I was fifteen years old and I wanted a 1950 Mercury.  Obviously an eight-year-old car was way out of my reach. Since I wasn’t old enough to drive any car was out of my reach, but that didn’t stop me from wanting one.   Had I met my wife a few years sooner, I would have had a beautiful 1949 Mercury, but it wasn’t to be.  As the years passed, I bought, sold and sometimes repossessed cars, trucks and motorcycles. I’ve probably had more vehicles than most people in a lifetime, but never a 1950 Mercury.

Finally, in 2011 (It took a long time) I found my car, a 1950 Mercury coupe!!  It wasn’t in as good of shape as I wished for, but something I could work on. So, after overpaying for my dream car, I started the restoration.  Now fixing all the stuff I had foolishly overlooked because I wanted it so bad.  I completely overhauled the engine, did extensive body work on the door posts, replaced the radiator, wiring harness and, of course, new tires.  I knew I wanted to use the car for touring so I installed an overdrive transmission.  Without overdrive, the cruising speed is only about 60mph; overdrive allows you to drive at 70mph constantly.

As everyone knows, the mystique of the “50’s- era” Mercury goes back to the James Dean movies when the cars were associated with the “bad boy” image.  My Mercury has a V8 distinguishable from the 1950 Ford. It came with a stroked 255.4 cid and  two-barrel downdraft Holley carburetor. New, it was good for 110 bhp and over 100 mph. Later they became the car to have to customize and hot rod.  Personally, I like the cars just the way they look from the factory.

One of the things I remember about my Mercury is having the help of my good friend Dave Zimmerman join in the search.  We traveled many miles and “kicked” many tires before I settled on this one.  Today I think of Dave when I see and drive my car. Dave was master mechanic, a Mustang expert and brought AACA up to speed when the 1964 1/2 models became eligible for judging.  He served as a long-time director and as the 2005 AACA President earning the respect of those in and out of our hobby.

After all that, we started enjoying the car.  Judy and I love AACA tours and this Mercury has been on many, as well as local tours and events. I must admit I have way more time and money invested in the car than it is worth, but I don’t regret a thing.   Was it all worth it?  YES!  YES!

I hope some of you can relate to my story and maybe you can think of what is special about your favorite car.   

Here’s looking up your tail pipes,

Ray Fischer

My father drove Studebakers but I did not want to drive Studebakers. So my first car was a 1952 Ford. My second car was a blue and white 1957 Ford Fairlane.  While in high school, I needed a job and so started my adventure with Studebaker by working at the Kuhnsville Studebaker Garage owned by Mr. and Mrs. Carl L Mayers.  After graduating, I continued working at the garage until Mr. Mayer’s health deteriorated. We purchased the repair garage and the Studebaker dealership in the year 1968.  I serviced and repaired all types of cars, and sold Studebakers, other used cars and Texaco gasoline.

 In 1966 when the Studebaker Corporation no longer made Studebakers, I sold new Dodge cars through Hahn & Sons Inc., owned by George and Paul Hahn in Lehighton. I operated the garage for 20 years. In 1988, I went out of the car business and drove tri-axle dump truck for Faust Trucking for 10 years. Next, I drove a big yellow cattle truck (called a school bus) for the Parkland School District for 15 years.  I retired in the year 2012.

During that time I accumulated quite a few cars.  I have the 1949 Studebaker Commander that my father owned and with which I courted Minnie. I also have a 1950 all-original Studebaker Champion that has won many awards at Hershey.  In my corral, I also have a 1951 Studebaker Champion that I purchased from a customer.  It is all-original except for the left rear fender and door.  I entered it in the HPOF class and have won many awards.  I also have a 1960 refurbished Studebaker Lark and a 1964 Studebaker Hawk plus several others not licensed to drive.  The Studebaker car was the most easily serviced car that I ever worked on. 

Studebaker was America’s oldest manufacturer of vehicles, building wagons since 1850. The South Bend, Indiana,  company was known for its low-priced Erskine and large President Eight during the 1920s. It built smaller Dictators and Commanders and large classic Presidents during the 1930s. Following 1941, it manufactured defense contract airplane engines, trucks and Weasel personnel carriers.  Its post-war offerings benefitted from Raymond Loewy Studio’s design with low profile, large glass area and flow-through fenders, with similar streamlining in the front and rear. The Studebaker L-head six-cylinder engines were simple, durable and economical. In the 1960s, Studebaker promoted its Lark, a compact car available with an L-head six-cylinder or various V-8 overhead valve engines. The Hawk series and the Avanti came with V-8 engines, some supercharged. After automobile production ended in 1966, the Studebaker Corporation continued with Paxton superchargers.

