Antique Automobile Club of America Car Show Event Starts Today In The Quad-Cities
150 antique vehicles in pristine condition are arriving from across the U.S., including Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the Carolinas. The automobiles will be on display in the Quad Cities as part of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Central National Meet on August 11-13, 2022.
The public is invited to view the antique vehicles during the indoor car show & judging on Saturday, August 13, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bend XPO, 922 Mississippi Parkway in East Moline, Ill. It’s free admission to attend and concessions will be available.
The AACA is the world’s largest and oldest antique car club with over 60,000 members and almost 400 local Regions and Chapters across the U.S. and 51 other countries. Each year, they host 15-20 National Meets and Tours. The National event in the Quad Cities is hosted by the local Mississippi Valley Region AACA. To be eligible for an AACA show, vehicles must be fully operational and 25 years old or older.
Some of the oldest vehicles that will be on display include a 1903 Holly, 1904 Sandusky, 1910 Sears, and a 1910 Buick.
Mark Lousberg, board member of the AACA local chapter, says, “You’ll be able to see very rare and unique vehicles at this show, including several Packards and a 1934 Desoto Airflow which was a leader in innovation with a very aerodynamic design and unibody construction. The muscle car era will also be well represented at the show.”
Two of the locally-manufactured cars at the show will be a 1909 Moline and a 1920 R&V Knight. The R&V stands for the Root & Van Dervoort Engineering Company which was located in East Moline formerly on the grounds of the Bend XPO. In fact, a portion of the automobile test track still exists at the northwest corner of 7th Street and 12th Avenue, East Moline. Before leaving the Root & Van Dervoort factory, every vehicle was run on a test track.
In 1904, the company began a new venture to manufacture automobiles. A separate division from the engine company was formed under the name Moline Automobile Company, and in their inaugural year 19 cars were produced. They continued manufacturing cars until a significant downturn in the market brought the liquidation of the company in 1924.
About AACA of the Mississippi Valley Region
The Antique Automobile Club of America of the Mississippi Valley Region is one of the older regions of the AACA. It was established in the 1950s by a handful of car enthusiast to promote interest and preservation of antique automobiles, family enjoyment, friendship, and to learn and share knowledge with others, but mostly just to have fun. For more information, visit www.mvr.aaca.com
