Belvedere

Has anyone received registration confirmation from Hershey Region. Sent form on July 23 including self-addressed/stamped envelope as usual. The turn-around time normally is only a few days, but it hasn't come back to me yet. I see Region phone lines are only available Monday/Wednesday. I hope it didn't get lost in snail mail, as time is running out.

I'm really enjoying this travelog, wish I was along for the ride. Keep those pictures coming! Any Plymouths?

The 2012 Judging Guidelines is available. Are there any changes to Class 04?

If every AACA award vehicle winning a 1st Junior or Senior was required to be a 400 pt perfectly restored as per factory example, the trophy expense would be ALOT smaller! We judge authenticity and condition. Our system works (in most cases) with the 365/375 pt minimum and 10 pt spread to give benefit to slight imperfections on original components (ex: chrome or upholstery) on an otherwise restored vehicle. I've seen many original vehicles win a 1st JR/Sr with a few imperfections. Awesome! The system worked. In some cases a close substitute may be required in restoration, as the exact duplicate may no longer be available (upholstery material or tires) for a particular vehicle while repros are available for a more popular model in the same judging class. This doesn't make the first a modified. The system allows these 2 vehicles to compete on the same playing field. If an owner wishes to add non-authentic accessories or mechanical upgrades, it is at the risk of deductions. The same can be said of the owner who chooses to not have his bumpers rechromed. He also risks point deduction. This is a hobby. AACA is all about factory authenticity, but a showfield of 400 pt only cars would be very small. The Foxcraft skirts on my Plymouth (yes they are a point deduction) look great. It hardly makes it a modified "street machine".

How does the criteria differ between HPOF and AACA Original? It wasn't explained in the AACA magazine. Will AACA Original be a separate class from HPOF?

I just received latest ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE, and read with anticipation the new HPOF Original Award. It give us HPOF owners more to strive for. The way I read, those certified prior to 2012 must request re-consideration for the Original Award, while those receiving HPOF certification in 2012 seem automatically considered for the next level. The Vice President of Class Judging will inundated with requests. Previous winners of First Junior do not need to request for Senior judging, even if the Jr was received 10 years ago. The Original Award is a good thing, but why must all prior winners go through the extra step? Also, what is the criteria for obtaining the elevated Original status v. just HPOF? I assume a larger % of originality?

Thanks tcuda340 for the update. So I guess it is indeed a '72, very interesting history then. Wish I'd had the opportunity to talk to the owner. Sure hope he returns next year.

Dave, I just picked-up on your examples of HP/wheelbase. I agree, numbers designation is better than a list of eligible models. My point was a break-down by years much like is done w/ Mustangs, Commercial, and even class 27.

Again, I have nothing invested, but here's a thought. I like the thinking of HP v. wheelbase, so how about under 30HP w/ wheelbase under 85" as the determining factor. Then 04A - Pre-war, 04B- Post-war to maybe 1955, 04C - 1956 to 1965, 04D - 1966 to 1975, etc. Right now, I can't see what a '49 Crosley (for example) has in common w/ an '80 Rabbit. The factory build-quality of those two eras is vastly different in these 2 examples.

Would have been interesting to know the racing history of this '72 Charger, if it was raced beginning in 1972, etc. (or possibly the YOM is incorrect) Hopefully the car will return next year w/ that info for us to see. Stonefish, sounds like an interesting Subaru. Can we expect to see it next year in the race car class?

After viewing the Race Car class at Hershey, I was wondering what determines the year of manufacture for a car in this class. For example, the 1970 Buick owned by Mr. Torok is obviously a later '30's Buick(?) coupe body w/ a straight 8 motor. The 1964 Chevrolet owned by Ms. Fidler, also a Speedway racer, is a '30's coupe w/ a V-8 motor. I was interested in the 1972 Dodge Charger of Mr. Lamancuso. I didn't see any racing history posted by the car, and didn't speak w/ the owner. Presumably also a speedway racer, I doubt it was campaigned in 1972. I was always under the impression the year was determined by the paint scheme of the year as the car is presented. Or is it the year of the engine?

I don't have a car in here, but made a B-line to see the entrants. I think there were 22 vheicle, and as expected, the majority were VW's. Thanks Ron, it was good to see your collection. The remaining small cars seemed a bit out of place. Sorry more Mets didn't attend this time. Two entrants in 04A, seemed lop-sided to Post-war. Maybe the answer, Class 04C for Volkswagons.

