The national fall meet of the Antique Automobile Club of America is a spectacle to behold. Each fall, the entire Hershey Park grounds and surrounding fields are converted into a small city of vendors, antique cars and enthusiasts who either sleep in hundreds of RVs on the show grounds or throughout local hotels, motels and campgrounds across several municipalities. Those who come are enthusiasts of almost anything you can think of as long as it’s automotive. This show, the largest of its kind in the United States, might be considered a wonder of the automotive world irregardless of what brand of vehicle that might enthrall you as well as a great learning experience covering both history and culture of America’s love affair with the automobile.... Full Story...

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I haven't talked with Dr. Mac Jones (the collector who bought my VW) in several years. I sure hope it is still in his good hands. He has a large and extensive private VW collection at his home in Memphis, TN, and has even been featured on the teevee program "My Classic Car" with Dennis Gage.

If he has sold my Beetle to some stranger, my heart is broken.

Please read my latest article in Automotive Traveler! Link: http://automotivetraveler.com/jump/1364 Thanx, and leave a comment at the end! ☺

They were certainly some beautiful cars. Sorry I didn't get a shot of the even registration card on that car.

Hershey has a range of stuff, from pre-war to 50s, 60s and 70s. I was born in '71, but I've been going to this thing for years since I grew up in Hershey. I guess you get used to it. I get more into the European stuff, and that's not as numerous (not even close) as the American stuff, but there's also all kinds of stuff in the swap meet area from old literature and owner's manuals to tools, parts, etc. It's just kinda one of those things you do for the spectacle of it all. I won't find any parts for my cars, not even my '84 Audi (now technically an antique ), but I did manage to pick up a few old press kits for entry into the VMG photo archives.

Visit Volksfest 2004 at the Campbelltown Fairgrounds in Campbelltown PA (just East of Hershey on route 322) on April 24th to see some of the finest VW's from PA, NJ, MD, OH, NY, DE and beyond.

HAVOC is also hosting the 2004 Type 3 Invasion in Hershey. Type 3's from all over the country will converge on Hershey August 5-8. For more info http://mywebpages.comcast.net/...asion/

Modified by Stonefish at 3:27 PM 2-13-2004

Modified by Stonefish at 3:30 PM 2-13-2004

I didn't realize that was Harold's car. I met him back in college or thereabouts when I was a young punk with a Scirocco 16V and tearing up roads like Hilltop and the one that blows down past Oakmont. We went to a HAVOC meeting in Hummelstown a couple of times.... we being a couple of my scirocco owning friends and a guy I knew with a Rabbit GTI.

Glory days will pass you by I guess.

If you are into the hills of Hershey and VW's you may want to check out the Hershey Vintage Hill Climb on the first weekend of May. The event is held behind the Hotel Hershey. This year's event marks the third annual. The original Hill Climb ran from 1958 to 1970. There should be several VW's racing, including myself and my Notchback, and many other types of vintage race cars. http://www.svvscc.org/

Modified by Stonefish at 9:32 PM 2-14-2004

This year's weather was particularly stunning, as it usually rains. I remember the one year in the early ninety's when it rained so hard the porta-potties in one field floated. True story.

Thanks for the look at cars I think are under appreciated!

I went to AACA Hershey last fall for the first time and was VERY impressed.
Learned the hard way to get there early and plan to spend multiple days there to try to see as much as possible. I did not find any parts for my (water cooled) VWs which I expected. I did find a literature vendor with a HUGE assortment of stuff for sale. He had a couple hundred boxes of literature for the american makes and one lonely box for VW. Glad I check this guy out because he had some some A1 water cooled literature that I did not have nor had I seen before. That find alone made my day along with a very reasonably priced custom car cover for my GTI 16V. Needless to say there are deals to be found even for water cooled VWs at AACA Hershey.

Who knows, in 2005 maybe my Rabbit will make the trip to this show.

Modified by charlier at 10:30 PM 4-19-2004

1987 GTI 16V - 1985 Golf - 1981 Pickup LX (gas) - 1980 Rabbit 'C'
2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5, V8
The Unofficial GTI 16V Home Page : http://www.gti16v.org

The one thing I can't stand about this show is that many of the vendors and people showing their cars pack it in starting at like 2pm. Unfortunately, I couldn't arrive until that time, but I did have some fun sitting in the cars at the auction. There was some sweet iron there. Eleanor replica, Lambo, testarossa etc. Some junk as well, Monte Carlo SS, for instance.

The swap meet is basically over by Saturday. Since most of the vendors were at Carlisle the week before and arrive in Hershey Monday...the wheeling and dealing starts early in the week and by Friday evening it is over...Saturday the majority of the attention is on the show cars and the vendors pack up to head for home.

To see a strange sight...drive down Hersheypark Drive Sunday moning...the fields are empty!!

Hershey is not a one day show! The entire meet covers more than 200 acres, a car corral that contains over 1,000 cars and this year there were more than 1600 show cars.

To really enjoy the show, you have to be there at least two days.

I used to take a mountain bike to the show. At one point you were no longer allowed, but I think they've dropped that rule, as I saw several.

I saw that Eleanor replica. I asked the owner if it was the "real one". He looked kind of agitated and said it was a "real Mustang". Yeah, that was obvious. I wanted to know if it was the one from the movie, so I guess I offended him. Too bad, he sure had a nice car. To me though, if you're going to own a replica of a movie car, you oughta be prepared to say it ain't the one from the movie.

I got chased off the White field this year because I had my dog...like bikes, you see them there...it just depends on who is working.

And if you wonder why..... Its the LAW. Wehn the show was started by a bunch of friends it was rather small. But they were all about Family and god so Sunday is a day of Church. No show Sunday cause your azz should be in church.

IF you guys enjoyed this go to he Hill climb too. Although that may be going down the Tubes shortly. The Original revival orginizers have kicked some of their partners to the side of the road in an effort to make it "What they think is a vintage hill climb." It just so happens that those persons were the ones with the contacts and friends that got it funded. Subru made it so that they will be the sole car company there next year. But at the same time they wanted to use it for publicty. After talking to some people they were to have one of Team Suburu's rally drivers come in and run it full out. They were going to take pics and run it as a national ad. The event orginizers said no because of insurance reasons and rule regs with the SCCA.So they might not do it again.

Just a side note The Hill climb is NOT SCCA sponsered