The Official Newsletter of the Staten Island Region

Vol. 20, No. 5
The Official Newsletter of the Staten Island Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America
Ragtops &
Rumbleseats
May 2013
• Spring Dust-Off Recap
• Local Hemi Belvedere on Mecum
Vintage Advertising
With early success of the compact
Falcon, Ford went about creating
their Econoline series based on
that chassis. Introduced in 1961,
the Econoline was offered as a
cargo van, an eight-passenger
van (known as a Falcon itself)
and a pick-up truck, like the one
in this 1962 ad.
Early models were powered by a
144 cubic inch 6-cylinder mated
to a 3-speed manual. Eventually, a larger 170 or 240 cubic inch
engine was available with either
automatic or stick.
The first year production of the
standard pick-up topped out at
11,893 units, with another 3000
custom pick-ups joining them
off the line.
The popularity of this cab-forward design saw entrants like
the Dodge A-100 and the Chevy
Van join the club in 1964.
In This Issue
Spring Dust-Off recap
Raffle Car at Englishtown; next
up Straub Buick GMC show
Recruitment tip
AACA region
from
fellow
Another orphan found in the
SIRAACA Garage
Trivi a Qu e s t i o n : W h a t d o e s t h e AC stand for in AC Spark Plugs?
Answer: Alber t Champion, who first for med the Champion Spark Plug Company before
falling out with his backers and setting up a competitive venture, the AC Spark Plug
Company.
RAGTOPS & RUMBLESEATS
May 2013
Volume 20, Number 5
SIRAACA Who’s Who
EDITOR Paul Arena, Jr.
parena2@verizon.net
PRESIDENT Paul Arena, Jr.
parena2@verizon.net
VICE PRESIDENT Mike Signorile
onehot51@aol.com
SECRETARY Tony DiAngelo
TREASURER Phil Boffa
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Jonathan Schulman
jns@jonathanschulman.com
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Jeff Tucker
WEBMASTER - siraaca@yahoo.com
Frank Nathanson
http://local.aaca.org/siraaca
Minutes of the 456th Meeting
April 2, 2013
1. The 456th meeting of the Staten Island Region AACA was called to
order by President Paul Jr. at 7:25 pm at the Staff House at Sea View.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence, the minutes of the 455th meeting were accepted as read by Secretary Tony DiAngelo.
2. A sign-up sheet was passed around for volunteers who will help sell
raffle tickets at Spring Englishtown on April 19-21.
3. Final plans were reviewed for the upcoming Dust-Off on April 14.
Set up crews will meet at 10:00 am the day before for preliminary field
preparation. Members are asked to arrive at 6:30 am on Sunday for
final set up.
4. Richmond Town came back to us with an offer to rent us their grounds
for an invitational show next spring, but the cost greatly exceeded our
budget. Please consider alternate venues for us to explore.
5. Mike Signorile will look into potential dates for “Display Days” at
Sea View Home & Hospital. It was suggested to inquire about their
family picnic as well.
6. The raffle car sports fresh paint and is ready for detailing ahead of
its debut at the Dust Off. MAACO charged us $200 for materials.
7. The April newsletter is delayed due to lack of content. Paul Jr. needs
member input to keep the pages filled.
8. We’ve arranged for a Thursday night cruise at Joe’s of Avenue U,
and are making up trophies from our donated collection to hand out
there as well as at the beach on Sunday mornings. Club members are
encouraged to attend each one in a “show of force”.
9. Phil Boffa’s treasury report shows all in order ahead of the show.
10. Jeff Tucker is helping to cast cars for a local production that needs
specific years and makes. See him for what little details he has.
11. We will attend the Straub Buick show in Hazlet, NJ on May 4.
12. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45. The 50/50 collected $35, with
Joe Rego winning $18. Respectfully submitted,
Tony DiAngelo, Secretary, SIRAACA
c lub happe n i n g s
FE A T U R E
S e a s o n B l a s t s O ff a t D u s t - O ff
While winter fought valiantly to hold its grip
on the northeast, the suddenly seasonal weather was just right for the Staten Island Region’s
7th Annual Spring Dust-Off. The hundreds of
anxious car owners itching for the start of the
season did not disappoint, as over 300 vehicles
were on display. While the show is an informal, non-judged event, we hand pick 18 special
award winners, including Best in Decade, and
two Best in Show awards. All winners drove
their cars up to the red carpet, where they were
presented their trophies among an admiring audience. First-time participant Angelo Kariotakis
brought his 1959 DeSoto Firedome Sportsman
over from New Jersey and won Best in Decade.
