Even though Old Cars’ headquarters are no longer in Iola, Wis., the publication maintains its ties to the village of approximately 1,200 people and its giant annual Iola Car Show. I often find myself in the rural central-Wisconsin hamlet to meet up with former Old Cars staffers, car show staff and even some previous managers of the publication and its original parent company. One of them is Cliff Mishler, Old Cars founder Chet Krause’s right-hand man who was instrumental in starting the Iola Old Car Show in 1972 and getting Old Cars off the ground when it was founded the previous year. It was on a recent visit to Iola that Cliff shared some exciting news related to the history of Ford Motor Co., Old Cars, the Iola Car Show and the village of Iola.

The first new car to be sold in Waupaca County, the county in which Iola lies, was also one of the first products of the Ford Motor Co. — the 605th Ford product, to be exact. This 1903 Ford Model A runabout was one of about 1,700 built, and years after its original sale, it was eventually traded to the local Ford garage in the city of Waupaca. When Oscar Weisman purchased that Ford garage in 1927, the 1903 Model A was part of the purchase. Weisman kept the Ford until 1972, when the late Krause was finally able to purchase it from him. Within a few years of adding the 1903 Ford Model A to his growing collection, Krause had Milt Colden of Clintonville (also in Waupaca County) restore it.

The restored first-year Ford Motor Co. vehicle was subsequently displayed at a 1978 luncheon in Milwaukee celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Ford Motor Co. — probably the first time it ever left Waupaca County — and was an Iola Old Car Show attraction for the next 30 years. It also made occasional appearances on the pages of Old Cars Weekly (as it was known then) and its parent company’s books, including those in the Krause Publications “Standard Catalog” series. When Krause dispersed his collection at auction in 2006, the Ford Model A was sold to the Antique Car Museum of Iowa in Coralville where it’s been displayed ever since. The Model A’s sale to the Iowa museum marked the first time in more than 100 years that the early Ford was owned outside Waupaca County.

Now, about 17 years after its sale to the Antique Car Museum of Iowa, the Ford Model A is coming home. Under Mishler’s supervision, the Iola Historical Society has purchased the Ford Model A and plans to put it on regular display. The 1903 Ford Model A will again be parked in the county where it was originally purchased 120 years earlier.

Fans of first-year Fords can catch a glimpse of this historic Model A on its home turf at the Iola Historical Society’s 2023 Taste of Norway and Lost Arts Fair on Saturday, Oct. 7. The event is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Iola Historic Village located at 210 Depot Street, two blocks west of North Main Street in downtown Iola.

The Iola Historical Society is still working on funding for the last portion of its purchase of the 1903 Ford Model A. If you’d like to help, write to: 205 Depot St #1, Iola, WI 54945 or call 715-445-4652.

Angelo Van Bogart, Editor
avanbogart@aimmedia.com

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

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It all started for me in 1972 with the purchase of a 1954 Chevy Two-Ten four-door sedan for $325 in Staten Island, N.Y. A few weeks later, that was followed by the purchase of a 1953 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe Eight four-door sedan for $175. Then came a 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday sedan for the princely sum of $25. That car was quickly sold for $125, which seemed like a real “killing” 50 years ago.

An announcement for a car show in New Hope, Pa. — spotted in The Village Voice, of all places — was really my beginning of a long career in the old-car hobby. The next fall, a trip to the AACA Fall National Meet at Hershey, Pa., took that career a bit further. It was Hershey on Friday in the Chevy, and to Camp Hill, Pa., on Sunday for the first convention of the Pontiac-Oakland Club International (www.poci.com).

POCI founder Don Bougher was looking for a volunteer editor for his Smoke Signals publication (then a newsletter, and now a full-blown magazine). Everyone else took a step back, and that’s how I was picked as the new editor. The next summer, my family was transported to Wichita, Kan., for the second POCI Convention. Terry Boyce, editor of Old Cars at that time, was a Wichita native and went there to cover the convention.

That fall, I met up with Terry again at Hershey, where he was selling subscriptions to Old Cars. It seemed like he had a dream job that involved old cars, travel, writing and history.

“How did you get so lucky?” he was asked. “The answer to that question is just keep trying,” he said. “Become a member of the Society of Automotive Historians (www.autohistory.org) and keep trying.” So, that became my agenda between 1973 and 1978: to become an automotive writer.

By 1975, a few of my stories had been sent to Old Cars and actually published. A friend and co-worker named Mike Carbonella took the photos and I took care of the words. Sometimes the stories were donated, and sometimes Terry squeezed out a $12.50 payment for each. It wasn’t about the money, however — it was about having fun.

During the summer of 1978, I planned a road trip to the Iola Old Car Show (now called the Iola Car Show, or IOLA), where Old Cars was published, but it never happened. After looking at the 1,100-mile trip on a map (no Mapquest back then), a visit to car shows in Macungie and York, Pa., seemed to make a lot more sense. No one knew at the time that a household move to the tiny village of Iola was in the cards for me and my family. Working at Old Cars also included working at the Iola Old Car Show, and my first show was in 1979.

