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The last De Soto rolled off the assembly line 30 years before David Frank was born, but he’s one of the marque’s biggest fans. The 31-year-old engineer currently moonlights as the National DeSoto Club’s volunteer editor of DeSoto Adventures, and he’s not the only millennial or Gen Z’er who finds De Sotos to be “de-lightful” and “de-lovely,” as the company once advertised. The National DeSoto Club counts at least three people in their twenties and thirties on its list of national officers, trustees and volunteers — an uncommonly youthful car club staff in 2023.

For David, adventuring into the world of De Sotos was basically a matter of genetics.

“I kind of grew up in a family of them, so there wasn’t really escaping it,” he jokes. David considers himself a fourth-generation De Soto owner, his great-great uncle having bought a new 1941 De Soto and his great-grandfather having owned a 1949 De Soto Custom sedan followed by several more De Sotos. David’s grandfather bought several used De Sotos, some of which were his father’s cars. The De Soto gene then passed to David’s father, who, at age 14, bought a 1956 De Soto Fireflite Sportsman from his father, which he still owns to this day.

Even today, David’s grandfather and father still have De Sotos that they’ve owned for most of their lives, so it’s fair to say David grew up riding in cars with tailfins trailing behind and big, gleaming chrome bumpers leading the way. How could one not be impressed by the experience?

“I am just a middle-class guy and that was kind of a middle-class car,” he says of De Soto. “It wasn’t your basic entry-level Plymouth, but it wasn’t your top-of-the-line Imperial, and that kind of fits with who I am as a person, and it’s the kind of car I would have bought when they were new. I also think that Forward Look styling that they have is kind of fun.”

David was so affected by the De Soto experience that he bought his first De Soto at the age of 12 — a 1956 De Soto Fireflite Sportsman two-door hardtop purchased from his father (the same year and model that his father himself bought before becoming driving age). Unlike his father’s 1956 De Soto, David’s car is a project that he’s been slowly restoring over the last 20 years or so.

“[The restoration is] moving, but the guy who’s working on it is slow. It’s only supposed to get to the point that the paint, glass and the stainless around the windows are done, and I am going to finish it myself. I want to bring it home this year.”

In the time his first De Soto has been undergoing a body-off-frame restoration, David has found other cars to scratch his De Soto itch. He’s since bought several additional De Sotos, among other Chrysler Corp. marques, but these days you’re most likely to see him piloting his black 1959 De Soto Fireflite Sportsman two-door hardtop.

“Muscle cars are fun, but these cars are fun, too, in a different way,” David says. “To be honest, I have a 2006 Dodge Charger Daytona as my daily driver, but nine times out of ten, I will pick my De Soto to drive. And that Charger will out-handle the De Soto any day of the week.”

Getting in deeper with De Sotos

If owning several De Sotos wasn’t enough immersion in the De Soto hobby, David began volunteering for club duties, often because he simply saw a need to keep certain parts of the club afloat. Before becoming editor of DeSoto Adventures, the National DeSoto Club’s Old Cars Golden Quill Award-winning publication, David led the charge on hosting the club’s 2021 national convention. That volunteer job led to his role as the club’s editor, even though he had no formal training in the publishing field.

“Back in 2021, as we entered the year, we had two alternating editors,” David recalled. “One editor retired, leaving just one editor.” David said issues of DeSoto Adventures stopped appearing in members’ mailboxes during the transition.”

“We ended up with a six-month period without magazines,” he said. “That was the year I hosted the De Soto convention in Wisconsin, so at the time, it wasn’t ideal for me to [become editor]. After the convention was over and I had a chance to breathe, and by this time — four to five months down the road — it was pretty evident that a magazine wasn’t coming out.”

“I had been talking to Dan Lyman about what the position involved. I thought to myself that if I didn’t step forward, what are we going to do? You can’t advertise in a magazine that isn’t being printed, and it needs to be somebody that can deal with computers pretty well, because of the technology involved, and in a club, there’s a lot of retirees, and that’s a tall order.”

“I decided that it was a good fit for me to get the magazine back on track. I figured if it went on too much longer (without magazines), it would be bad for the club. So I kind of started working right after the convention.”

By the spring of 2022, David says he was caught up with delivering issues of DeSoto Adventures to fellow club members. To catch up, he had to learn publishing software and switch his engineer’s brain to that of an editor and designer.

“I had done a little writing here and there throughout college as part of scholarships, and I had one article that was published in an international magazine that I received a second-place award for, but beyond that, I had no formal training with editing or graphic arts,” he says.

Although he’s grown into the position as editor over the last couple years, David says there are still some challenges when it comes to editing a club’s publication.

“With regards to the biggest challenge as editor, part of it is the discussions with the printer for efficient configurations, and part is having to arrange each magazine based on the content for that issue, which has to be gathered from various members in a certain time frame, and then make it all fit into a package that flows well and looks appealing.”

Being a club editor of any age also requires some balance, David notes. Since taking over editing duties, he’s tried to add more technical articles to DeSoto Adventures, a diversity of content such as young De Soto owners and De Soto owners from around the world, and plenty of content to read when a copy of the full-color publication arrives in members’ mailboxes.

