Weekly Magazine - Antique Automobile Club of America www.aaca

Vol. 19, No. 6
The Official Newsletter of the Staten Island Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America
Ragtops &
Rumbleseats
Jun 2012
• SIRAACA Sweeps Spring Meet
• A Look at License Plate Toppers
Vintage Advertising
Here are a pair of ads for Chandler, each promoting the powerful car ’s ability to handle mountain roads with ease, as a result
of some record climbs of Pike’s
Peak.
The Chandler Motor Company
was formed in 1913 in Cleveland,
Ohio. It’s “peak” year of sales
came in 1927, the same year as
the top ad at left, with 20,000 cars
sold. Overexpansion the following year led to massive debt, and
the company was purchased by
Hupp Motor Works. Hupp kept
the factory, but discontinued the
Chandler.
In This Issue
The Staten Island Region descends upon Reading for the
Spring National, and Phil Boffa
has a tale to tell.
Ken Haase shares another of his
collections.
Your editor has an ‘80’s flashback.
Words from 80+ years ago sound
vaguely familiar today.
Topless muscle of the less common variety in the SIRAACA
Garage.
Trivi a Qu e s t i o n : W h a t c o m p a n y is the world’s largest maker of tires?
Answer: This is a trick question since we never indicated what kind of tires. The answer
is Lego, who has been making r ubber toy tires for 50 years and topped out at 381 million
units in 2011.
RAGTOPS & RUMBLESEATS
June 2012
Volume 19, Number 6
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
www.aaca.org/siraaca
Minutes of the 445th Meeting
May 1, 2012
1. The 445th 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, Tony DiAngelo read the minutes of the 444th meeting. They were accepted as
read.
2. The meeting began with a recap of the Spring Dust-Off. Financially,
things turned out well considering the first date was rained out. We
had close to 250 vehicles in attendance, and the spectator gate was as
strong as years past. It was suggested that the $1.00 admission fee for
seniors be bumped up for the fall show.
3. The raffle car will be at Spring Englishtown for all three days, and
a sign-up sheet was passed around the room for volunteers. If the
weather cooperates, Englishtown is usually good for more than $2,000
in ticket sales.
4. To offset weather related issues that hamper ticket sales leading up
to our show in the fall, we are exploring indoor options such as a return
to the Staten Island Mall, as well as an e-mail campaign.
5. Our Richmond Town cruise nites begin in May, with a series of
scheduled theme nights focusing on Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros and
Mopar to help boost attendance.
6. We expect to be approved for office space in the Staff House at Sea
View, which will double as club storage as well.
7. There are plans underway to hold a “rolling car show” along Hylan
Boulevard in late June. Stay tuned for more details. Further down the
road, Staten Island may host a national Durant Club meet, which we
could incorporate into our Spring Dust Off that year.
8. The club received a DVD featuring video taken by a spectator at our
19th annual fall show in 1995. We are hoping to secure a television and
DVD player, or laptop projector, so that we can show it a future meeting.
9. Ken Haase provided a show & tell moment with part of his collection of vintage license plate toppers.
9. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55. The 50/50 collected $28, with
Bob Columbia winning $14.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony DiAngelo, Secretary, SIRAACA
c lub happe n i n g s
FE A T U R E
Seven for Seven
Congratulations to all seven of our members
who showed cars at the AACA National Spring
meet in Reading, PA on May 19. Each of them
came home with an award, including Doc Corpus, who won a Senior with his 1986 Camaro
(right). Repeat Preservation awards were given
to Fred DiGiovanni’s 1956 Cadillac, Kevin Keenan’s 1979 Beetle, Fred Howe’s 1978 Caprice, Andrew Napoli’s 1958 Impala, Paul Arena’s 1964
Riviera and Paul Jr.’s 1967 Cutlass. For a tale of
the weekend hijinx, read on below...
Does P h i l H a v e a N a t i o n a l M e e t Ta l e ? D o n ’t Ask...
The weather could not have been better. I was a spectator this time around, hopping from Kevin’s Volkswagen to Fred’s Caprice. Setting off on Thursday morning we meet everyone else at a rest stop, and I see
that Doc actually trailered his Camaro by himself. I was proud of him. A minor mishap happened only
minutes later as he came too close to Freddy’s trailer. It was similar to the Titanic hitting the iceberg, but
on we went… just ask Doc.
