AACA Newsletter - March 2000
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ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA REGION Gainesville, Florida Volume 18, Issue 03 |
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Club meets on the 3rd Monday of the month Next Meeting: March 21, 2000 7:00 PM at Semolina's Pasta, Oaks Mall Plaza, 6795 Newberry Road (Next to old Mill Rest.) Come early if you want to eat. Program starts promptly at 7:30 PM | |
President: Larry Galyean (352) 372-8661 Vice-Pres: Mike Whyte (352) 377-0390 Sec/Treas: Stuart Cullen (352) 375-8999 Editor: David L. Johnson (352) 378-7573 |
| Inside this Newsletter | |
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2000 WINTER NATIONALS AT POMPANO GETS RAVES |
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The Ft. Lauderdale Region of AACA hosted the Winter Nationals on March 2 thru 4 which included a full slate of activities highlighted by the judged auto show held at the Pompano Harness Track. Once again, our winter guests were greeted with the pristine and sensational weather that has made Florida famous. Thursday was reserved for the tour of two local private auto collections ... which we'll discuss next month. Friday provided an optional trip to Sawgrass Mills (Oh boy! Spouses loose in a shopping mall ... this could be a 'really' expensive hobby.) The day was rounded out with a judges school, a Roundtable, and a Jungle Queen dinner cruise in the center of Ft. Lauderdale, capped with a feast of bar-b-que and mounds of shrimp. The big auto show was reserved for Saturday, followed by the social hour and Awards Banquet at the Marriott. Larry reports that this was an extremely well planned and executed production and that the large crowds and events were handled smoothly and timely. The Jungle Cruise dinner served 750 in 45 minutes, and the food was abundant. The only low spot was the banquet meal service, which was protracted and inconsistent. But, Larry says that overall this show gets a high rating from him (and you know what a perfectionist Larry can be), so we'll award the show a bunch of stars. With 379 automobiles preregistered and competing for awards, and all of the activities, this show took a lot of production people. Fred Hunter, the Ft. Lauderdale Region President and Show Chairman noted that they have over 240 member families. That's a bunch ... no wonder they succeeded. Winners! Sure there were winners, but among those that counted most were Jim Schmidt and son Rick who brought a 1964 Pontiac Bonneville (won 1st Junior) and a 1956 Lincoln Mark II (won 1st Junior). Not to be out done, Don McCullen brought his red 1955 Ford Thunderbird which captured a coveted Senior award. | |
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OLIVER CULLEN MAKES DEBUT WITH "PEERS" |
| Although he's new as rain and barely able to bob his head, the newest Cullen made his first AACA meeting with some able assistance from proud parents Steve and Gretta Cullen. Although his application for AACA membership was briefly discussed it was suggested that perhaps he needed to refine his skill levels somewhat before joining our group. The language problem was of some concern, although some of the guys in this group are also prone to 'ooh' a lot. Some even have tears on occasion. But, Oliver needs to be able to "do his numbers" before we accept his application. It helps to recognize an "8 cylinder" motor, or a '23 T, or 28 psi, etc. O.K. Steve, it's time to break out the "flash cards". | |
| NEWSLETTER AWARD |  |
| AACA National recognized the Spark & Throttle News with an Award of Distinction for regional publications in 1999. There are a little over 400 Regions and Chapters in AACA, but only about a third submit pubs for judging. We don't yet know how many applied or were awarded for 1999. The Editor wishes to thank those who did submit articles, stories, ideas and photos. Keep 'Um coming! | |
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CAR COUNCIL SETS PICNIC |
| The North Central Florida Car Club Council has selected saturday, May 21 from 10 AM to 3PM as the time for the annual Council picnic. The event will occur at the Silver River State Park in Ocala. This is a family and social event, with your special car, if you wish. This is not a formal show, but you can informally display your auto. With 14 car clubs currently on the roster, you can be sure that there will be a good vehicle turnout. We will need an approximate head count for park registration. NOTE: The normal park entrance fee is being waived for club participants. | |
