Local chapter of Antique Automobile Clubs of America hosts regional meet in Detroit Lakes (2024)

DETROIT LAKES — The Antique Automobile Clubs of America has chapters across the United States, including one, the 412 Lakes chapter, that is based in Detroit Lakes.

On Saturday, June 15, the local chapter hosted a regional judging meet at Long Lake Park on the southwest edge of Detroit Lakes, which drew vintage vehicles from across the state.

"Most of them are local," said Dr. Bill Henke, a member of the 412 Lakes chapter who was involved in planning and organizing the AACA regional meet. "But we have a couple from the Twin Cities area, and one from Madelia, Minnesota."

One of those local couples, Randy and Sheila Blandford of Ponsford, brought a vehicle that owner Randy Blandford said was so rare, he was told by the judges that there simply wasn't an AACA standard to judge it by.

"They (the meet judges) told me it would be difficult to judge ... there's really no other cars to compare it to," he said.

That's because Blandford's vehicle, a 1933 Buick Series 66 sport coupe, was one of only 1,000 sport coupes in the 66 series that were made by Buick in 1933. "It's No. 106 out of 1,000," he said.

Part of the reason for its rarity was the lack of demand at that time. "It was the middle of the Depression," Blandford explained. "Unemployment was 24%. People were selling apples on the street to make ends meet. A sport coupe ... it was basically a luxury car."

This particular car came to him from his father, Blandford added. "He bought it in 1962-63, when it was already 30 years old. It had been run pretty hard; it needed a lot of work."

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes Tribune

He noted that his dad had purchased it with the idea of restoring it, and maybe making it into a "museum piece" — i.e., donating it to a local history or car museum in Huntington Beach, California, which is where Blandford grew up.

"He decided to make it into a museum piece, and I didn't really understand why — until I realized just how rare it is," Blandford said.

Of the original 1,000 cars in the 66 series that were made by Buick that year, "there aren't many left," he added.

When his father purchased the car, he proceeded to take it apart, all the way down to the floorboards. "He saved everything — every nut and bolt," Blandford said.

Unfortunately, the elder Blandford was unable to complete the restoration before he died; his son inherited it, and it sat in his Huntington Beach garage for "quite a while," he said.

A machinist by trade, Blandford worked for companies like McDonald Douglas and Boeing for more than 20 years. Then, in 1995, he began experiencing uncontrollable seizures, and was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy.

"I decided I needed to find another way to make a living," he said.

By this time, Blandford was growing tired of the California lifestyle, and particularly the driving conditions: With six lanes of freeway going in every direction, driving back and forth to work every day had suddenly become a bit problematic, even dangerous, for an epileptic. So he began looking around for other options — and in 2000, he and his wife Sheila purchased the Tamarac Resort on Round Lake, in rural Ponsford, Minnesota.

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes Tribune

"Owning a resort was a childhood dream of mine," he said, adding that his parents took the family on a lot of traveling and camping adventures when he was a kid, and the idea of running a resort of his own was, therefore, an appealing one.

As a bonus, Blandford said, "I had winters off" — which meant he suddenly had time to devote to restoring his dad's old car, which he brought back to Minnesota from Huntington Beach.

And he needed every bit of that time — the entire project took "about six years," he said.

Because the car was so rare, Blandford had to either machine some of the parts himself or hire someone else to do what he couldn't quite manage himself.

"I hired somebody to build the motor — to do the machine shop work," he said.

And while his professional background gave him the needed confidence to undertake the project, and made it a bit easier than it would have been for someone without any machining experience, it was still challenging.

"I had to do a lot of research," he said. "I rebuilt the fuel pump and the water pump. I rebuilt the starter and the windshield wiper motor. ... If it wouldn't have been my dad's car, I don't think I'd have done it."

That isn't to say he didn't enjoy himself, however. "It was a fun project," he said.

The accolades Blandford has received for his car restoration work have been kind of fun too. Though this was the first AACA judging meet that Blandford has participated in, he did win the People's Choice award at the Toppers Car Club's 2024 car show, held this past April at Scheels Arena in West Fargo back in April.

On Saturday, he received top honors in the "First Junior" category, followed by Bob Swenson of Detroit Lakes with his 1931 Buick, and Bud Johnson, also of Detroit Lakes, with his 1961 Chevrolet Corvette convertible.

"It's really my wife Julie's car," Johnson said, adding that she was unable to make it for the meet on Saturday, so he drove the car himself.

"I've never had this car judged before," he added

The Johnsons' convertible is classified a "C-1," or first-generation Corvette, a model that was produced by Chevrolet from 1953-1962. Though the model of the car isn't that unique, Johnson added, its color is.

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes

"It's 'jewel blue,'" he said, adding that it was considered a "one year color," meaning that 1961 was the only year the car was available in that color. "You don't see that many with this color."

While the judging of all the convertibles was done with the top up, Johnson decided to take it back down immediately after they were finished. "I think it looks prettier with the top down," he explained.

Though he said that they purchased the car already restored, from an owner in Phoenix, Arizona, Johnson did know that the restoration had been done to make it look "like it would have when it was new."

"I bought it off the Internet, sight unseen," he added, though he and Julie were sent photos and videos by the owner, with whom they were in direct contact before making the purchase. "We talked to him a lot on the phone," he said.

"It's a nice car," Johnson added. "It drives great. We love to cruise the lakes area with it. That's what it's for ... driving."

Another blue car at the meet on Saturday was one that owner Gary Isaacson had driven up from his home in Stillwater, Minnesota.

"It's a 1956 Ford Fairlane Sunliner," he said, adding that the vehicle's two-tone color was "Bermuda blue on the bottom, and diamond blue on the top. Those were the original colors. You really don't see two-tone cars anymore."

And while Ford Fairlanes were "a very popular car" back in the 1950s, "unfortunately, there's not too many left," Isaacson said.

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes Tribune

"I did an awful lot of engine work, and rewiring," he added. "The body was in pretty good shape. But I had to replace the tires and the rims."

Isaacson won an HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) Award on Saturday.

Other HPOF awards went to Fred Floan of Detroit Lakes, with his 1947 Studebaker Commander — "I've had this one a long time," Floan said — and Ruby Wolens of Ramsey, Minnesota, who brought her 1984 GMC Diablo.

Don Dovre of Detroit Lakes won HPOF awards for two different vehicles: A 1940 Chevrolet Master Deluxe coupe, and a 1956 Buick Century.

Other awards were presented as follows:

• Melvin Boomgarden, Detroit Lakes, received a 2nd Junior award for his 1954 Chevrolet ¾-ton pickup.
• Steve Glunberg and Carl Fingalson, both of Detroit Lakes, received Senior awards for their vehicles: Glunberg's was a 1915 Ford Model T, and Fingalson's was a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air. Glunberg also received a Drivers Participation Class award for his 1966 MGB.
• Other DCP award winners were Bill Henke, Detroit Lakes, with his 1955 Ford Thunderbird; and Jim McGough, Detroit Lakes, with his 1968 Chevrolet Impala.

Serving as judges for the meet on Saturday were AACA Minnesota Region President John Rempfer, who came up from Melrose, Minnesota, for the meet, along with AACA Minnesota Region Secretary Cheryl Solt, Bloomington. Rempfer served as chief judge for the event.

"We judge on a 400-point system," Rempfer said, with points being deducted for every feature of the car that isn't up to AACA standards for the year, make and model of the car.

For instance, he explained, a car that was too old to have had an engine starter when it was first manufactured will have points deducted if the owner decided to add one.

A complete list of AACA judging guidelines can be found online at aaca.org.

Vicki Gerdes / Detroit Lakes Tribune