Years ago people made fun of the Studebaker, not knowing if it was coming or going, due to the radical post-war Loewy design. Now it draws more attention because the younger generation does not know what kind of a car it is.  The Studebaker was ahead of its time.  The cars had some extras that other cars did not develop until later like the hill holder, a coupling between the clutch and brake system that prevented the car from rolling backward down a hill when the clutch was engaged.

by Carl R. Breininger

1960 Studebaker Lark

1964 Hawk and 1950 Champion

Carl and his 1957 Ford Fairline

During the summer of 1964, Sterling Zimmerman wrote a letter to Lynn Zettlemoyer, then editor of Lehigh Valley Region’s “Body Squeaks,” concerning the situation of many Berks County residents needing an antique car club. These persons were not members of the Antique Automobile Club of America, but were friends of Zimmerman and had mutual interests in the field of antique automobiles. At that particular time, nothing was done pertaining to this original written request for an antique car club.

However, the first unofficial gathering of these Berks County car buffs was held on Friday evening, December 4, 1964, at the Kempton Hotel, Kempton, Pennsylvania. In attendance were Sterling Zimmerman, Royden Dotterer, Donald Peters, Lee and Clark Hummel, Otto Gruber, Robert Rhode, and George Stump. Mr. Stump, already well-known in AACA circles as a member of the hobby and an expert car upholsterer, had enlisted the aid of his friend, George R. Norton, Jr., of Reiffton, Pennsylvania, in setting up this meeting with Zimmerman and his friends. The one important accomplishment that first evening was the decision to hold another meeting which the public would be invited to attend.

Thus it was January of 1965 that a definite step was taken to form a club devoted to antique automobiles. An announcement of the formation meeting appeared in a January 1965 issue of the weekly newspaper, “The Kutztown Patriot.” The meeting was held on a Friday evening of the same month, again at the Kempton Hotel. Also attending with George Stump was George Norton, Vice President of Publications and Past President of the national organization of the Antique Automobile Club of America. Upon Norton’s arrival and prior to the meeting starting, it was requested that Norton talk first via telephone with Zimmerman, who was unable to attend this second meeting since he was recuperating from a hospital visit requiring surgery. Norton’s knowledge was invaluable when the group discussed the major decision which had to be made that evening – whether or not the assembled persons wanted to form as an official Region of the national AACA and enjoy extra benefits such as liability insurance, provided free by the national organization. After both avenues were thoroughly discussed, it was agreed by all to form an official Region of the AACA.

In order to present a petition to the parent organization, everyone was required first to join the national AACA. Sterling Zimmerman served as Acting Director. An official name was needed for the Region. After much discussion, Otto Gruber submitted the name, “Ontelaunee Region,” which was unanimously agreed upon. With this phase accomplished, Norton then presented this petition for a charter at the national Board meeting held during the 29th annual meeting in Philadelphia, on February 5, 1965. With the national AACA Board members acting in our favor by granting a charter, Norton was able to report back at our next meeting on February 12, 1965, that we were an official Region of the AACA. Again, this Friday evening the meeting was held in the dining room of the Kempton Hotel, courtesy of the proprietor, George Wessner. 

It was here that the election of officers was held with the following results:  Director, Sterling Zimmerman; Vice-Director, George Stump; Treasurer, Royden Dotterer; and Secretary, Lynn Zettlemoyer. Midway through the meeting following the election, Zettlemoyer asked that his name be stricken from the position of Secretary. Since he had agreed to serve as Editor for the future regional newsletter, he felt that it would be detrimental to the newsletter to have the Editor assume two positions. The previous motion was retracted and changed so the offices of Secretary and Treasurer were combined. Dotterer accepted both offices. This proved to be an excellent move, since he continued (most effectively) for the next seven years. In addition, Zettlemoyer announced the name of the newsletter to be “Tin ‘N Brass.” 