David spends much of his free time in his club volunteer role, and he says he regularly receives praise for his efforts from members. However, he knows he can’t please everyone all the time.

“I believe it was Abraham Lincoln who had the quote, ‘You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.’”

One more big question

Given his rare combination of youth and club involvement, we asked David for a perspective of the hobby from vintage car and truck enthusiasts of his generation.

“I think the idea of sitting in a hot parking lot under the sun to compete for a plastic trophy is not as appealing to them,” David says. “Their cars may not be perfect, either. Cars like my ’59 [De Soto], they are not trailer queens, and you have to endure the comments of, ‘When are you going to paint it?’ I think that a lot of people forget when they were younger they were driving around, cruising, getting ice cream and hanging out with their friends, and weren’t concerned with trophies or didn’t necessarily have the best paint job. They might have had five different colors on their Road Runner and a door from a different car, and I think that principle applies today.”

“There are younger people out there today still into these cars,” he adds. “Maybe not as many as we hope for, but more than people may see.”

“A challenge for me is to see how to get them involved in our club. I think the way to get them involved and heard and contributing to the club is to involve them. Then you might see younger people start to show up. More might show up at conventions, and it would snowball from there, hopefully.”

National DeSoto Club membership
104 Betsy Court
Greensburg, PA 15601
www.desoto.org
(Dues are $40/year, payable by check or money order)

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Old Cars was out and about at the 2022 Iola Car Show. We were lucky enough to meet up with the owner of this great DeSoto with a wonderful story.

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This time around Old Cars was at the 2021 Iola Car Show in Iola, Wisconsin. We had the pleasure to highlight this awesome 1957 DeSoto Fireflite convertible.

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Curt McConnell has the world’s oldest De Soto, but he has a problem: What should he do with it?

McConnell bought the car about five years ago in a condition a bit worse than shown here, which isn’t saying much. He was apparently the first person in more than 90 years to appreciate the significance of the extremely low serial number enough to research it.

Chrysler Corp. launched the new car, named De Soto for the 16th Century explorer remembered for sailing up the Mississippi River, on Aug. 6, 1928, as a 1929 model.

A rancher in Colorado bought this Model K two-door coach new, and he didn’t put it in the garage, up on blocks, to preserve it so he could sell it 80 years later for many times the $845 original price. It was used as any family car would be, and on a ranch that didn’t mean just driving to town on a paved highway on Saturday night.

It may have been the cracked cylinder head — McConnell noticed right away that it had been welded — that caused the De Soto to be taken out of service after some 78,000 miles of use. The story he was told, third-hand, was that it was garaged for many years, but at some point that space was needed and this car was set outside. However, it remained with the same family until 2015, and only the arid climate of the western Colorado mountains prevented it from rusting into the ground.

McConnell related that he first saw the De Soto at the AACA swap meet in Chickasha, Okla. The owner told McConnell that he’d had his eye on the car for some 35 years as he traveled to that area to hunt elk. He had repeatedly asked if they would sell the car and always received the same response: It was not for sale. It was not until 2015 when the current family member in charge said they would sell it. But when the buyer got it back to Oklahoma and weighed his age against what another full restoration would require, he realized the time to undertake such a task had passed.

McConnell bought the De Soto and with it inherited the dilemma of exactly what to do with it. “I won’t restore it,” he said. “After all, they’re only original once. But I may improve some things, like the shredded upholstery, and get it operational for low-speed driving.”

1928: A big year for Chrysler Corp.

With 81,065 cars delivered in the first 12 months of production, the 1929 De Soto set an industry record for first-year sales that would not be eclipsed until the Ford Falcon debuted in 1960.

Walter P. Chrysler’s namesake cars, introduced in 1924, continued to sell well, and the corporation planned to expand its offerings with two new marques set to come out in 1928. The four-cylinder Plymouth would compete with Ford and Chevrolet in the low-price range, with the six-cylinder De Soto sandwiched between it and the Chrysler.

The Dodge brothers had both died in 1920. Their widows sold the company to a group of New York bankers in 1925. After slipping from second place in sales in the industry when the brothers died to 13th in 1928, the bankers sold Dodge Brothers to Walter P. Chrysler that year. A year later, Dodge had climbed back to seventh place in sales.

In its first year, De Soto offered seven body styles on a 109.75-inch wheelbase. Besides this two-door coach, McConnell owns a “nicely preserved” Deluxe four-door sedan plus a roadster and a rumble seat coupe, both of which received amateur restorations in the 1960s or ’70s. Other 1929 models offered were a phaeton (touring), standard four-door sedan and a business coupe.

A 55-hp. L-head six engine powers De Sotos through a three-speed, floor-shifted transmission. Four-wheel hydraulic brakes and 19-inch wooden spoke wheels were standard with wire wheels optional. The front bumper on McConnell’s two-door coach was optional, but the extra-cost two-piece rear bumpers that would flank the rear-mounted spare wheel are missing. Single or dual side-mounts in welled fenders were offered at extra cost. The cowl lamps were standard on all models.

Since the tires on the car were showing more threads than tread, McConnell promptly mounted a new set so it could at least be rolled around and moved on and off a trailer.

