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Dear AACA Member:
Welcome to SPEEDSTER!
As the heat of the summer settles in, there are many more long
drives and beautiful sunsets on the horizon. We also thought it
was time for an 'end of the summer makeover and would'
like to introduce the new SPEEDSTER
newsletter, we hope you all enjoy the new changes and find it easy
to navigate around!
Looking ahead there is much excitement on the way, with
the Glidden Tour, in the breath taking Rocky Mountain
region, right around the corner and the Central Fall Meet
in Topeka, Kansas approaching fast, the coming months will
be full of life!
Remember to help expand our AACA family ... you can help
by bringing a friend to an upcoming event, open your
garage to curious neighbors and friends, take a young
"co-pilot" along on a tour, share a ride with potential
members, invite a fellow hobbyist to come along when you
visit the AACA Library to research your
latest restoration... the opportunities to enjoy our AACA
family friendly community are endless!
Visit the Calendar section below for further information
on upcoming events or call the Headquarters office
717-534-1910 for details.
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Show me what you got! 
Do you have a unique story or picture you
want to share with our readers, before and after restoration
project photos, a review from an event, a young auto enthusiast we
should showcase, a question or comment for
SPEEDSTER?
Let's see it!
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Centennial Reenactment of Alice Ramsey's Drive
By Sally Barnett
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The History
Who is Alice Ramsey?
Alice Ramsey's exploits are not well known, even among those who
love automotive history. Alice Ramsey was twenty-one years old in
1908 when she first fell in love with the automobile. In 1909,
the 22 year old made history as the first woman to drive across
the United States.
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The Journey begins...
The centennial reenactment of Alice Ramsey's drive from
New York to San Francisco was an incredible experience. I
am very happy that I had the opportunity to participate in
the drive and will always cherish the great memories. The
drive was in many ways more than just a cross-country tour
in Brass era vehicles. A team of people had to bond
together and support each other for nearly five weeks on
the road.
We started off with a cavalcade of vehicles and support
crew. Outside of the members of the Anderson family, most
of us had never met. The basic crew consisted of the
Andersons: Rich, father and car restorer; Margaret, Rich's
wife and Emily's mother; Emily, the driver and Bengt her
brother who led the documentary crew. And of course Kaisa,
Emily's 4 month old baby. Tim Simonsma and his wife
Barbara were mechanics, major supporters, and motor
home/trailer drivers. Christie Catagna, a long time
friend of Emily was the navigator. I was the "all other
duties as assigned" person and the storyteller. Cassie
Cerny was the other "gofer" in the beginning of the trip.
Ted and J.D. completed the documentary 
crew.
Then there was the "Spyker Gang", initially Stynus
Schotte and his cousin Jan. Stynus was driving a 1907
Spyker, which was made in the Netherlands. The car had
done the Peking to Paris Run twice and would have a
revolving crew for the journey. The first day we also
added Peter Ramsey, Alice's grandson, Andrew Ramsey, her
great-grandson and Isabel Ramsey, Peter's wife. We met for
the first time the night before we left and began the
process of becoming Team Alice. Rich gave out the blue
"team Alice" shirts and jackets from HCCA and AACA and
hats from HCCA.
After some TV and press interviews we were
loaded up and ready to go just after 9:00 AM. The Maxwell
and the 1907 Spyker led the way. The Spyker does not stop
very quickly so there was heart
 stopping
moments as we watched them change lanes to avoid ramming the
Maxwell. We did not stop for traffic lights and I was
grateful for the police car behind us that helped us through
intersections. There was a pickup truck hired by the
documentary crew to carry a cameraman and try to drive
alongside the Maxwell as it drove out of the city. The most
terrifying part of the trip to me was driving through New
York City with Isabel Ramsey in a modern car as we cut off
anyone who tried to get between us and the other support
vehicles. To add to the mayhem, a freelance reporter tried
to join in the convoy and narrowly escaped being run over by
Isabel. What a start to our incredible journey!
Continue
reading about
Sally's journey HERE! -->
Also stay tuned to future issues of
SPEEDSTER for more tales from the
Reenactment drive!