During the February meeting, it was agreed that the annual dues be $2.00 per year for a member and the member’s family. It was also decided to hold the regional business meetings the last Friday of the month. As time was growing short, it was impossible to become involved with the deep discussion of activities or selecting committees. The balance of the meeting was turned over to George Norton, who supplied the entertainment. He showed his collection of color slides taken in November 1964 of the world-famous London the Brighton run, a timed run that does not allow newer cars than 1904. The quality of his slides and witty remarks made the evening most enjoyable. With Norton was a guest, Mr. Phil Evans, an electrical engineer on a 3-week visit from Europe who gave a short talk on antique automobiles in Europe. The February Treasurer’s report showed income of $94.00 from 47 memberships, expenses of $53.83 for stationery, leaving a balance of $35.65.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company purchased this Porsche on January 14, 1988 for high-speed testing of its premium tire series. Goodyear installed a roll bar and removed the mats for testing. The test track had an embedded window so that underground cameras could record tire characteristics. In early 1992, Goodyear completed testing, removed the roll bar and reinstalled the floor mats. The company offered it for sale to Goodyear employees in an auction.

Nancy and I purchased the car with 15,600 miles. Driving the Porsche back from Akron was great fun because it was fast, stable, comfortable and quiet. It has a V-8 engine displacing 302.5 cubic inches and producing net 316 horsepower and 316 foot pounds of torque. The engine has 32 hydraulically-actuated valves and can rev up to 6,600 rpms. The Porsche can accelerate to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds with a top speed of 165 mph.

Porsche management drove 928s rather than the familiar model 911. The 928 was supposed to replace the 911 but did not. Porsche produced the model 928 from 1977 until 1994. Some cars
manufactured in 1994 were titled as 1995 cars. Porsche began building the four-valve-per-cylinder models in 1986 which are more valued than the earlier cars with two valves per cylinder. A stock but race-prepared 1986 model 928 S4 held the record for the fastest naturally aspirated automobile in the United States.

Our car now has 37,800 miles on the odometer and is still a joy to drive. Maintenance is complicated because the car has separate computers to monitor fuel injection, ride quality, ABS brakes,
transistor ignition, cogged timing belt and other systems. Did I tell you the engine takes 9 quarts of oil? So, other than regular wear and tear items, the repair costs have been reasonable. We replaced the tires, a timing belt, a fuel injection computer and leaking valve cover gaskets.

This Porsche is a pleasure to drive. The interior is fine leather; the instrument panel follows the steering wheel adjustment to suit the driver’s needs; and the seats adjust electrically to fit me. A full set of tools hides in the rear upholstered hatch and, provided you have short legs, the back seat is almost comfortable. I believe this Porsche performs with the best for acceleration and control. The brakes are among the best and the ride is refined. It may be the best driving car Nancy and I will ever own.

by Ron Hutchins

My family had Chevrolets when I grew up so it’s no wonder my first car was a 1948 Chevy which got me around when I was in high school. After graduation from high school I immediately joined the Army. When it looked like I would be stateside for a while I came home from Texas and purchased a 1955 Chevy, black with blue interior. I drove the car of my dreams to Texas and was no sooner situated when I got orders to go overseas. So I drove that car back home to Fleetwood and flew to California where I boarded a troop transport ship to South Korea.

Fast forward to 1997 and my father, Robert, had a 1955 Chevrolet BelAir which he had purchased used and had taken on many car tours for the Ontelaunee, Hershey and Penn Dutch Regions. It
was in 1997 that my father’s health started to deteriorate and he listed some of his vehicles for sale. I decided to purchase the 1955 Chevy BelAir from him.

It is a 4-door sedan with two tone paint, coral and gray, and white wall tires. It was the first successful Chevrolet with an optional V8 engine. Chevy’s new 265-cubic-inch overhead valve V8 was
designed to be smaller, lighter and more powerful than previous V8s and is known as the “Chevy small block”. In 1955 Chevrolet drastically changed its body design with the full shoebox look. The 1955 also had wrap-around glass on the windshield and triangular tail lights that jutted outward.