The previous owner had “cobbled up some ignition wiring and attached a small gas tank to the carburetor to start the engine” and let it run for a couple minutes at a time. “He said it ran as smoothly as a Singer sewing machine!” McConnell said.

McConnell has not run the engine but has removed the spark plugs and shot fresh oil into the cylinders and turned it over with a crank. “I’d want to go through everything first and put new radiator hoses on so I don’t damage anything,” he said.

When McConnell first decoded the Fedco security tag riveted to the center of the instrument panel, he determined the car’s serial number to be 00121. “That likely dates it to the first day of De Soto production: August 6, 1928,” he says.

Running that information past all the other ’29 De Soto owners listed by the National DeSoto Club, he found the next-lowest serial number for a first-year De Soto is above 6,000. He dubbed the car “Old 121” and proclaimed it to be the “World’s Oldest De Soto” — for now, at least.

“If an even earlier De Soto comes to light, I’ll be as happy as anyone to celebrate,” McConnell declared. “I’ll even sell my ‘World’s Oldest De Soto’ banner at cost!”

Car-showing a ranch find

That banner has flown over the unique historical exhibit that McConnell and his wife, Caroline, assembled, which includes a hay bale (because the previous owner had found it sitting outside a hay barn on the Colorado ranch) and some old car and shop “junk” scattered about. The 1960 Colorado license plates are still attached.

McConnell noted, “A movement is growing among restorers to display weathered relics, warts and all. In fact, one observer has suggested making mechanical repairs so the car runs, stops and sounds like a new 1929 De Soto, but continues to look fresh off the ranch.”

When the couple took “Old 121” to its first show, a small, local affair in Lincoln, Neb., they parked it in the “Back 40” (appropriate for a ranch find, right?), a quiet corner of the show field with plenty of room for visitors to move around the display. They used small, powerful magnets to stick seven metal arrows to various points on the car and under the hood. A fabrication shop made the arrows with a computer-controlled laser cutter for less than $10 apiece, and a sign shop lettered them on the same vinyl wrap they use to apply advertising graphics to vehicles.

The arrows point out the tin roof that the rancher had attached with sheet metal screws that preserved the wooden lattice work and much of the top material; to the welded-up cylinder head; and to the body’s rotted wooden framing that allows the doors to sag. Other arrows alert spectators to spots of original green paint showing through a hand-brushed black paint job and a line of rusty dimples in the right quarter panel, suggesting that “Old 121” had been used for target practice.

A foam board on a wooden easel documents the car’s history and also displays a copy of a 1929 De Soto magazine ad, the 1929 De Soto specifications and a letter from Fiat Chrysler Historical Services which helpfully hinted that the display car, given its low serial number, “could have been built on the first day of De Soto production.”

“Mostly children responded to our invitation to sit behind the wheel, turn the engine with a crank handle and even slide underneath it on a sheet of cardboard to examine the greasy vitals,” McConnell noted.

The positive response to showing the De Soto has reinforced McConnell’s inclination to leave it “in the rough.”

“I’ve decided to show ‘Old 121’ as a ranch-fresh relic,” he said. “This historically significant car would be more fun to display as a battered but defiant survivor than as a gussied-up show car.”

Speaking of De Sotos, the National DeSoto Club’s 35th Annual Convention will be held at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel in Brookfield, Wis., from July 28 to Aug. 1. Learn more at https://desoto.org.

*Image for this column were supplied by the author and owner.

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In 1936, the automobile touched more American lives than telephones or electricity. Throughout the country, there were 17.2 million phones and 21.1 million homes wired for electric service, but there were 26 million automobiles.

Chrysler was beginning its 11th year of business that year. Walter P. Chrysler had left General Motors as a successful and wealthy executive. Then, he was hired by bankers to “fix” Maxwell as he had done at Willys-Overland.

Mr. Chrysler started building a car named after him in the old Maxwell plant, relying on his “3 Musketeers” — Fred Zeder, Owen Skelton and Carl Breer — for a superior automobile. The Chrysler Model 70 crashed the market for a $1,500 car and gave Ford and GM an able competitor.

By the 1930s, Chrysler had added Plymouth, Dodge and De Soto to his stable, along with Dodge Truck, Chrysler Marine, air compressors and even air conditioning units. A large percentage of the 26 million cars on the road in 1936 were Chrysler products that were known for their engineering excellence. Chrysler’s centralized engineering department worked out of a modern office building that included drafting rooms, offices, and research and testing laboratories. The Chrysler Engineering Division also had a resident chief engineer and engineering staff at each of its manufacturing plants.

A few of the proud achievements of Chrysler engineers were aluminum pistons, all-steel car bodies, Airflow designs, hydraulic four-wheel brakes, the Floating Power engine mounting system and advances in car weight distribution. The remote engineering staffs figured out solutions to engineer and design problems that were encountered in product manufacturing.

The Engineering Building included hot and cold rooms, an electrical testing laboratory, a carburetor development area, chemistry and physics laboratories, a rubber laboratory and a radiator laboratory. The old Maxwell engineering building included an air conditioning research laboratory and the Chrysler Institute of Engineering for teaching future engineers enrolled in a two-year course of study. Students there went to school half a day and worked in a Chrysler department for half a day.