The car show had been started in 1972 by Old Cars publisher Chester L. Krause, the founder of Krause Publications, and members of the Iola Lions Club. In 1973, the show became a part of the Iola Lions Club’s annual chicken dinner. By 1979, the show’s theme celebrated Wisconsin-built vehicles, and it was exciting to stand by the gate as many Nash, AMC, Kissel and Excalibur cars showed up, as did a couple of FWD, Oshkosh, Sterling and Oneida trucks. At that time, the staff of Old Cars Weekly (it became a weekly in 1978) did a lot of the car show legwork.

Around 1980, Tex Smith came to work at Old Cars Weekly. Tex had been a boyhood hero of mine after checking out his book “How to Fix Up Old Cars” from the library many times during the 1960s. He had worked for Hot Rod and Motor Trend out of California starting in the late 1950s and through the mid 1960s. He was quickly named publisher of Old Cars Weekly and had some big ideas about growing the publication and the Iola Old Car Show.

At that time, the show was getting big. According to Tex’s book, “Inside Hot Rodding: The Tex Smith Autobiography” (Graffiti Publications, 2015), the show had “something like 1,500 show car spaces, a large number of vendors and around 3,000 swap spaces” and around 60,000 spectators in 1980. It also took up a lot less real estate than it does today, so people on the showgrounds were, literally, bumper to bumper.

Somewhere in this time frame, there was a year when the crowd grew larger than the Iola community of 1,200 people could safely handle. Traffic became backed up for miles, and spectator cars were parking in the ditches alongside the road. Many had to be towed out at the end of the show. Following that experience, someone decided to make some logical changes. A 100-ft. forest ranger tower was obtained and erected on the grounds. It was also decided to end the practice of stopping cars at parking lot entrances to collect money. Instead, the admission fees were raised to include the former parking lot fees and entry was quicker.

Krause Publications Vice-President Clifford Mishler was making many of the decisions to improve the Iola Old Car Show, and it kept growing under his management. Proceeds from the show were used to support local charities and community organizations that worked at the show. At some point, the state tax agents noticed the money that the show was generating and thought it was going to the publishing company. To clarify that this wasn’t the case, the car show was set up as a separate entity called Iola Car Show, Inc., with its own staff and office. That took a lot of the planning responsibilities off the Old Cars Weekly staff.

Even though the Old Cars Weekly staff had less to do with planning IOLA over the years, we had a few suggestions that we passed on to the car show staff. One was to make the Wisconsin Chapter of the Society of Automotive Historians responsible for selecting the annual theme and finding vehicles to fill it. Another was to send a car show staff member to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas each year to line up celebrity guests for IOLA. Today, there are usually a dozen or more TV personalities, celebrities, writers, artists and well-known racers signing autographs at IOLA.

One thing that hasn’t yet been achieved is a visit from comedian and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who is a well-known car collector and expert. He was invited to Iola in the late 1990s while still working on the “Tonight Show.” Jay said his schedule was “too tight” then, but he’d try to come sometime in the future. Maybe that day will come soon. We know the 120,000 Iola spectators that currently attend each year would love a visit.

Learn more about the Iola Car Show at https://www.iolaoldcarshow.com/

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

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The post One man’s road to Iola appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Back in 1971, Chet Krause of Iola, Wis., wished to diversify his publishing company after a downturn in the coin-collecting hobby jeopardized his coin-publishing business and the livelihood of himself and his employees. Since he enjoyed old cars (he collected Model T Fords), Chet decided Krause Publications needed a car magazine. With that, he founded Old Cars, the first successful newspaper dedicated to the car-collecting hobby. After hiring Dave Brownell as editor, he set to work creating the publication. A pilot issue with humorous “faux” classified ads was created to get attention, then an official first issue (complete with legitimate ads) was published for October 1971. To give his new publication traction, Krause handed issues out to people walking between fields at the AACA Fall Hershey meet in Hershey, Pa. He also bought Spoke Wheels and incorporated its mailing list into that of Old Cars.

The first newspaper-size issues of Old Cars were published on a monthly basis, then it moved to a twice-monthly schedule in 1973. In 1978, Old Cars became Old Cars Weekly to reflect its new frequency with the Feb. 21 issue. It was religiously published on a weekly schedule until 2012, when it began a publishing schedule of 48 times per year. By 2015, Old Cars Weekly was being published 39 times a year and when it returned to a twice-monthly schedule in 2020, the name was changed back to Old Cars, as the publication had been originally named. From 1971 to this issue, an estimated 2,290 issues of Old Cars/Old Cars Weekly have been published.

Over those 2,290 issues, Old Cars has undergone several size changes. The first change occurred with the Oct. 3, 1991, issue, when the publication went from its original 11 x 17-in. size to 11 x 15-in. For 1994, the size changed to 14 x 11 in., and that was short-lived, because by the Nov. 9, 1995, issue, the size had changed again, this time to a 11 x 12-in. tabloid.

In the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, times had changed, and Old Cars had to change with it. Due to the threat of anthrax being sent through the mail, the United States Postal Service designed new machines with “scrubbers” that could not automatically process a tabloid publication. Old Cars changed to a magazine size to avoid having to be hand-sorted, a very expensive process which would have raised the subscription price of a weekly publication to more than $100. So, with the April 15, 2010, issue, Old Cars became an 10-3/4 x 8-in. magazine. Glossy pages have finally become part of the package, but Old Cars remains in this magazine format.

