|
Duryea Day 2007 —
The Story in Pictures Part 1 of 2 — © Tue Sep 4 2007 |
|
Although the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles has its own
collection of vintage vehicles, it takes one day every year
to honor all wheeled classicalia.
And that's been occurring for 42 years now on the Saturday of
Labor Day weekend, in beautiful
Boyertown
Community Park.
In the 42 years of Duryea Days,
there might have been one that had nicer weather
than this year — but certainly not many
more — and, assuredly not
2006, when
Ernesto
socked us with our only rainout
since Paul & Erminie Hafer inaugurated the Labor Day Weekend
tradition back on Saturday, September 3rd, 1966.
|
IMPORTANT NOTE |
Duryea Day, which was begun in
1966, is so named in remembrance of
Charles Duryea,
who manufactured automobiles in
Reading,
Pennsylvania,
just 15 miles from our Museum, between the years of 1900 and
1911. In fact, he, and his test driver daughter
Rhea,
used the road up Mt. Penn to the
Pagoda
to test every vehicle they
manufactured. The criteria was: If it could climb
the hill in high gear, it passed; if not, 'twent back to the
shop for adjustments.
|
|
The following is our pictorial report on the 42nd Annual Duryea Day Antique & Classic Car & Truck Show and Flea Market held on Saturday, September 1st, 2007.
Duryea Day has two official greeters. Twinkle the
Clown's assignment is to search out the kiddies, and
present them with a little treat. This year,
it's our weekend Museum Receptionist, Sheila Heft, who is costumed
up — and stocked with the basket of goodies.
|
|
|
(left)
This 1955 Ford Victoria 2-door hardtop is owned by
Jerry Rothermel of
Boyertown,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1932 Lincoln V-12 Limousine is owned by Joe Rogers of
Collegeville,
Pennsylvania.
On the left side of the photograph at left, the
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible, currently
owned by Jim Pallante, Sr. of
Collegeville,
Pennsylvania,
was originally an Arizona car, but has since undergone a complete
restoration — along with major internal
modifications.
It now features a 350 cubic inch high-performance Corvette engine,
and 3-speed close-ratio Corvette transmission, driving a 4.11
Posi-Traction rear. Other accoutrements include 5-leaf
heavy-duty rear springs, 4-wheel power disc brakes, 4-core
heavy-duty radiator, two-and-quarter-inch stainless steel welded
exhaust system, and an FM stereo radio.
(right)
This 1958 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop is owned by
Roger Villano of
Stowe,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
French translation of sign = "Citroën Parking Only"
(right)
This black 1937 Ford Club Coupe, with
white convertible top, is owned by Fay & Les Pursel of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania.
The 85 horsepower V-8 engine is the stock flathead Ford, connected
to a 3-speed manual transmission with floor shift.
The all original metal car, with hydralic brakes,
was restored by Jack Fry.
(left)
This 1966 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop is owned
by Jerry Warsheski of
Stowe,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
The 42nd Annual Duryea Day Antique & Classic Car &
Truck Show and Flea Market — always held
on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend in Pennsylvania's Boyertown
Community Park — found the weather
on September 1, 2007, to be turgescent with blue skies,
cotton balls, and mega-sunshine.
(left)
This 1957 Mercury Convertible Cruiser is owned
by Robert Stoudt of
Fleetwood,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 convertible is owned
by Sonny Sciarretta of
Downingtown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This 1956 Pontiac convertible is owned by
Joe Rogers IV of
Perkiomenville,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1936 Chevy 2-door Coupe
is owned by Ray Troutman of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This 1979 Ford Mustang — Indy Pace Car
for the 63rd Annual
Indianapolis
500 Mile Race, held on Sunday,
May 27, 1979, at the
Indianapolis
Motor Speedway —
is now owned by James Kerper of
Birdsboro,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1968 Mercury Cougar 2-door hardtop is owned
by Chuck LoMagro of
Media,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This 1954 Chrysler Imperial 2-door hardtop is owned
by Paul Wolfmeyer of
Brookside,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1948 Straight-8 Buick Roadmaster
2-door convertible, with 3-speed manual transmission, is
owned by Bob & Sue Crowell of
Coopersburg,
Pennsylvania.
••• This beauty was one of the
featured articles in Duryea Day 2004
— The Story in Pictures.
•••
Click here to go there.