| FEBRUARY AT SEMOLINA'S |  |
| Strong attendance! Good Meeting! Guests and new members! A special salute to Larry & Judy Compton for signing on and bringing a 'fleet' of 'new' old cars to our domain. Sherwin announced the addition of a 1965 and a 1966 T-Bird to his collection. Both were Pennsylvania dealer cars and have been garaged since new. He's awaiting shipment. | |
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SPREADING THE WEALTH - STUDEBAKER CLUB TAKES OVER CHARITY SHOW |
| In an effort to distribute the shows among the clubs and give each a shot at fame, the Studebaker Club and the Jaycees will take over the Charity show that our AACA Region has championed for the last three years. Russell Lane, a member of AACA, the Gainesville Jaycees, and the Studebaker Club will spearhead the effort. Larry has assured Russell that we will lend a hand and support. With the movement of our annual judged show back to it's traditional pre-Christmas time period, and considering that we are expecting a larger show this year, we needed to re-deploy our precious manpower. (Sometimes I wish we had 240 members, but alas, we are a small group ... bright, good looking, energetic, and well to do, but small nevertheless. | |
| BEFORE THERE WAS GASOLINE - an editorial |  |
| When gasoline prices soar like they have in the last few weeks, it's inevitable that people start to think about alternative fuels. We start to worry about the future and we tend to forget that there was life before gasoline. It's habit, I suppose, to think of the automobile only in terms of gasoline power. But, there was a great deal of automotive activity, and even some commercial success, long before gasoline. Wind powered carriages were running in the Netherlands in the 1600's, but destinations were limited. In 1748, a clockwork propelled carriage was demonstrated in Paris. Forced air and gun powder were also tried as power sources. By 1808, coal-gas and hydrogen were patented for use, but had limited operating success. What did work reliably was steam. Probably the first real automobile was a steam powered tricycle built by Frenchman Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769, which could run for 20 minutes at a blazing 2.25 miles per hour while four breathless passengers feared for their lives. Steam was a hot subject for over 150 years, from the late 1700's forward, but, most of the effort went to the steam powered bus. Some ran in Paris in 1800, and by the 1830's the manufacture of steam carriages became a minor industry in Britain. By 1831, there was regularly scheduled passenger service using steam buses. One line servicing the City of Gloucester made the nine mile trip in 45 minutes four times a day and carried 3000 passengers in four months. Thousands rode steam buses before the railroads were ever built. But, the vehicles were noisy, they torn up the roads, and were dangerous. At the urging of existing horse related transportation companies, laws were eventually passed that put the industry out of business by 1840. But, work continued on light steam powered personal vehicles in Europe and particularly Britain. "Sporty" two seater models could have gone into production in the 1860's, moving the start of the automobile age back 30 years. But, British laws on steam vehicles remained prohibitive until 1896, and history changed forever. Alternatively, experimentation with gasoline power was pursued with some success by several French inventors through the 1860's and 70's. Then, when Karl Benz developed his gasoline powered German auto in 1885 and Gottlieb Daimler followed in 1886, the beginning of the first real commercial auto was begun. Both men promoted the manufacture of their vehicles and were driving forces in the development of the industry. In the U.S., we were a little slow off the mark, with the earliest commercial efforts at gasoline powered autos usually being credited to Charles and Frank Duryea. In 1893, they introduced their first car. Although there were many others building individual cars before and at the same time, the Duryea became a commercial success and over shadowed the other players of the day. Despite the advances in gasoline power, steam did not lose its allure all together. Americans made a strong effort and manufactured several highly successful autos, among them the renowned Stanley Steamer which set the world speed record in 1906 at 127.66 MPH. Many