Through the changing world, the changing hobby, the changing size of Old Cars and its changing staff, a surprisingly large number of readers have remained loyal subscribers for 50 years. That devotion is especially impressive when one factors in the adverse affects of the internet upon print publications. Many beloved automotive publications have vanished in the 20th Century, but thanks to Old Cars’ many steadfast readers, the publication remains strong 50 years later.

The Old Cars staff wishes to thank all of its readers, regardless of the length of their readership, but especially those who have been with Old Cars through all of its changes over 50 years. The following are letters from every charter subscriber and very early subscriber who contacted us to share the longevity of their readership. These letters represent just a sampling of the many fellow hobbyists that the Old Cars staff has the privilege of serving with each issue.

CHARTER SUBSCRIBERS:

I don’t know when I first subscribed, but I have several stacks of Old Cars over waist high. I looked through a few of them and the oldest one I saw is dated June 1972 — almost 50 years. The price was 50 cents per copy, or $4 per year.

I have always enjoyed the articles and “Otto Mechanic.”

I have been selling NOS mechanical parts since 1957 and have gone to your advertisers in the “wanted” columns. I am 90 years old and still selling.

Keep up the good work.

Lester J. Harris, Minden, Nev.

I knew Chet Krause before he started Old Cars newspaper. I have been a lifetime subscriber and have attended all Iola car shows. I remember and knew many of the first Old Cars staffers: Bob Lichty, Kenny Buttolph, Terry Boyce up to Angelo Van Bogart.

I’m 82 years old and still a reader.

Thank you, Old Cars, for all the stories and information through the years.

Gary Nehring, Appleton, Wis.

I am an old fan of Old Cars, right from the beginning. I had just returned from Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Navy and once discharged, started working for a commercial printer. One of the pressman was a car nut, like me. He owned a beautiful 1958 Impala. He gave copies of Old Cars (it was tabloid-size and came out every week). I loved getting it and decided to get my own subscription. The rest is history. Been with Old Cars all this time. It was in 1970.

I gave my copies to a friend of mine for awhile. Now he has his own subscription.

Helmut Boehl, Tucson Ariz.

I have been a non-stop subscriber since 1971, and have seen many changes over the years (all good).

Keep up the good work. I always look forward to the next issue of Old Cars.

David Vollenweider, San Jose, Calif.

I’m one of those original subscribers to Old Cars from 1971. As I remember, I received in the mail an offer to subscribe, in answer to which I subscribed. At the time, I had two 1927 Ford Model Ts (a Tudor and a coupe) in various states of restoration. I’ve learned an awful lot from Old Cars over the 50 years, and have enjoyed every issue. Presently, I have a 1947 Studebaker Champion Regal Deluxe four-door. The body has been restored and repainted, but the inside is original. Keep up the good work.  

Don Ryman, Buchanan, Mich.

I have been an Old Cars subscriber for nearly the entire run of the publication. In 1973, when I was a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I was working part time at the post office. Copies of Old Cars newspaper were coming through the sort area for distribution. The top copy of all periodical bundles at that time had a generic sort label indicating the zip code location for delivery of the whole stack. That copy (and the same with other magazines) would end up in the break room for employees to read. I asked if I could have the Old Cars copy. Permission was granted and I took it home, read it and subscribed. I have subscribed and read Old Cars for nearly 50 years. I have owned many collectible cars over those years… and still have the first car that I bought while in high school in 1968: a 1949 Studebaker Champion four-door. Keep up the great work and fine publication for the next 50 years!  

Kirk VanGundy, Adel, Iowa

I was at the very first Iola car show as a guest of Chet Krause, and he bought us a pork chop dinner (I do not think they had chicken at the first two shows). I have been to every show until two years ago, and a subscriber of Old Cars from the very first one (the pilot issue), which had a lot of substituted fake ads with no address or phone numbers.

Cletus Vanerem, via email

I want to include myself as an early 1971 subscriber to Old Cars, at which time I lived in Chicago. I continued to subscribe for most of the rest of my life while I lived in Algonquin, Ill., and then Mesa, Ariz.

I am also the guy who teamed up with John Gunnell and Frank Malatesta of Horseless Carriage Carriers in 1990 to publish Krause Publications’ very first orange-covered wreck photo book titled “Antique Car Wrecks.”

Randy Fleischhauer, Mesa, Ariz.

I was at the 1971 AACA Fall Hershey meet and picked up the free initial copy of Old Cars. I remember lots of red ink on the front sheet.

 My Hershey goal in ’71 was to find a 1937 Chevrolet, which I did, and still have. 1937 was the oldest-looking style of Chevrolet with a modern running gear. I wanted running boards, free-standing headlamps and vertical grille, as well as safety glass, hydraulic brakes and a well-engineered engine.  A Chevy from 1937 was the only year that fit my specs.

 Working on the Chevy was more satisfying than my day job, so I eventually quit that to open my restoration shop. I’ve met some wonderful people, as well as a few with unrealistic expectations. The past 50 years has been a wonderful ride.

Bob Adler, Adler’s Antique Autos, Inc., Stephentown N.Y.

I think I subscribed, by mail, to the first Old Cars issue. If I recall rightly, there was a special offer by mail, which I accepted. At the time, I had two 1927 Model T Fords that I was doing amateur restorations on.

Don Ryman, Buchanan, Mich.

