September 2023 | Volume 177

If you have questions about the flea market or car corral, please send an email to [email protected]. If you have questions regarding the car show, please send an email to [email protected].

SAFE TRAVELS! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOU!!

Award winning pre-war motor cars and premium automobilia will be on offer as RM Sotheby’s, the Official Auction of the AACA Eastern Fall Nationals, returns to the Hershey Lodge, October 4-5.

For the 17th year, RM Sotheby's will be back in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the long-established venue for early and vintage automobiles, with a prestigious selection from the Veteran, Brass, and Nickel Eras, an impressive assortment of post-war classics, and unique pieces of automotive memorabilia. Long hailed as the mecca for finding the rarest automotive parts and automobiles, the AACA Eastern Fall Nationals and RM Sotheby’s auction offer collectors and enthusiasts truly unique opportunities to acquire the exceptionally rare. RM Sotheby’s is thrilled to provide such a gathering place for passionate collectors of pre-war and vintage automobiles and those appreciative of automotive lore and history. With a remarkable range of cars spanning over 75 years crossing the auction block, the robustness of this market segment is clearly demonstrated.

1909 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost

1934 Auburn Twelve Salon Cabriolet

Single-Car Highlights

1909 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Roi des Belges in the style of Barker – A rare and extremely desirable “parallel bonnet” Silver Ghost, this Rolls-Royce wears an exquisite Roi des Belges body intricately crafted in the style of Barker. Boasting wonderfully detailed appointments, including a rare Elliott Brothers speedometer/odometer and Tiffany & Co. clock inside, as well as Lucas “King of the Road” cowl lamps, this example is documented in The Edwardian Rolls-Royce and is accompanied by its build sheet copy—making it a magnificent representation of “the best car in the world,” well-suited to exhibition and touring (Estimate: $800,000 - $1,000,000).

1934 Auburn Twelve Salon Cabriolet – One of five known survivors and even more rare than the Speedster model, this genuine V-12 Salon Cabriolet boasts a concours-quality restoration, long-term California history known since the 1950s, and is an ACD Club Certified Category One example (Estimate: $450,000 - $550,000).

1957 Chevrolet 210 Four-Door Sedan with Trailer – A factory V-8 sedan featured in the award-winning Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this example will cross the block accompanied by a reproduction U-Haul trailer with period-style graphics. Finished in Coronado Yellow with black accents over correct Charcoal and white interior, it rides on Coker wide whitewall radial tires mounted to color-matched steel wheels with polished covers (Estimate: $45,000 - $55,000).

Collections

The Grand Canyon Collection – Well-known for decades in Veteran and Brass Era car clubs, the owner of the collection was an esteemed collector known for driving his cars and keeping them in great working order, not just as display pieces. Highlights from the collection include a 1930 Pierce-Arrow Model B Sport Phaeton (Estimate: $200,000 - $225,000) and a 1936 Pierce-Arrow Model 1601 Sedan Custom (Estimate: $100,000 - $125,000).

A Private Collection – Coming out of long-term ownership, this collection includes significant pre-war examples and comes from an avid collector who has enjoyed numerous years participating in antique car events and tours, demonstrating a deep appreciation for a wide array of makes and models. The cars encompass everything from Stanley Steamers to renowned Packards, Auburns, and even rare gems like the Michigan and Stevens Duryea. The collection is highlighted by the 1933 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria (Estimate: $275,000 - $350,000) and a 1933 Auburn Twelve Salon Speedster (Estimate: $275,000 - $350,000).

Memorabilia from the esteemed collection of the late Oscar Davis – RM Sotheby’s presents over 30 pieces of memorabilia, including artwork, models, and more from the collection of noted U.S. industrialist Oscar Davis.

The memorabilia collection of Norman Lausten – Representing the late California native’s lifelong passion for history and his enthusiasm for the early days of the automobile, significant offerings include rare items from the famous Vanderbilt Cup races.