He is the original owner of the car. Joining him
in the winner ’s circle were Dave Melfi and his
AACA National Award winning 1936 Chevrolet,
and Tony Wojcik and his all-original 1984 Cadillac Eldorado. Certain marques were recognized
as well, with trophies going to Jason Fromer ’s
1968 Plymouth Road Runner (Best Mopar), Billy Kane’s 1984 Cadillac Seville (Best GM) and
Benny Intravaia’s 1968 Shelby Mustang (Best
Ford). The Best Foreign Car went to Cliff Bessett’s 1974 Triumph, another AACA National
Award winner. Capping off the winner ’s parade were David Sylvester ’s 1926 Ford Model T
Coupe, which won Best of Show, Modified; and
the 1966 Chrysler Newport owned by teenage
brothers Nick & Joe Bianco. They did all of the
restoration and paint themselves, taking Best of
Show, Stock.
Ab ove, a 1936 Chevrolet and a 1938 D o dge proudly represent the shrinking turnout of pre -war autos. B elow, the handiwork of the Bianco brothers is apparent on the fresh restoration of this 1966 Chr ysler Newp or t.
(photos by Paul Jr.)
S p r i n g E n g l i s h t o w n Starts Slow
As usual, we had the raffle car out for three days at
Raceway Park for Spring Englishtown. Total sales were
down from years past, with the blame landing squarely
on the shoulders of Mother Nature. The cold and wind
kept many people from casually strolling the swap
meet, especially on Saturday. That day’s crew called
it in early after taking in just $48. Sunday’s weather
finally turned spring-like, allowing for a nice rebound
in sales. The total weekend take was $559.
ELIQUAT
SIR
AC A
AEUGUER
Cover : This 1 9 6 8 Po n t i a c G ra n d Pr i x , ow n e d by To ny Yeras, won a B est in D ecade award at our Spring D ust- O ff (photo by Paul Jr.)
From the P r e s i d e n t
- NEXT MEETING - May 7
This month there are plenty of
“thank you’s” to go all around,
Our May meeting is scheduled for
and one big one thrown back our
Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 PM, and will be held in the Staff
way. For all of our members who
House at Sea View Home & Hospital at 460 Brielle Avenue.
volunteered to spend some time
$3.00 will be collected from each member in attendance to
manning our tables in Englishcover the cost of coffee and donuts.
town despite the cold and wind,
thank you. For everyone who
pitched in to help set up, run,
and wrap up the Spring Dust-Off,
A Recruiting Idea
thank you. For those of you who
got a head start on selling raffle The Villages Region in Florida knows a thing or two about signing up
tickets, thank you.
new members. They received the I.C. Kirkham Membership Award in
2011 for the greatest membership gain of any region or chapter. Last
On the flip side, I had the oppor- year, they were presented the George R. Norton Award for significant
tunity to attend a fund-raising contributions to the growth of the AACA.
dinner for ECHO, and was surprised to learn that I was being Jim Rentz, who serves as their Vice President and Editor, recently
presented an award for our club shared this free recruiting idea. Members donate their old copies
as a thank you for our support of Antique Automobile to various businesses with waiting rooms, inlast year. I’ll share it with you all cluding barber shops, auto repair shops, doctor ’s offices, etc. Before
at the next meeting.
they do, however, they attach a label explaining that the magazine is
courtesy of their region, complete with contact info and an invitation
Before signing off, let me remind to join them.
all of you that we’ve organized a
weekly cruise nite on Thursday’s Members are asked to bring in unwanted copies of our national
at Joe’s of Avenue U in the Path- magazine so that we can label them and distribute them accordingly.
mark shopping center on Amboy Thanks to TVRAACA for the tip!
Road in Great Kills (see bottom
right). We will be handing out
trophies there each week, and
have set aside some for the Sunday morning cruise at the beach
for added publicity. - Paul Jr.
AACA R a ff l e
The AACA is raffling off a 1973
Mustang convertible with less
than 25,000 miles to benefit itself along with the AACA Library
and AACA Museum. Tickets are
$20 each, and the winner has the
option of taking $15,000 in cash.
Cash prizes of $2,000 and $1,000
will be awarded too. Contact the
AACA for tickets.
