Speedsters to rally in Nebraska
Speedster Reunion participants will have the opportunity to see
many speedsters like these on display at the Smith Collection
Museum of American Speed. The museum also has an
unprecedented collection of modified early Ford four-cylinder
engines and a variety of early speed equipment.
The occasion is the Third Annual International Speedsters Trials and Reunion to be held at the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed.
The event is a celebration of the earliest “everyman” racecars – those simple one- and two-seat speedsters that were easily built by hopping up Model Ts and other early mass-produced cars. While most speedsters are based on the venerable Model T Ford, previous reunions have seen speedsters based on Model A Fords and even Chevrolets. All four-cylinder vintage speedsters and racers are invited, and event organizers expect to welcome dozens of cars and their owners for five days of four-banger fun.
The Smith Collection Museum of American Speed houses hundreds of Model T and A engines and all manner of early speed equipment from early aftermarket companies like HAL, Roof, Craig-Hunt, Frontenac, Winfield, Rajo and others. In addition to having many rare and historic Ford-based speedsters on display, the museum houses the Model T Ford Club of America’s Speedster and Racer Hall of Fame. The three-story, 135,000 sq. ft. facility is filled with displays that represent a lifetime of racing and hot rodding by “Speedy” Bill Smith, the founder and president of Speedway Motors.
This year’s reunion kicks off on Wednesday, July 8 with a dinner and reception at the museum. Participants can exercise their speedsters Thursday morning during a rally-style road tour, and they’ll have the opportunity to enter into friendly competition during an old-fashioned hill climb Friday morning. Later on Friday, the competition takes on a different form during a car show in nearby Ceresco at Swanson Ford, a dealership that’s celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2009. Several technical seminars and other activities will be held throughout the event. The Saturday evening dinner provides an opportunity to award Friday’s hill climb winners and will culminate with an induction ceremony for the 2009 Speedsters Hall of Fame.
For more information on the Third Annual International Speedsters Trials and Reunion, contact Rich Johnston at the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed by calling (402) 323-3181, or via email at rsjohnston@speedwaymotors.com.
