/2014):    
 

* Books & Periodicals:

- Buick & Dodge advertising magazines

- '30s Literary Digest magazines

- Selling Chevrolets (1929)

- Reprinted Ford V8 service bulletins

* Sales Literature:

- Ferrari

- 1914 Oldsmobile

- '50s & '60s Mercedes-Benz

- Chrysler 300

- '70s & '80s motorcycle brochures

- '50s & '60s Studebaker (including Avanti)

- 1939 Auto Union catalog

- And more! 

* Manuals & Guides:

- Over 41 Pre-WWII Owner's manuals from Oldsmobile, Marmon, Nash, Packard, Lincoln, Peerless, Oakland, Maxwell, National and more!

- 12 1948 Thompson repair manuals

16 '60s U.S. Army Engineer School Workbooks

- And more!

* Miscellaneous:

- '40s - '70s air route maps

- 1919 Fairbanks-Morse Z Farm Engines catalog

 

Items Available for General Sale:

*Reproduction Factory Photos:

- More than 2,000 different vehicles!

*Books:

- Pre-War

- 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: mhocker@aacalibrary.org or 717-534-2082.

 

Trivia Question Mark

  

 

The 1940/1941 Chrysler Thunderbolts were known as
"The Cars of the Future." Only five Thunderbolts were built. Each had an electric, fully retractable roof and hydraulic windows. Pushbuttons replaced door handles.


  

Source: www.Discovery.com

 

AACA Calendar Spotlight
Desk Calendar

 

September 8 - 12, 2014 
Sentimental Tour - ME, NH, MA

September 18 - 20, 2014
 
Western Fall Meet - Big Sky, MT 

September 21 - 26, 2014 
Revival AAAź Glidden Tour (VMCCA) - Defiance, OH

October 8 - 11, 2014
Eastern Fall Meet - Hershey, PA

October 20 - 24, 2014
Founders Tour (post 1931 vehicles) - N & S New Jersey 

Tour Information 

 



  
Visit the calendar on our website for a complete listing of AACA national events and much more!
 

Who Do You Contact at AACA Headquarters for What?

 

Have you ever wondered who to contact for what when you call or email AACA Headquarters? Here is a list of the current staff and their responsibilities. By clicking on someone's name below, you can email them directly.
 

Executive Director

Steve Moskowitz

 

Membership & Merchandise

Karen White

 

Regions & Judging

Lynn Gawel

 

Accounting, IT & Website

Pat Buckley

 

Advertising & Public Relations

Stacy Zimmerman


Office Administration

Pat Frantz (Insurance Certificates)

Ann Kulp

Shannon Patterson

 

Magazine Editor

West Peterson

 

Library, Research & Cataloging

Chris Ritter

Matthew Hocker

Michael Reilly


 

Naturally, many of the staff have the capability of answering questions in each other's area as we try to cross train as much as possible. Please don't hesitate to contact us anytime for assistance.

 

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.