THE HUDSON TRIANGLE

Exclusively for members of the Hudson Historical Society. Awarded the OCW Golden Quill A 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization Volume 18 Issue 1

Herb Thomas’s No. 92 Photographed at the 2009 50th National HET Meet in Pontiac , MI

Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ HET Historical Society - Moving Forward AACA Library NHMCC Museum Hudson Triangle “” Media Library Departments The Starting Line 2 From Where The Coyotes Call 3 The Starting Line ______2016 - another year to explore the history History of our favorite marque which is spread ’s No. 92 Front Page around the world. Fortunately, nowadays, Torture Test 5 we have the internet that helps us access Hudson at War Part 3 8 information that we did not even know existed. And National Historic Vehicle Register 12 with the internet, it is not always necessary to sit down and write a letter requesting information and Historical Society, Inc. waiting weeks or months for the answers. Board of Directors 15 Now the challenge is to collect that information and artifacts and preserve them for our education and Membership future generations. In Memory 3 Jack Miller Award 4 The pool of knowledge in our museum and library Membership Application 5 also serves as resource for the members of the HET Eldon Hostetler 6 Club and other HET owners and automobile Member Activities 7 historians for model identification and maintenance Click, On Line 7 questions. This, if for no other reason, makes the How to Reach Us 15 quest of the HET Historical Society an important ______mission. And we have a fresh new year for our task. So if you have a rare Hudson document, book, photo or artifact that would help us in our task, please keep HETHS in mind. Something for you Calendar - Editor July 3, 1909 - First Hudson "Model 20" driven from the plant at Mack & Beaufait Avenues, Detroit.

Dedicated to Preserving the History of

© 2016

Page 2 http://heths.info/ Winter 2016 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward sure she had plenty of blankets and an ice From Where The Coyotes Call chest for the unpredictable changes in temperature. I am convinced that by now, most of the people that made I am happy to say that the HETHS is starting New Year's Resolutions have off this year with a balanced budget. We been like me and broken have a great group of officers and directors them. That is why you make that are working hard to make certain that it them, is it not? Who needs to stays that way. lose that much weight anyway? I am also hoping that 2016 will be our most Wasn't 2015 a great year? It was great for me profitable year with the greatest increase in in many ways. Texas saw record breaking our membership. I believe that everyone rains. My stock tanks have been filled and wants to preserve the history of our great overflowed twice! I know many young drivers . We can do this with your help. Tell a that actually did not know how to turn on their friend about the Historical society and sign windshield wipers. There were also many them up. Tell everyone about Doc Hudson drivers that found themselves waiting for help and the attention he is getting from everyone while standing on top of their vehicle or while wherever he goes. Contribute to Doc's holding on to trees. There were also those medical fund. Visit the museum in Ypsilanti, that were not so lucky. Please teach your MI. You will be glad you did! children to turn around and don't drown. Right now I am searching for a thief. I want to Calvin know what happened to my calendar. I could have sworn that just last week I was making my reservations for our trip to Colorado Springs. Today, I am working on our trip to In Memory of ... the Annual International HET meeting at the We have lost some members. Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel in HETHS has received donations in Tennessee June 26 - July 1, 2016. (I actually their memory. made our reservations while still in Colorado Glen Hartong Springs. I had heard a rumor that the hotel Burl Gingerich was filling up quickly.). Where did the time go? Jim & Sandy Boyle I envy those of you that were able to visit with Nelson & Carolyn Creasy Heidi Hetzer and her great 1930 Hudson, Dick Teeter Hudo, during her drive through North America Janet Kale in 2015. She has to be a very smart Buzz & Pam Stahl lady. She chose to make this trip around the Eldon Hostetler world in a HUDSON! I wish she could have fit Calvin &Virginia Buchanan Texas in her schedule. I would have Larry & Sue Kennedy recommended to her that she should come to Texas in November. But, she needed to make

Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ Page 3 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward “Friend of Automotive History” success on America’s stock car tracks. Society of Automotive Historians In 1995 Jack and two friends founded the 2015 Award YPSILANTI AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE MUSEUM with an addition to the original Jack C. Miller of Ypsilanti, Michigan is this Hudson dealership year’s recipient of this building which showcases prestigious award Ypsilanti’s rich automotive which is presented heritage including the annually in recognition “Ace” car, Kaiser-Frazer, of outstanding GM’s Hydra-Matic contributions to the field Division, of automotive history. Corvair, Ford’s Parts & As the son of Electric Division and the Ypsilanti’s Hudson Tucker car. Preston dealer, Miller’s life-long Tucker’s home is located interest in the Hudson near the museum. Motor Car Company by The Ypsilanti Orphan maintaining the Car Show which is the dealership displaying museum’s big annual Hudson cars in its event was founded 18 original building and years ago by Jack Miller recognized as the and Randy Mason to feature the “Orphan world’s last remaining Hudson dealership Car’s” not present at most car shows. selling parts and providing information for Hudson collectors worldwide. The 2015 “Friend of Automotive History” award was presented at the Society of Jack Miller wrote articles for the Hudson Essex Automotive Historians banquet held at the Terraplane Club’s “White Triangle News” Hershey Country Club, Hershey, becoming its editor and publisher for 14 years Pennsylvania on October 9, 2015. Jack Miller beginning in 1984. Jack also served as editor is a member of the Henry M. Leland Chapter of the “ Delivery” the Michigan chapter of the greater Detroit area of Society of news bulletin until recently. Jack Miller has Automotive Historians. authored and published “Total Domination”, the story of the ’s amazing

Remember to renew your annual donation to HETHS and help the advancement of our goals

Page 4 http://heths.info/ Winter 2016 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward from Jack Miller

$______LIFE Member $1,000 or more

$______CONTRIBUTING Member $100 $______ACTIVE Membership $40 1937 Hudson Eight & Terraplane $______GIFT in Honor or in Memory of “Torture Test” was conducted under the supervision of AAA. AAA officials selected ______a Terraplane (model 72) Brougham and a $______General Donation Hudson Eight (model 74) Brougham from ______the production line and then disassembled

the cars at the Hudson plant to check all $ ______TOTAL funds enclosed. specifications for production stock. The cars were then reassembled and driven to Name: the Bonneville Salt Flats, UT where they were subjected to two “Torturous Days” of Address: testing.

The star performer was the Hudson Eight Phone: which shattered the 24 hour record for unlimited closed cars by covering 2,104.22 Email: miles at an average speed of 87.67 mph for 21 hrs., 04 min., 22 sec., also breaking Please make payment by check, or money order every timed record ( from 6 – 24 hrs.) and payable to HET Historical Society, Inc., in US set 23 new Class C records, ( 1 – 24 hours Dollars, and mail to: and 10 – 2,000 miles). Cheryl Holz, 13270 McKanna Road Minooka, IL 60447 Equipped with the optional “Electric-Hand” shifter the Terraplane accelerated from 0-50 Thanks for your Support! mph in 10.4 seconds and the Hudson Eight did the 0-50 mph test in 9.4 seconds. The Terraplane (model 72) traveled 1000 miles in 24 hours with an average speed of 86.54 mph and the Hudson Eight (model 74) traveled an average of 88.49 mph for the 24 hour time.

Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ Page 5 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward Eldon Hostetler, noted Hudson automobile collector,

