Tioga Transmission
Officers
President
Bob
The Official Newsletter of Tioga Region Antique Automobile Club of America V O L U M E
Klingensmith Co Vice Presidents Howard Seymour Joe Vaglica Secretary Rich McConnell Treasurer Charlie Kuhlman
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Inside Story
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Inside Story
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Inside Story
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Inside Story
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Inside Story
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Inside Story
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Inside Story
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November Meeting In an effort to bring some variety into our meetings we will be meeting at a new location for our November meeting. November 18th we will meet for a dessert and coffee meeting at the Parkview Restaurant in Owego. Each member will order and pay for their choice of dessert and beverage at the be-
ginning of the meeting. The meeting will begin at our usual time of 7:00 PM, but you are free to arrive early and have supper from the extensive menu. Just remember that we plan to have our dessert during the meeting. As a continuation of the openness we began with the Octo-
ber meeting, we issue an invitation to Iroquois and Onaquaga Regions to attend this and all our future meetings. It is time for all car enthusiasts to come together in an effort to further the hobby. The future of our club depends on growth and cooperation between all car owners.
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TIOGA
Secretary’s Report
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Looking Back Remember the significance of the various car manufacturers in the fifties and even the sixties? One could tell the social level of the owner of a car by the make of the car. Ford, Chevy, and Plymouth were the positions of lower middle income families. Pontiac, Dodge, and Mercury filled in a little higher in the social register, and so on till you found Cadillac, Lincoln, and Imperial in the garage of well off businessmen. That was also a time when every car changed enough each year to tell you there was a new car on the road. Each car also had it’s own unique look so that there was no question what make you were seeing. There was no confusing a Buick with a DeSoto. Even when tailfins reached to the sky there was a distinct shape to them so
that they told what car they belonged to. True there were the orphan cars that fit into their own categories, but even those cars were owned by loyal persons who followed their brand year after year. The make might be dying but there were owners who insisted on buying a Studebaker as long as they were being manufactured. Few car owners thought to purchase a car that had been manufactured outside the United States and most of them who did owned a “regular car “ for their everyday driving. One has to wonder just what the collector car world will look like in 25 years. Can you see people getting excited over seeing a Honda or Kia that has been carefully returned to it’s for-
mer glory? The spectator of the future will have to look closely at the logo on the wheels to know the difference between a Toyota and a Nissan. The show field also will be resplendent in black, white, and grey. Gone will be the days of two and three toned cars. Chrome will be replaced with argent paint. Open the hood and look at the jumbled plumbing hidden under shrouds of plastic. The rumble of a huge V-8 will pass and we will hear the anemic hum and rattle of 4’s and 6’s. Yes the glory days of the automobile might have passed, but there will still be some wealthy enthusiast who will have saved an Escalade or Navigator because the thrill will still be there.
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Back Page Story Headline There comes a time in every endeavor when a block seems to prevent progress, this month I had a total block as to where to go for the last page of the newsletter. At last I turned to the AACA web and opened the guide for publications and the Rummage Box. The first three pages of this publication contained articles by Tom Cox, AACA President, Hulon C. McGraw,VP Class Judging, and Herb Oaks,VP Legislation. Tom wrote his nomination for “The Most Important Person in AACA”, Hulon wrote “What is a Member”, and Herb wrote “Action against Ethanol”. Tom Cox felt that the most important person in AACA was the region Secretaries because they record the activities of our local regions for history. Hulon C. McGraw la-
mented the fact that many members of our club do not take advantage of all the activities that happen throughout this nation in conjunction with our hobby. Herb Oaks pointed out the damage that Ethanol does in the engines of our collector cars as well as the fact that a full 40% of our nation’s production of corn is now diverted to the production of Ethanol which also incidentally drives up the cost of our food. Thus not only does Ethanol drive up the cost of our fuel but also the overall cost of living. The water that collects in our gas tanks due to the action of Ethanol damages the internal portions of the engine. Rubber and plastic components are eaten away by the action of Ethanol, and corrosion of other metals cause excessive repairs in cars that never were designed to be fed a diet of corn.
The 60,000 members of AACA , as reported by Hulon, might not have much influence in our government on an individual basis but combine our efforts and we have a voice that carries a strong impact. Herb’s final words in his article, the last paragraph sums it up well. “If everyone who is an AACA member would write their public officials in Washington, we can ,make a difference. Remember, if you do not “get in the game” then you can not complain! Reach out to your congressmen on all issues that affect our hobby -it is important.” The member who addresses our concerns to the elected officials are in fact the most important members of AACA!!!!