Hershey 2023—the cars, the parts, the people—thousands of each category swarmed the Hersheypark complex in central Pennsylvania during the hot and sunny week of October 2-6. The annual AACA Fall Meet never disappoints, and this one was no exception. And, it had Model T speedsters to show and buy! What’s not to like about that?

Speedsterism is alive and well! The market for speedsters has been on a boil lately: spectacular new models keep showing up, while classic examples are changing hands left and right. This post will peek at the thriving Model T speedster market. Plus: some news about my book signing at the annual AACA Hershey Fall meet!

September for me has been a busy month of travels to concours and an auto show, and it culminates in my annual trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania and the AACA’s Hershey Fall Nationals meet. I’m giving a talk at Hershey, picking up an award, and will be trolling the field for a speedster. Will I see you there?

These days, a stroll down Speedster Lane Moderne has many shops into which one may gaze, linger in, or even purchase from. As seen in previous episodes, there are two-, three-, or even four-wheeled selections, and even some speedster clothes from which to choose. Ideas abound; vendors are aplenty; join us as we look at a couple more!

It wasn’t all that long ago that I was ten years old and looking up at a 1906 Stanley warming up its boiler. I was my dad’s camera boy, so I held his equipment bag while he set up to shoot photos of this contraption. Quietly hissing, wisps of steam teasing the air around the car. Poised like a racehorse. Quite a moment for me—an indelible memory!

National was a luxury brand that started with humble beginnings. What rocketed them to their brief stay at the top of the motoring world was their focus on performance and competition. Which, of course, required speedsters!

The second line of speedsters from Oldsmobile catered more to the mining and timber crowd with whom the Smiths (who owned Oldsmobile) hobnobbed. Only, Billy Durant had taken over in 1907 and fired the lot. But Durant continued the sports model line, and out of this effort came a speedster to rival both Mercer and Stutz!

In the first decades of its existence, Olds Motor Works turned out tough little runabouts that set some of America’s first endurance and speed records in an effort to bring attention to this new firm. In doing this, Oldsmobile produced two distinct lines of first-gen speedsters. We’ll cover the first line in this post!

The heyday for Locomobile was pre-WW1. This post looks at that and beyond.

To think that a car company, steeped in 19th century tradition, could produce the most important track speedster of the early 20th—well, that was Locomobile for ya! A company full of talent and a few surprises. Check out part one of its story!