Chrysler stressed precision workmanship in all of its products from a $510 Plymouth coupe to a $1500 Chrysler Imperial Airflow. One out of every 100 parts on a Chrysler assembly line were pulled off and tested. The goal was to build a mass-produced automobile that was as perfect as possible.

In the company’s East Jefferson Avenue and Kercheval plants, a teletype installation controlled the entire production process and allowed management to map out the complete production system and track each step in the process. Six sending stations were set up throughout each factory and a seventh station in the billing department tracked the finances involved. This machine was also connected to Canadian customs to clear shipments in advance and save trucking time.

Chrysler followed 10 rules to ensure that its production departments had layouts that made its shops good places for people to work. They covered feeding raw materials to the assembly line, easily moving parts, allowing clean-up while a plant continued to operate, proper work spaces, easy supervision and proper lighting. Overhead conveyors were employed to move parts above the auto workers.

The manufacture of automobiles was a complicated process that involved ordering parts from 1400 outside suppliers, a process that had to be carefully planned and controlled. Outside-sourced parts were routinely tested in Chrysler’s metallurgical laboratories and were also checked by receiving inspectors upon each delivery.

With its four lines of passenger cars offering 61 body types, there were many parts flowing into the factories and that did not include Dodge truck, Chrysler marine engines and industrial parts. The value of a single supplier order could range from a few cents to millions of dollars. Interior trim fabrics were also tested for quality and durability.

Many different production methods were used in Chrysler factories. Sheet metal parts were forged in huge stamping machines. Forge shops used dies, heat treatment and hammers to manufacture parts. For example, a 12,000-lb. steam hammer was required to forge crankshafts. Quenching oil for other operations had to be brought in through pipes laid in trenches that ran to furnaces and tanks.

Chrysler plants also housed foundry operations that poured molten iron into large ladles and then into molds. Rows of huge, funnel-shaped overhead ducts purified the air inside the foundries. Overhead hoods allowed fumes and dust to be carried away from foundry worker stations.

Fusing metal to metal with electricity allowed Chrysler’s workers to add strength and beauty to cars while making them at a lower cost. The company studied industrial processes and developed hydromatic welding systems that used oil pressure to control the upper electrodes of giant spot-welding machines that could make multiple welds in a single operation. Welders also used Martin guns to do auxiliary operations while the major parts were being welded in the large machines.

Tough steels were made tougher in Chrysler’s Heat Treating Department. After being heated in Hagan rotary electric furnaces, parts such as transmission gears were dipped into hot cyanide and quenched in the air. Continuous furnaces and well-planned material handling played a large part in bringing out the best qualities in Chrysler parts. After such operations, the parts were cleaned in a Tum-Blast machine.

Engine connecting rods were processed in pairs before assembly and diamond-bored afterwards in a broaching operation. The rods and caps were precision checked by an electric gauge. A Heald grinder finished one face at a time while the rod was held on a locating plug. The crank end of each rod was clamped in a pneumatic equalizing jig so they could be reamed. Final sizing of wristpin holes was done in a double-spindle diamond-boring machine.

The amount of parts flowing through a factory was unbelievable. Chrysler’s plant in Newcastle, Ind., which made steering gears and tube axles for Dodges and Plymouths, turned out about 90 million pounds of work in 1935! Over five million aluminum pistons were made by Amplex Mfg. Co. (a Chrysler division) between late 1933 and 1936. That translated into 1800 pistons per day!

Engine and transmission assemblies had to be put together and checked at the factories. Speeding Machines were used to check gears for quiet running. At the end of one assembly line, the gears were fitted into the gear boxes by dozens of experienced auto workers. On the engine line, a Hall hydraulic machine utilized eccentric spindles to simultaneously grind six valve seats. Pistons were turned in a Baird six-spindle chucking machine. A double-end Ex-Cell-O precision boring machine bored the wristpin holes.

Eighteen miles of conveyors and the world’s longest 1936 assembly line were installed in Plymouth’s Detroit factory. A monorail conveyor carried bare metal fenders into a vapor degreasing machine where they were prepped for paint. The paint was mixed at a central plant and distributed by pipes to hydro-filtered spray booths located throughout the factory. In a rust-proofing process, an overhead tank supplied a protective solution to the Bonderite spray booths below it.

Drag chain conveyors carried the recently painted car bodies through drying ovens in which the temperature was controlled within two degrees. The painted parts then moved towards a synchronized process that sorted out nearly 5 million possible combinations of colors, trim options and body styles. There were 72 possible engine combinations.

At the Jefferson Avenue plant — where Chrysler and De Soto passenger cars were built in Airstream and Airflow styles — finished bodies were lowered from a mezzanine to the chassis assembly line on the first floor. In another operation, a circular roller conveyor system carried parts to the workers who built up sub-assemblies from De Soto grilles, radiators and shrouding.

