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April 2026 | Volume 208

Eastern Spring Nationals & Grand Nationals* are filling up fast!

We are in desperate need for judges - Please register TODAY!

*Must have 10 field judging credits

The only official AACA recommended car show sign intended for use at AACA events. Styled similarly to other Concours signs, when properly weighted or staked would limit potential damage to vehicles if bumped or blown. Signs are 16.5" tall and 12" wide and are made of hard plastic to withstand the elements. These signs are only available to AACA members and are custom created to tell your vehicle's story and history.

Cost: $45 plus shipping and handling.

Image(s): $5 each

PA residents pay sales tax.

Please allow 4-5 weeks for the entire process from start to finish.

THANK YOU to all of the volunteers, judges, AACA Board, AACA staff, and all of our wonderful members who participated in the following events! And a very special THANK YOU to the Lake Allatoona Region and Hornets Nest Region for doing such a great job hosting!

Congratulations to all of our winners!!

Winter Nationals • Cartersville, GA • March 28, 2026

Photos courtesy of AACA member Joel Goldman

Southeastern Spring Nationals • Charlotte, NC • April 11, 2026

Photos courtesy of AACA member Larry Savino

There was a special guest appearance by our own Bookmobile! Click the image and watch it take a turn around the track! ▶️

Western Spring & Grand Nationals • Henderson, NV • April 24, 2026

Photos courtesy of AACA VP of Youth Development Kyle Blake

Be sure to read the official recap articles in an upcoming issue of Antique Automobile magazine.

2026 KYANA Salvage Yard Tour

By Mark Kubancik, Louisville, KY, Kyana Region

This is a member submitted article.

On April 4, 23 KYANA members and several guests attended another fun KYANA Salvage Yard Tour. This year we visited a yard we had not yet visited, 750 North Auto Parts, near North Vernon, Indiana. Several generations of family members have owned 750 North, and the accumulation of vintage cars and trucks reflects their decades in business.

Many members found vintage parts or shelf art to take home with them, while others noted the inventory and planned a return visit. Prices were generally reasonable, although a few members were quoted unreasonable prices based on eBay pricing. You can wander the yard unsupervised and remove your own parts.

Almost as important as the salvage yard we visit is the restaurant where our group dined following the tour. Nearly all the attendees met after the salvage yard in central North Vernon at N V China Buffet for a hearty meal and some good fellowship.

We already have a new yard with older vehicles on the radar for 2027. Stay tuned!

Helpful Tips for Your Membership Tent

By Jeff Oaks, VP AACA National Membership, tjoaks59@gmail.com

Springtime is here and everyone is getting out with their old antique cars, ready for another year of fun. The local Chapter and Region shows are also getting underway and I have been asked if I have any useful tips to help with their local membership tents. Well from experience and listening to others, there are a few handy ideas that seem to work well.

• Have a tent and table set up in a high traffic area on the show field. A great number of our new members come from the enthusiasm and spirit of the show.

• Have a banner that says Club Information & Membership or something to that effect for easy recognition and clarification.

• Strike up a conversation. Find out if they own an old car, and what is their favorite era? Are they looking for something? Are they a member?

• When you have inquiries about the club, have information readily available to pass along about the AACA and your Region. There are Trifolds available for this very purpose with some good info listed. This will give them an idea of what our club is all about.

• Ask the local membership to donate (recycle) old AACA National and Region magazines for the show. Display them for prospective members to look at and take a few with them.

• There is always interest about your local level. An idea that works well is to make up a local fact sheet to pass to those interested. This should include parades, picnics, outings, and other annual events. Include websites for AACA National, your Region, and Chapter. A couple of small photos are also an eye catcher. Include info for a contact person.

• Make sure the information on your Website is up to date!

• Another useful thing is to have a few copies of AACA calendar events at all levels. I laminate them and put them on the tabletop. It is very useful in promoting the club.

• Talk up the Tours. This is a great way to have fun with others, drive your cars, visit places you’ve never been, and see the countryside

• Do not forget the Complimentary Memberships and Military Memberships for first time AACA members. I must add one word of caution and that is to make sure they show interest by attending a meeting and showing genuine interest. There has been disappointment using a Complimentary at a show and never seeing them again.



• Finally, if a person loves antique cars and wants to keep up with the hobby, owning a vehicle is not a requirement to be a member of the AACA.

There are many other ways to promote membership but maybe this list of ideas will help. I am looking forward to the 2026 calendar of events and hope to see you there! Promote your local Region and the AACA. There are plenty of things to enjoy on all levels throughout the year!