brands and thousands of steamers were built, hundreds can still run and many more are just tucked away in collections. For well over 250 years, we have been struggling with the sources of power to be used in transportation. Steam had its day, gasoline conquered all, but in between and amongst it all has been just about every conceivable power source. Wind, compressed air, electric, solar and springs. Plus we've used fuels like kerosene, hydrogen, benzoline, alcohol, methane, and many others we probably wouldn't recognize. And the story is still unending, because fuel cells are on the horizon, as well as hybrid gas-electrics, and many of the "old" forms of propulsion, but with new twists. Everything is being revisited again, it will be interesting, and there will be changes. But, in the interim gasoline is still king. Even at $1.50 or so a gallon we don't hesitiate to "fill 'er up"...it's just a little more painful. | |
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STUMP THE CAR BUFF: |
Which famous American automobile used a modified helicopter engine in the rear of the car? Answers |
| CRUISE-INS & SHOWS: |
| ACTIVITIES NEAR-BY: |
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Mar 12 : Amelia Island, FL Concours d'Elegance (Auction is on Mar 11). Mar 10-12 : Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Auto Fair 2000, trophied Show, Corral, Swap, Kruse Auction and entertainment. State Fair Grounds. Mar 18: Gainesville, FL Gatornationals Annual Car Show by the G'ville Street Rods, all collector cars welcome. SAM'S Club 4-10 PM. Benefits Stop Children's Cancer Fund Mar 24-26: Daytona, FL 11th annual Spring Auto Show plus Vendors. Mar 26: Ocala, FL Annual Classic Car show at the Combined Driving Event (Horses, carriages, cars and costumes) held at the "Live Oak Plantation", Exit 69 of I-75, west 7 miles on Hwy 40 to SW 110th Ave, left (south) 1.4 miles. AACA qualified cars only, awards including Waterford Crystal. 9AM to 3PM, 1st 150 cars. Pre-register/info (941) 378-4599. Apr 14-16: Ft. White, FL Camp & Cruz by Cresent Community Cruisers. Call Larry Osten (904) 454-9434. Apr 22: Gainesville, FL Joe's Deli special. 4-9PM. Call Mike Whyte at 377-0390 for information. May 6: High Springs, FL Annual Pioneer Days. May 20: Trenton, FL Suwannee River Early Ford Club Antique Car Show at Ayers Health Center. 2nd Sat each month: Gainesville Street Rods Cruise in of customs & antiques at Butler Plaza, by the Texas Road and Gainesville Ale Houses. The 2nd Sat. of the month from 6-9 PM. Call Sherwin at (352) 473-2268. |
| SPECIAL AACA EVENTS: |
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Apr 6-9: Charlotte, NC Autofair 2000 May 19-20: Winchester, VA Eastern National Spring Meet. Jun 3: Hershey, PA 5th annual AACA Museum Exposition. Jul 14-15: Mountoursville, PA Grand National Meet. Jul 20-22: Charlotte, NC Special Southeastern Division Fall Meet. Aug 4-6: Macungie, PA 37th Das Awkscht Fescht Show Aug 17-19: Waukesha, WI Central Division National Fall Meet. Oct 4-7: Hershey, PA Eastern Div. National Fall Meet (THE SHOW!) Nov 16-18: Cape Canaveral, FL Southeastern Div. National Fall Meet. |
| Other U.S. Events for 2000 |
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Mar 25-26: Kruse-Ft Myers, FL May 5-7: Kruse-Volo, IL May 12-14: Kruse-Auburn (spring) Aug 30-Sep 5: Kruse-Auburn (fall) |
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DIPLOMACY IS TO DO AND SAY THE NASTIEST THINGS |  |
| "Stump" answers: |
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The Tucker, a real innovator car. It was famous for the legal battles it inspired, but only 52
were ever built. |
Note: Dues Time
Pay your $26 National dues directly,
see form with your Antique Automobile Magazine.
Pay Stuart $26 for your local dues.
See You Monday!
(Normally that's true, but this editor is has just been presented with a new grandson in Ft. Myers. I'll be there tending to family matters and getting his AACA membership in order.)
FOR THIS MONTH
A 1957 Cadillac
Pristine Beauty
Shown at Tarpon Springs, FL
Long time AACA member Jim Buffington's 1957 Cadillac is a stunning
example of the period. The car is shown here as it was presented at
Tarpon Springs, FL under the auspices of the Cadillac Club.
Photo by Larry Galyean
ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA REGION
[ APRIL 2000 ] [ MAY 2000 ] [ JUNE 2000 ] [ JULY 2000 ]
c/o David L. Johnson
3752 NW 21st Place
Gainesville, FL 32605
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