I am not a charter subscriber to Old Cars, but I am an early subscriber. In January 1972, I was in the U.S. Army stationed in Hawaii. I was reading an auto-related magazine when I saw a small ad soliciting subscriptions to Old Cars. I have always enjoyed learning about old cars and reading history, so I immediately sent in my request. I received my first issue in late January or early February, 1972. I have been a continuous subscriber ever since. 

I served in the Army until 1986 and Old Cars was mailed to me wherever I was stationed in the United States or overseas. Hometown newspapers and publications such as Old Cars were considered “boat mail,” and were sent overseas by boat instead of air. During my overseas tours in Germany and Korea, I would go several weeks without receiving an issue, and then receive about six or eight issues at a time.

When I began subscribing to Old Cars, it was a monthly publication in a newspaper format. It has gone through several changes in appearance and frequency of publication over the years, but I have always enjoyed receiving it. I remember with great fondness some of the early regular columns. Henry Austin Clark, Jr. had an unsurpassed knowledge of early automobiles. His column, “Young Nuts and Old Bolts,” was full of history and stories about early automobiles, and the people associated with them. I thought Rolland Jerry’s articles about old trucks were especially interesting. I didn’t know much about the history of trucks, and his articles were always well written, well illustrated and very informative. Perhaps “The Old Filling Station,” by Bob Horvorka, was my favorite column. The articles were full of tips and written in a homey, comfortably nostalgic way, especially those that told a story involving Mr. Miller. I always looked forward to reading that column, and missed it when it was gone.  

There have been a lot of changes in Old Cars over the past 50 years. Cars that sold new in 1971, and even much later, are now considered collectible “antiques.” Old Cars has kept pace with the changes and is still one of the best old car publications out there. I hope Old Cars continues to be a source of information about old cars and a voice for the old car hobby for at least another 50 years.  

Ron Seekins, Oregon, Wis.

I am writing to add my name to the list of charter subscribers to Old Cars.  I don’t remember if I had attended that 1971 Fall Hershey meet, but I probably did.  I don’t know how else I would have known about the publication.

I kept every issue of Old Cars for years, but the collection got so large, I did weed out the majority of issues. I do have the first edition and many milestone editions though the years. Examples are the last of the full-size tabloid editions, and the first of the smaller format. 

Thank you for so many years of interesting reading about old cars. Keep up the good work.

Don Warnaar, Garfield, N.J.

I signed up to Old Cars either at Hershey in 1971, or when Chet Krause sent out his first promo mailing. For many years, I had all the issues from Vol. 1, No. 1, but they have been lost over time. I still have the six “Best of Old Cars” anthologies you published some years ago. 

Bob Joynt, via email

Congratulations on the upcoming 50th year for Old Cars! Quite an accomplishment! I’ve been a subscriber since the beginning, and still have Vol. 1, No. 1. I look forward to each issue.

Dave Sinclair, Edsel Owners Club cofounder and past national president

Please add me to the list of original subscribers. I subscribed to Old Cars as soon as it was offered in 1971. Since then, it has followed me from Wisconsin, to Southern California, and now into retirement in Oregon. It’s better than ever.

Thanks for the memories.

Denny Napier, Roseburg, Ore.

I saw the editor’s request for names of original Old Cars subscribers. I was there, at Fall Hershey, for the first one and every year since.

Steve Newell, Lexington, Mass.

I received my free sample copy of Old Cars at the Antique Car Parts Shop in Woodinville, Wash. I subscribed immediately and have never broken my subscription. For some reason I still call it “Old Cars Weekly.”

Congratulations at 50!

Richard B. Smith, Hessel, Mich.

I’m not quite an “early” (1971) subscriber, but I have been a continuous subscriber to Old Cars since July/August of 1978, when the publication schedule was “every other week” (or, like it is now, twice monthly).

Ed Thompson, Greenfield, Wis.

Just want to add my name to the list of early subscribers to Old Cars magazine.

Dave Hoptak, Orwigsburg, Pa.

I have been a subscriber to Old Cars for a long time. I don’t remember the exact date I started my subscription, but I can narrow it down to approximately 1976-1978. I was grocery shopping one evening and stopped by the magazine section to “treat” myself to a car magazine (I’ve loved cars since I was a little kid in the 1950s). I saw an ad in the back of the magazine to subscribe to Old Cars. I mailed in my subscription, and have greatly enjoyed the magazine ever since. I certainly remember when, for years, Old Cars was in the “tabloid” format. 

My parents lived close to me, and I would often spend Sunday afternoons at their house; I’d always take my issue of Old Cars for my dad, who really enjoyed reading it. 

For 25 years, I was a paralegal (attorneys’ assistant) in an office of the Civil Division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice in downtown Washington, D.C.; I remember chatting with one of the young attorneys one morning, and he mentioned that his dad’s birthday was coming up and he’d like to give him a car-related gift since his dad had an old car. I asked the young attorney, Mark, if his dad subscribed to Old Cars; he didn’t think his Dad did, so the next day, I gave Mark my current issue of Old Cars. I suggested Mark give his dad this issue of Old Cars, and to send in the subscription form for a year’s subscription for his dad. Mark later told me that his dad who, up to that time, had not been familiar with Old Cars, really, really enjoyed his son giving him a subscription to Old Cars.

I remember the column “Somewhere West of Laramie” that used to appear in Old Cars. I have always marveled at the talent of automotive artist Ken Eberts, and every year, I order, from the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pa., Christmas cards with pictures of old cars on the front painted by Ken Eberts. I always receive wonderful comments on these holiday cards.

