The Hershey Highway

Just like the bitter sweet taste of dark chocolate the Hershey fall car show is both a euphoric geek-fest of the car hobby and the sad conclusion of another car show season.  If you live in the northeast U.S. and haven’t been to the Hershey Pennsylvania event you need to put it on your to-do list. The show is held in the massive expanse of Hershey Amusement Park and Giant Center Arena’s parking lots with thousands of vendors, new products and collector cars on sale. My advice is to get your hotel early and take the free shuttle bus or ride a bicycle to the show because the tens of thousands visitors overwhelm the roads making it an ironically car hostile place to drive around. If your spouse is not into cars and you don’t want to hear, “Are you done yet, my (feet, back, neck) are killing me!” you can ship the significant other off to shop, spa or slip into a chocolate induced coma while you look for that 1927 Whippet headlight bezel.

I’m always struck by the sheer number and variety of vendors offering the most obscure car parts and accessories you can imagine. The only thing in short supply is physical examples of proper diet and exercise as this is the Super Bowl for the lawn chair car enthusiast.

With that rather ignoble introduction I will share some photos and thoughts from this year’s event.

One of the many vendor alleys, the markets of Mecca for the car nut. In the background some Hershey Park roller coaster are visible; years spent riding those brain scramblers may have contributed to my inability to do calculus and propensity for frequent urination.

Scads of prewar bodies and body parts from one vendor. I would love to see the event organizers hold a contest to see who can build a complete car from parts bought at the show and have it running by the final day. It could be like a reality show and God knows we need more of those, right? I bet if you went to this guy asking for a passenger door for a Hupmobile he’d ask you how many you wanted.

If you’re doing a term paper on the complete history of air pumps, here’s your research. This guy is the very definition of a niche seller, at least most of these pumps have been converted to pump modern air.

A small section of cars for sale, this lane stretched for about a mile with every category of classic car imaginable. Some Hershey magic was going on down there as prices were a little sweeter than normal. Also, in spite of how it appears, personal mobility devises were not mandatory.

In my humble opinion one of the most beautiful cars ever made, the Austin Healey 100, also known as the “Big Healey”.  The 100s had the 2.6L four cylinder engines versus the 3.0L sixes in the 3000. This one is also supposed to be the higher performance, 110 horse power, M edition.

A face more than just a mother could love; the beauty is in the details, like the period correct Lucas driving lights. Many a Healey owner had leisure time to contemplate that beauty sitting on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck.

“We’re going to a charming little place in the country for lunch, oh, and if we should burst into flames in route, do be a dear and hand me one of the fire extinguishers.”  Fire suppression aside you can’t go wrong with black leather accented with red piping. This actually is leather, unlike that ad you may see for a 1993 Toyota Tercel with “leather” interior. Here’s a tip, if no animal was hurt in the process of making your seats, it ain’t leather.

I consider myself a lover of unloved cars. I even liked Porsche’s mid-engine 914 in the 1970’s and 80’s when villagers carrying torches and pitch forks nearly hunted them to extinction.  These cars maybe down on power, but they handle brilliantly if set up correctly. Many people hate the styling but similar to the blue boxes pictured in the background both shapes were meant for business not aesthetics.

Wheel, stick, pedals, what else do you need? The Interior of this Porsche 914 is refreshingly free of iNAVSyncTouchControl anything, almost perfect except for the dash cracks and modern radio. Why do aftermarket radio manufacturers have to make their products look like cartoonish children’s toys with tiny buttons and distracting lights and graphics?

Here we have a 1988 Pontiac Sunbird convertible in amongst the Jaguars, Roll Royce, classics, and muscle cars; see, it’s not all posing and pretense at Hershey.  What the owner is thinking is anyone’s guess; I mean, it’s not even a turbo. Maybe he thought after looking at six figure price tags all day a frustrated buyer might look at the little Pontiac and think, “At least it’s better than going home empty handed.” I took this picture for my wife Ginger’s benefit because the Sunturd, as she calls it, has a special place in her heart, as it’s her get out of debt, I can fix it myself car. She blogged about her rusted, beleaguered car elsewhere on this site.  

Another red British sports car, the MGA, the place holder between the square rigged T series and the beloved MGB. To my eye, another styling triumph, amazing to think that such lines graced an inexpensive sports car, the Brits were on a role in the 1950’s and 60’s. This car was offered by one of the many auction houses that exhibit at the show. I always believed that a person could do better finding their classic car on the open market rather than at the auction feeding frenzy. I don’t even buy a bunch of bananas without looking them over thoroughly, giving something as expensive as a car only a quick once-over doesn’t do it for me.

In addition to the cars I met a lot of great people suffering under the same petroleum based affliction as I. Now all I have to do is endure the next few months until Spring in Carlisle begins, but I do have the restoration of the 1991 Miata Special Edition to keep me busy, I am hopeless.

Marve Harwell, 2012 © all images by Marve Harwell