If you’re an enthusiast of classic cars, especially those restored to original condition, there is but one word which signifies the most anticipated day of the car show season: “Hershey”. Hershey as in the chocolate bar, and as in the quaint Pennsylvania town named after the chocolate company located there. About 70 years ago, local members of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) decided that this town would be a great place to hold an annual combination flea market / judged car show. These founders could never have predicted what would occur in the ensuing decades: that their event would snowball into a mammoth spectacle known across the country and around the world.

Wednesday and Thursday were sunny and unseasonably warm; the forecast for Friday, car show day, was for rain. Based on the conversations I overheard, you would think that it was time to build another ark! When show day dawned, it rained for about 15 minutes (I missed it; I was told it rained around 8:30 a.m.) and then stopped. While we had overcast skies for the remainder of the day, it stayed dry, and the cars came out to play. Lots of them.

Show cars are in one of three categories: Class Judging, with class assignments based on model year and/or make (cars are restored to like-new and judged on a 400-point scale); HPOF, for Historical Preservation of Original Features (unrestored yet still kept to original specs); and DPC, for Driver Participation Class (cars don’t fit into the other two classes and are allowed “some” modifications). AACA’s introduction of the HPOF and DPC classes has been successful in opening up the hobby to a greater number of participants.

Someone from my AACA NJ Region told me that the show field can hold 1,000 cars, and I don’t doubt it. I would guess that the field was about 90% filled, so let’s round it down to about 900 vehicles in attendance. It’s always a challenge for me to decide which cars to see, as there isn’t time to see them all. While I did not see every car on the field, I did get to spend time with an assortment of vehicles from all 3 categories.

 

CARS IN CLASS JUDGING

 

 

 

Hershey is the place to see all the pre-war classics:

 

 

Dave and his 1924 Dodge Brothers Touring

I met Dave at the AACA Nationals in Saratoga Springs in 2021. My blog write-up from that show featured his 1955 Thunderbird. He was kind enough to reach out to let me know he’d be at Hershey this year with a different car. This Dodge Brothers Touring has been in his family since 1973, and the car was there to be judged for its Repeat Preservation, which I’m happy to say for Dave’s sake was awarded!

 

Howard and his 1979 Volvo 265

I met Howard and his wife for the first time on Friday, but it was far from the first time I had heard his name. He didn’t know it until I introduced myself, but we have something in common: both of us have purchased cars from Pete Wyman: in Howard’s case, this Volvo, and in my case, my Alfa Romeo. I told Howard that I knew much of the history of this car, and had even wrenched on it a few times while it was in Pete’s possession. Howard, a true Volvo fan (he also had a 1987 245 in the DPC class), had chased Pete for years, trying to get him to sell the car, before Pete finally relented. Based on its appearance here, I have no doubt that this 265 is in good hands with Howard. Like Dave, Howard entered the car in hopes of earning its Repeat Preservation, and I’m proud of both Pete and Howard, because the car was successful in earning that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This 1938 Lea-Francis, which was recently on the cover of Collectible Automobile magazine, was one of the prettiest cars in the show:

 

 

CARS IN HPOF

Larry and his 1980 Olds Cutlass sedan

Larry is a 30+ year friend, going back to our days together at VCNA. He and I co-hosted our Sunday Morning Breakfast Drives for about 15 years, and his ride of choice for those outings was his 1972 Chevrolet Nova. A dedicated GM guy, I knew that he had the itch for something different when, earlier this year, he stumbled on this 1980 Olds Cutlass sedan. It was on eBay, and located in New Hampshire. He took a ride, checked it out, and bought the car, driving it back home to NJ without incident. This was the first time Larry had entered a car at an AACA meet. He was extremely proud to learn that his Cutlass achieved its HPOF certification. That’s Larry with his wife Linda in their incognito shades next to the car.

 

James and his ’51 Packard

I have a thing for Packards; I’ve driven them, and have admired them for a long time, but have never owned one. Depending on the year and model, I’ve seen some which were incredibly affordable. This car, in HPOF, immediately caught my eye based on its wonderful condition. I struck up a brief conversation with its caretaker, who was the kindest and most soft-spoken gent I met all day. He told me that except for some touch-ups, the paint was all original, and that he owned the car for about 10 years. He invited me to open the door to take a closer look if I so desired. James was there to try to win a Repeat Original HPOF award for his Packard, and the announced results sheet showed me that he did!

 

 

 

 

CARS IN DPC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photographs copyright © 2023 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.