"We're very excited about the upcoming premiere of the feature length documentary film called "The Quest." This movie will debut on May 6, 2011 at the Carlisle Theatre in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A dear friend, Michael Brown, took more than a year of time and energy out of his life to focus on "The Quest." Once complete, Michael informed the Chip Miller Charitable Foundation that he would donate all proceeds from the world premiere to the Foundation. Our board members were floored by his generosity and we jumped right into making the arrangements.
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Today, over 100 years after the automobile first liberated drivers from horse-drawn buggies, women drive to work, shuttle the kids, and even hold powerful positions in automotive related industries. No one bats an eye. However, at the turn of the century, only a few women worked outside the home and even fewer owned and drove cars. Victorian women were viewed as too fragile to deal with public affairs, participate in strenuous activity, or operate complex machinery – such as automobiles. However, the automobile - first a symbol of male power and control - became the perfect vehicle for feminine revolt. For these women, the automobile provided opportunities for work, inventions, adventure and independence.
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In 1935, officials at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Division and the Ford Motor Company collaborated on an experiment that resulted in the creation of stainless steel cars that would be a tribute to stainless steel, one of the most dynamic metals ever developed.

Allegheny Ludlum, a pioneer producer of stainless steel, proposed the idea of creating a stainless steel car to Ford, leading to the development of a 1936 Deluxe Sedan, that later became the centerpiece of a campaign to expose the public to the new metal and its many uses. Later, Allegheny Ludlum and Ford collaborated on two more stainless models, a 1960 Thunderbird and a 1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible. Both of these amazing vehicles will be on display at the AACA Museum until September 30, 2010.
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September 24, 2010 – January 31, 2011

The “woodie wagon” has long been an iconic part of American automotive culture. Motorized work vehicles and eventually station wagons with real wood sides made their debut in the early 20th century and the trend continued today, at least in terms of style and design, with the imitation vinyl side stripes found on cars like the PT Cruiser. The AACA Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Ash and Maple Marvels: Wood Bodied Cars 1910 to 1953 will explore this subject with a 25 vehicle display that covers the entire history of wood as the actual structural exterior finish elements in the body of the car, truck or station wagon (as opposed to steel). This trend began with early work trucks and became more mainstream with the debut of the Ford Model T “Depot Hack.” When used to finish the exterior of a vehicle, wood offers a beautiful and unique surface that is both expensive to construct and costly to maintain. The use of wood was employed by all the major automotive manufacturers to one degree or another up until about 1950. Most auto enthusiasts are familiar with the “woodie” wagons offered by Ford, but this exhibition will also showcase outstanding examples from Pontiac, Buick, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce and Pierce-Arrow, among others. Ash and Maple Marvels will also highlight early commercial vehicles that employed wood as a structural element along with the Chrysler Town and Country, probably the best-known wood-bodied convertible ever built. The exhibition concludes with the 1953 Buick Station Wagon, the last production vehicle to employ a true wooden structure. The exhibition will run from September 24, 2010 through January 31, 2011.
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Shelby: A Retrospective February 11, 2011 – April 24, 2011

Carroll Shelby is an icon of the automotive world. For over 50 years his name has served as a virtual synonym for the term “automotive performance.” Shelby began his career as a race car driver and before being forced to retire due to health reasons, won the prestigious 1959 24 Hours of LeMans driving for Aston Martin. Although he was twice named Sports Illustrated’s Driver of the Year (1956 and 1957) he is much better known worldwide for his work in his second career as an automobile builder. From his first project that combined the British built two-seat AC Bristol with a Ford V8 to create the “Cobra,” to his current partnership with Ford, Shelby has always had his sights set on building the ultimate American sports car. Along the way he has created a long line of popular and extremely successful street and race vehicles bearing the names Cobra, Daytona Coupe, GT40, GT350 and GT500 Mustangs and the Chrysler Omni GLHS.
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By: Robert Tate I started collecting automobile advertising in 1969. I was a sixth grade student at Mac Dowell elementary school and during the fall that year, the 1970 models had just came out for the buying public. I was fascinated with the wild colors and the great designs that GM, Ford, and Chrysler offered. However, before that time period in the late 1960's, Plymouth featured racing champs, Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin,which was a great performance advertising piece for Chrysler. Plymouth no. 1 super stock racing team combined their talents with Plymouth GTX, Road Runner and Barracuda in competition at drag race events across the country. Sox and Martin were two of the most significant teams in automotive performance history. The pair were a dominant and highly visible force in the super stock and pro stock ranks during the late 1960's and early 70's. As part of the promotional effort, Sox and Martin drag racing clinics toured dealerships across the country to offer racing advice to their fans.
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By: Robert Tate In 1958, Chrysler offered the "Forward Look" designs for its Chrysler line products. To help boost sales in 1958, a limited - production two-seat convertible Firemite junior model powered by a two-horse power Briggs & Stratton type 6B four-cycle 3,500-rpm engine was offered. Two six-volt batteries that operated the horn and all four headlamps and two of the six tail lamps was standard. The Firemite's body trim were made by the Halsen manufacturing company in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The frame was all steel, but the body and most of the trim were plastic. The Gilman Brothers Company, located in Gilman, Connecticut, supplied the quarter-inch thick white polystyrene sheet plastic from which the body was made. The Firemite model, which weighed about 45 pounds, could hold two children when operating on sidewalks. It was 33 inches wide, 74 inches long, and 29 inches high at the windshield.
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Having a small, nimble car may have been important to motorists overseas, but the realities of American road travel meant that very few domestic vehicles would ever be taken over narrow, twisty mountain passes or road raced in the European manner. Yet while American cars were built to traverse wide ribbons of highway for hundreds of miles at a time (and navigate busy city streets at a snail's pace) it did not mean that the fun was over. It just meant that one's driving entertainment had to come from a new direction. Before long, passionate motorists realized that, while American speed limits were low compared to other places in the world, a car did not have to take forever to reach them.
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