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How much do you know!?! 
Automotive Trivia
1. Name the ad that placed a well known car
forever in the All-American hall of Fame?
2. The die-cast grille is
another stylistic feature that was popular in the late 30s and
early 40s. What car inaugurated this styling advance?
3. What was the most important
automobile design to come out of World War II?
4. What year did the Chevrolet Impala debut?
5. Name this
fin..............
Update to the SPEEDSTER
July Trivia: Thanks to several of our readers, we were notified
that the answer to the first trivia question was slightly off
- the Kaiser Darrin was a 1954 car, the 1953 car that Howard
Darrin introduced was only a prototype.
Scroll down for the answers!
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Member Spotlight
Meet West Peterson!
By Ann Kulp
Volume 69, Number 1,
January-February 2005 ... a fresh chapter in AACA history, the
first Antique Automobile issue with West Peterson as our Editor
and Art/Production Director! Our magnificent magazine has
thrived under his editorship. Bringing innovative ideas,
knowledge, genuine love for the hobby, and a creative eye,
West continually strives to enrich Antique Automobile magazine
for you, our members.
____________________________________________________
Things you
didn't know about West..
In what car did you pass
your drivers license test? I don't even remember. Isn't
that terrible?! I think it was my brother's 1972 Toyota
Celica. However, I took the test twice, because I flunked the
first time. The first time I was in a 1975 VW Sirocco. The test
was given on a fake street rather than public roads and I got
confused. I turned the wrong way onto a one-way street barely
30 seconds into the test and was immediately told to go back to
the office and come back another day.
If you could live in any home on a television series, what would
it be? Addams Family
What car would you be?
Bugatti type
57SC
Where would you take your owner? Davos to Stelvio Pass
in the Italian Alps -
Go here
to check out the
video.
What is your favorite movie? Comedy: "My Cousin
Vinnie"
Serious: "Cool Hand Luke" and "Sliding Doors"
If you could attend an AACA meet or tour with any
celebrity alive today, who would it be? Neal Boortz
(radio talk-show host from Atlanta)
What was your favorite musical group when you were in high
school? Three Dog Night, Doors, Jethro Tull, Queen, The
Who
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Architect,
Car Designer, Race Car Driver
What is your favorite sound? "I love you, daddy",
"Dinner is ready", Silence (except when I'm driving through a
busy city and the car I'm driving has a tendency to vapor lock),
Jazz.
What do you think the greatest invention is in your lifetime?
Cell phone... 2nd greatest: Cell-phone jammer (I wish I had
one)
What is your motto in life?
 "It's
the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You
have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not
be in your lifetime, that there'll be any fruit. But that
doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know
what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there
will be no result."
- Gandhi
"Use what life gives you and make your own world out of it"
What is the longest you have ever waited in line and why?
Two-hour traffic jam in Monterey, leaving Concours Italiano
driving a Corvette Z06 with a manual gearbox. Other than that,
I will not purposely wait in line longer than 30 minutes for
anything, not even dinner or a good roller-coaster.
You would not be caught dead, where? Opera
What is the last thing you bought yourself, just for fun? Aside
from some small toy cars at Hershey, I guess it was my 1962
Porsche. When my wife said, "you have to buy it," well... I
just had to buy it.
What is your favorite spectator sport? I haven't
regularly watched sports (or racing, which I used to like when
one could identify the cars on the track) since I was a
teenager. I enjoy watching a championship game or series, but
do not follow any sport religiously. I decided a long time ago
that it wasted valuable time. I used to bet against my favorite
teams because either way I was happy at the end of the game.
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AACA Library & Research Center on Facebook
The AACA Library & Research Center is leading the way as the
Facebook craze is sweeping the nation. If you are not aware of
it, Facebook is a social networking website. It helps people keep
in touch and stay aware of news and events. It also allows us to
do things that our traditional webpage can not. By signing up to
Facebook you can become a "fan" of the AACA Library & Research
Center. As a fan you will get instant updates about the library.