So, keep up the good work! Like all Old Cars subscribers, I am looking forward to the 50th Anniversary issue.

Larry Lange, Adamstown, Md.

I have been a subscriber to Old Cars Weekly (it will always be Old Cars Weekly to me) since the beginning. I have saved all of my magazines — quite a collection!

I am into Model A Fords, and have copied articles pertaining to the Model A and filed them for quick reference.

Keep up the fine work.

James “Jim” McPherson, via email

I have been reading Old Cars for a long, long time. I remember when the magazine was twice the size it is today.  I am 82 years young and always look forward to getting my Old Cars in the mail. I used to save them all, but about a year ago, started giving them away to friends to let them know how interesting the magazine was. I would like to see how much the cars were going for when the magazine started! 

Thank you for a wonderful magazine.

Russell Shaw, via email

I don’t remember the year I first subscribed to Old Cars, but it was published monthly at the time.

Kenneth F. Morrison, Eagan, Minn.

I have been a 50-Year subscriber to Old Cars. That year, I bought a 1971 Ford F100 with the Ranger package. I bought it new for $2,887 and went on a cross-country trip with it. Within five months, it had 10,000 miles on it. It was a daily summer driver until 1990. It currently has 158,000 miles on it.

David R. Schryver, Alex Bay, N.Y.

A friend, whose a daily driver at the time was a 1962 Chrysler Newport two-door hardtop, introduced me to Old Cars around April 1972. I subscribed about June 1972 and have been a subscriber since. At the time, I owned a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Town Sedan as a daily driver. Old Cars is the very best! Keep up the great work — I always look forward to the next issue.

Myron M. Kuchera, Marcy, N.Y.

I believe I am an original subscriber to Old Cars. I still have the sample issue from 1971, and a pretty substantial collection of them over 50 years. There sure have been some very interesting articles lately.

Jim Davis, via email

I first was offered the first issue of Old Cars by Krause Publications, the original publisher of Old Cars. I subscribed immediately and still have every issue for those 50 years. I will be 85 years old at the end of this month, and I have been an automobile literature and magazine collector since I was about nine years old. That is when I learned to drive in a 1940 De Soto. Luckily, I was a tall kid and could reach the clutch and see out the windshield with the help of a pillow. I put on a lot of miles before I was old enough to get a license.

In 1971, I was driving a Datsun 240Z with Michelin XAS tires and dual exhaust. I have never owned a car with an automatic transmission and am presently driving a 2017 Volkswagen Golf Sportswagen AWD six-speed.

It is a shame that so many of the automobile magazines have been driven to the internet, as that is a poor substitute for a well-designed magazine. However, the auto manufacturers’ websites offer a wealth of information, and usually offer downloadable brochures, which I add to my collection.

I hope Old Cars will last as long as I do.

Keep up the good work! I look forward to the 50th Anniversary issue.

Frederick W. “Ted” Mansfield, via email

I have all of the Old Cars publications back to 1971, except the issues that the post office lost. They are all packed away in my shop with my three old cars: a 1953 Chevy, a 1966 Corvair and a 1967 El Camino.

Wallace E. Markham, La Pine, Ore.

I have been subscribing to Old Cars since its beginning. At that time, it was a large newspaper. My old car friend, Herb Hansen, and myself would always share stories and prices in Old Cars —it’s a great paper to look forward to as it is today. Great stories. Thanks to all.

Coy Thomas, Port Angeles, Wash.

I was a subscriber to Cars & Parts as well as Spoke Wheels, which was a predecessor to Old Cars, so I guess that makes me a 50-year subscriber. I have enjoyed the magazine for that long and still do. Great publication!

Glenn O. Petersen, Wardell, Mo.

I am 87 years old and have been interested in antique cars, and looking for them, since I was a 68-lb. boy and had lost my father when I was very young. I was one of the first persons around here to look for and collect antique cars. My first was a 1913 Overland touring that was such a nice old car with its original paint and upholstery that I bought for $60 when I was only in seventh grade. At that time, the only publication that advertised antique cars was Motor Trend. Then E.R. (Ernest) Hemmings started a mimeograph paper in 1954 out of Irving, Ill., 75 miles east of my hometown. For years, Ernest Hemmings’ dad sold Model T Ford parts and I used to call him and also advertise in Hemmings. Ernest Hemmings came to know me; I was just a young kid, and he was, too.

Then, several years later, Spoke Wheels came out with a publication each month, or bimonthly. Then a few years later, in 1971, we subscribers were notified that they were selling Spoke Wheels to a man named Chet Krause, who had an old coin magazine and had just started the new publication Old Cars. Chet was also interested in antique cars and old military vehicles.

I have subscribed to Old Cars for as long as it has existed.

Name and address withheld*

*This letter provided great background information and context, so we included it with the wish to remain anonymous by its author.

In regard to the editor’s request for charter subscribers, at the 1971 Fall Hershey meet, my brother and I did, indeed, receive that first complimentary issue. In addition to still having that issue, I am proud to say that I have a copy of every Old Cars/Old Cars Weekly issued since day one!

Do you know anyone else who has saved all of the issues? How many issues have been printed?

John Sutorik, Frankenmuth, Mich.