The Chevrolets manufactured in 1955, 1956, and 1957 became referred to as the “Tri-Fives.” The 1955 Chevrolet changed from a 6-volt to a 12-volt electrical system. Nineteen different two-tone
color combinations were available or one solid color. A standard column-mounted three speed synchro-mesh transmission was available with or without overdrive or the fully automatic two-speed Powerglide transmission. Mine is automatic.

When the car was restored I had the original engine rebuilt. I also kept the original color scheme. When my father purchased the car there were sanders in the trunk of the car. Sanders were remotely activated from a switch on the steering wheel column to drop sand in front of the rear wheels during icy road conditions. I assume the car was originally from one of the northern states. The sanders were not a dealer option but could be purchased and installed later. They were so unique I decided to leave them in the car.

The restoration was completed the day before the AACA meet at Gettysburg in spring 2018 where it won a First Junior. The car won a Senior award at Hershey that fall. I am working towards
earning a senior award at the National Chevy Club show. Accompanying this article are pictures of the car during restoration and as restored.

~ Lester Manwiller

Bob Hobaugh bought his 1966 BMW R60/2 motorcycle in 2013 from Richard A. Reinhold, a master automobile restorer and former member of the Ontelaunee Club.  Richard’s late wife, Gladys, originally owned the BMW and rode it regularly. She belonged to the Motor Maids and the Garden Spot Motorcycle Club. Known for riding with her husband, sons and daughter, Gladys took one memorable trip without the family according to Richard. She accompanied many Harley-Davidson riders on this BMW from Reinholds, Lancaster County, to California and back. The BMW completed the run with one incident, that being a flat tire (which Gladys fixed). None of the Harley-Davidsons made it to California and only one made it as far as Arizona.

The California trip highlights BMW’s reputation for durability and smoothness. Manufactured with air-cooled, horizontally-opposed cylinders and a driveshaft, this motorcycle followed that engineering design used in the first BMW made in 1923, known as the R32, and in most BMWs manufactured between the R32 and the R60/2. The BMW is designed to have a sidecar:  it has three threaded shafts for attachment and an adjustment on the triangular front forks to decrease wheelbase for turning with a sidecar. Those Earles Forks, named for their English designer, Ernest Earles, worked well with sidecars because they do not have heavy dive from use of the front brake. This design was well- suited to post-war Germany where automobiles were prohibitively expensive.

BMW manufactured the R60 from 1956 through 1960 and the more powerful R60/2 from 1960 to 1969, a period when American, and especially British and Japanese motorcycles, were lighter and accelerated better.  This BMW lost market share to these more powerful motorcycles. In 1966, a new BMW R60/2 cost $1,288. That was expensive for a mere 594 cubic centimeter displacement engine with 30 horsepower. The faster 1966 Honda CB 450 Black Bomber with 43 horsepower cost only $1,000 and a 1966 Triumph Bonneville 650 with 46 horsepower cost $1,309. A 1966 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra Glide with a 74 cubic inch, 60 horsepower “shovelhead” engine cost only $1,610. Resulting sales for the BMW R60 and R60/2 series during 14 years of production reached only 20,133 units.

Bob learned from BMW Group Archiv in Munich that the BMW arrived at its United Sates importer in November 1966 with a bench seat. The Reinhold family had installed correct after-market parts: a Wixom faring and saddlebags, a single Denfeld driver’s seat and a single Denfeld passenger seat. Bob had all non-authorized accessories removed, braking and electrical systems restored and the power components tuned. The motorcycle has been judged in the “original” class and received its Junior First Award in 2016 and Senior Award in 2018 from the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. Bob rides this BMW to shows, principally Das Awkscht Fescht , Duryea Day, Oley and Kutztown Kruizz.  Each such ride in 2017 and 2018 was through the rain which is why Bob always brings a change of socks and jeans.

More about the R60 can be found in Danny Liska’s Two Wheels to Adventure(Alaska to Argentina by Motorcycle – Bigfoot1),  and in Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Accompanying this article are pictures of the BMW as Gladys Reinhold owned it and in its present condition. With this machine, Bob also purchased from Richard Reinhold his own 1967 BMW R60/2, bearing a serial number approximately 800 units following the 1966 model. That story will come later.