After mounting of the proper size and style tires, painted wheels in any of 10 colors were discharged from the bottom of a chute and delivered to the proper car on the assembly line. Chrysler’s Traffic Department used Track Sheets to make sure that the correct parts got to the assembly line at just the right time. Using code, the Track Sheets gave the specifications of every car built each day, with the first car of the day being No. 1 and the last being around No. 600. Copies of the Track Sheet went to every department involved in building a specific car.

Keep in mind that the factory did not have enough space inside for the storage of the 750,000 parts handled each hour or for the 600 car bodies built up in a typical day. The Traffic Department had to route a constant flow of materials that were used almost immediately. To ensure proper synchronization, bodies had to be ordered five days in advance, while orders for fenders and hoods could be processed in 24 hours.

Plant services were important, too. Forklift-like “trucks” moved parts around a plant on skids or in giant-sized tote boxes. Conveyors, elevators and transfer tables made it possible to move larger parts such as car bodies. Tools and supplies had to be ordered for auto workers to do their jobs. Chrysler tracked the usage, inventory and labor costs related to tools, as well as the annual rate of inventory turnover. Plant maintenance was also a critical consideration. The Plant Engineer’s job was to provide an uninterrupted supply of light, heat and other vital services. Crating and shipping were other important functions that automobile factories dealt with.

As you can see, there was nothing simple about a Chrysler product in 1936, other than the simple joy of driving it once it was done. That was the customer’s “job.” 

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In 1928, the DeSoto was introduced by Chrysler as a mid-priced model meant to compete with Buick, Hudson, Oldsmobile, and Studebaker. This same year, Chrysler also finalized the purchase of Dodge Brothers, which included Dodge and Plymouth vehicles. This acquisition resulted in Chrysler having two mid-price vehicle offerings. For the 1929 model, there were 81,065 DeSoto automobiles produced; this single-year production record would stand until the Ford Falcon in 1960. The decline in sales began with a downturn in the economy in 1958, which impacted not just DeSoto, but all mid-priced vehicles across the board. Over two million vehicles were built during the lifetime of the marque, which remained in production until 1961.

What’s in a name?

When Walter P. Chrysler was searching for a name for his new car in, he wanted it to be strong. What was stronger than that of a Spanish conquistador? Hernando de Soto was the first documented European to see the mighty Mississippi River. He was an Adventurer. In fact, the name, Adventurer was given to a model introduced in 1956.

DeSoto display vehicles

The three vehicles on view include a 1930 DeSoto Model CF Deluxe Sedan, a 1953 Desoto Firedome four-door sedan, and a 1960 DeSoto Fireflite.

The 1930 DeSoto Model CF (also known as “DeSoto Eight”) Deluxe Sedan is on loan from Diane Boettger. The DeSoto Eight was also the first eight-cylinder engine produced by the Chrysler Corporation. Desoto called it “the world’s lowest-priced straight eight” that promised customers “a vast reserve of power when you need it.” Affectionately known as “Ruthie,” this CF Sedan still sports its original interior seat and headliner upholstery, wood floor, and drivetrain. “Ruthie” has been in the Boettger family for over 25 years. Owned by Diane Boettger, cared for by Brian Boettger, and presented in memory of Steve Boettger.

Frank and Lanette Peiffer acquired the 1953 DeSoto Firedome on view in 1993. After working on the car continuously for about eight years, it was awarded an AACA Senior Grand National in 2006. The exterior projects a sedate classy look with plenty of chrome and stainless, but not to excess. The interior complements the outward appearance with its wood grained dash and door appointments. The color scheme is known as Morocco Brown topped with Arizona Beige. There were 132,000 of these vehicles produced in 1953.

The 1960 DeSoto Fireflite is on loan from Steve Cooper of Levittown, PA. It was purchased in 1996 as mechanically sound with an amateur restoration (presentable but not show-worthy). It was enjoyed until late 1999 when a full restoration began. The restoration was completed by August 2001, and this car is shown with its original color scheme: Winterberry Red Poly and Shell White. It won Best in Class when it debuted at the National DeSoto Club Nations Show. Only two models were produced for the 1960 DeSoto model year: Fireflite (low level) and Adventurer (top-level). Six total body styles were offered: 2-door and 4-door hardtops and a 4-door sedan for both models.

This delightful display of all things DeSoto will continue through April 26, 2020, in the Williams-Clyne Gallery. This gallery was created as a changing exhibit space that allows the AACA Museum, Inc., to partner with automobile clubs by providing a space to exhibit their vehicles and tell their stories.

Visitors to the AACA Museum, Inc. from mid-November through April will also be able to enjoy our featured exhibit “Age of Aquarius: Cars of the Counterculture and Beyond.”This exhibit focuses on the many unique vehicles manufactured and marketed in America from about 1967 (the release of the musical Hair) through the early to mid-1970s and is sponsored by National Parts Depot. A lot of change was taking place in America during this era, and it manifested itself vividly in the cars produced in Detroit and beyond.

About the AACA Museum, Inc.

The AACA Museum, Inc., a Smithsonian Affiliate, displays beautifully restored automobiles, buses, and motorcycles in unique lifelike scenes representing the 1890s through the 1980s on a cross-country journey from New York to San Francisco. As one of the largest automotive museums in the country, AACA Museum, Inc. features special exhibits that change several times a year and focus on a variety of eras and types of vehicles.