See you soon…

Jeff Oaks – VP

AACA National Membership

When your region or chapter holds a local car show, that is your best opportunity to recruit new members. The people attending your show are there because they already have an interest in antique cars. If your event is open to non-members, those who have registered and are showing their cars are already willing to participate. These are the folks you should be engaging about how much you enjoy being an AACA member and that they should think about joining.

Now, don’t be caught empty-handed at this point! Make sure your region/chapter has something to hand out to potential new members. When you are planning your event, be sure to reach out to National Headquarters to get a supply of materials to help you.

All of these items are available to you at no charge:

-- AACA National Membership Brochure

-- AACA National Membership Application

-- Camaro Car Cutouts

-- AACA National Military Membership Application

To request a supply of these items, please email Karen and include your region, address where you would like the items mailed to and the date of your event.

Memories Made on the Mother Road

By Ed Fogle, Claremore, OK,  edfogle@gmail.com

This is a member submitted article.

With the Route 66 Centennial coming this year, my wife and I decided to do something very special. We’re driving the Mother Road from Chicago to Santa Monica in a one-hundred-year-old 1926 Hupmobile that we purchased about four years ago just for this purpose. We plan to be back in time for the big old car parade in Tulsa on May 30.

I was born in Tulsa at Hillcrest Hospital, whose property borders Route 66 and I grew up there and in Miami, Oklahoma, before going to Oklahoma University. Many miles were put on the Mother Road during the first 22 years of my life. My wife, Jackie, grew up in Springfield, Missouri, so she is also intimately familiar with Route 66.

We were married in San Antonio in 2001. That year was the 75th anniversary of Route 66. At the time, I had a 1959 Cadillac convertible so the obvious plan for our honeymoon was to drive the old road. It was a great adventure that took over a month.

We started our journey in Chicago with one highlight being a brick surface section of the road in rural Illinois, and another a restored gas station.

Driving through Missouri, we found stops like a great barbecue place at Devil’s Elbow, the Wagon Wheel Motel, and the still-operating 66 Drive-In in Carthage. We spent a few days in Springfield with Jackie’s family, and she was able to enjoy her 35^th high school reunion while in town.

Little of the old road still exists in Kansas but it has its share of attractions including Galena and the Rainbow Bridge.

Then it was on to Oklahoma where we spent several days with my family in Tulsa and Miami. Of all eight states, Oklahoma has the most drivable miles of Route 66. We drove the Ribbon Road just south of Miami, the last remaining stretch with a nine-foot-wide section that predates Route 66 by about four years. Preservation groups have worked to keep at least a short stretch intact.

Mandatory stops in Oklahoma included the Blue Whale near Catoosa, the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, and the Round Barn in Arcadia. We were also lucky that the annual Oklahoma Route 66 celebration occurred during our time there.

Texas isn’t lacking Mother Road attractions either. There is the unique gas station in Shamrock, Big Tex restaurant in Amarillo, the leaning water tower in Groom, and the world-famous Cadillac Ranch.

Despite the fact that New Mexico has the least old road still intact, the state has many great attractions. We participated in the state’s Route 66 festival while there and got a shake at a soda shop in Albuquerque which made for a great memory.

Then it was on to Arizona, where photo opportunities abound, such as standing on the corner in Winslow and getting a picture with a jackalope. Who could pass those up? The best stretch runs from Seligman to the California border, passing through towns like Kingman and Oatman, where loose donkeys roam the streets. This stretch is also the route of the annual Arizona state Mother Road tour, which we had participated in earlier that year.

I believe it was 120 degrees when we arrived in Needles. We got a motel room and spent time by the pool. The next morning, we got up before dawn to put the desert behind us before the afternoon heat. From there it was on to Barstow and Roy’s Gas Station. California has a surprisingly high percentage of original Route 66 remaining. In Azusa, we found a drive-in movie theater and came back that night to watch the show in our convertible. So many special memories can be made on this road.

Then it was on through Pasadena to the end of our journey in Santa Monica. We spent about six weeks on the drive. After that we drove to Reno for the Hot August Nights old car gathering and a week later made it to Denver for the Cadillac association annual convention. A great way to top things off.

We are always looking to feature articles from AACA members in Speedster. We'd love to share your personal accounts of tours and shows you have attended, restoration projects, unique vehicle stories and history, and any other stories you think other AACA members would enjoy hearing about.

Stories should average 500 words or less. And we love photos, so make sure to include some! Please send your photos and stories to Chrissy Arnold. 