Bob Hobaugh

Cars are vehicles for travel and vehicles for bringing people together. You might remember this 1957 Thunderbird when it appeared at the 50^th annual Das Awkscht Fescht in 2013, owned by Benjamin Koch, our then Ontelaunee Club President.  Ben drove the Thunderbird for travel only once but he sure used it to get to know people. A “trailer queen,” this Thunderbird received a terrific frame-off restoration and won nearly every important award given by the Antique Automobile Club of America (“AACA”) and the Vintage Thunderbird Club International (“VTCI”). More than the awards, this car gave Ben the reward he sought for years:  the pride of ownership.

Ben owned and operated Honda Kawasaki of Berks on the North Fifth Street Highway in Reading. While motorcycles were his passion, the car pictured on his office wall from 1980 to 1999 was a green 1957 Ford thunderbird. Ben had a passion for speed –  drag racing Harley-Davidsons in the early 1960s and Kawasakis in the 1990s (Pro Super Bike National Champion in 1999). But his wife, Barbara, reminds us it was the Thunderbird on his wall that kept Ben’s car interest.

In 1997, Ben began to realize that dream when he bought a 1957 azure blue Thunderbird in Lynchburg, Virginia. Azure blue has a hint of green and the car came with a white convertible top. The 1957 is Ben’s favorite among the “baby birds” of 1955-1957 because it has a longer trunk in which the spare tire is hidden and a 312 cubic inch engine instead of the 292 Y-block of 1955 and 1956.  Ben’s first baby bird had an automatic transmission, but he preferred a manual shifter.

In 2001, Ben bought another 1957 Thunderbird in starmist blue with a matching hardtop and a navy convertible top, our subject car, at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. This car had a 312 cubic inch engine, four-barrel carburetor and a three-speed manual transmission with overdrive shifted by a floor-mounted stick. It was in very good condition, slightly better than the azure blue model already in the Kochs’ garage. The two competed once at a Schuylkill County show and neither won because they split the votes. Ben sold the azure blue Thunderbird in 2002and focused on the starmist blue car.

Ben determined to perfect the starmist Thunderbird and brought it to Jeff Ludwig in Denver, Pennsylvania, for a frame-off restoration. Jeff gapped and painted the body panels, and detailed the drivetrain and interior with new old stock parts. Tom McMichael of the Ontelaunee Club straightened and finished the stainless steel trim. Jeff and Tom completed the restoration in 14 months. Ben showed the completed car at Duryea Days in 2004 where this writer met Ben and marveled at the restoration, saying that “this car needs to be seen.” This was the one time Ben drove the car at a show, braving gravel roads.

Ben won his first AACA junior in 2004 at Ashboro, NC, and his first senior in 2005 at Greensburg, PA. In between the junior and senior awards, your writer brought the car to attention of fellow Selection Committee members of the Concours d’Elegance of the Eastern United States. Ben, Barb and the 1957 Thunderbird came to that Concours in 2005 where the car received its first Star Award (best in class). After winning again at the Grand National at Northglenn, CO, in 2005 and its first grand national at the Grand National in Dover, DE, in 2006. It received many Repeat Preservation awards.

Ben and Barb took it to a variety of Thunderbird shows. The Thunderbird took its Formal First award at the VTCI show in Lancaster in 2004, a senior Formal First Place award at the VTCI show in 2007 held at Bethlehem, and Primary Division First Place and Best of Show at the VTCI show in 2009. Ben is most proud of the trophy received in 2010 for the Best of Show at the Buckingham Concours. Your writer is also proud of the second Star Award given to the Thunderbird at the Concours d’Elegance of the Eastern United States in 2011.

The Thunderbird was a vehicle for friendship. Ben, Barb, your writer and wife, Florita, had a great time at the Diamond (75^th) AACA Celebration in Louisville, KY, in 2010. The Thunderbird showed well while we travelled the Ohio River on a paddlewheel boat, toured the best restaurants and learned that southern cemeteries are tourist destinations with magnificent statuary, including Colonel Sanders’ memorial. I also had the honor of accompanying Ben and his brother, Ted, when the Thunderbird sold at the Mecum Auction in Harrisburg in 2014 to a Ford car dealer. The Thunderbird now shows at a car museum near Fort Worth, TX.

