February 2015 - Volume 75
In This Issue...
Annual Meeting Survey
Annual Meeting Photos
Who Wants a New 2015 Corvette or $35,000?
Last Chance to Register for the Tucson & Charlotte Meets!
Auctions America Offers Discount Prices at Auburn Meet
Commemorative Plates to be Given Away at Auburn Meet
1956 Classic Corvette Member Restoration
Early Musical Horns
New Items in the AACA Library's eBay Store!
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links

Thank You for Making the 

79th AACA Annual Meeting a Success!

By: Stacy Zimmerman

We had bitter cold temps and snowflakes falling, but that did not deter almost 1,000 AACA members from showing up for the 79th AACA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

 

Attendees enjoyed 3 days of educational seminars, trade show exhibits, special breakfasts and banquets. AACA National Award winners were recognized during an Oscar-like evening and the annual membership meeting updated attendees on club activities.

 

This was my first Annual Meeting and I must say that the very best part of the weekend was getting to meet and spend time with so many of the members with whom I have spoken to on the phone or emailed. Your enthusiasm and love for the AACA is infectious! Thank you so much to all of the members and their families who made the trek to join us for the Annual Meeting. I can see why this event is a success year after year!

 

A special thank you goes out to the Annual Meeting Committee for all of their hard work, time and dedication to making this year's event the best one yet! 

 

Make sure to mark your calendars now for the 

80th AACA Annual Meeting next year 

being held February 11-13!

 

Congratulations to all of our 

2014 AACA National Award Winners

 

We Need Your Feedback on the Annual Meeting!!

 

The Annual Meeting Committee is looking to revamp and refresh the Annual Meeting as we head into our 80th year of the event. We will be looking to "shake things up" by adding new activities. Some of our planning might even jump "out of the box" altogether. Definitely be prepared to see a new and exciting version of the Annual Meeting!

 

In order to accomplish this though, we need YOU! If you attended the Annual Meeting this year, we need your feedback, opinions and comments about the event.

 

Please click here to take a quick 10 minute survey online.

If you would prefer to print a copy of the survey and mail it back to us, 

click here to download a PDF.

 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey. Your valuable feedback will help us continue to improve your experience at future AACA Annual Meetings. 


Photos From the Annual Meeting

 

Here are just a few photos from the Annual Meeting taken by the Hershey Region AACA... 

Be sure to check out the next issue of Antique Automobile magazine for a full article and tons more photographs from the event!

 




 

Who Wants a New 2015 Corvette or $35,000?

 

ONLY 2,000 TOTAL TICKETS WILL BE SOLD!!

 

For only $50, you can purchase a raffle ticket to win this dream car or the cash equivalent. The drawing will be held October 10th at the AACA Eastern Division Fall Meet in Hershey, PA. (Winner need not be present.) Proceeds from the raffle benefit the AACA, AACA Library & Research Center and AACA Museum. 

HURRY!! These tickets will not last long!

 

Click here for a ticket order form.

 

Thank you for supporting the AACA Family and GOOD LUCK!!

 

2015 AACA National Meets & Tours Activity Request Card

 

A 2015 Activity Request Card was included with your January/February issue of Antique Automobile magazine. If you are interested in attending or would like more information about any of the meets and tours listed on the card, please fill it out and send it to: AACA Activity Request, PO Box 417, Hershey, PA 17033. Make sure to include your name, address and membership number on the card.

 

Online registration is currently open for the following: Annual Grand National (Arizona), Western Spring Meet (Arizona), Southeastern Spring Meet (North Carolina), Eastern Spring Meet (Virginia), Special Meet (Indiana), Central Spring Meet (Missouri) and Southeastern Fall Meet (Kentucky). To register online, click here and log in with your member number and pin.

 

Please remember that your 2015 membership dues MUST BE PAID in order to receive information for 2015 events.

 

Last Chance to Register for These AACA Meets!!