(left)
This 1969 Dodge Charger R/T 2-door hardtop is owned
by Robert Young of
Reading,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1959 Edsel Ranger 2-door hardtop
is owned by David Pickard of
Harleysville,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This majorly modified 1933 Willys Coupe
is owned by Randy Sailer of
Boyertown,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1957 Chevy Bel Air 2-door hardtop is owned
by Larry Reppert of
Gilbertsville,
Pennsylvania.
It also appears to have two quads, so I'm guessing it's
not a 6-banger.
(left)
The 10,000 rpm
Sun Tachometer
— mounted on the steering column, in front of the stock
1957 Chevy Bel Air speedometer —
was not a factory offering. But.
'Twas a very popular aftermarket accoutrement..
•••
Please mouseover footnote below/right for additional info.
Chris Boswell of
Boyertown
Barry Ritter of
Pennsburg
Chris Kane of
Pottstown
John Swartz of
West Chester —
all in
Pennsylvania.
| Footnote: tach |
|
|
|
|
We get quite a few sports cars shown at Duryea Day.
I would guess that the bulk of them are
Corvettes & MGs
— but a number of others too.
Here are a few of them from the 2007 show.
(right)
This white 1958 MGA Roadster is owned
by Al Laskey of
Graterford,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This white 1959 Chevrolet Corvette
convertible is owned by Joe Richardson of
Gilbertsville,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This red 1956 MGA Roadster is
owned by Lee Wesner of
Perkiomenville,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This beautiful blue 1953 MG TD Roadster
is owned by Tom Rippert of
Perkiomenville,
Pennsylvania.
•••
Please mouseover footnote at right for
compendium on the
last of the MG marque
— from May
of 1962 to Wednesday, October 22, 1980.
| Footnote: MGB |
(right)
This silver 2004 Porsche Boxster 550SE is
owned by Dennis Angelisanti of
Wyomissing,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This black 1965 Shelby Cobra is owned
by Ron Nosek of
Schwenksville,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This British Racing Green & cream 1967 Austin-Healey
MkIII Roadster is owned by Jack Robillard of
Doylestown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This baby blue 1962 MGA MkII Roadster,
with stock 1622 cc engine, and original color paintjob,
is owned by Ron Rosser of
Avoca,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This black 1948 MG TC Roadster is
owned by Tom Maddaloni of
Douglassville,
Pennsylvania.
Tom brought his cream 1947 MG TC
to Duryea Day 2004. •••
Click here to see it.
|
|
|
|
Most of the foreign cars that show up at Duryea Day fall into
the "sports car" category, and were featured in the previous
chapter of our story here.
But we got snaps of a few others too.
Regardez vous ici.
(right)
This 1976 Citroën 2CV Special 4-door sedan
is owned by Mary Schultz of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania, who is
standing at the front of the French auto.
•••
Yes.
You're saying to yourself:
"Didn't a young Richard Dreyfuss have one of those in George
Lucas' 1973 movie, American Graffiti ?"
Yepper.
Sure did.
Dreyfuss was 24 then — playing Curt Henderson,
who (in the movie) lived in
Modesto, California,
in 1962, and drove
a blue circa 1960 Citroën 2CV — which stands
for "Deux CheVaux", and means "two horses."
There was another story that was once circulated:
that 2CV stands for "Deux Cylindres-V" — meaning
that it's a V-2 engine — which, in fact, is only
half true. The Citroën engine is
two cylinders, but they are in an
opposing configuration
— not a V.
I don't make this stuff up.
I just report on it.
lol
Yes, it's an amusing car.
But it got nearly 50 miles per gallon;
would run on gasoline, or perfume;
and was produced from 1948 to 1990!
Zippy ?
No, not too.
The standard joke on the 2CV was:
"It can go from zero-to-fifty in the same day."
(right)
A perennial Volkswagen Beetle
cruises through the 42nd Annual
Duryea Day Flea Market in Boyertown Community Park
at 12:54 on Saturday afternoon, September 1st, 2007.
I'm not real good at nailing the year on these things.
I don't think anyone is. So. I shall
conjecture
that this may be a 1966, owned by
Ed & Katie German of
Rutledge,
Pennsylvania.
Or.
It may be the 1970, owned by Ashley Witman of
Boyertown.
|
Up through '52, there were
two rear windows —
replaced in 1953 with a
single oval.
In 1958, it nearly doubled in area, and became
more rectangular.
In 1971, the Super Beetle was introduced.