Ben and Barb are true Ontelaunee motorheads. They like Fords; they still own a 1956 Victoria and a 1966 Thunderbird and are always looking for another 1957 Thunderbird. But Barb drives a Nissan and Ben will always tell you about motorcycles and DeSotos. Together they have ridden motorcycles around the country, camping early during their marriage but later showing cars and staying in motorhomes and hotels. Accompanying this article are two pictures of the 1957 Thunderbird in starmist blue, during and after restoration.

Ben and Barb Koch

I purchased my 1948 Packard Sedan at the last spring Hershey, in April of 1999. I was torn between the Packard and a Cadillac. My then wife, Fran, nudged me toward the Packard. It had been owned by a physician in Kennett Square and was being sold by his nephew to settle the doctor’s estate. It was being stored in a garage in York where I was able to leave it until fall. Fran and I drove from our home in Bowmansville to York to pick up the Packard. I put a small amount of fuel in the carburetor and it started right up. We were able to drive it back to Bowmansville. I was surprised how well it rode and handled. She cruised home like a dream.  I drove her around the neighborhood a while before I started working on her. She was dark blue originally and not in bad condition. I then started taking her apart. I purchased the material for the interior from Bill Hirsch Automotive Products of Newark, New Jersey, where I found the perfect match of color and pattern. I then took the seats and panels to Zimmerman Coach Trimming in New Holland where John Zimmerman installed the upholstery.

I started to strip the paint down to bare metal when my wife became ill. This put everything on hold for a few years. Then my wife, Fran, passed away and I thought about selling the car “as is” because I didn’t have the desire to finish her. Then a year later I met the woman who would become my new wife, Barbara, who persuaded me not to sell but instead to finishing the restoration. So I got back to work preparing the body prior to painting. I had her painted in our shop at Ludwig’s Custom Auto in Denver, Pennsylvania, where Jeff Ludwig did the painting in late summer of 2009. The roof and trunk lid are painted Egyptian Sand and the bottom is Grenadier Maroon (metallic) which are original 1948 colors and color combination. During the winter of 2009-2010, I completed the Packard wire harness. I finished the trunk rebuilding, cleaning and painting and reinstalled it. I was hoping to get her out on the road in spring 2010.

Well, spring 2010 and 2011 came and went and I still didn’t get her out on the road because there was still a lot of work to do. I started to reinstall the interior. I was glad to have the seat and headliner finished at a shop near home so that they available from a long storage to go back where they belonged. After the seat and headliner were reinstalled, it was time for all the fine details such as putting the glass back and touching up some paint under the car. I then worked on the leaking brakes for a month when in January 2012 I solved the leak problem. I had a friend come in to help me fire up the car for the first time in 12 years. I was very unsure at this point but she fired up just great and with a little fine tuning she purred like a kitten.

On February 25, 2012, a Saturday, I worked up the courage to take her on the road around the neighborhood without my wife knowing.  She was a little upset when I came in and told her what I had done without her. I explained that I didn’t want to get stuck and have her walk home. An hour later I took her on same ride that I took without her.

The Packard showed many times. She debuted at the Packard Banquet on April 14, 2012, at Weavers Market – the first public showing since she was finished. After that she made her way to the Reading Expo on May 19, 2012 where she earned her First Junior in the AACA. Thereafter, she was shown at New Holland and Das Awkscht Fescht in Macungie where she attracted a lot of interest. We attended the Eastern National Meet at Hershey in fall of 2012 where the Packard received an AACA Senior award. We have been to two National Packard Meets where we placed first in our class:  one in Warren, Ohio, and the other in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2015. We participated in the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance in 2015 where we took “Peoples’ Choice” and “Second Place” in the Packard class. We participated in the Henry Joy Tour with 48 other Packards beginning in Altoona, Pennsylvania, September 11-15, 2017.

Most recently, we attended two AACA Grand National shows: the first in 2016 at Williamsport, Pennsylvania and the other in 2018 at Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where we earned First and Senior Awards.  At both of these Grand Nationals, our car was the point setter in its class. We looked forward to Das Awkscht Fescht in 2018 to show in the Packard display. Ill health kept us away but we are hoping all goes well so that we can attend Das Awkscht Fescht in 2019. Generosity of Ontelaunee organizers resulted in us receiving a Packard dash plaque.  All in all it has been quite a journey with this car and one that we enjoyed!

Tom McMichael