 



Annual Grand National & 

Western Spring Dual Meets

March 18-21, 2015

Tucson, Arizona

Registration deadline: February 28, 2015

Click here for brochure

Southeastern Spring Meet

April 9-12, 2015

Charlotte, North Carolina

Registration deadline: March 2, 2015

Click here for brochure

Meet Us at the Beach for the Eastern Spring Meet

By: Linda Pellerin, Meet Chairperson

 

Eastern Spring Meet

April 30 - May 2, 2015

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Registration deadline: April 11, 2015

Click here for brochure

 

 

The Tidewater Region members are getting excited about the upcoming Meet we are hosting from April 30 - May 2. 

 

The Meet will be held at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. This is one of the top tourist destinations for people visiting the area. There are over 60 WWI and WWII restored operational War Birds located at the Meet site. In addition to the aircraft there are two vintage hangars that were disassembled, one in Germany and one in England, and transported to the museum site and re-assembled to store the planes that once occupied these hangars.

 

There will be a driving tour to visit one of Tidewater's member's private collection of exotic vintage race and muscle cars. On Thursday there will be a Ladies Vintage Fashion Show and Luncheon. On Friday there will be a tour of the Navy Master Jet Base at Oceana, where the largest group of F/A18 Hornets and Super Hornets call home. So, as you can see there is something for everyone, so make your plans to come to the beach for the Eastern Spring Meet.

 

Southeastern Divisional Tour Tours Tennessee

 

 

Southeastern Divisional Tour

May 4-6, 2015

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Registration opens: March 2, 2015 

(NO postmarks prior to this date please!)

Registration deadline: April 15, 2015

Click here to visit website


 

Known as the Moonshine and Mountain Mist tour, the three-day event will treat AACA members from across the country to the beautiful mountains and foothills of East Tennessee. The tour is limited to 125 cars. We are expecting approximately 250 guests for the tour, which will kick off with a reception and drivers meeting on Sunday evening, May 3.

 

Auctions America Welcomes Back the AACA for its 3rd Annual Special Meet

This year's Auburn Spring Collector Car Weekend and the Third Annual AACA Special Spring Meet will take place May 7-9, 2015, at the historic Auburn Auction Park. Achieving record results and attendance in 2014, the event has quickly become a must-attend weekend on the national collector car calendar.

 

Auctions America is pleased to announce a limited time offer for AACA members wishing to purchase vendor space for the 2015 Special Spring Meet. Simply mention your AACA membership at time of booking to receive the discounted prices. Discount special ends April 24, 2015.

 

Swap Meet Spaces $30  ▪  Car Corral $75  ▪  Asphalt Vendors $100

 

Contact Connie Miller at 260-927-9797 or cmiller@auctionsamerica.com to book your vendor, swap meet or car corral space today.

 

Commemorative Plates to be Given Away at Auburn Special Meet

 

Special Meet

May 7-9, 2015

Auburn, Indiana

Registration deadline: April 24, 2015

Click here for brochure

 

 

The Crossroads of America Region and the 

national club once again join together to host the most unique event in the Midwest! The list of free amenities goes on and on and includes free motorhome parking, free trailer parking, free admission and bidders' passes to the Auctions America Spring Auction. Special this year is a free commemorative plate with a unique number. Plates are only guaranteed to the first 300 entrants, so register NOW!

 

Auburn is a unique venue as everything is self-contained at the site including the final banquet. World-class BBQ will be served once again! Many unique sights to see along with discounts at all the great car museums in Auburn.

 

Let's show AACA that the Midwest is alive and well and have a huge turnout this year. 

 
Member Submitted Story

 

1956 Classic Corvette Restoration

By: Tom Grieco (VP, Brandywine Region, AACA), Elkton, MD

 


 

While on location at the Hagley Car Show, I shared some of the challenges I faced in restoring my 1956 Corvette. Check out this short video interview...

 

Click here to watch the video.

 

 

 

 

Video credit: Louise Eliason, www.EliasonAssoc.com

 

Trivia Question

Trivia Question Mark

 

 

 

What auto racer built the Indianapolis 500 

racetrack in 1909?


 

 


20% Off Advertising for AACA Regions & Chapters


Have you ever thought about advertising your local region or chapter meets, tours, swap meets or other special events in Antique Automobile magazine? The magazine has been published since 1937 and has an extremely enthusiastic and dedicated readership of 60,000+ hobbyists! What better place to spread the word about your event than Antique Automobile?!


