You Meet the Nicest People in Charlotte
(Southeastern National AACA Meet)
By Bill Cox
We are so blessed to have such a grand AACA event in our back yard… well, maybe it’s not exactly around the corner, but easy enough to get to for a weekend. I went down Friday morning in the rain… not the best time to go, but I was able to get down there, have some lunch and greet some friends in the AACA tent by the showfield. After lunch, the mist was tolerable and I actually got to spend a few hours in the flea market and had a good time.
The displays inside the buildings always have something interesting and this year there were El Caminos and land speed racers (LSRs). These are the rocket shaped race cars built to set speed records on the Bonneville salt flats. I enjoyed both of these displays, but the prize possession here was a 1970 Monte Carlo that was treated to an incredible restoration to a concours level. It was certainly the best I have ever seen.
Saturday promised to be a better day with dry weather and temps in the 70s. It did not disappoint as I arrived at the judges breakfast around 7:00 to meet friends from around the country who had come to join the fun on the show field. There were 250 judges present to review 301 cars. It was overcast in the morning, but that gave way to clear sunny skies and 70 degrees in the afternoon. There were lots of folks from the NC Region, Alamance Region, Mountain Regions and of course all those Hornets Nest folks with those yellow hats… they certainly looked like a swarm of bees all over the place.
As cars started pulling in to the field, my eye was drawn to the 1917 Locomobile as it pulled in to be greeted by Mel Carson, our new AACA President. I wasn’t alone as many people turned to see it drive in and enjoy something you don’t see very often. Equally engaging was Jim and Becky Aldrich’s 1923 Stutz Touring Car. A beautiful little touring car that you can just imagine traveling the back roads of America in the roaring 20s! These and many other fine automobiles are what brings me to Charlotte every year. As a judge, I get to see some extremely nice cars, either restored to very high levels, or preserved with care to maintain originality. We are very fortunate to be able to see these examples of automotive history so close to home. If you haven’t been to an AACA National recently or at all, I highly suggest you put it on your list of things to do. You’re sure to have a great time, and… you meet the nicest people!
Happy motoring,
Bill
To see more pictures Taken by Bill Cox and Denny Oestreich Click on:
2019 AACA Southeastern National Meet Pics