RM Sotheby’s will kick off the sale with their annual Preview Cookout, where donations to benefit the AACA Library and Research Center are welcomed, on Tuesday, October 3, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. alongside an auction preview from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The auction will then take place over the next two days beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET nightly, with auction previews each day beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

To view all lots on offer in Hershey, click here. 

One of the many highlights of Hershey Week is the cars. It may be the sound of a brass car driving around the show confines. It may be the sight and sound of a Model T heading up Hershey Road. It may be the sight of a true barn find tucked into a vendor’s space in the Flea Market area, it may be a car in the Car Corral, or it may be something in the Friday Car Show behind the AACA Headquarters building. Who among us has not said, “I wish I still had my old (fill in the blank) car?” It is one thing to think about it, but what happens when you actually see someone you don’t know driving and enjoying your old car?

Last year, I came out of the Green Field onto the Car Corral when I immediately caught the distinctive front fender of a yellow 1966 Plymouth Fury III. Alas, the car was a convertible and not a 2-door hardtop like the one that my dad had purchased in the fall of 1965.

That car was a special one for me because I went with my dad to various dealers, and I watched the art of the deal with him. He was all over the spectrum from buying a new Coronet off the showroom floor to ordering the Fury and waiting for it to be built. He traded in our Fawn Beige 1961 Plymouth 4-door sedan and got $899 as the trade-in. In my mind, the old car was to be quickly forgotten. 

The dealer waxed and cleaned up the car, fixed the sagging headliner, reinstalled the wraparound piece of chrome at the right rear, replaced the chrome flashlight pods at the taillights, played with the numbers on the odometer and put the car on his used car lot for $895.

Soon it was gone. Shortly thereafter, it showed up in front of a local tavern with an employee sticker for the nearby South Buffalo Railroad. It was dad’s car; the dog dish hubcaps and the replacement vinyl on the front seat confirmed it. For the next four years, the owner got good use of the car as I would see it parked in front of various local taverns. At Christmas time, 1969, the car was sitting in front of the local Shell station with a for sale sign asking $125. The sag in the headliner was back and the glove compartment and glove box door were missing.

Dad did not connect with the 1966 Fury and traded it in April 1968 for a new Dodge Coronet 440 2-door hardtop White Hat Special. Thinking the Plymouth was out of our life, it was a shock soon after to see it sitting next to my Uncle Jack’s car at the Bethlehem Steel Strip Mill parking lot. The new owner was the brother of one of the other salesmen at the Dodge dealership where we traded it in at and he worked at the Strip Mill.

In the summer of 1970, newly graduated from college, I was looking for a set of wheels. Sitting in the Bargains Galore section of the Dodge dealership was a familiar looking yellow 1966 Plymouth Fury III 2-door hardtop! With its black vinyl interior, radio, heater, automatic and rear defroster, I was tempted; however, I bought a new 1970 Dart Swinger with the 318 and the free Automatic Transmission Package. As before, the dealer freshened up the Fury along with a set of new tires and he also replaced the driver’s side arm rest. Again, I thought the car was out of our life. A person who lived around the corner from my Aunt Helen bought the car. It was still around in early 1974 when I relocated to Pittsburgh.

As for the Dart, I traded it in 1973 when it had 80,000 miles. I saw it but once afterwards at an ARCO station. The dealer cleaned the car, touched up the paint and took care of the compression loss. The young new owner seemed quite happy with the car even with the dent in the front bumper.

The string was broken when I traded the ‘73 in for a 1976 Volare Premier 2-door coupe. The Volare screamed ‘70s all over it with the spring-loaded hood ornament, the pinstripes, the vinyl landau roof and the velour interior. I had it for over three years, and it was a great car. While it had the typical Mopar issues with the ignition system, it had no issues with the fenders rusting. The only problem with the car was that for whatever reason it could not climb the hills or maneuver the pavement block streets of Pittsburgh during the winter seasons.