And as a bonus, all AACA regions or chapters now receive 20% off advertising costs in the magazine. 

 

Click here to download the current advertising rates. 

Please contact Stacy at AACA Headquarters with any questions: szimmerman@aaca.org or 717-534-1910.

 

From the AACA Library & Research Center

 

Early Musical Horns

By: Matthew Hocker

 

The library receives a wide variety of questions, covering everything from specific cars to historic travel routes. One of our most recent inquiries dealt with Sparton horns. While researching this question, I came across a brochure and installation instructions for the Sparton Repealer, an early automobile horn capable of playing brief melodies. Prior to handling this research request, I had always assumed musical horns were a recent phenomenon. Fueled by curiosity, I decided to dig into our horn files to find out more about the history behind these unique devices.


 

Automobile horns date back to the beginnings of the automobile industry in the 1890s. Though horns are standard equipment in today's cars, they were originally aftermarket accessories. Conceived out of the need for an effective warning signal, several different companies went on to design and market their own horns. This gave rise to many variations, including horns capable of carrying a tune.

 

One of the earliest known musical horns was the Gabriel Horn, a multiple tone device created by Cleveland inventor Claud H. Foster in 1900. Named after the biblical angel Gabriel, this accessory was technically a whistle that functioned using the car's exhaust system. The Gabriel horn was made up of multiple cylinders of varying length, each one capable of a unique tone. A 1906 ad billed the Gabriel horn as, "...a musical horn...to take the place of the noisy and disagreeable screeching horn which is objectionable in many ways to both automobilists and pedestrians."   

 

Another early musical horn was the French Testophone. It was made of brass and measured more than twenty-six inches long. Unlike the Gabriel Horn, the Testophone was a hand-operated bulb horn. According to one advertisement, it "swanks up the old car, and is the last word of smartness for the new."

 

Perhaps one of the most famous musical horns was the Sparton Repealer, an electric air horn that debuted in the 1920s. One brochure in our collection listed thirty-two different tunes to choose from including the prohibition-era favorite, "How Dry I Am." Oldsmobile owners even had the option of selecting "In My Merry Oldsmobile."

 

While these makes of horns gradually disappeared from the market, the fact that musical horns remain popular in today's society is a testament to their legacy. To learn more about horns or any of your other favorite accessories, be sure to contact the library or pay us a visit. You never know what you might find!   

 

 


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 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.

  

News From the AACA Museum

 

Motorbikes for the Masses
As spring approaches we're excited for our next new exhibit that offers some summer fun. Motorbikes for the Masses will feature a variety of smaller motorbikes, scooters, mopeds and the like on display from 

March 14 - October 11, 2015.


Inexpensive, reliable, easy to maneuver and park transportation for a crowded urban area is where motorbikes, scooters and mopeds really shine compared to 'traditional' motorcycles. The AACA Museum honors these often under-appreciated and sometimes ridiculed machines with its new exhibit Motorbikes for the Masses.

 

The AACA Museum's other current exhibit is Lotus: The Art of Lightness which runs through April 26th. This exhibit features more than 60 years of exciting Lotus road and race cars.    


 


 

Coming May 23, we'll begin our summer road trip with A Family Affair: Station Wagons running through October 11th.   


 


 

An opening reception for both the Motorbikes for the Masses and Family Affair exhibits will take place on May 22nd. This special reception is open to the public at a cost of $15.00 per person. Tickets will be available via the AACA Museum ticket counter 717-566-7100 ext. 100 daily 

9 AM - 4 PM.    
 

New For 2015! Evening Hours the First Thursday of Each Month!

The AACA Museum will be open until 9 PM the first Thursday of each month beginning February 5th! We look forward to serving our visitors who are not able to join us during normal daytime hours.
 

 

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

 

SAVE THE DATE

AACA Custom Car Signs Now With Photos

 

Do you have an AACA approved car sign for your car? AACA members can have these custom signs created to showcase all of their car's great features or to share the history and story of their car. The signs stand 16.5" high and 12" wide and are made of a hard plastic to withstand the elements. All signs include the AACA logo and website, as well as the year/make/model of your car and owner information. The rest of the content is up to you. The signs cost $30 plus shipping and production takes about 3 weeks. NEW!! You can now add an image or photo to your sign for an extra $5!

