September 2019 Mass Cruisers Auto Club Newsletter

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

Monthly Crusin

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Mass Cruisers Auto Club September 2019

August 1 Cruise Winner 1928 Ford Old School Hot Rod

Concours d'Elegance of America

August 15 Cruise Winner 1963 Morris Mini Clubman Estate 5

Provincetown Cruise is Right Around the Corner

INSIDE: PRESIDENT’S TAILPIPE CRUZIN PROVINCETOWN CRUISE AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS

We’re on the Web

Celebrating 28 Years of Cruisin’ Volume 28 Issue 9

www.masscruisers.com And Facebook

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

Monthly Crusin Contact us by snail mail: P.O. Box 217, Wrentham, MA 02093 Or by email: HO350@comcast.net

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We have moved all monthly meetings to the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Room at 1 Bass Pro Place in Foxboro, MA beginning in May. Monthly meetings will still be held the third Tuesday of the month starting at 7 PM, guests and visitors are welcome to attend. Business meetings will be held an hour earlier, club members are encouraged to attend.

Club Officers

DIRECTORY

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PRESIDENT’S TAILPIPE

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AUGUST 1ST CRUISE WINNER

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CONCOURS d'’ELEGANCE OF AMERICA

Secretary: Lesley Corda-Majeski Asst. Secretary: John Guravage

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Treasurer: Kevin Rushlow Asst. Treasurer: Rich Armando

President: Mark Crichton Vice President: Larry Nyborn

CONCOURS PICTURES

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At Large Board Member: Steve Huntington

AUGUST 15TH CRUISE WINNER

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Special Assignments

P-TOWN CRUISE

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Webmaster: Steve Vining

SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS

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CRUZIN

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AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS

Digital Graphics Editor: Diane Thorton

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Facebook: Patrick Touhey

Managing Editor: John Buchanan Newsletter Editor: John Guravage

New Members: Zeke Sawayer Sgts. at Arms: Rick Lawlor John Sturniolo Charity Coord.: Frank Bryant Food Pantry: Steve Fernald Bob Okerholm By-Laws: Wayne Lestan MAAC Rep: John Buchanan Cruise Nights: Steve Huntington Sponsors: John Buchanan Fred Tierney

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President’s Tailpipe

By Mark Crichton

Another month has come and gone. Cruise nights have been very successful ,food pantries are happy. We would like more members to participate during the cruise nights if they have the time available. We appreciate those of our members that are here cruise after cruise to lend a hand and also to those who give so much behind the scenes. Earlier this month I was interviewed by Foxboro’s local cable channel 8 and the Boston Channel 5 Chronicle Magazine featured our Thursday Bass Pro Shops cruise in another segment called “Celebrating Stylish Cars” gleaned from video they shot at one of our 2018 cruises last year. If you missed the August 7 Chronicle segment, here’s the link https://www.wcvb.com/article/celebrating-stylish-cars/28639124 Like most car clubs, we’re always looking for new members that would like to actively participate in this fun and eventful hobby of ours. Membership application forms are available at our cruise events and online on our website www.masscruisers.com We try to do the best job each week to make the Patriot Place patrons and automotive enthusiasts as happy as possible and it’s great to see club efforts like the valve cover races provide fun for the whole family. Mike & Lorna Rabbitt along with master track builder Zeke Sawayer have, through continuous improvements they’ve made each year including adding the annual home built competition, has come to the attention one of our cruise sponsors, Factory Five Racing’s Dave Smith, who will also be supporting this year’s homebuilt race-off scheduled for the next cruise on September 5. Also, the postponed May Engine Build competition between teams from Norfolk Agricultural and Blue Hills Regional Technical High Schools will take place at the September 12 Cruise. It’s great to have factory five and other sponsors getting involved with our club…..running out of exhaust.

Mark being interviewed by Foxboro Cable 8

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August 1st Cruise Winner

By John Buchanan

The decision was made to find one of the period old school hot rods that come to our cruise, feature it as the Cruiser of the Night and present its owner with the Vintage Motorsports sponsored cruise plaque and a pair of adult Patriot Place Action Passes. This Thursday’s cruise also was the biggest one yet with perfect weather and over 2,000 cruise vehicles filling all the lots including the overflow lots 12 on the other side of the tunnel. Our judging crew had to put on their post WWII days of early hot-rodding hats to finally come up with Robert Worth’s 1928 Ford Roadster that, for the past six months, was being restored back to its original early 1950’s build. He relied on Eli English one of the Alter Boys Car Club members and owner of Traditional Speed & Custom in Pittsfield, NH to do the work and maintain its patina and nostalgia look preserving all the dents and welds.

In typical hot rod fashion, there is a little bit of everything that would have been scavenged from local junk yards or discarded body shop parts piles back in the day. The 1928 roadster body sits on a 1931 Ford frame and has a narrowed 1935 Ford Grill up front with early 1930’s Ford headlights. Between the rails sits a hopped up 1947 Mercury Flathead V8 is coupled to a Mustang T5 tranny, the one out-of-period mechanical at this point but has the period correct Ford Banjo rear end. We’ll try to track down a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr tranny with the Ford top loader for him, a combo popular back in the ‘50’s when you could get them in the junk yard for $40. Also, the hot rod’s great looking 1932 Ford 17inch wire wheels are fitted with 1942 Lincoln juice brakes for safe stopping. This was the ‘28’s first cruise adventure from its Westwood home and, as is the case with all hot rods, it is still a work-in-progress project.