The AACA Museum, Inc., has been and remains an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, not affiliated with The Antique Automobile Club of America.

The Museum is in South Hanover Township, just off Route 39 and one mile west of Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pa. Regular admission is $12.50; seniors age 61 and older, $11.50; juniors age 4 to 12, $9.50; and children age 3 and under, free. Admission is also free to AACA Museum, Inc., members, and Antique Automobile Club of America members with a current membership card.

The Museum is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. For more information, call 717-566-7100 or visit AACAMuseum.org.

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New York – Bonhams is proud to announce that in April it will have the privilege of auctioning the renowned Tupelo Automobile Museum Collection.

Built by TV and telecommunications pioneer, Frank K. Spain, the famed Mississippi collection comprises more than 160 automobiles from every decade of motoring, beginning from the 1890s through the 1990s. Highlighted by major American classics, such as a 1948 Tucker that was one of the original Indianapolis test cars and a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Sedan, prestigious British and European marques are also represented, such as Bentley and Lagonda, and Hispano-Suiza and Talbot-Lago, to name a few.

With a lifelong passion for automobiles, Spain began building his extensive collection from the early 1970s until his passing in 2006. Predating the modern era of the internet, his searches were done the old-fashioned way, following-up on tips, responding to obscure advertisements in newspapers, and attending local, national and international events, including the famed Harrah Collection sales. 

Says Rupert Banner, Bonhams Vice President of Motoring, “The collection is a cornucopia of wonderful machines, telling the story of the development of the automobile and charting the various ways in which manufacturers pioneered self-propelled vehicles. The scale, breadth and presentation of Spain’s museum is just extremely impressive.” 

With so many rare, original and pioneering vehicles, the collection is already internationally renowned. To give some idea of the degree to which the history of the automobile is covered, represented marques include: Allard, Alvis, AMC, Amphicar, Apperson, Aston Martin, Auburn, Benz, BMW, Bricklin, Brush, Buick, Cadillac, Cartercar, Chalmers, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroën, Cord, Delaunay-Belleville, Desoto, Detroit Electric, De Lorean, Dodge, Firestone, Ford, Franklin, Gardner, Glide, Graham, Hupmobile, International, Jaguar, Jensen, Kaiser, La Salle, Leslie, Lozier, Marmon, Martin, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Messerschmitt, MG, Minerva, Mitchell, Morgan, Nash, Oldsmobile, Opel, Owen Magnetic, Packard, Paterson, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Plymouth, Pontiac, Porsche, Queen, REO, Rolls-Royce, Saxon, Sears, Stanley, Studebaker, Stutz, Sunbeam, Talbot-Lago, Toyota, Triton, Trumbull, Triumph, Tucker, Volkswagen, Westcott, White and Winton.

And with Tupelo being the birthplace of Elvis Presley, there’s a 1976 Lincoln Continental Mk IV purchased by Elvis, complete with a copy of the check Elvis wrote and his famous “TCB” (Taking Care of Business) logo etched into the side windows. Additionally, the extensive collection of motoring signs decorating the museum walls will also be sold.

Bonhams will be taking care of business on April 26th and 27th, when the doors of the Tupelo Automobile Museum will open for one last time, with previewing taking place on April 25th. 

Jane Spain, Frank’s wife and partner in their car collecting journey, said, “For more than a decade it has been the greatest pleasure to honor my husband and to see people come to his home town to appreciate the collection he enjoyed building. Ultimately, I feel that the greatest legacy of his passion for engineering, design and the motorcar is for them to be shared with other collectors and for that reason I’ve made the difficult decision to part with this collection. In selling the group, the proceeds will go to a charitable educational foundation. I hope that others will enjoy acquiring and owning them as much as he did.”

More information about this historic sale will be posted in the coming weeks at Bonhams.com/Tupelo.

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The 28th Orphan Car Tour took place on Saturday, June 2 along the winding, scenic back roads of Maryland’s Harford and Baltimore counties.

This year’s Tour was nicknamed “How the Other Half Lives” because the route wove past prosperous estates and horse farms of My Lady’s Manor and Worthington Valley, which lie north of Baltimore.

An all-day downpour had been forecast, but fortunately the rain held off until the tour had almost ended, late in the afternoon.

The day began in Jarrettsville, Maryland, where drivers of 42 cars converged on the Jarrettsville United Methodist Church parking lot starting at 9:30 AM. At least 28 of the autos were vintage “orphans”: antique cars with discontinued marques. The rest were modern automobiles, driven by those concerned about how their old cars might behave in the rain.

Participants greeted one another, registered their cars, and received the printed driving directions that each driver follows at his or her own pace. At 10:45 the cars were released, one by one, onto the tour route. For the next five hours drivers traversed a 30-mile route, making occasional stops at designated places of interest along the way. Among these were Ladew Topiary Gardens, Boordy Vineyards, Oregon Ridge Nature Center, and Prigel’s Creamery, a family farm that serves up outstanding ice cream treats.