I agree w/ Stonefish on several counts. Trucks are trucks. VW commercial vehicles and Crossley trucks are no different than a Model A pick-up, and they are not in the Model A classes. Most vehicles shown to date have been imports (except Crossley) as most on the list are foreign manufacture. What about American "small" cars not on the list? Import sedan classes with a possible wheelbase limitation would have been easier to define. Like Euro sedan and Asian sedan. Or maybe just a break-out of VW, as they seem to dominate. Or maybe things were best left unchanged. I am looking forward to the class at Hershey to see what's there, but they are in the boonies according to the map. BTW, HPOF, where Iam is still way in the back. I thought we were to be in the front. I guess everyone will know where to find us.

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I visited the Antique Club of America (ATCA) annual meet in Macungie, Pa this past weekend. Those guys put some beautiful trucks on the showfield. Light-duty pick-ups to big rigs from the '20's right up to the mid '80's benefitted from amazing restorations! Unfortunately, very few of those meticulously restored big rigs were displaying an AACA Jr/Sr Awards badge. At our AACA Meets, larger trucks are seldom displayed. Possibly an untapped membership demographic the AACA needs to get on board!

Elegant indeed! As a spectator, what an experience. An incomparable collection of vehicles displayed in an almost perfect venue. Mother nature had other plans for the Parade of Winners. I witnesssed the Chrysler Newport Parade Phaeton steaking for cover of the trailer during the downpour, with the owner running ahead to stop traffic!

Why is no one complaining about all of the street rod and "resto-mod" photos in this Forum's Gallery? This is AACA, and if we don't recognize or appreciate these vehicles as a club, why do we embrace them in pictures? It is misleading to any visitors to this Forum and their understanding as to the mission of AACA. Mr. Moderator, I don't enjoy recently modified vehicles on the any showfield, and question why they are pictured here. As to the vehicle that started this thread, yes it IS ugly (to me), but if constructed by a respected customizer in the '50's, is historically significant. It most likely no longer exists, so we most won't need to "bend any rules".

I received my letter last week. When I saw AACA as the return address, with such nervous anticipation, I proceeded to open the envelope at the mailbox, actually tearing a corner of the frameable document! Geez! Alas, I was disappointed to not have been selected as a winner. I would have liked for everyone to see that "National Award" tab on my grill. It indeed was an honor to have been nominated and I will frame that "torn" document as a proud moment in my car's history!

"Work in progress" means it was hastely conceived and we're not sure where this is going. Several other new AACA classes have been referred to as a work in progress and are really confusing. Simple: the size of a vehicle is determined by length and wheelbase. Decide what is small and put it in the rulebook. Also, a decade breakdown would be helpful. Arbitrarily selecting make and model because someone thinks it's a small car is not the way to go. And why a sub-class of electric vehicles? I thought 04B was a typo, and was meant to 40B. This class has potential if created properly.

The picture was funny, but everyone's comments made me laugh so hard, it brought tears. Made my day.

Anyone heard of other new AACA classes or updates other than to accommodate the '86's?

Bill, thanks for the link to the Micro Car Club. Viewed the Gallery for a bit, but plan to retrun to look more when I have time. I agree, this class will be interesting when the list is "tweaked" and owners know where their vehicle belongs. should be a crowd pleaser!

As I suspected, a few of those on the new class 04 list are already called-out in Class 35-B (Crofton, Playboy, King Midget) because of prototype/ low production. Yes, they are small, but now that's really confusing. :confused:

New AACA classes are always interesting. I also do not own a "small" car. Looking over the list, I have to admit, I haven't heard of some of those nameplates. I do agree with the above comment regarding Rabbits, Chevettes, and "Omni-rizons". All produced in the same era, why not all included, Pintos too? On the hand, a small car from one era, may not be a "small" car in another. As large cars were downsized, contemperary small cars didn't seem so small. The Metropolitan was small next to a Ford of the same era, whereas a Rabbit didn't seem so small next to a Fairmont of the same year. The VW Transporter does seem too large to be considered "small", especially when compared to it's contemporary American 1st generation compact vans. They were relatively the same size. A work in progress, it will be interesting to see where this class goes.

Yep! As an AACA member, I'm aware of the stringent documentation required to achieve race car certification. They were indeed an "Historically Significant Hotrod" (strong emphasis on Historically Significant) with a timed event pedigree. Hotrods nonetheless, and I enjoyed seeing them. My point, as AACA members we recognize and appreciate hotrods that are historically significant to the motoring past and were actually "created/modified" over 50 years ago. I believe the owner of the 2 race cars I referred to, Mr Myers, also owns Hotrods created during the same time in history for national custom car venues rather than racing, and are as equally "Historically Significant". Later-day street rods are clones of past history, and do not fit into the AACA mission. Maybe 50 years from now, time will render them historically significant. Who knows.