Travels
This summer, it seems like I’ve been living the classic Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man!”
It’s been an experience!
Although my travels centered around attending the Cincinnati Concours in Ohio, the Detroit Concours in Michigan, the Detroit Auto Show, and then the Audrain Concours in (Newport) Rhode Island, I also visited friends and family. I was raking leaves here, painting window jambs there, shopping classic cars with friends, and debating the current topic of whether the classic car hobby will disappear with the onslaught of electric car mandates.
We’re not much worried about that lattermost thought.
Activities
I completed an article on the Sharp brothers and their ill-fated automobile, the Sharp Arrow Speedabout, which will appear in the November-December issue of a club publication,The Horseless Carriage Gazette. It was quite a speedster, but it had a short, tragic story.
For those of you who are not Horseless Carriage Club members, I’ll post a copy of the story on this blog. I think that you’ll like it!
Hershey Fall Meet poster
In October I’ll be traveling to Hershey, Pennsylvania for the annual Hershey AACA Fall extravaganza, a week of adventure including a major auction by RM Sotheby’s, hundreds of restored (and not) cars for sale on the Hershey stadium field, and a sea of classic car parts vendors in what is known as the Hershey Swap Meet. If you need a part, this is the swap meet to attend!
Hershey Region AACA
This weeklong event is hosted by the Hershey Chapter of the AACA, and they do a fantastic job of organizing a wholesome and safe event. On Friday of that week, the AACA holds its Eastern Fall Nationals meet, wherein hundreds of cars in scores of classes qualify for honors and awards based on originality and showroom condition readiness. For many, the Fall Nationals meet at Hershey is the culmination of their years of restoration work on their beloved car; this concours event alone is worth the visit, and it’s free!
The recently re-opened AACA library is strategically located across from all of this activity. It’s a beautiful structure housing one of the world’s best-curated collections of classic automobile literature in the country.
On Wednesday, October 5th at 2 pm, I’ll be giving a talk on my book and the question that inspired me to write it.
The topic: “What is a Speedster? An Exploration”
Please drop by and listen in if you are at the event! I’d love to speak with you about what’s been going on with you and your car hobby.
I’ll also be receiving an award from the Society of Automotive Historians at their annual awards banquet. The SAH award recognizes an article that I wrote for Antique Automobile in 2020.
The title of the article: “The Rise and the Demise of the Packard Speedsters.”
I am grateful to receive this recognition for my work.
After all of this excitement, I’ll travel on home to North Carolina to continue some writing projects that I’m working on. I hope to have news of that soon, which will come from Steering Wheel Press. Stay tuned, and
Go drive that speedster!
PACO speedster