Hershey, PA (August 19, 2010)  Today’s motorized vehicles are composed of an assortment of man-made or synthesized materials such as rubber, glass and plastic.  They feature a myriad collection of electronic components and are controlled by computers.  And, their bodies are constructed of metal alloys that have undergone decades of refinement for strength and protection from rust.  This was not always the case.  Join the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum (AACA Museum) as we travel back to an earlier time when vehicles were made primarily of a much simpler, and natural substance, – wood!

The first automobiles resembled motorized horseless carriages so it is no surprise that their bodies were built in the same manner, using the same materials.  As the 20^th century progressed, automobiles and trucks came to have metal frames, but their bodies remained of wood, both inside and out.  Metal was limited, for the most part, to a vehicle’s fenders.  As technology advanced, wood was gradually replaced by steel as the main component of passenger car’s body.  Trucks, station wagons and commercial vehicles were built in much lower numbers and their bodies were often hand-built.  As a result, these vehicle types were the last to stop using wood as an integral structural element.

Ash and Maple Marvels gathers together over two dozen outstanding examples of what we collectively term “woodies.”  Yes, we have the 1930s and 1940s station wagons made famous by California surfers as cheap, practical transportation to get them and their boards to the waves.  These vehicles, further immortalized by 1960s musical groups such as Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys are at the core of the “woodie” movement, but they are only part of the story.  Our first example is a 1914 Hahn Huckster truck, built in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.  This type of vehicle, with its wooden bed and upright siding, was used as a mobile store with the merchant able to display his goods for customer viewing.  Huckster trucks were built by many manufacturers through the first quarter of the 20^th century, but most were Fords.  The Hahn is a rare survivor from a local, independent company.  The “station wagon” as we know it came into prominence in the late 1920s and spent about 50 years a mainstay of the mobile American family.  The exhibition includes examples of all the main manufacturers, such as Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, Mercury, Plymouth and Buick.  We also have more uncommon vehicles from companies like Packard and Pierce Arrow, manufacturers typically associated more with luxury vehicles than family haulers.  A few of the “woodies” even have celebrity association, including a 1940 Buick Super Estate Wagon from the collection of Nicola Bulgari in Allentown, which was once owned by actress Bette Davis.

Wood was not limited to station wagons and trucks as evidenced by cars such as the Chrysler Town and Country and Nash Suburban, both built during the 1940s and represented in the exhibition.  The use of wood as a structural element decreased dramatically after World War II.  The last major manufacturer to employ it was Buick in their 1953 Estate Wagon, which serves as the closing point for the display.

While wood may have disappeared from the vehicles themselves, it lives on in our automotive and cultural memory.  After 1953, it “hung on” throughout the 1950s as a decorative element, mostly on the sides of station wagons.  By the 1960s it was reduced to a molded plastic enhancement with artificial graining.  Today it can still be seen as a “retro” element in vinyl on the sides of vehicles like the PT Cruiser and Nissan Cube.

This unique collection of wood bodied vehicles comes to the Museum from private owners located across the country.  The exhibition will run through the fall and early winter, ending January 31^st, 2011.  We would like to acknowledge our exhibit sponsor Librandi’s Plating, Machining & Rack Manufacturing of Middletown, Pennsylvania for making this exhibition possible.  Librandi’s is a premier provider of chrome plating for the antique car hobby and a major supporter of the Museum.  They have also provided one of the vehicles for this display.

The Antique Auto Museum at Hershey, a member of the Smithsonian Institute Affiliations Program, displays beautifully restored automobiles, buses and motorcycles in unique life-like scenes representing the 1900’s – 1970’s in a cross-country journey from New York to San Francisco.   This Museum, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, is one of the nation’s newest and largest automotive museums.  Special exhibits change several times a year and focus on a variety of eras and types of vehicles.  Regular admission is $10 for Adults, $9 for Seniors (61+), $7 of Juniors (4-8 years), 3 and Under are free.  The Museum is located just off Route 39, one mile west of Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pennsylvania and is open daily from 9AM – 5PM.  For further information, please call 717-566-7100 or visit www.AACAMuseum.org.

Ash & Maple Marvels