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Concours d'Elegance of America

By Bob Walton

My co-author buddy Sal Santoro and I attended the 41st Annual Concours d'Elegance of America at The Inn at St. John's in Plymouth, MI. But first we visited The Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners, MI. then we stayed for their weekly cruise night. While in Michigan we also visited the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village and “Hitsville USA,” where “Motown” music began.

Arriving Friday night, we ran into Wayne Carini and spent a few moments with him.

Saturday was a “Cars and Coffee” gathering open to 400 collector cars. Concurrently was the infamous “Concours d'Lemons”. Some 40 cars, some really awful, were competing for the first-place award, a bucket of lemons. Saturday also included attending a morning seminar, “Historic GM Design” hosted by Michael Simcoe, Vice President of Global Design, along with the design team leaders for the 2020 Corvette, a luncheon and an afternoon seminar, “The Glory Years, Racing in the 60's and 70's” was moderated by George Levy, author of “F1 Mavericks: The Men and Machines Which Revolutionized Formula 1 Racing.” Panelists included Formula 1 driver, author and witty TV personality David Hobbs; Bill Warner, racing photographer, author and founder of the Amelia Island Concours and Luigi Chinetti, Jr., (“Mr. Ferrari”) Formula 1 driver, founder of the North American Racing Team and American importer of Ferraris.

At the luncheon, Sal and I spotted two empty seats at GM President Mark Reuss’s table so we grabbed them. Sal recently ordered a limited-edition CT-6V Cadillac which was being built while we were in Detroit, so he enjoyed a lively conversation with the head of GM being the infamous Route 66 Cadillac guys that we are.

The Concours itself featured over 300 of the most beautiful and significant cars in the world grouped into 31 classes including one for 960’s “gassers”. One collector from Tulsa shipped 6 of his 19 1930's V-16 Cadillacs to the show. We were in Cadillac heaven. However. the center of attention at the Concourse was an inflatable airconditioned pop-up showroom with the two mid-engine 2020 Corvettes. All day long folks lined up and waited in the hot sun for their chance to see these cars and possibly order one. I’ve never seen such excitement about a new car! It was fun to be present to witness such a momentous occasion.

Concours d'Elegance of America photos on page 6

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Concours d'Elegance of America

By Bob Walton

Bob and the 2020 Corvette

1936 Cadillac V-16 Series 90 Aero-Dynamic Coupe

Mark Reuss, President of General Motors

David Hobbs poses for a photo with Bob

Bob Walton with Wayne Carini

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August 15th Cruise Winner

By John Buchanan

Steve & Joyce Aoyama have been coming to our Bass Pro Shop Cruises with their 1972 Morris Mini Clubman Estate Resto-Mod for more than 7 years, usually with their friends Mike & Cheryl Toupin and their previous Bass Pro Shops cruise winning 1963 Dodge Dart HEMI GT Resto Mod. You can usually find this unlikely pair of cars in the back corner of Lot 16 with the owners’ chairs set up on the grass median behind their cars. I found an archive photo of Steve driving into one of our 2013 cruise nights and it looked like a nice original 1972 Mini Clubman but, hidden beneath its typical conservative British exterior beat the heart of a 1.8 L 210 HP Honda B Series VTEC conversion power plant mated to a Honda front wheel drive 5 speed transaxle. The vanity plate says it all, “ZZZPR” – translation SLEEPER - not zipper. Over the 9 years Steve has had the car, he’s made yearly modifications and changes transforming his sleeper into a stunning looking Mini Resto-Rod show car that has garnered many awards along the way: 2013 Goodguys “Dare to be Different” award, 2015 Designer’s Dozen at the Syracuse Nationals and the Kenny Jensen Memorial Award at the Adirondack Nationals, the 2018 Goodguys “Just Because it’s Cool” Award in addition to many class wins at local shows. Also, the Rock Auto Collector Series 290 dash plaques pictures Steve’s Mini on it. I always wondered how they featured cars on their dashplaques, and now I know.

The most noticeable feature at first glance is the rooftop Union Jack/Rising Sun graphic that Steve created against the PPG Land Rover Biarritz Blue finish that his Acushnet-Titleist co-worker buddy Mike Toupin painted.

Also, when you peek inside the cabin, the Corbeau A4 race seats clue you that this is no ordinary Mini Clubman and looking closer at the interior you will find AutoMeter gauges surrounded by Steve’s hand-made carbon fiber dash and trim pieces throughout as well as under the hood. The clamshell opening front hood, was a unique atthe-time feature for these front-wheel drive 1960 & 70’s era Mini’s but Steve had to apply his engineering talent to the VTEC conversion to get it to work well. The result, though, allows an unobstructed view of the Honda VTEC power plant marriage which blows your mind at first glance. The best part; it is a reliable Honda engine that starts every time with the push of a dash mounted button. Congratulations Steve & Joyce on being selected to take home a coveted Vintage Motor Sports Cruise Award Plaque along with pair of adult Patriot Place Play Action Passes that will likely be used to take in the Hall at Patriot Place, something they have not done before.

Monthly Crusin

Cruisin’ at the speed of fun

October Provincetown Cruise

By John Buchanan

Reminder: Provincetown Cruise Weekend is near

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September 2019 Member meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month.

P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093

Monthly Crusin