It was essentially a stretched & padded version of the
former.
Up through '72, the windshield was flat.
From 1973 on, curved.
(right)
Our photographer forgot to check the window-cards
on these two ragtops, but we believe the
red bug is the 1968 Volkswagen Beetle,
owned by Jeffrey Pail of
Boyertown.
Likewise, our registration records suggest that the
silver goody is the 1973 Porsche 914,
with the two-litre engine, owned by Eric Wahlberg of
Lancaster — both,
Pennsylvania.
|
|
|
|
Dictionarially, the word octogenarian means
a person in their 80's — that is:
between the ages of 80 and 89. However.
We are using it here to refer to automobiles that are nearly
80 years old or older. In fact, the 17 cars
that we are featuring in this chapter range anywhere
from 76 years old (built in 1931) to
98 years old (built in 1909).
Ergo: very old cars!
(left)
This 1926 Ford Model "T"
is owned by George Mano of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
The advertisement said: The Runabout.
Black. All-steel body.
Large compartment under rear deck.
Weatherproof side curtains opening with both doors.
Four cord tires, nickeled head lamp rims, windshield
wiper. Starter and demountable rims $85
extra. Balloon tires $25 extra.
Price fob
Detroit, Michigan.
$260. •••
This 1926 Ford Model "T"
is owned by David Beideman of
Douglassville,
Pennsylvania.
The '26 Runabout (above) had two doors, and fat 12-spoked
wheels.
This 1929 Ford Model "A" Phaeton (at left)
owned by Don Driesbach of
Schwenksville,
Pennsylvania,
has four doors, and wire-spoked wheels.
(right)
This 1923 Ford Model "T" woodie
is owned by Joseph Gary Blair of
Ivyland,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This 1924 Franklin Touring 4-door
is owned by Rodney Lott of
Birdsboro,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1929 Ford Roadster is owned by Jack Mesch of
Allentown,
Pennsylvania.
As an added encouragement for those who own pre-1920 vehicles to
bring them to the annual Duryea Day, the
show's organizers traditionally
waive
the registration fee for those antiquest-of-the-antique.
This year there were 7 vehicles at the show which were "born" in
1919 or earlier. Here are three of them.
(right)
This 94-year-old 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
is owned by Mermie Karger of
Exton,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This rare 98-year-old 1909 Kelsey Motorette
is owned by Mark & Adam Serfass of
Earlville,
Pennsylvania.
•••
The Kelsey Motorette was built for just two years, with
a total production of only 210 cars.
A number of these cars were then exported to other countries,
including Australia and Japan.
Of the 210 produced, it is not known how many are still in
existence — but it is most likely less than 10.
(right)
This 1922 Marmon Model 34B
is owned by Bob and Carol Robinson of
Schwenksville,
Pennsylvania.
••• See also
Trophy Time.
(left)
This 1930 Ford Model A Coupe
is owned by Dini Vigliano of
Worcester,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This 1929 Ford Model A
is owned by Greg Bechtel of
Boyertown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
Mike Yannessa of
Oley,
Pennsylvania, just purchased this
1931 Chevy in 2006.
He restores antique automobiles for a living.
But this one is his baby.
Her name is Lulu. The rumble-seated
red-shirted fellow is Colin Montgomery of
Pottstown.
(right)
This 1930 Ford Model A Coupe
is owned by David Murphy of
Birdsboro,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This 1930 Ford Phaeton
is owned by Woody Frey of
Emmaus,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
At first glance, you might think this is a picture of
a man sitting, and reading.
But it is not.
This is actually the photograph of a 1929
Model A Ford with a high-gloss finish.
In fact, one might call it a mirror-finish.
And the guy with the mega-elbow-grease is its owner,
Tom Knoedler of
Wallingford,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This 1928 Lincoln 7-passenger sedan
is owned by Joe Rogers of
Collegeville,
Pennsylvania.
|
|
|
|
We always get oodles of large vehicles to populate our "Truck Farm"
in Boyertown Community Park on Duryea Day.
This year, there were 62 of them.
In this chapter, we show you quite several.
