Antique Automobile Club of America
Antique Automobile Club of America
The idea of forming the Antique Automobile Club of America was conceived way back in the 1930s by a few men who, after attending the fourth Antique Automobile Derby, thought it would be a good idea to get the participants of the previous yearâs Derby to form a club. They got the names and addresses of the participants from the Derbies promoter, Mr Jack Dlugash, and proceeded to inform them of their intentions in a letter which was written on September 20, 1985. Their invitation got a favorable response and the first meeting was held on November 4 the same year in the Automobile Club of Philadelphiaâs auditorium. In attendance were the 14 members who founded the club and one of them came with his wife. Thus the Antique Automobile Club of America was formed.Â
The clubâs constitution was drawn up in 1936 and offers the guidelines and by- laws which govern the operation of the club. Mr. Frank Abramson became the first president of the club. In 1939, Mr. Herbert van Haagen who came from Upper Darby, PA, designed the clubâs emblem. For months, he painstakingly designed the emblem, producing the original masterpiece. The club also published its first magazine, Bulletin of the Antique Mobile, in 1937. The first editor chosen by the people was Theodore Fiala. In January 1943, the magazine changed its name to Antique Automobile. The magazine continued to prosper and club membership grew.
One of the activities of the club was to engage in car competitions. At first, the criteria was simply determining whether the antique cars could run but as more and more cars entered the competition, a more comprehensive classification and selection criteria was developed. This hobby remains a regular event of the club, which also offers non-competitive events. All activities linked to the hobby are sponsored. The club has steadily grown through the years, with its leaders registering outstanding achievements. Several Regions and chapters have also grown, starting from the Illinois region, there are at least 400 regions and chapters today. For this reason, AACA boasts of being one of the largest automobile clubs worldwide.Â
The purpose of AACA is to preserve antique automobiles and their history as well as further an interest in them. It aims to continue with the automobile pioneer days, encourage sportsmanship and good comradeship among its members. Those with mutual interest in antique automobiles find a home with AACA. The term automobile is used by AACA to refer to cars, trucks, race and fire vehicles, motorcycles among others. It also refers to the sources of power such as gas, steam, electric and diesel. While the public is encouraged to follow the AACA activities, only the members can directly participate in them. The AACA boasts of international membership with members drawn from all states and a further 50 nations or more worldwide. It holds annual meetings every February in Philadelphia,
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