I have been a subscriber since Old Cars’ first issue. At that time, I had a subscription to Spoke Wheels. As I recall, Chet Krause of Krause Publications bought Spoke Wheels, which included its list of subscribers. Based on that, the remaining issues of my subscription to Spoke Wheels were converted to Old Cars, and I received the first issue in lieu of Spoke Wheels, which then ceased publication.

As an aside, my uncle was Don Knutson, who owned property adjacent to the property Old Cars was published upon, and I could conveniently attend your annual car shows while staying at his home (I lived in Illinois). I recall Krause Publications purchased this property after my uncle passed away, as it was perfect for expanding the car show grounds.

Additionally, I purchased my 1939 LaSalle convertible coupe through an advertisement in Old Cars in 1983 or 1984, and I still have this car.

Ronald Stigler, Lago Vista, Texas

I went into my basement storage to check out my old copies of Old Cars. My subscription started in October 1971.

Karl Sickles, Crown Point, Ind.

Other readers who contacted us to mention they were charter subscribers:

Gary Menkin

Arthur E.Z. R/T Sedmont 

If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.

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The post Cheers to 50 years: Celebrating Old Cars’ long-haul readers appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Since founder Chet Krause handed out the first issues at the AACA’s 1971 Fall Hershey meet, Old Cars has been covering the collector car and truck hobby across the United States. From auction coverage to connecting buyers and sellers to providing the latest news, Old Cars has been a one-stop shop for die-hard gearheads looking for information and entertainment.

That tradition of old car and truck fun and facts continues at Old Cars’ 50^th anniversary in 2021. Celebrate throughout the year with us in the twice-monthly print publication, the Old Cars website at www.oldcarsweekly.com, the weekly e-newsletter and on social media! Look for 50th Anniversary content throughout the year.

Thank you to all of our devoted readers. Here’s to another 50 years!

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If you have been around classic cars it is a sure bet you have heard those in the know refer to cars in 1-6 condition. What are they talking about?

The often-copied 1-6 rating scale was the brainchild of Old Cars founder Chet Krause back in the 1970s. As vehicles began to age, their conditions varied widely, and without creating benchmark standards the values of the cars were, to put it kindly, quite arbitrary. Chet devised a ranking system based on certain conditional criteria. This ranking scale has become the definitive standard across the collector car hobby.

In fact, our Old Cars Price Guide Big Book and online Price Guide membership utilizes this 1-6 scale in order to give accurate valuation reports on collector cars based off of numerous collector-car auctions, verified reports of private sales and input from esteemed collector car experts.

Here is a handy explanation of the 1-6 scale and how it applies to collector cars.

1) EXCELLENT: Restored to current maximum professional standards of quality in every area, or perfect original with components operating and appearing as new. A 95-plus point show car that is not driven.

In national show judging, a vehicle in number 1 condition is likely to win top honors in its class. In a sense, it has ceased to be an automobile and has become an object of art. It is transported to shows in an enclosed trailer, and, when not being shown, is stored in a climate-controlled facility. It is not driven. There are few number 1 vehicles.

2) FINE: Well-restored, or a combination of superior restoration and excellent original. Also, an extremely well-maintained original showing minimal wear.

Except for the closest inspection, a number 2 vehicle may appear as a number 1. The number 2 vehicle will take the top award in many judged shows, except when competing against a number 1 example in its own class. It may also be driven 800-1,000 miles each year to shows, on tours or simply for pleasure.

3) VERY GOOD: Completely operable original or “older restoration” showing wear. Also, a good amateur restoration, all presentable and serviceable inside and out. Plus, combinations of well-done restoration and good operable components; or a partially restored car with all parts necessary to complete it and/or valuable new old stock (NOS) parts.

This is a “20 footer.” That is, from 20 feet away it may appear perfect. But as we approach it, we begin to notice that the paint may be getting thin in spots from frequent washing and polishing. Looking inside, we might detect wear on the driver’s seat, foot pedals and carpeting. The chrome trim, while still quite presentable, may have lost its sharp, mirror-like reflective quality it had when new. All systems and equipment on the car are in good operating order. In general, most of the vehicles seen at car shows are in number 3 condition.

4) GOOD: A drivable vehicle needing no, or only minor work to be functional. Also, a deteriorated restoration or a poor amateur restoration. All components may need restoration to be “excellent,” but the vehicle is mostly usable “as is.”

This is a driver. It may be in the process of restoration or its owner may have big plans, but even from 20 feet away, there is no doubt that it needs a lot of help.

5) RESTORABLE: Needs complete restoration of body, chassis and interior. May or may not be running, but isn’t weathered, wrecked and/or stripped to the point of being useful only for parts.

This car needs everything. It may not be operable, but it is essentially all there and has only minor surface rust, if any rust at all. While presenting a real challenge to the restorer, it won’t have him doing a lot of chasing for missing parts.

6) PARTS CAR: May or may not be running, but is weathered, wrecked and/or stripped to the point of being useful primarily for parts.

This is an incomplete or greatly deteriorated, perhaps rusty vehicle that has value only as a parts donor for other restoration projects.

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Old Cars Weekly has been published from several offices in the small hamlet of Iola, Wis., in its 47 years. Now, nearly five decades after it was started in 1971 by Chet Krause, founder of Krause Publications, Old Cars Weekly’s staff has moved slightly westward to a new zip code. Part of the change involved a greater purpose for Old Cars Weekly’s old office building.