inventor and philanthropist dies at 93 Middlebury, IN teen and later joined the Mennonite Church. Eldon Hostetler, noted Hudson automobile He became an inventor with over 65 patents collector, inventor and philanthropist passed issued to him. In 2005, he and Esta donated away Friday, January 8, 2016, in Middlebury, much of their collection of Hudson autos to the IN at the age of 93. Eldon was born on city of Shipshewana, IN to create a museum. Christmas day, 1922 in Shipshewana, IN, the Author Laurie Oswald Robinson, who eldest of 13 children, to the late Lizzie and interviewed Eldon for a fall 2014 article in The Mahlon Hostetler. Mennonite magazine, said Eldon had been, “Eldon became an icon in American “Blessed to blaze new trails.” automobile history, a giant to the collector car Eldon often shared the story of how as an hobby and a hero to his local community,” said Amish boy he first became interested in cars at Michael Spezia, long-time friend and Executive 14. In his 2008 autobiography “The Life and Director of the Gilmore Car Museum of Hickory Times of Eldon ‘Ziggity’ Hostetler” Eldon Corners, MI (near Kalamazoo). tells that when he was 18, his Amish By passionately grandfather offered to loan him money preserving some of the finest and rarest toward a car. “He Hudson then said that if I automobiles promised never to produced coupled tell my mother where with his fondness I got the money, he and enthusiasm for would loan me $350 sharing his hobby, to buy my first car, a and his genuine 1938 Hudson,” desire to give back Hostetler wrote. “I to the community, was the only person in our community Eldon leaves a lasting legacy with great impact. who had a car, and so I hauled a lot of Amish people around.” Many may know Eldon and his wife Esta Hostetler for their auto collection which grew to Years later through Ziggity Systems Inc.—the be recognized as the world’s largest company Eldon established in 1976—he put assemblage of Hudson Automobiles and for his inventor’s hat on and created an innovative their appearance at car shows all cross the way of watering and feeding poultry for large nation. Eldon, however, will be remembered for farm operations. It was completely automated: something foreign to his Amish much more. roots. The equipment he created and the Raised Amish, Eldon purchased a car as a nearly 65 patents issued to him have

Page 6 http://heths.info/ Winter 2016 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward revolutionized the industry and today are Membership Activities utilized worldwide. We have several: Eldon purchased his first collector car in 1985 Elevated to Life: John & Lorrie Pontius; Aaron with the encouragement of Esta: a 1952 & Kathy Cooper Hudson Club Coupe. Many more cars soon Contributions to the HMCC Museum followed and within a decade the couple Endowment Fund ... began thinking about building a museum for their expanding hobby. Gateway Chapter HET Club By 2001, their collection had grown so vast Northern Indiana Ohio Chapter HET Club that they needed storage space. That’s when Keep spreading the word about the goals and they first met Michael Spezia, Executive achievements of the HETHS and making the Director of the renowned Gilmore Car invitation to join our quest. Museum. The Museum created a special exhibit gallery to showcase 22 cars from the Hostetler Collection. After seeing their cars displayed together at the Gilmore and the enjoyment it gave visitors, they were convinced: they needed to create a museum just for their Hudsons. Working with Spezia on the design and layout, they created a plan for a car museum and conference center. In 2005, recognizing their success, the Hostetler’s gave back to for their life-long community of Shipshewana by donating 18 acres of prime real-estate and a large portion of their car collection to the city. The Shipshewana Event Center, which houses the museum, opened in 2007, with many of Eldon’s cars have remained on CLICK…online permanent exhibit at the Gilmore.  “Visit” the HET Club http://hetclub.org  “Like” our Facebook Page “I will be forever grateful for his friendship,” https://www.facebook.com/HudsonEssexTerraplane Spezia said. “His loss will not only be felt by  “Access” our Webpage http://heths.info/ me and the Gilmore Car Museum, but by  “Travel” with Doc Hudson www.hudsonhornet.org everyone who knew him or simply knew of  “Read” past Triangles http://heths.info/ him. His contributions have changed not only  “Enjoy” Classics how we view his beloved Hudsons, but how  http://classiccarimages.com/gallery.php?gid=62 philanthropy can change the world.”  “Check” the Movies Article provided by David Stevens http://imcdb.org/vehicles_make-Hudson.html  “Browse” AACA Library http://www.aacalibrarycatalog.org/

Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ Page 7 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward The following is an article by John Dyson from the Railton Owners Club Bulletin (Our thanks to them for being allowed to reproduce this.) A HUDSON IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR - Part 3 The following day, Toby was detailed to carry some important despatches to G.H.Q. at Abbeville, a journey of nearly four hundred miles with detours, as the direct route was thought to be in enemy hands. Accompa- nied by Borritt (only ever mentioned as such, although a R.R. 'Ghost' owner himself) after a difficult journey with thick fog impeding their progress, they eventually reached their destination for Toby to deliver the pa- pers to Sir John French, the C-in-C. As Sir John was sufficiently concerned there was little likelihood of a safe to return to Bruges, he was not prepared to entrust anything in writing, so Toby had to memorise the reports and orders for his brother. On eying his badgeless uniform, the C-in-C enquired whatever passes Toby carried. These it was decided were quite inadequate, and furthermore if Toby were to be captured he ran serious risk of being shot as a franc-tinur. To get over this little problem, Sir John immediately dubbed Toby colonel. He returned to the Hudson, as a field officer, metamorphosed in crowns, stars, red tabs and a gold-leafed cap, with documents in French and English confirming his new status. "There was no commission for Borritt, who as a civilian operating a machine gun could have expected little mercy from the enemy! It could only be hoped that, if they were to be taken, Toby's martial cloak would cover them both." As it happened their return journey was comparatively une- ventful. The next few weeks were spent in scouting and conveying staff officers around the ever changing front line. Lest it be thought the Colt machine gun mounted on the scuttle of the Hudson was mere ornament, it proved its worth in sundry engagements with German Uhlan (lancer) patrols, culminating in the taking of prisoners. In one encounter Toby came upon such a patrol, which he pursued down a lane firing his gun. He was about to make good his retreat "when sud- denly a horse in the rear of the galloping column was pushed off the road by the struggling crowd and fell into a deep ditch. I immediately slowed down and I could see all four shoes of the horse glittering in the air, indicating that he was on his back. No sign of the rider could be seen, and it was not until the car stopped alongside the horse that I became The T.T. Hudson equipped for war. (Photo: Rawlinson) aware that the rider lay underneath in the ditch with his leg pinned between the saddle and the bank. "The man looked a miserable object, considerably shaken by his fall, very frightened, and perfectly harmless. ... he made signs for me to pull him from under the horse ... I at last got hold of the man, and with a great effort pulled him out ... only accomplished because the man's foot came out of his boot which remained pinned under the horse. He was quite tame, but demonstrated a strong desire to save his boot." It by now being quite dark, Toby did not hang around any longer but carried his prisoner back through the British picket lines to H. Q. in Ypres.

Page 8 http://heths.info/ Winter 2016 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward On 27th October, Sir Henry Rawlinson handed over what remained of his command and accompanied by Toby returned home in the car for a fortnight's leave. The Hudson with its various bullet holes, together with the Pikelhauben helmets on the front wings, and tattered Union Flag, all bearing witness to some dose encounters, caused a great sensation wherever it went. When they returned to France, the First Battle of Ypres was coming to an end, and as autumn deepened into winter, it became obvious that it wouldn't be 'all over by Christmas'. As the frenetic skirmishing and fighting of the early months had settled into the hideous slog of trench warfare, the need for the V. 0. Ds. became less, so Rawlinson engaged his attention elsewhere. Throughout the winter Toby and the Hudson were kept busy, involving on many occasions, long solitary drives through the night to Paris from Corps H.Q. in Merville. Conditions were appalling, with snow as often as not, and he came to dread in particular one long hill which "nine times out of ten was a sheet of ice". It speaks volumes for the stamina of car and driver that few problems were encountered, though Toby was laid up for a month with "congestion of the lungs", brought about by overwork and exposure in the open car. Happily he was staying at his friend Robert de Rothschild's house in Paris, so was well looked after in comfortable surroundings. The Germans possessed an unpleasant weapon, the minenwerfer that could lob bombs onto the British lines, who had nothing with which to effectively reply. Rawlinson suggested he be permitted to try to 'come The Hudson 33 competition car that up with something'. Thanks to his old Darracq contacts, he was able to suffered terminal mechanical problems pull a few strings and found at the TT. (Photo Foster/ Rawlinson some ancient (1847) siege mor- tars in the Arsenal at Versailles. These, after much modification and experimentation, he was able to adapt, and the so-called Toby mortars', awkward and cumbersome though they were, eventually provided some retaliation. On 15th May, 1915 an attack was launched on the German trenches (Aubers Ridge), in which the mortar sections were engaged. It was during this battle that Toby "made a somewhat too close an ac- quaintance with a Jack Johnson" as he put it - resulting in his being sent home to recuperate from his injuries. (A jack Johnson' was a large calibre German howitzer shell, which 'packed a heavy weight punch', as did the boxer after whom it was nicknamed). By late June he was fit enough to return to Flanders, but received a mes- sage from the War Office that he had no right to consider himself an of- ficer. Somewhat piqued, after all he had been through, he crossed White- hall and reported to the Admiralty, whereupon he was commissioned a Lieutenant Commander, R.N.V.R., with orders to take up command of Tody and Hudson outside the Roth- an armoured car squadron then being organised. child mansion in Paris (Photo: Rawlinson )

Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ Page 9 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward The Home Front The late spring of 1915 had witnessed the start of Zeppelin raids on London. This aerial bombardment initially caused relatively little death or destruction, but losses were beginning to mount along with public disquiet. There was very little that could be done to allay Londoners' fears; the usual policy of 'it will never happen here' prevailed. What guns were available did not have mountings capable of the angle of elevation, or the range required, the ammunition was quite unsuitable, proving as dangerous to the citizenry as the Zeppelin bombs, and there was no warning system. Public outrage soon reached the ears of the government, who, fearing protests and rioting, reacted by 'sending for the Navy', so a branch of the Royal Naval Air Service was set up in an attempt to tackle the problem. When Rawlinson returned from a month's 'shakedown' of his new command, he found himself pitchforked into this Toby Rawlinson as seen by new job, on account of his "considerable experience of the organisation of the Par- the The Auto Motor Journal is anti-aircraft defences" (his words) the previous winter. (September 1911) His initial reaction was to persuade the authorities to sanction the purchase of some French `carnions automo- biles'. In his monumental tome Anti-Aircraft Artillery of the VorId Maj. Gen. N.W. Duncan gives all the credit to Commodore (later Admiral Sir Murray Sueter, (Toby's C.O.) and fails to mention Rawlinson at all! Nor does Neil Hanson in his book First Bliq, the story of the German plan to raze London to the ground. Once more he set off for France in the faithful Hudson, arriving in Paris the same evening. He secured an interview with Gen. Joffre, French C. in C. (more string pulling here!) who agreed to release a brand new gun, with ammunition tender. The 75 mm quick firing A.A. gun was mounted on a De Dion Bouton type GS chassis, with a v-8 engine. Originally intended as a luxury motor car, complete with the famed rear axle, the axle was modified, including twin solid rear tyres to cope with an all up weight of some 5 tons. Notwithstanding, the contrivance was allegedly capable of well over 50 mph! Back in London, no time was lost in training gun crews. The R.N. The French 75 mm Auto-Canon on the A.A. Mobile Brigade was established at the Talbot Works in Lad- specially modified De Dion V8 chassis, broke Grove, West London, and received its first call out on Octo- with gun stowed for transit. (Photo: ber 13th. Rawlinson) Leaving their quarters at 9.05 pm, with Rawlinson leading in the Hudson, headlamps blazing and sirens wailing, the convoy cut a swathe through the busy streets and traffic — touching 56 mph he claimed! They were in action at the Artillery ground, Moorgate Street, in the City, within twenty minutes, and whilst they failed to hit the Zeppelin, they did give it a nasty shock! In time more guns and searchlights, with attendant vehicles, were stationed all over the south-eastern approaches to London. Even into Norfolk, as Sandringham, where Queen Mary was residing, had to be protected from German

