AL HISTORIANS. INC. September-October 1988 Issue Number 116 ANNOUNCEMENTS & NEWS ITEMS SAH TO OFFER SEMINARS ultimately led to th e development of subsequent Studebaker AT HERSHEY '88 eighb. By 1929 Studebaker Corporati on had become th e larges t produce r of eights and th e Pres ide nt name was use d SAH office rs and direc tors have been bu sy pl anning for ma ny of Stu debaker's top mode ls. facilities and events for th e annual A A CA Nati onal M eet and Origin ally owned by George K . Schmidt, Controller Flea Market at Hershey, October 6th to 8th 1988. The Soc iety ro r th e city or Chicago. th e Pres ident FA ca rried such gues t will have the usual hospitality tent open for all three days of passe nge rs as Louis Emerso n. govern or of Illinois. and the event in a new Blue Field locati on. spaces BV 43-47. A William Hale Thompso n. mayor of Chicago. It is sa id th at .... new fea ture thi s year will be two se minars on automoti ve Pres ide nt Franklin D . Roosevelt rode in th e ca r on occa~ i o n history to be held Thursday and Friday aftern oons. for spec ial Chicago res ti vities. Thursday" s sess ion. entitled " Oral History."' w i II con­ The Pr c~ icl e nt w ill be a hi ghl y visible member of th e sider wh at historians as individuals have done and what th ey muse um 's collec ti on as it w ill make appea rances in th e annual should do. what efforts SA H as an orga ni za tion should be '" 500 .. Fes ti va l Parade and oth er M ay event s. pursuing. and relate so me personal ex periences. An added Oth er r c.- t o l ~ti o n proj ec ts underway include th e 1932 fea ture w ill be so me ·· how to·· and ''how not to·· tips from Corel L -29 Ca briolet. anoth er Indiana built automobile. A lso those who have ex perience in recording oral history. keep ing th e R c~ t o r a ti o n Shop busy is th e 8 T F M asc rati. On Friday . '" Fun and Foibles: T he Fasc inations and Thi ~ ~ l ee k automobile i ~ th e sister car of Wilbur Sh aw·s Frustrations of Resea rching A utomoti ve History· · wi ll 1939-40 w inning Boyle Spec ial M asera ti . Muse um officials examine fbe finer points of th e subject we like most , the have been in con tact with the M a ·erati fac tory in M odena. sa t i s facti o ns~ t h at re sult. and touch on orne of th o e a pec ts Ita ly. en listing th eir cxpert i ~c in res toring the car. th at occas ionplly make us tea r our hair and grate our tee th . Both seminars wi ll beg in at 2:00 PM . A ll SAH members are in vited to attend and are encouraged to bring oth ers with an interes t in any as pec t of automoti ve history. EIGHTY YEARS OF SPEED: "RACING ACROSS NEW YORK" FEATURES CLASSIC RACE CARS AT THE 1928 STUDEBAKER ADDED TO IMS NEW YORK STATE MUSE M HALL OF FAME MUSEUM COLLECTION Rac ing ca rs el ating rrom th e ea rl y 1900's to th e Fres hly restored to its original condition, th e 1928 prese nt evoke th e history of th ose stirring mac hines and Pres ident FA touring ca r craft ed by th e Studebaker Corpora­ exc it ing competitions in Rac in o Across New Y ork : Com e­ ti on, South Bend , Indiana, is now on displ ay at th e tition A utomobiles 1903- 1985 at th e ew Y ork State Indianapolis M otor Speedway Muse um along w ith Augie Muse um Novembe r 19. 1988 to M arch 19. 1989. Duese nberg·s perso nal ca r and many oth er cars built in Drawn from collec tions across th e countr . th e 25 Indianapolis. aut omobiles represent th e ka l eiclo~co pi c va ri ety or rac ing This 7-passe nge r car . one of onl y four built. is a events th at have thrilled th e nati on for more th an eighty yea rs. shining example of th e pride taken in Indiana- bu ilt From stock ca r sprints on fai rground tracks to intern ati onal automobiles. The Pres ident FA fea tures a streamlined body road races , from hill c li mb~ to ice ra ces and drags. th ese are des ign, double belt line enclos ing contras ting co lor panel. th e ca rs which ew Yorkers have built. drive n ~ n d watched beaded full crown fenders, double bumper and dual in ac ti on. windshield . The car sport s two-tone reel paint w ith blac