In 1980, I traded the car for a new Horizon. To my surprise, the proprietor of the local Gyro sandwich shop fourteen blocks from my office bought the car and he proudly parked it in from of his shop. It was definitely my old car; the dealer even left my hand-cut carpet floor mats in the rear. Perhaps it was the new radial tires that the dealer installed before he sold the car off his used car lot; the fact was two years later the car was still rust-free, shiny and clean as it still sat in front of his shop.

Each one of the cars managed to provide solid transportation for the next owner. I would have to say that the yellow Fury would be the one I wish I still had today.

According to the original schedule, the printed books were supposed to be mailed out in August, but the project took a little longer than expected because of the number of members who participated. Publishing Concepts (PCI) has informed us that everything is currently with the printer, but that they are experiencing some production issues right now. As soon as they are able to print the books, they will begin shipping them. Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact ship date yet though.

We sincerely appreciate all of your patience throughout this project and while waiting for your printed book to arrive. If you have questions about your order and timing, feel free to contact the PCI Client Experience Team at [email protected] or 1-800-982-1590.

Thank you again to all of our members who participated in this project!

We are currently developing an interactive timeline for the AACA History Center. Plans are to launch the first stage of the project next week during the Hershey show. The timeline focuses on the club's history, and we would like to include important milestones and history from your Regions and/or Chapters. Please submit a brief description and images related to the milestone(s) to [email protected]. Images are not required. 

When the Aloha Region started the Lahaina fund drive, we had hopes of raising $4,000. Thanks to all of you and the help of so many others, we completed the Lahaina fund donation through First Hawaiian Bank on Friday. The Aloha Region was able to donate $10,200 for the devastated people of Lahaina.

We can’t thank you enough.

Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much)!

Historic Virginia Peninsula Region AACA (HVPR) member Terry Fuller planned and organized the "Memories of Mellen Street Cruise-in" on sunny Sunday, September 10, 2023. HVPR members Tony and Leslie Scarpelli, Jonathan Smith, John Wyatt, and Al & Linda Crane joined with other participants and many spectators to enjoy a fun-filled afternoon in the Historic Downtown Phoebus District of Hampton, VA. Local restaurants and shops, plus lots and lots of amazing cars made for a great day. 

(above) Terry pictured in front of his grandfather’s store on Mellen Street which was built in 1918.

Autumn is here, which means a new AACA membership renewal season begins. Without renewals, except for lifetime members, we have zero membership on January 1st. It is essential we continue to recruit new members but retaining the ones we already have is equally vital. Our current AACA membership is in effect our “customers.” Any good salesman will tell you the easiest customer to get is the one you already have. 

Most of our members who have belonged to AACA for years renew promptly. However, we must understand that some of our newer members and even some longer-term members have other interests and obligations. They may not realize the many advantages and benefits of continuing to belong to AACA. Sometimes members just simply forget to renew because life is busy, and things get missed. Most of our members who hesitate to renew can be retained by the membership person from your region. They should contact members who have not paid their dues, explain the AACA benefits and offer to help them renew. Above all, make sure these members know their membership is valued. 

Just a few reminders… AACA is the largest, most inclusive auto club in the world. There are insurance benefits for our events and our officers. The AACA Library has competent librarians to assist you with automotive research. Publications such as the award-winning Antique Automobile magazine and Speedster, an online newsletter which is emailed each month, are included. AACA has a national website as well as many regional websites with current information. There are several national activities including shows, judging opportunities and tours. All of these events offer awards to those who have earned them. Don’t forget about the annual convention, too. There are student memberships and youth programs available as well as scholarships. Click here to learn more. Our greatest benefit though is the friendships we make. You join because of the cars. You stay because of the people. 

Our current National Board of Directors led by President Fred Trusty, along with help from the AACA staff, have devised a new efficient and easy online renewal system. Click here to go directly to the renewal page. Sign in using your member number and pin and a form will come up with all of your information already filled in. Check to make sure everything is correct and with a few more clicks, you are renewed. I just renewed for 2024 using this method. It was effortless! Great job, Fred, Board and staff!