On June 15, Old Cars Weekly’s parent company, F+W Media, completed the donation of the publication’s former office building and surrounding property to the non-profit Iola Car Show. Krause Publications was purchased by F+W Media in 2002.

I’m excited to say the donation of the F+W Media building to the Iola Car Show guarantees the car show will have full control over all areas upon which the popular annual event is held, thus strengthening it for the future.

Although the Iola Car Show now owns the property once occupied by F+W Media and its publications, Old Cars Weekly will remain a key sponsor and active in supporting the event.

The history and the relationship between Old Cars Weekly and the Iola Car Show is strongly intertwined, and the Old Cars Weekly staff is looking forward to continuing to partner with the Iola Car Show staff in the production of a successful event each July to benefit the hobby and the community.

It all started when Chet Krause — an Iola Lions Club member — in an effort to help his fledgling automotive publication grow, asked the Lions Club to add a car show to its annual pork and chicken dinner, held each July. Soon thereafter, a swap meet was added, the cars overtook the chicken and the Iola Old Car Show was born.

Until it could financially sustain itself and fund an independent staff dedicated to its operation, the Car Show was supported by Krause Publications. The staff of Old Cars Weekly and other Krause Publication magazines organized the automotive aspect of the show in support of the Lions Club and other Iola community groups, which continue to sell chicken during the show.

By 1985, the Iola Old Car Show was clearly a hit and profitable enough to fuel its own success. At that point, an independent staff was formed for show and Krause handed over all operations to Iola and surrounding community organizations. Meanwhile, the staff of Old Cars Weekly and F+W Media have continued to support the car show — now known as the Iola Car Show — by hosting part of the event on our grounds as well as producing the car show directory and poster. Together, the Iola Car Show and Old Cars Weekly also coordinate the Wine & Cheese Party (now the Cars & Coffee Reception). This collaboration will continue, regardless of Old Cars Weekly’s address, because the success of the show is a success for our hobby.

Although Old Cars Weekly no longer calls the car show grounds home, I look forward to seeing you there every July. We’ll be back in the Tower, ready to help you renew your subscription for another year.

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Just 12 days before the start of the 44th annual Iola Car Show, the town of Iola, Wis., began to mourn the passing of the event’s founder and its most famous citizen, Chester “Chet” Krause.

Along with cofounder Cliff Mishler, Krause began the Iola Car Show in 1972 when he added automobiles to the Iola Lions Club Chicken Roast fundraiser in July. The addition was also intended to help promote his new publication, Old Cars. It soon became clear that chicken dinners and old cars went together and the event mushroomed into one of the world’s largest hobby events. Today, the Iola Car Show is a non-profit event that benefits not one person, but 125 organizations in central Wisconsin.

Although Krause had recently passed, the show must go on, and on it went from July 7-9. Stormy weather predictions didn’t frighten away participants, and although attendance was down on the gloomy and rainy opening day, the sun came out and so did the crowds for the remainder of the weekend.

“I think Chet brought the sun out for us,” said Larry Fechter, Managing Director of the Iola Car Show.

The final attendance number was 121,000 spectators, which equaled last year’s total.

“The big story is that more people chose to come enjoy the show for all three days,” said Iola Car Show staffer Julie Seering. “In addition, Saturday’s attendance was significantly higher. Across the board, show cars, swap meet spaces, car corral spaces and campground totals are similar to the total number of participants in 2015 ….”

As one of the world’s largest collector car events, Iola is all about the numbers, and this year did not disappoint the staff. Preliminary numbers show there were about 1,900 show cars with 600 car corral spaces and more than 4,100 swap meet spaces sold. A total of 1,200 campground spaces were rented for the weekend.

Some of the new campers were there for a new feature to the Iola Car Show: Friday and Saturday night concerts. This year, the show welcomed Journey cover band “Resurrection” and Eagles cover band “On the Border” on Friday and original Beach Boy David Marks with the Surf City All Stars and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone. The bands played to listeners at the edge of Iola’s famous swap meet.

“I know (the concert promoter) wants to return for next year, so we will go through and evaluate everything from acts to pricing to venue,” Opperman said. “The people who came got outstanding shows, so those who went went away with nothing less than being thrilled. An important part about that is that we proved that the venue was very viable for that sort of entertainment.”

Iola welcomed several celebrities to its giant swap meet and show field, as well.

“A lot of people were surprised to see Tyler Dale [of “American Restoration”], Jo Coddington [of “American Hot Rod”], Ryan Evans and Horny Mike [of “Counts Customs”]. I think people will come back expecting that next year, and that we are replicating that and growing.”

Regardless of whose name is in lights, the Iola Car Show is about the cars. This year, the theme vehicles were trucks and Dodge Chargers. More than 50 Chargers of all eras were in the special display and the other show fields. Trucks were also a hit across the grounds, from the theme to the postwar field to the Blue Ribbon Concours.

Next year, the Iola Car Show will feature the 50th anniversary of the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird and Pony Cars, the cars of Trans-Am racing.

Check out the following pictures for a taste of some of the action at IOLA ’16:

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IOLA, Wis.- Chester L. “Chet” Krause, the founder of Old Cars Weekly and an iconic figure in the old car community and many other hobby circles, died June 25 at age 92 of natural causes.