(right)
This white 1955 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery
is owned by Walter Cassel of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
Left to right:
green 1967 International R190 Dump Truck and
white 1979 Mack Truck, Model R, both
owned by Harold Reinert of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania; and
blue 1957 Dodge Pickup Truck, Model 100,
owned by Dennis Moyer of
Whitehall,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
Left to right:
green 1948 Ford C-5 Cabover Tow Truck
owned by Joe Kelley Auto Body in
Center Square,
Pennsylvania;
red 1955 Mack B85F, and
green 1988 Mack Superliner, both
owned by Sandy & Mark Yarnall of
Boyertown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This yellow 1959 Jeep FC-170 is owned by
Macungie
resident Don Kohn, a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter of
the Antique Truck Club of America — which is in the
Allentown /
Bethlehem /
Easton area of
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This red 1937 Diamond T, Model 80 pickup truck
is owned by Derald Hay of
Springfield,
Pennsylvania.
••• See also
Trophy Time.
(left)
This aqua 1954 Ford F-100 pickup truck
is owned by Ed Samuels of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania.
This paint might be the factory original.
(right)
This aqua 1954 Ford F-100 pickup truck
is owned by John Sweeney of
Gilbertsville,
Pennsylvania.
This paintjob is not a Henry-hue.
(left)
The yellow
1979 GMC, and the (taller) beige & brown
1974 International Transtar CO4070A are both
owned by Mike Yarnall of
Boyertown,
Pennsylvania.
Betwixt them is a Chevy pickup of unknown
year — and
on the far side of the Transtar, sumkinda blue thing.
(right)
Looks like this green pickup picked up a golden
mascot. Having seen no window-card, I shall
conjecture
about some things — as follows:
This may be a 1946 Chevy, owned by Robert
and Wanda Urban of
Lititz,
Pennsylvania.
The colors may be Brewster Green, and Mayland Black.
|
|
|
|
Though the jury is still out on coming up with a date on
the invention of the wheel, we do know that ten wheels
existed in the days of
Jacob and his
dozen sons.
I say ten because a chariot (first mentioned in Gen 41:43)
has two, and in Gen 45:19 is the first text referring to a
wagon (a 4-wheeled vehicle) — and
since it is plural, that's at least 8 more wheels,
plus the 2 on the chariot, equals 10.
However.
Archaeologists have unearthed some wheels in
Mesopotamia
which substantially predate those that
Joe and
Pharaoh
were circulating in Egypt.
But the next question is:
When was it that someone came up with the idea of
setting just two wheels
in tandem
on a vehicle ?
Oh.
Probably about 1817.
And then.
When did who
schmush
a motor betwixt them ?
That feather goes to 44-year-old
Sylvester Howard Roper, from New
Hampshire, who patented his
steam-powered velocipede
in 1867.
Albeit.
Twuz knot very practical, and it didn't sell.
•••
But in 1885, Gottlieb Daimler invented the first
gasoline-powered motorcycle,
and the rest am history.
(left)
This tan 1934 Harley-Davidson VLD is owned
by Bob Stieg of
Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
This blue 2005 Big Dog Chopper is owned
by Russ Tuturice of
Pottstown,
Pennsylvania.
(left)
This yellow 1950 Indian Chief is owned
by Bart Bertetto of
Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania.
One of the interesting distinctions that the Indian holds is
that: if you see a motorcycle in a black & white movie
— it's nearly certain that it's an Indian.
But the motorcycle engines aren't running.
Then what's all the poppin' an' bangin' going on ?
Oh.
That is the hit-and-miss engines next door.
Donald Choyce, of
Perkiomenville,
brought a number of examples of
these curious contraptions to Duryea Day this year.
In the photo at right (on the left) is a 4½-horsepower
steam-powered hit-and-miss engine taken from a 28-foot boat.
To the right of that is a Fairbanks Morse 1½-horsepower
hit-and-miss engine from circa 1934.
•••
A hit-and-miss engine is a type of four-stroke internal combustion
engine conceived about 1890, and produced up through the
1930's. The reason for the sporadic firing
— and the attendant peculiar sound
— of this particular kind of engine is that it is
designed to only ignite the fuel mixture when required to maintain
its average speed.
|
|
|
|
Though we have shown you a number
of blue cars
throughout this 2007 Duryea Day
Story in Pictures, we also noticed that,
this year, our photographer seems to have
taken a grand abundance of snaps of
bluely hued machines.
And so, we have collected 10 of them for
you here in this chapter.
(right)
This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, with
Larkspur Blue body, Harbor Blue top, and the celebrated
283 cubic-inch V-8 engine,
is owned by Neil Blanchette of
Wilmington, Delaware.
The 50-year-old vehicle has a mere
34,000 miles
on it, and its interior is entirely original upholstery.