k trim . Featured aut os include the 19 17 Cha lme rs which se t natural lea th er interior and a fa bric top. a 24 hour record fo r stock ca rs at th e Sheepshead Bay course The Studebaker Corporati on bega n as a bl ac ksmith in Brooklyn; a 1906 Locomobile whi ch bea t Europea n com­ and wagon building company. It produce d a horse less ca rriage petition for th e first time ever in th e Vanderbilt Cup race on as early as 1897. elec tric ca rs in 1902 and gas ca rs in 1904. Long Island in 1908 ; and a Lotu s which pa rt icipa ted in th e In 19 15 A lbert Erskine took over as pres ident of the corpora­ first Grand Pri x of th e nitccl States at W atk ins G len in 196 1. tion and ten years later developed th e Pres ident line of Other significa nt ca rs attes t to th e abilities of cw automobiles . Introdu ced in New Y ork at the 1928 Auto Show . Y ork car builders. The innovati ve Ji m Sham pine of Oswego this new automobile added class and sty le to th e company's produced one of th e mos t successful '" supermod ified"" track product line. cars ever built in his 1968 Eight Ba ll . T he at han Hughes The Pres ident sen es is famous for having drags ter fro m Corning i ~ a 1954 pionee r drag rac ing ca r. A nd Studebaker's first eight cylinder engine. This development Continued on next page--"v->- SAH Journal No. 116 September-October 1988 HARRY M. BENNETT, FIRST AMERICAN KAISER-FRASER DEALERSHIP OWNER Harry M. Bennett, 78 , of Westland, Michigan made a little bit of automotive hi story by being the fi rst Kaiser­ The SAH Journal is published six times a year by the Fraser dealer in America. He died of a heart attack August Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. Copyright 19S8. II , 1988. RICHARD D. DIUGI-IAM, EDITOR Unfortunately, Mr. Bennett was unable to do any 1616 Park Lane, N.E., Marietta, Georgia 30066 dealing at the dealership he opened shortly after the end of ROBERT M. HALL Jll World War II in Wayne, Michigan. Chaim1an of Publications "There was a delay in production where the car was EDITORIAL BOARD made at the old bomber plant," hi s son, Gary, recalled. " It Beverly Rae Kimes Robert J. Gary was hard to last just selling used cars, which were hard to George D. P. Ward, Jr. Christopher G . foste r get then if you didn't have new cars to sell to accept trades on. OFFICERS FOR 1988 "He tried to stay open - he had a service department PR.ESIDENT.. .............................................. ... ... .......... Beverly Rae Kimes and a big showroom - but he just couldn' t last. " VICE PRESIDENT .... ............... ......................... Henry Austin Clark, Jr. Mr. Bennett was forced to close his doors without ever having sold a Kaiser or Fraser car. Hi s son said he was SECRETARY ............................................................ Shelby C. Applegate "disappointed'' financially as wel l as personall y - and often TI~EASURE R .................................................................... Robert J. Gary wished he could have been a little luckier. .... BOARD OF DIRECfORS "He kept waiting for the cars, but they never came ." Through 1988 Through 1989 Through 1990 However, Mr. Bennett had a broad reputati on in the Christopher G. Foster Matt L. Joseph William T. Cameron industry as a "good car man," the son said, and went from Thomas E. Bonsall Z. Taylor Vinson Keith Marvin the Wayne misadventure to operating a smaller used car lot with considerably less overhead in Dearborn. Helen J. Earley Jack L. Martin Strother MacMinn He later worked at the Bob Ford and Stark-Hickey L-------------------------------------------- Ford dealerships. anttfinally opened hi s own Ford dealership in Three Rivers. Michigan in 1955 . He retired in 1975 . "RACING ACROSS NEW YORK" Since Harry H. Bennett, once Henry Ford's right­ continued from previous page hand man, was well-known in car circles, Mr. Bennett had the 1926 podge converted to a track machine is a testament a lot of fun with people who often asked him if he was the to the t a l ~ t of a Dundee blacksmith now known only as same person.