Krause built a hobby publishing empire, Krause Publications, that started in 1952 with his first installment of Numismatic News — a one-page bulletin for coin collectors. His company later grew to include publications for old cars, stamps, guns and outdoors, sports cards, comics and games and other hobby areas to make it the world’s largest hobby publisher.

Krause’s legacy also includes the Iola Car Show, which he began in 1972 with a small gathering of old cars at a fundraising pig roast put on the by Iola Lions Club in central Wisconsin. The event blossomed into one of the largest collector car gatherings in the world and this July will again welcome more than 125,000 people and almost 2,500 collector cars to the small community of Iola.

Beyond his business accomplishments and enduring contributions to many different hobby areas, Krause will be remembered for his many years of community involvement and philanthropy, which included funding and support for countless civic and charity groups, medical research facilities, hospitals, assisted living housing and athletic organizations.

The affable and popular Krause built a multi-million-dollar publishing empire and was known globally in many hobby areas, but to locals in his hometown of Iola, he was just “Chet” — a local farm kid who made it big but never left home.

Krause was born in 1923 and worked on the family farm. He graduated from high school in 1941 and was soon drafted into the U.S. Army where he worked as an auto mechanic with the 565th Anti–Aircraft Artillery Battalion, serving in Patton’s 3rd Army in Europe. After his military hitch was complete in 1946, Krause returned home and began working as a carpenter and home builder. His fortunes began to change drastically in 1952 after he decided to start a newsletter to network with other hobbyists in the numismatics hobby.In 1971, he started Old Cars Weekly with a similar plan of connecting car enthusiasts. A year later, the Iola Car Show began. Over the years, the event has raised millions of dollars for the charities and civic groups that help staff the show, which has become a staple on the summer old car calendar for auto enthusiasts around the world.

“I think he liked the idea of the car show growing and he picked up on the idea right away and grew it more every year,” recalled John Gunnell, a former publisher of Old Cars Weekly who was hired by Krause in 1978. “And what he did for the old car hobby was he started the focus on the auctions and on the car values, which now everybody has picked up on. He created the 1 through 6 grading condition scale, based on the coins stuff he was doing before the car stuff. Now every magazine you pick up has auction prices and values, but nobody had it back when Chet started.”

Beyond his business acumen, Krause was successful because he was a people person with a drive to succeed, but also enable and motivate those who worked for him.

“He was always good to work for. I did some goofy things back when I started, traveling around and representing the company, and he understood,” Gunnell added. “He was very easy to work with because he trusted you, that was what it came down to.”

Krause had his own fabulous car collection, which eventually numbered more than 100 vehicles, many of which made annual appearances at the Iola Car Show. “I think his favorite was the Model T because he used to drive Model T’s with his father when he was young,” Gunnell said. “He knew more about Model T’s than other cars.”

Krause earned the Meguiar’s Award for his contributions to the old car hobby and was a lifetime member of the American Numismatic Association and a member of its Hall of Fame. As large of a figure as he was in the collector car world, he was perhaps even more revered in the numismatics community.

“I was hired in 1978, and of course I called him Mr. Krause,” joked longtime Numismatic News editor Dave Harper. “He didn’t like that and immediately corrected me. For him he wasn’t Mr. Krause, he was always Chet, and that’s what I’ve called him ever since. Chet had, in my experience, a unique ability with people. He would somehow convey a message that only you could do the job that had just been assigned to you and it made you feel both proud and wanting to do the best you could.

“He started (Numismatic News) at his dining room table. He wanted to be active as a coin collector … and he believed there were many others just like him and it was through Numismatic News that he reached out to them. And he was right. There were others and they reacted very positively. The numismatic business became the template for every other business he entered.”

Among those spin-offs were a pair of military hobby magazines purchased by his company: Military Trader and Military Vehicles. Ever the collector himself, Krause assembled one of the most impressive fleets of military vehicles in the country. “He got into military vehicles when he decided to host a reunion for his World War II group and he started collecting a few vehicles for the reunion,” recalled Military Vehicles magazine editor John Adams-Graf. “I think he probably had about 110 military vehicles. He originally concentrated on just soft skin vehicles — trucks and jeeps — the kind of things he worked on in World War II. Eventually he wanted a Sherman Tank, and he bought one because he had the ability to do it. By the end he had three armored tanks … After he sold the primary collection the bug wasn’t gone and he decided he wanted to have one example of every military jeep that was produced up through the HUMVEE, and so he put together a collection of jeeps. He had rare prototypes … he had a great collection. He probably had 70 vehicles in that second collection.”

Krause retired from the publishing business in 1986 at 63, converting the company to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The company was later sold to an investment capital group and is now known as F+W.

In his retirement years Chet stayed busy with his many civic and charity efforts, as well as numismatics.

Adams-Graf said that Krause was such a respected and popular figure in his hometown that local police didn’t even mind when he chewed up the streets a little bit now and then with his toys. “Once a year, or so, he’d call me up and say, ‘Go get the tank — I want to go to breakfast,” laughed Adams-Graf. “So we’d go roll the tank out and go pick him up and idle down to the Crystal Café and park the Sherman and have breakfast on Chet … There was one time that we must have run over the curb when Chet wasn’t along with us. We damaged the curb, but Chet told the city, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it!’

“He was passionate about his hobbies.”

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