Body style ? The
2-door hardtop
is customarily the crestor of the desiderata.
Yet. Some swear by the convertible
— maybe owing to the fact
that it is the more rare.
Only 47,562 Bel Air convertibles were made;
166,426 two-door hardtops.
Additionally, 22,631 two-door hardtops were made
in the 210 model.
But though they are even rarer than the
convertibles,
a 210 just ain't a Bel Air honey!
(left)
This 1949 Dodge Wayfarer 2-door club coupe,
owned by Gary Cooper of
Douglassville,
Pennsylvania,
is welcomed through "Show Cars Entrance" by
Macungie
homesteader Lois Dries — one of our
great volunteer assistants this year.
(right)
This 1956 Buick Roadmaster 4-door hardtop
is owned by Ed & Bernie McGary of
Easton,
Pennsylvania.
In 1973, this beauty was banished to a dark
garage, at the tender age of 17.
This was good and bad.
Bad because for the next 23 years, no one got to enjoy
seeing her cruise 'round town.
•••
But good because when set free in 1996, she had
only 61-thousand on her odometer.
Her original owner put less than 300 miles per month
on this vehicle — and her current
owners have conformed to that same tradition
of temperance.
Ed and Bernie have averaged a mere 182 miles per month for
the past 11 years.
Her current reading is but 85,000.
(left)
This 1955 Chevy 2-door station wagon
is owned by James Cassel of
New Berlinville,
Pennsylvania.
(right)
Five blueys are visible here.
But, since our photographer was using a high-powered
telescopic lens to take this shot,
while perched on a catwalk
along one of the cooling towers in
Limerick,
we do not have the
window-cards' info on three of these five vehicles —
and therefore we'll aphord you the phun of multiple choice.
(in the foreground, with hood up) This is the
1948 Chevy Coupe, owned by Scott & Wanda Genery of
Birdsboro,
Pennsylvania.
(behind her) 1964-67 Stingray —
8 choices:
'64, Fred Serfass,
Douglassville;
'64, Karl Humma,
Pottstown;
'65, Ray & Betsy Wolski,
Phoenixville;
'65, Wayne Scott,
Pottstown;
'65, Jackie Sombers,
Pottstown;
'66, Dan Zuber,
Bechtelsville;
'66, Roger Mest,
Birdsboro;
'67, John Gallagher,
Fleetwood — all
Pennsylvania.
(to left, with hood up) Nose of
1967 Chevelle Malibu, which is
shown in full-view later on this page.
(top right) The "Smith" '53 Chevy,
which is featured next here on the page.
(just left of that) The only non-Chevy in this snap
— a 1967
Ford Mustang ragtop, with its "blue" leaning
slightly toward aqua — may belong to
Barry Kerper of
Birdsboro;
or Delbert Schrader of
Douglassville — both in
Pennsylvania.
•••
Please mouse around the photo for enlargements of all five.
(left)
This 1953 Chevrolet 210 Deluxe 4-door sedan
is owned by Russ & Linda Smith of
Easton,
Pennsylvania.
Under her hood, you will find the original 6 volt ignition system,
and a stock six-cylinder engine with 235 cubic inches
— which produces 115 horsepower.
She weighs in at
3250 pounds,
and sold for 1761 U.S. dollars, when brand new, with the
3-speed manual transmission.
(right)
This 1967 Chevelle Malibu 2-door hardtop
— whose right nose-profile you saw in the
photograph directly above it — is owned by
one of the following ten
Pennsylvania residents:
Bill Westley,
Birdsboro;
Horace Reinford,
Boyertown; John Pogwist,
Collegeville;
Chet Stepien & Girls,
Elverson;
Jim Hartman,
Lansdale;
David Gross,
Perkiomenville;
Wayne Strogus,
Pottstown;
Jason Strohm,
Pottstown;
Al Thomas,
Pottstown; Daniel Angstadt,
Reading.
(left)
Here we have the nose of a
1964 Ford Fairlane 500 2-door hardtop with
Daytona Radial tires; and to its right, with the wide
whitewalls, the 1949 Dodge Wayfarer 2-door
club coupe, owned by Gary Cooper of
Douglassville,
Pennsylvania
— which you saw previously, six photos up.
|
|
|
| This Duryea Day 2007
Story in Pictures (Part 1 of 2)
was last updated and verified as being accurate information as of Tuesday, April 29, 2008. |