Perhaps the most interesting attraction was a private automobile collection. This one is eclectic, containing everything from Model A Fords to 1960’s European and British sports cars, along with some early racing cars. There’s even an Isetta, a Fiat 500 and a customized tow truck nicknamed “Tow-Mater”.

At 4:30 PM, after the driving portion of the tour had ended, a buffet dinner was served at Friendly Farm Restaurant in Upperco, Maryland to a crowd of 64. As is the custom for Orphan Car Tours, the direction sheets had been sprinkled with questions about sights glimpsed along the route, in order to test the observational abilities of drivers and passengers. After the meal, prizes were awarded to those who had answered the most questions correctly. First place went to Randy and Sharon Fryer of Monkton, Md.; second place was awarded to John and Vivian Czajkowski of Odenton, Md.; third place was won by Harley and Carol Smith of Annapolis. This year’s Hard Luck Award went to Tom Cox of Woodstock, Md., whose car stalled while idling in the long line of cars waiting to start the tour. The Long Distance Award was given to Fred and Nina Hammer, who drove their 1966 Mercury Comet Cylone convertible from State College, PA.

Cars taking the tour ranged in model years from 1928 to 1993, with a nice sampling of cars from the ’30’s through the ’60’s. Automotive marques included AMC (AMX, Hornet, Marlin, Rambler), Corvair, DeSoto, Edsel, Henry J, Kaiser, Mercury (Comet and Cougar), Morris, Packard, Plymouth (Valiant), Pontiac, Studebaker (including Hawk and Lark), Terraplane and Triumph. There were also two Hupmobiles – a 1928 from Nevada and a 1933 from New Jersey – whose owners had paused to take in the Orphan Tour on their way to the Hupmobile National Meet in Staunton, Virginia.

The directors of this year’s tour were Ross Miller and Bob Godwin. Ross had laid out several tours in previous years and Bob and his wife Phyllis had been frequent past winners of the “observational” contest. Assisting with the Tour were Harley Smith, Bill and Susan Johnson and Jon Battle. Mike Bianco facilitated one of the stops along the way.

The Orphan Car Tour is an annual event designed to encourage the driving enjoyment of antique “orphans”, which the Tour defines as vehicles at least 25 years old which were produced either by now-defunct manufacturers or by the discontinued divisions of still-existing companies. Each year it moves to a different location in the greater Baltimore- Washington area. It is sponsored by six local chapters or regions of national “orphan” clubs: Mid-Atlantic Packards (a region of The Packard Club); the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club; the Potomac Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club; the Potomac Ramblers (an affiliate of the AMO and AMCRC); the DeSoto Owners Club of Maryland; the Keystone Region Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club. The Tour maintains a website at www.orphancartour.org/.

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They say everything is bigger in Texas, and this is true for Rick Smith and his love of Cadillacs. Since he was 14 years old he has loved old cars. A 1935 Ford coupe was his first car. That 5-window coupe led him on many adventures. He eventually sold the car in 1968 to buy a ticket to Australia. Rick chased many cars down under until he made his way back to Texas and started an auto parts store, Rick’s Auto Parts. Actually he ended up owning several auto parts stores. Unfortunately, the business kept him on the road and away from his old car collecting hobby.

Rick went through many phases of collecting. He sought after F100 pickups to Street Rods and everything in between. But the allure of the big finned cars and Cadillacs and the rock & roll life style was something Rick enjoyed. Rick was an Elvis fan and Elvis was known for his Cadillacs. With their huge fins he would be rolling large in Texas. Rick sold the auto parts stores and ventured into real estate while also opening a chrome shop. Soon the siren song of Cadillac was calling to him. So much that he bought a building and land to focus buying 1950s to 1960s Cadillacs. He bought his first 1959 Cadillac and realized that they didn’t make reproduction parts for the cars, especially the convertibles, which only added to his collecting obsession.

With his finds he also made furniture out of the rear clips after realizing that the tail fin allure wasn’t just for car collectors but commercial use as well. Many of his creations went to Hard Rock Cafes. He spent years building wall hangings, desks, couches, and other pieces out of the 1950s Cadillacs. Rick sold few parts to collectors at this time, but occasionally would sell some parts here and then to pay for his hobby and to buy more Cadillacs. There’s no computer at Rick’s shop. Word of mouth is the only way that you’ll find out about his stash of Cadillacs, finned cars, and Cadillac parts.

Rick went to a lot of swap meets and private sales to fill the yard with over 300 Cadillacs and buildings full of hard to find parts. There are NOS 1950s Cadillac parts as well as convertible parts. He found out that with the lack of reproduction parts there was money in selling good used parts and project Cadillacs along with other big finned cars such as those from Chrysler, DeSoto, Buick, and other ‘50s designs. Rick always said, “When you’re driving a big finned Cadillac, there’s nothing better. Living large in Texas! When you meet one of the finned cars on the road it’s like nothing you’ll ever see.”