The Crown Palace Hotel was great. The AACA hospitality suite was well equipped with snacks and
drinks… just ask Lillian.
The hotel was surrounded by major food chains and I think we hit them all. We did manage to find some
“inexpensive” places… just ask Kevin.
On Friday we went through the flea market, which was a big as Kevin’s VW. I had to persuade Fred and
Kevin to take me to the Air Museum, which was about four miles away. The experience we had was just
as impressive as Gettysburg. My best experience was standing in the bomb bay area of a B-17. Just so
awesome! Hard to believe that some crewmen were only 19 years old flying these. We had a personalized
tour that lasted 2-1/2 hours. Every year they have a WWII reenactment the first weekend in June. We
are all set to go next year. The rest of the group went to The Hollywood Casino. There they met Paige,
our waitress from last fall, and yes she asked for me… just ask Annette.
We found a new waitress at the local Olive Garden who looked like Helen Hunt. We spent quality time
learning about all her DWI’s and prison time… just ask Kevin.
The show was great. A 1956 Cadillac demonstrated that a car not only won’t start without gas, it won’t
start with a dead battery... just ask Freddy.
The awards dinner was great. Sitting at our table was Bill Smith, Executive Director and past president
of AACA. Fred had his ear most of the night, and it certainly was a great, humble experience for Bill...
just ask Fred.
Well, we all won… a Senior for Doc, preservations for both Paul’s, Freddy, Fred, Kevin and Andrew.
Kevin’s VW used about four gallons of gas for the trip… the same that it took to start Freddy’s Caddy.
So we all came away with something. For me, I walked away being a better judge and got another reinforcement of how lucky I am to have my car club friends... just ask me. - by Phil Boffa
ELIQUAT
SIR
AC A
AEUGUER
Cover : Cha r l i e Au e r ’s 1 9 5 1 Wi l l y s p i c k u p m a ke s a n a p p earance at the R ichmond Town Cruise. (photo by Paul Jr.).
From the P r e s i d e n t
The raffle car made a good impression with the crowds at Spring
Englishtown, taking in $2,049
over its three-day appearance.
This is a great start for us this
year, where we look to rebound
from last year ’s disappointing
weather and its impact on our
overall sales. Thank you to all
who took the time to pitch in at
Englishtown and help sell tickets.
Your efforts are appreciated. The
car had another strong showing
at St. Teresa’s, and upcoming appearances include the local shows
at Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas and
St. Joseph-St. Thomas, as well as
the Doo Wop concert at the Meadowlands on June 23. Volunteers
will be needed in each instance.
- Paul Jr.
- NEXT MEETING - June 5
Our June meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, June 5 at 7:00 PM, and will be held in the Staff
House at Sea View Home & Hospital at 460 Brielle Avenue.
Coffee and donuts will be served, and $3.00 will be collected from all to help cover the cost of the meeting.
Buy a New Car
Yo u ’ v e E a r n e d t h e R ight
Editor’s Note - the following piece, written by Ray Sherman, first appeared
in the Motor Annual Show Number in January 1931, and is reprinted with
permission from John Lypen, editor/publisher of Motor Magazine. There are
interesting parallels to today, but differences as well.
There are several hundred thousand people who have driven their
old cars a year or more longer than they wanted to. They have earned
the right to new ones.
These car owners are the ones who during the past year or more have
enjoyed their usual incomes and who have refrained from buying beFrom the E d i t o r
cause their common sense told them it would be wise to “wait and
There comes a time when you re- see” what was going to happen. The “wait” is over and we now “see”
alize that what defines your gen- that America has definitely started up the hill with more jobs, more
eration is now at least two gener- business and a future that will exceed the past. The progress is not
ations old, and what was always boom-like, but steady - and that is reassuring.
thought of as new is now nostal- The past year has demonstrated the business ability of the American
gic. This was very evident for me people. Until a year ago we were supposed not to be able to refrain
at the AACA Eastern Spring Meet. from spending. “Keeping up with the Joneses” was said to be our
Although there were plenty of outstanding characteristic.
cars pushing 100 years old, there
were many regular cars from the Critics failed to realize that we merely were using our surplus income
1980’s there. The Chrysler K-cars in increasing our happiness and that we could refrain from spending
that I used in driver ’s ed are now if we wanted to. The economists - who have been bewildered for the
competing for AACA badges, past year - may some day learn that facts are not always figures.
along with Nissan Z’s and Pontiac Fieros and Plymouth Voyager For over a year we have deprived ourselves of our full measure of
minivans. Then again, each gen- enjoyable living and by this sacrifice have earned the right to enjoy
eration must say the same thing again the things we’d like and can afford.
about what they recall were the All over America the motor shows are opening with the finest cars
basic modes of transportation of the industry has ever built. They’re wonderful! You want one! Go
their day, which most likely made see them! Sit in them! Ride in them! Buy one - and permit yourself
up 90% of the vehicles on the the happiness to which you have earned the right. Nothing adds to
show field. - Paul Jr.
family delight quite so much as a new car.