SIR AAC A
LOREM IPSUM
Inside the SIRAACA Garage
Every spring we get a peek into the
deepest recesses of the SIRAACA Garage and spot another rarity courtesy
of Don Bosco. This year, it’s his 1925
Roamer Model 6-54 roadster, built by
the Barley Manufacturing Company.
The Roamer automobile, named after
a racehorse of the day, was developed
in 1916 in Streator, IL. Cloyd Kenworthy, a New York dealer of electric
automobiles, was looking to switch
to gasoline powered sales, and joined
forces with automaker Alfred Barley
to build an upscale auto. Note the
Rolls-Royce inspired radiator shell.
Production relocated to Kalamazoo, MI in 1917. Roamer was billed
as “America’s Smartest Car”, and
counted Hollywood stars Buster Keaton and Mary Pickford as owners.
Like so many other automobile companies, Roamer was out of business
by 1929.
I n 1 9 2 1, Roamer ’s Chief Engineer L.F. G o o dsp eed lived up to his name by piloting a Ro cheste r- D u esenb erg-p owered Roamer to a sp eed of of 105.08 miles p er hour at D aytona B each.
( p h o to by Paul Jr.)
Don’s roadster is powered by a 54
Upcoming Events
horsepower Continental (?) six, and
cost $2,685 when new. It might be the Grab your friends and family, hop into your car, and check out these events:
only 1925 Roamer roadster remaining, making it a typical car in Don’s
collection of orphans.
Do you have a car (or had one) that
you would d like to see featured Inside the SIRAACA Garage? If so,
send photos and details to the editor
at parena2@verizon.net.
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Jersey Shore Buick Club Car Show, Straub Buick, Hazlet, NJ - May 4
AACA Eastern National Spring Meet, Carlisle, PA - May 30 - June 1
Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Greenwich, CT - June 1-2
GNYRAACA 47th Annual Spring Meet, Old Westbury Gardens - June 2
Ford Nationals, Carlisle, PA - June 7-9
Brooklyn Antique Automobile Assn. Show, Floyd Bennett Field - June 9
The Elegance at Hershey, June 14-16
3rd Annual St. Joseph-St. Thomas Car Show, Staten Island - June 15
SIR AAC A
LOREM IPSUM
Vi n t a g e S t a t e n I s l a n d R o a d R a g e
Think that car accidents and fisticuffs are a product of our times? According to the Staten Island Advance, they go
together at least 90 years, and most likely further back to the dawn of motoring itself. A recently surfaced article from
1923 tells the tale of Stanislaw Stanzyck of Perth Amboy, who was driving along Richmond Road near Midland Avenue on the evening of March 20. It states that he and Michael Roulska “were driving a small truck on their way to the
ferry for Perth Amboy when an automobile having three men in it drove directly across their front and collided with
them. On getting out of the truck and protesting with the occupants of the other car they were set upon by them and
beaten over the body, knocked to the ground and kicked in the side.” Stanzyck went on to claim that in the melee, a
$10 gold piece and a New Jersey chauffeur’s license was stolen from him. As they say, the more things change...
SI Car on M e c u m
C l u b t o A t t e n d S t r a u b B u i c k GMC Show
If you plan on watching the upcoming Mecum Original Spring Classic,
to be held in mid-May at the Indiana
State Fairgrounds, make a note to be
tuned in on Friday, May 17 at 5:35
pm. At that time, the 1966 Plymouth
Belvedere II Hemi convertible once
owned by Staten Island’s John Piazza will cross the block. John was the
fourth owner, and responsible for the
award winning rotisserie restoration
of this rare automobile. It is one of
just 10 such convertibles built, one of
six with an automatic, and the only
one painted by the factory in Mauve
Metallic. It is listed with an estimated sale price in the neighborhood of
$125,000-$150,000. That’s lower than
the high-flying Hemi prices seen ten
years ago, but a nice neighborhood,
nonetheless.
The Jersey Shore Buick Club is hosting an all-make car show on Saturday,
May 4 at Straub Buick GMC on Route 35 in Keyport/Hazlet. The dealership
is literally a stone’s throw away from exit 117 of the Garden State Parkway.
We will have our raffle car (photo below) on hand to sell tickets, and several
members are either showing their cars or vending in the flea market. Registration is $20 at the gate, which opens at 9:00 am. Show car owners will
get a voucher for lunch. For more information on the show, contact Kevin
Keenan on 980-461-8301.
SIRAAC
AACA
A
SIR