Rick was busy selling parts and cars all over the world, when his family history of heart disease caught up with him about 3-4 years ago. It was a wake-up call that made him realize that it was time to think of selling his collection. His sons were not interested in the collection meaning it was time to start selling and letting more people know about his collection. He sold parts and cars over the years, but now is time to sell them all. There are approximately 295 Collector cars with more than half of them Cadillacs including 50 1959 Caddies as well as other 1950s models. The Cadillac selection is represented up to the 1960s. Included is a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, just like Elvis’, is #18 of 304 built with a 365-cid Tri-Power under the hood. It is truly a great survivor car. Also at the sale will be a rolling project 1948 Cadillac convertible along with a 1953 Buick Skylark convertible, 1 of 1690 produced, ready for restoration.There are also more ’50s finned cars from Pontiac, Buick, Lincoln, DeSoto to be found.

VanDerBrink Auctions will auction the collection of approx. 295 cars along with many parts on the weekend before the big Pate Swap Meet Weekend. The Rick Smith Collection auction will start at 9am on April 21, 2018. The cars will be offered LIVE at the yard in Longview, Texas and also online. Bidders can take their cars, parts, and even strip their purchases. An assortment of rare Cadillac parts will also be online but the majority of them will be for only bidders at the auction. The cars will sell first and then parts will be sold all day and carry over to Sunday if they are not all sold on Saturday. Plan to attend this auction of Rick’s Cadillacs and stock up, then head on over to Pate for the Big Swap Meet. There will be a preview on Friday April 20, 2018 from 10am to 7pm. For more information on this auction visit www.vanderbrinkauctions.com or call 605-201-7005. See you at the Auction!

LIST OF VEHICLES AND PARTS ALREADY INVENTORIED:

-1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Survivor, #18 of 304 built. Stainless steel roof, air suspension, 365 cu w/tri-power, stored since 1976!

-1948 Cadillac Convertible, 486218717, rolling rust free project in good condition for restore

-1953 Buick Skylark Convertible, Only 1690 produced, 90% complete project with many new parts.

VEHICLES FOR PROJECTS & PARTS:
CADILLAC:
1948 CADILLACS- 2-2DR Sdns, 1 4dr Sdn, 1949 CADILLACS- 4- 4dr Sedans, 3-2DR Sdns, 1-Conv.1-Sedanette, 1950 CADILLACS- 5- 4dr Sdns, 2- 2dr Sdns, 1951 CADILLACS-6-4DR Sdns,
1952 CADILLACS- 5-4DR Sdns, 3-2dr Sdns, 1-conv., 1953 CADILLACS- 6-4DR Sdns, 2-2dr Sdns, 1954 CADILLACS- 5-4dr Sdns, 1955 CADILLACS- 7- Coupes, 1- Eldorado 2dr Coupe, 4-4dr Sdns,
1956 CADILLACS- 10-4DR Sdns, 3-2dr Seville’s, 7- Coupes, 1-Cadillac Limo, 1957 CADILLACS- 7-4dr Sdns, 1-Coupe, 1958 CADILLACS- 9 4dr Sdns, 3- Coupes, 1959 CADILLACS- 49-sdns, 5- Coupes, 1960 CADILLACS- 8-4dr sdns, 6-Coupes, 1961 CADILLACS- 1-Coupe, 7- Sdns, 1-Conv., 1962 CADILLACS-6-Conv., 8-Sdns, 1963 CADILLACS- 7- Sdns, 3-Coupes, 2- Conv., 1964 CADILLACS- 7-Sdns, 4-Coupes, 3-Conv., 1965 CADILLACS- 2-Sdns, 1966 CADILLACS- 1-Sdn, 1-Conv, 1971 CADILLACS- 1-Limo, and more..

CHRYSLER/PLYMOUTH/IMPERIAL/DODGE:
1953-4 CHRYSLERS- 3-Sdns, 1955 -6 CHRYSLERS- 8-Sdns, 1956 IMPERIAL 2DR SDN, 1956 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER, 2DR SDN, 1957 DODGE SDN, 1959 CHRYSLER SDN, 1959 IMPERIAL SDNS, 1960 CHYRSLER SDN, 1961 CHRYSLER SDNS, 1967 PLYMOUTH CONV., …

PONTIAC/OLDSMOBILE:
1955 PONTIAC 2DR SDN, 1956 OLDSMOBILE- 2 Sdns, 1954 OLDSMOBILE SDN, 1948 OLDSMOBILE SDN, 1967 OLDSMOBILE SDN, …

BUICK:
1952 BUICK SDN, 1953 BUICK- 4-Sdns, 1954 BUICK SDNS, 1955 BUICK SDNS, 1957 BUICK SDNS, 1958 2DR SDN, 1960 BUICK LESABRE CONV., 1965 BUICK CONV.,

LINCOLN/MERCURY:
1960 MERCURY MONTCLAIR SDN, 1956 LINCOLN PREMIER 2DR SDN, 1956 LINCOLN SDN, 1957 LILNCOLN CAPRI SDN, 1958 LINCOLN PREMIERE SDNS, 1958 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL CONV., ….

CADILLAC PARTS- OTHER FINNED CAR PARTS:
MANY 1959 CADILLAC CHROME TRIM, TAIL LIGHTS, REAR CLIPS, HEADLIGHTS, MOTORS, GRILLS, HEADLIGHT ASSMBLY, EMBLEMS, SHEET METAL AND SO MUCH MORE!!!!

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