SIR AAC A
LOREM IPSUM
Inside the SIRAACA Garage
This month’s visit to the SIRAACA
Garage reveals a relatively new addition. It’s a fairly uncommon 1966
Mercury Comet Cyclone GT convertible owned by Bruce Campbell.
The Cyclone GT was the top of the
line model that year, and came standard with a 390 cid V-8 rated at
335 horsepower. Those that were
equipped with automatic transmission were dubbed GTA’s.
Cyclone GT production that year
reached 15,970 units. 13,812 were
hardtops, leaving a small balance of
2,158 with a ragtop. For comparison
sake, the similarly equipped Pontiac
GTO had a total production run of
96,946 in 1966.
A 1 9 6 6 Mercur y Comet Cyclone GT paced that year ’s Indianap olis 500, but no replicas were
b u i l t to commemorate the event. (photo by Paul Jr.)
According to Hemmings Motor
News, the $452 GT package came with
Upcoming Events
plenty of performance and included
dual exhausts, engine dress-up kit, Hop into your car and head out to one of these upcoming events:
fiberglass hood with non-functional
scoops, handling package, front disc
brakes, GT striping and badging. A
three-speed manual transmission
came standard, with a four-speed or
automatic available as options.
Car & Driver turned a 13.98 at 103.8
mph in their 1/4 mile test of the Cyclone GT.
Do you have a car (or had a car) that
should be featured in the SIRAACA
Garage? Let me know at the meetings, or via parena2@verizon.net.
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Carlisle Ford Nationals - June 1-3
3rd Annual Show & Drive-In, Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Church, June 2
Greenwich Concours d’Elegance - June 2-3
GNYRAACA 46th Annual Spring Meet, Old Westbury Gardens - June 3
The Elegance at Hershey - June 8-10
St. Joseph-St. Thomas Car Show - June 9
22nd Concours of the Eastern United States, Skytop , PA - June 22-24
Carlisle GM Nationals - June 22-24
Richard Nader Summer Doo Wop Concert, Meadowlands, NJ - June 23
102nd Annual Travis 4th of July Parade - July 4
Carlisle Chrysler Nationals - July 6-8
SIR AAC A
LOREM IPSUM
K e n n y ’s K o l l e c t a b l e s
Many of our members are into collecting other things besides antique cars. Oftentimes, it’s automobilia, which
encompasses so many things - toy trucks, license plates,
original advertising, magazines, and so on. Ken Haase
presented a little “show & tell” at the May meeting, displaying these vintage license plate toppers from his personal collection.
These toppers were popular as souvenirs from one’s travels to various destinations, ranging from the obvious (Atlantic City, NJ) to the not so obvious (the Pennsylvania
Turnpike). They’re usually cast aluminum with painted
highlights, and Ken has repainted some in his collection
himself.
They do not appear to be hard to find, and there are most
likely some that are more rare and desirable than others.
You can look for them at flea markets, swap meets, and of
course, on eBay. One spotted at the AACA meet in Reading, PA last month had an asking price of $75. The range
of values seems fairly widespread, as supply for the more
common ones seems plentiful. A recent on-line auction
saw a collection of seven, including Miami Beach, Mt.
Vernon, Silver Springs, Marineland, St. Augustine, the NJ
Turnpike and the PA Turnpike, sell for $453. Separately,
one from Charles Town, VA sold for $325, and one from
“The Home of the Braves” (Milwaukee) sold for $305.
Three license plate topp ers from the p ersonal collec tion of Ken
Haase. In some instances, you could find one representing an
entire state as well as lo cal cities and othe r attrac tions within that
state. This allows for many parameters around such a collec tion.
O ne coluld tr y and amass all available states, or all of the ones
from within one state, or ever y one with a fish on it. (photos by
Paul Jr.)
SIRAAC
AACA
A
SIR