If you didn't know about this event already, here are where Ed and Jackie are headed at the end of their next Route 66 trip set to start any day. As if reading about and seeing all the unique things they saw on their honeymoon trip weren't enough reason to get out on The Mother Road, now you have the chance to be a part of (or at least witness) a possible World Record in the making!

Thank you to Tulsa region member Joe Smith for providing the following details:

Join history in the making at the Capital Cruise in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 30th. Cruise attempts to set the World Record for the number of vintage cars in a parade. Part of the year long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Route 66!

• Capital Cruise is a classic car parade celebrating 100 years of the Mother Road in Tulsa, the Capital of Route 66. The cruise will be on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
• The Cruise Expo will take place at Expo Square Thursday and Friday night before the cruise with food, live music, games and classic cars!
• Who can participate in the Cruise? Any car made in 1996 or earlier is eligible to join.  Your vehicle must be in safe working condition, insured and able to idle along the 5-1/2-mile route.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT for both participants and spectators.

To learn more and to participate, go to visittulsa.com/parade.

*Please note this is NOT an AACA event.

Only paid members receive our award-winning and much beloved Antique Automobile magazine. Not to mention that you cannot receive registration materials or register for any 2026 shows or tours without a current membership.

Renewing is quick and easy online. All you need is your member number and pin. Don't remember one of these? No problem! Email or give us a call at 717-534-1910 and we'll be happy to help!

Self-Generating Headlamps

By Walt Gosden, Floral Park, NY,  coachworklines@aol.com

This is a member submitted article.

Using a motor vehicle at night required illumination to see where one was going. As with horse-drawn carriages, early automobiles had lamps fueled by kerosene. These needed to be replenished with fuel fairly often, and a lamp that needed less attention to function soon came into being. Calcium carbide and water mixed produces acetylene gas that can be used to power lamps if lit with a match.

Carbide tanks were usually mounted to the chassis area of a car just before or aft of the vertical wood dash panel that separated the engine from the drive. A rubber tube connected the brass line that exited the carbide tank where the water and carbide crystals were mixed.

All of this worked well and was used on most vehicles. They were manufactured by a variety of companies, usually not the car manufacturers themselves. The carbide lamps and tanks were obviously feet apart distance-wise and accessory manufacturers determined a lamp that would generate light in one unit would be much more convenient. The lamp would be much larger and heavier, as would the bracket to hold it in place, which had to be stouter to do so.

The lamp you view here was “British Made” by Powell & Hamner of Birmingham, England. It is 10 ½ inches high, 11 inches long, and 6 inches wide with an 8 ¾ inch front rim. The cylindrical container inside was removeable and connected to the “wick” where the gas would be lit.

The lamps were lit by a match after the acetylene gas was formed mixing the carbide crystals with water. Once lit, it could be adjusted to get a larger or smaller flame. This lamp does not have a thick glass mirror reflector at the back, but instead uses polished metal liners to reflect light in the body and on the rim. The brass lamp would get very hot! As heat was conducted, numerous holes, as can be seen, were made to function to let the heat escape. Note how well the holes also added to the design/appearance.

AACA Grand Nationals / Zenith Awards

300 Cars Already Registered Don't Wait - Register Today!

Thanks once again to our partnership with RM Sotheby’s, we are able to offer all of you a discounted rate at the Hershey Lodge during the 2026 Eastern Fall Nationals happening October 6-9. The auction will back again, and the special room block is already set up. The discounted room rate is $308 a night. Selling out this room block is the best way we can ensure that the auction remains a part of our event. So, if you are ready to make your reservations for next year and have always wanted to stay at the Hershey Lodge, now’s your chance!

Book your reservations online: visit this link and use password AACA2026 (all caps)

Or call 855-729-3108 and ask for the room block for RM Sotheby’s, October 4-8, 2026.

Check out these offers and more by visitng our AACA MemberDeals site.

As a thank you for your longtime passion and dedication to the automotive hobby, AACA awards members who have been in the club for 50* years or more with a commemorative 50-year pin. 

Receive your pin at an AACA Nationals or region event, or by mail.

Email Jon Curtis at JCurtis@AACA.org to verify your eligibility.

*Membership years do not have to be consecutive

This spring is a great time to make the most of your AACA member benefit through Hello by Grouper, an online platform included with your membership at no additional cost.

Hello by Grouper offers simple, practical ways to support your well-being every day. Inside, you can explore classes, brain games, wellness content, and tools like the Wellness Tracker to help you build healthy habits and stay motivated.

You’ll also find a dedicated Antique Automobile Club of America space, along with a broader community where members from different organizations come together around shared interests, learning, and healthy living.



If you haven’t joined yet, you can get started here: join.hellogrouper.com/aaca 

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.