 

Click here for complete instructions on ordering your sign. Contact Stacy at AACA Headquarters if you would like to have a sign made or need more information: szimmerman@aaca.org or 717-534-1910.
 

Trivia Question Mark

  

 

 

Carl Fisher, a famous bicycle/automobile racer who 

made his fortune replacing acetylene tanks with 

Prestolight tanks. The racetrack was near his factory.


 

  

Source: Automotive Milestones: Trivia of a Most Unique Machine


 

Did YOU Forget to Renew Your AACA Membership for 2015?


You don't want to miss out on all of the AACA fun in store for this year, including 15 great Meets and Tours, 6 awesome issues of Antique Automobile magazine and tons of fun celebrating the hobby! 

 

Renewing your membership only takes 5 minutes and can be done one of three ways...

  • Renew online - fill out the secure online form and pay with your credit card
  • Renew by mail - fill out the form that came with your January/February issue of Antique Automobile magazine, provide payment in the form of a check made out to AACA or your credit card information and then mail it to AACA, 501 W. Governor Rd., Hershey, PA 17033
  • Renew by phone - call AACA Headquarters (717-534-1910) and any of the staff here would be happy to take your renewal over the phone with credit card payment (office hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time) 

The Entire AACA Family is on Facebook!

 

The entire AACA Family is on Facebook. Make sure to like all of our pages to stay up-to-date on everything going on with the Club, Library and Museum. Did you know that AACA also has a Facebook Group you can join to discuss cars and hobby hot topics? Request to join the group by clicking here.


 

Click the logos below to go to our Facebook pages.

 


 


New Items in the AACA Library's eBay Store!

New ebay logo  

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite motor head? The AACA Library's eBay store offers a wide variety to choose from: over 2,000 reproduction factory photographs of historic cars, books and sales literature. Materials sold are duplicate items, and every purchase supports the library! 

 

We will also be holding our monthly eBay auction, with over 90 unique listingsThe auction began on Sunday, February 23rd at 7:30 PM EST and will end on Sunday, March 1st at 7:30 PM EST.

 

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

 

Items Available for Auction (2/22/2015 - 3/1/2015):    

* Automobilia:

- Set of 100 Clarence P. Hornung Antique Car Prints (only 350 made in 1965)

     

      * Books:

                  - Unsafe at Any Speed

                  - Corvette Restoration & Technical Guide Vol. 1 & 2

                  - The Indomitable Tin Goose (Motorbooks International Reprint)

                  - Auburn Cord Duesenberg by Don Butler (1992)

                  - And more!

 

* Sales Literature:

- 1930s Reo Truck

- 1930s & 1940s Lincoln

- 1970s Maserati

- 1908 Stanley

- 1928 & 1932 Stutz

- 1937 Auto Union

- 1930s & 1940s Oldsmobile

- 1918 Case

- 1949 & 1964 Volkswagen

- 1936 Studebaker

- And more!


 
 

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

 

AACA Calendar Spotlight
Desk Calendar


 

March 6-8, 2015
Winter Meet - San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 18-21, 2015
Annual Grand National & Western Spring Dual Meets - Tucson, AZ
April 9-12, 2015
Southeastern Spring Meet - Charlotte, NC

April 30 - May 2, 2015
Eastern Spring Meet - Virginia Beach, VA

May 4-6, 2015
Southeastern Divisional Tour - Pigeon Forge, TN

May 7-9, 2015
Special Meet - Auburn, IN

Click here for brochure

 

June 4-6, 2015

Central Spring Meet - Independence, MO

Click here for brochure

 

July 15-18, 2015

Southeastern Fall Meet - Louisville, KY

Click here for brochure

 

November 5-7, 2015

Central Fall Meet - Houma, LA

Click here to watch a special promotional video!

 



  
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

Speedster Editor

Stacy Zimmerman


Office Administration

Pat Frantz (Insurance Certificates)

Ann Kulp

Kathy Skiles

 

Antique Automobile 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.