Page 10 http://heths.info/ Winter 2016 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward incursions. Apparently this activity had a good effect on public morale, as they could observe something was being done for their protec- tion, despite the fact that no Zeppelins were brought down by A.A. fire. Toby's devil-may-care streak is well illustrated by an incident in May, 1916 when he `borrowed' a staff car and was involved in a collision with a taxi. The Lords of the Admiralty were "severely displeased by this misuse of a Service Car" and A Toby-mortar, loaded and ready Toby was charged £8110/- for the "wear and tear and petrol consumed." Even- to fire. (Photo: Rawlinson) tually the Army took over ack-ack responsibilities, and Rawlinson was at last given his Colonelcy. His subsequent adventures during the years 1918 — 1922 in Persia (Iran) and Turkey, culminating in his being seized and held hostage in ghastly conditions by the followers of Kemal Ataturk do not form part of the Hud- son story, but may be found in his book Adventures in the Near East, 1918 — 1922. Rawlinson died, according to the Daily Mirror "in mysterious circumstances in a back-street flat in Clapham" at the beginning of June 1934, his last days being made less bearable over a problem with an unpaid electricity bill. His estate amounted to £115 7s. Od. A sad and lonely end for this extrovert, individualistic but difficult charac- ter, who once included the highest members of society amongst his friends.

John Dyson.

Hudson and Maserati at Indy in 1941? This is the Raul Riganti driven Maserati 8CL painted in baby blue and yellow Argentina colors. I think it is 1941. from Ivan Zaremba Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ Page 11 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward The National Historic Vehicle Register The National Historic Vehicle Register is something that HETHS should be aware of. But first some background information. Some time ago, Jack Miller tracked down Herb Thomas’s badly- neglected NASCAR racer, the number 92 “”. He arranged its purchase (after a decade of negotiation) and restored the car to its as-raced state. Recently Jack sold the car to Ed Souers. The racer has been added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. So what is National Historic Vehicle Register? Thanks to D.J Kava, we have some information about it from the Sept NAAM newsletter.

THE NATIONAL HISTORIC VEHICLE REGISTER EXPLAINED Hagerty is a proud sponsor of the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA). Through that sponsorship, the HVA was able to establish the National Historic Vehicle Register. If press coverage is any indication, the launch of the National Historic Vehicle Register is proving to be a hit with car guys and gals as well as the general public. So how does the Register work? What is the government’s role in the program? How does it help the community of people who love old cars? President of the Historic Vehicle Association, Mark Gessler, answers these and other important questions. The National Historic Vehicle Register is a documentation program to record America’s automotive treasures. The National Historic Vehicle Register is designed to help record this nation’s most significant historic vehicles, preserving their information for future generations and documenting their story in perpetuity. What is the purpose of the National Historic Vehicle Register, and how does it help the classic car community? By officially recognizing one of the world’s greatest technological achievements, the National Historic Vehicle Register celebrates the immense impact the car has had on all aspects of life, helps spread the word about the historic significance of the automobile and provides the classic car community a platform for saving and perpetuating America’s automotive heritage. This work has already been done for important buildings, bridges and airplanes, but not the automobile. In the architectural world, private and public organizations have formed to document and celebrate historic structures, while in the aviation world; private-public efforts have been made to create the foremost conservation labs to ensure the continuation of important planes. It is time that we come together as a group of passionate enthusiasts and create the same level of infrastructure for the nation’s automotive history. Is this a government-run program? The National Historic Vehicle Register is a program created and managed by the Historic Vehicle Association, a private, member-driven organization established in 2009. In 2013, the HVA initiated a collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service and Heritage Documentation Programs to develop a framework and guidelines to document automobiles as part of the Historic American Engineering Record( HAER ), archived in the Library of Congress. How does the Register work? Currently, the National Historic Vehicle Register consists of vehicles curated by a group of HVA advisors. Cars are chosen by this group of experts to represent the broad and extensive impact the automobile has had on all aspects of