Explain this method to everyone in your region. If a member prefers using the conventional renewal form that is on the activities sheet/mailing label with your national magazine, that option is still available. If they are still not sure, have them call 717-534-1910 and a friendly AACA staff member will be happy to help. 

I have found that most of our members will renew when prompted, so by all means, be certain each member is contacted before writing them off. Renewing the members we already have is a vital part of keeping AACA strong.

Mark your calendars now for all of the 2024 National shows and tours you would like to participate in, and then let the planning begin!

This list is subject to change. New events may be added to the schedule. Continue to watch Speedster for up-to-date information, changes and additions.

The 2024 AACA Annual Convention will be held February 8-10 in the Dulles/Washington D.C. area at the Westfields Marriott.

Here is the full hotel and reservation information, so you can book early and start your planning:

Just Named...

Marriott’s Premium Hotel of the Year!

Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles

14750 Conference Center Drive

Chantilly, VA 20151

Less than 10 miles from the Washington Dulles International Airport

Room Rate: $129 per night OR $169 per night includes breakfast for two people

Reservation Link: https://book.passkey.com/e/50584547

Reservation Phone: (800) 266-9432 (mention Antique Automobile Club of America)

Reservation Deadline: January 16, 2024

Have you ever thought about speaking or putting on a seminar at the Annual Convention? Well, now's your chance! If you would like to be a possible speaker, please fill out this form and send it in no later than October 30.

Have an idea for a workshop? What topics would you like to hear a panel of experts discuss? This is YOUR Annual Convention, and we want to know what you want to learn about. Please email Stacy with your seminar ideas and/or speaker suggestions (membership, leadership, chapters/regions, marketing, cars, technical, fun, historical, ladies-focused, etc.).

I joined AACA in June of 2023 at age 24 after staying in touch with my regional group for about a year. Being young, I am hyper-focused on saving money, so I am hesitant to join things that incur a monthly or annual cost. What finally convinced me to join? It was seeing the benefits of events put on by our local group and how focused they were on the originality of the cars, which has always been a focus of mine. Secondly, I noticed the camaraderie and how the group would always come together to educate each other on unique aspects of their cars and fix issues through a collective knowledge. The knowledge and experiences I would gain with them outweighed the financial cost to join. I have been attending as many meetings as possible and have even shared some of my own knowledge by giving a presentation on the steps to getting cleaner and better proportioned photographs of our vintage cars.

I originally gained an appreciation for vintage cars through my mother who would take me to antique car shows as a young boy. While we never had any real connection to any vintage cars, I was still passionate about them early on. I was not raised on wrenching but grew a black thumb in my teenage years. I didn’t attend many parties; instead, I liked to stay home and hone my mechanical skills. My 1986 Nissan 200SX, 1986 Mercedes-Benz 300E, 1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC, 1991 Mazda MX-5, and 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe 4-door (some of which I no longer own) have brought me some of the most memorable experiences in my life and I am always looking for different platforms to increase my skills in vintage restoration. Restoring a 6-volt system and working with cloth-covered wire was one of the most memorable things I have done recently. I plan to get some experience with a 1960s Alfa Romeo GT 1300 or air-cooled Porsche 911 and also take some time next year to join in on some vintage racing at our nearby road courses.

Making new connections, sharing experiences, and learning further about these wonderful cars that surround us has always been my motivator. I could sit with someone in their garage for 3-4 hours with ease just chatting about anything vintage. So, don’t give up on recruiting younger members – we may just need a little extra time to figure out how great AACA really is. 

Would your AACA region or chapter like to visit?

What about any of the other car clubs you belong to?

If you are planning a tour or day excursion for a group near the Hershey area, why not include a stop at our building as part of your itinerary? We even have a back patio with picnic tables where your group can host lunch. 

If you would like to book a tour, please reach out to Amoi Goldman, AACA Reference Librarian & Outreach Coordinator, at 717-534-2082 or [email protected].

Antique Automobile Club of America

AACA.org | 717-534-1910

America’s Premiere Resource for the Collectible Vehicle Community

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.