President’s Message and Welcome…          

It is now the start of a new decade in the automotive collecting hobby.  Greetings for a new year and a new decade.  I think back upon where we’ve been, where we are presently and perhaps where we’re going in the future.  One of my favorite pastimes is to try to predict which vehicles that are “new” today will be our future collectables.  I don’t think the early pioneers in the automotive industry felt this way.  They probably saw the automobile as something utilitarian or perhaps just a toy for the idle rich to dabble with.

A couple of years ago, a fellow pulled up alongside of me at a stoplight while I was driving my 1928 Ford Model A Phaeton.  He yelled over...”Get a Horse!”  I don’t think he was serious but that gave me pause to look back through time and think about where we came from in such a short time span of a little more than 100 years.  A horse…hmmmm!  Imagine what life would be like with our present population if the automobile had not been invented and we were still using horses.  We talk about pollution control, global warming and use of fossil fuels.  Imagine the number of people who drive automobiles having horses and what the resultant bi-products of such a scenario would be.  Watch where you step!

The automobile spawned numerous other inventions as fallout from its invention.  It also largely spurred the industrial revolution in this country and “shortened” many distances as rural agrarian America became closer for those living in cities and suburbs.  Our quality of life vastly improved with the automobile.   Think about some of the developments tied to the automobile…for centuries we read by firelight.  Even early automotive lighting was done by acetylene powered carbide lamps during the “Brass Era.”  Then came Thomas Edison and his incandescent light bulb.  That was revolutionary…similarly with the development of stable electricity and a variety of new propulsion systems.  Early “Horseless Carriages” were quite expensive and were essentially custom built “one-off” designs.  There was little or no standardization.  Each part was fabricated singularly.  Along came Henry Ford with his moving assembly line.  Suddenly automobiles became affordable and other related industries sprang up.  One no longer had to buy gasoline at the pharmacy…yes, the pharmacy, as gasoline stations finally emerged.  Charles Kettering came up with an electrical starter system and it was no longer essential to hand-crank the automobile.  Suddenly, the automobile became a useful tool and no longer just a novelty toy of the rich.

As time went on, people wanted to preserve the nostalgia, tradition and heritage of the early days of “motoring.”  Thus, in 1944, the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri, Inc. (HCCM) was born.  Subsequently, a national organization emerged…”The Horseless Carriage Club of America.”  It was only logical that the prestigious HCCM organization have founding roots in St. Louis.  St. Louis was second only to Detroit in automotive production in the world.  This lasted until the Great Depression.  We saw names like St. Louis, Dorris, Dyke, Moon, Gardner, Success, and a few others integral to the industry. 

HCCM is committed to the preservation of this history and heritage.  However, as we move onward, we also embrace the cars of later generations.  Anyone with an interest in cars is welcome in our organization.  Ownership of an historic vehicle is not a prerequisite for membership.  It is hard to believe that a 1985 Corvette with a digital dash is now considered an antique. Believe it or not, as the clock struck midnight and clicked over to 2010, it, and many other vehicles garnered “historic” status!  Any vehicle, 25 years or older qualifies for such status.  Since our focus is on historical accuracy, we especially look to those individuals whose interest is on preservation and history.  The club has many fun, informative and useful programs, events, picnics, etc.  We welcome you!

Larry Hassel, President January 2010