Recent posts on our page included detail pictures of the library's
1940 Ford and 1906 Mitchell. Fans also got to participate in a
"name that car" thread that highlighted a few of the mystery
pictures the library gets each week. To visit our page, simply
click on the link below.
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Speedy's Notes
AACA Bookworms
Check out
Old Cars Bookstore if you
are looking for a specific book for old car restorations,
collectors, enthusiasts and all your automotive needs. Brought to
you by AACA, Krause Publications, publisher of Old Cars Weekly and
Old Cars Price Guide.
Pedalcarmania 2009!
As the annual pedal car auction is well on its way,
this year will certainly deliver an unusual and unique array of
pedal cars.
Take a look at this car from the award winning shop
of Eric and Vivian Lavine.
Prowler Giveaway!
 Don't
miss your opportunity to WIN this distinctive 2000 black Plymouth
Prowler, generously donated from the private collection of Richard
Ullman. Add this beauty to your collection!
No longer in production, never registered for the road, 3.5
Litre V6 High Output Engine with Auto Stick Transmission,
Air Conditioning, CD Player with 6 Disc Changer, Front Air
Bags, Keyless Entry, MSRP sticker price of $43,500!
Only $20.00 per CHANCE!
Drawing to take place on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at the
AACA Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Winner
need not be present! Proceeds benefit the entire AACA
Family. We need your help NOW,
PLEASE!
Expand the Family!
SPEEDSTER
Archives
Read and print newsletters, visit the
links provided in each section for more information, use the
articles in your region publications and updates, join our
mailing list, edit your profile, and please share issues
with family, friends and future AACA members.
SPEEDSTER Archives Here.
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Trivia Answers 
1. Name the ad that placed a well known car forever in the
All-American hall of Fame? "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie,
and Chevrolet."
2. The die-cast grille is another stylistic feature that was
popular in the late 30s and early 40s. What car inaugurated this
styling advance? 1934 Pontiac Cabriolet
3. What was the most important automobile design to come out of
World War II? The Universal Jeep. The standardized design,
after 1500 test vehicles were built by Ford, Willys and Bantam,
was the Ford Model GP ("General Purpose" derive "Jeep"), a
quarter-ton 4x4.
4. What year did the Chevrolet Impala debut? 1958
5. Name this fin 1956 Cadillac El Dorado "shark fin"
Source: Automotive Milestones.
Trivia of a Most Unique Machine, Edited by Clark Cassell and
Charles Merritt, Braddock Publications.
*Please note the Trivia section may not be 100% accurate and is
offered for entertainment purposes only.*
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Calendar Spotlight
August 23-28
- Revival AAAź Glidden Tour, Golden, Colorado
September 17-19 -
Central Fall Meet, Topeka, Kansas -Deadline -
August 24
October 7-10 -
Eastern Fall Meet, Hershey,
Pennsylvania. Car Corral
and Vehicle Registration has been extended to
August
21.
Call National Headquarters for car corral registration.
Register online for vehicle
registration or call National Headquarters.
(Palm Springs area)
For a complete listing of events please visit the
The
AACA Exhibitors Brochure and the
Owners Briefing Checklist offer a wealth of information.
Please take the time to read them over.
If your AACA Region or Chapter would like to sponsor a future
National Event, please contact Hulon C. McCraw, Vice President
of National Meets & Tours at 828-606-2918. Thank you for your
support!
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AACA on Facebook and Twitter
...one more way to stay connected to the AACA
family and spread the word!
Follow us, become a fan, or join the group!
Click below to find us
The twitter bug who opened the account
is not tweeting much but who knows what's ahead! Send us a Tweet!
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Contact
Information
Phone: 717-534-1910
Email:
speedster@aaca.org
About The Antique
Automobile Club of America (AACA)
The Antique Automobile Club of America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
corporation, is the country's premier resource for the collectible
vehicle community. Since its formation in 1935, the Club, through
its national office, publications, and membership, aids
individuals, museums, libraries, historians and collectors
dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of automotive
history.
For additional information on the AACA family, please
visit:
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www.aaca.org
www.aacamuseum.org
www.aacalibrary.org
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