Page 12 http://heths.info/ Winter 2016 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward American culture and history. Furthermore, eligibility is based on historic significance, the integrity of the vehicle and, more specifically, draft guidelines adapted from the Department of the Interior’s criteria for historic buildings, vessels and aircraft. The four criteria are: association with significant events association with significant persons design or construction value information value such as first or last produced or among the best surviving example After cars are chosen, they are documented by the HVA to the Secretary of Interiors Standards for Heritage Documentation. This documentation includes large format photography, a written historical narrative and measured line drawings. Once the documentation is completed it is stored at the HVA to be shared with the public on a future online infrastructure. Additionally, documentation is submitted to HAER in order to be archived at the Library of Congress and made available to the general public. What is the Historic American Engineering Recordand why is the National Historic Vehicle Register associated with it? HAER is a documentation program formed in 1969 by the National Park Service, The American Society of Civil Engineers and the Library of Congress to Document historic sites and structures related to engineering and industry. It procures documentation of engineering artifacts with written historical reports, large-format photography and measured drawings. HAER provides an excellent framework for documenting the automobile as both HAER and its sister program HABS have effectively recorded many of America’s most important artifacts in a manner that has stood the test of time, even if the artifacts themselves have not. Furthermore, HAER is a gateway for the Library of Congress’ Division of Prints and Photographs that allows for the widespread public distribution of documentation in a copyright free environment. It is important for the HVA and core to our mission to spread the word about the importance of the automobiles being recorded and to broadcast the significant stories to the public. Does the government have any control over how Registered cars are used? Absolutely not. The National Historic Vehicle Register simply documents vehicles as they are now in order to celebrate the impact particular automobiles have made on our culture and history preserving their stories for future generations enabling further research and the sharing of ideas. Cars that become part of the National Historic Vehicle Register face no mandate for future use, modification, preservation, etc. We want to take a snapshot of our country’s most significant automotive artifacts while recognizing a private owner’s rights to do what they would like with their property. If a national treasure is lost for some unfortunate reason, having the National Historic Vehicle Register documentation will ensure our automotive legacy will live on in words, photos, videos and line drawings if not in the object itself. What level of government interference will take place with regard to these vehicles and should there be concern on the part of owners with the added level of scrutiny applied? Again, there are no government restrictions for vehicles documented in HAER or the National Historic Vehicle Register. In fact, this is really a benefit for owners, as the documentation associated with the vehicle results in a well-researched history of the automobile. The National Historic Vehicle Register is similar to the National Register for Historic Places, which is mired in government regulation of private homes. How is the National Historic Vehicle Register different? While the National Historic Vehicle Register carries a similar name to the National Register for Historic Places and uses similar guidelines for recognition, the two organizations are independent. The National Historic Vehicle Register carries no restrictions for automobiles that are recognized and documented. Furthermore, while the National Register of Historic Places doesn’t mandate any restrictions on properties listed, certain tax benefits and grants, as well as local historic

Winter 2016 http://heths.info/ Page 13 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward district laws, have been placed on historic structures that create regulations. Automobiles are not subject to these laws or local property ordnances. We are specifically working with the Heritage Documentation Programs to avoid these kinds of issues. How is the National Historic Vehicle Register being funded? Is this a taxpayer-funded initiative? The National Historic Vehicle Register is funded privately by the HVA. There is no burden on the taxpayer as a result of the documentation undertaken by the HVA. The HVA works with the Heritage Documentation Programs of the NPS. The HVA, its members and donors have funded all documentation work for HAER to date. My car is historically significant, how can I get it on the Register? The HVA is working with the U.S. Department of the Interior to refine the criteria that will be used to determine vehicle eligibility for future public submission. Please email us information about your vehicle ([email protected]) and we will place it on our list of potential candidates for the National Historic Vehicle Register. http://www.historicvehicle.org/nationalregister

Original “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” NASCAR racer to be added to National Historic Vehicle Register by Hemmings

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/05/05/original-fabulous-hudson-hornet--racer- to-be-added-to-national-historic-vehicle-register/

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Cheryl Holz 13270 McKanna Road Minooka, IL 60447

First Class Please Forward

Address Correction Requested

The Finish Line TheFinish

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