1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu.

1968 Mercury Cougar.

Power comes from Ford's 302 CID V8 with a 4-bbl carburetor that makes 230 hp.

The Mercury Cougar was a sales success in its introductory year of 1967, finding more than 150k buyers. Production during its sophomore year of 1968 dipped slightly to 113,726 cars, but was still quite strong.

1971 Pontiac GTO.

Three engines were available for the GTO in 1971. This car has the base 400 CID Ram Air V8 that makes 300 hp. A 455 CID V8 that makes 325 hp was optional, as was a 455 CID HO V8 that makes 335 hp.

Thanks to the phasing in of strict emissions requirements during the Dark Ages of the 1970s, production numbers plummeted for 1971, only reaching 9,497 hardtops compared to 32,737 hardtops the year before.

1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Colonnade.

This car has the optional "Hurst Hatch" T-Tops, a $550 option.

1990 Cadillac Allante.

From the HPOF and DPC cars, I had transitioned into the judged classes. Immediately, I spotted something I haven't seen before.

Class 3B - Electric vehicles, 1906 - 1998.

1921 Milburn Light Electrics Model 27L.

General store proprietor George Milburn founded the Milburn Wagon Company in 1869 in Mishawaka, Indiana. By 1873, the wagon company had moved to Toledo, Ohio where it became the largest manufacturer of farm wagons in the world.

In addition to wagon bodies, Milburn was also building bodies for automobile manufacturers, one of which was the Ohio Electric car company, also in Toledo. By 1910, Milburn and Ohio Electric were discussing the possibility of a merger and production of an electric car. When these talks fell through, Milburn decided to produce the car themselves.

The first Milburn Light Electric cars, a coupe and a roadster, arrived for 1915. Around 600 cars were produced that year.

This car has four forward speeds, and two reverse speeds, the motion of which is controlled by a tiller-style steering system.

I believe the gears seen in the photo above are part of the speedometer mechanism.

There are no brakes on the front wheels, only on the rear.

The photo above shows what appears to be some kind of band brake system, where the braking material tightens around the outer surface of a brake drum, (as opposed to a conventional drum brake system where the braking material is pressed against the inside edge of a drum).

In February 1923, the Milburn Body Plant was purchased by General Motors. Once Milburn had finished with all of its prior commitments, production ceased. In total, around 4,000 Milburn Light Electric cars were produced over the production run from 1915 to 1923. According to the Milburn Registry, around 55 cars remain in varying conditions, one of which is this stunning example.

Oddly enough, I had just encountered the name Milburn two weeks ago at the GAA Classic Cars auction. In that case, a restored wagon from 1890 that had resided in a museum was being auctioned off. I went from not being familiar with the century-old name to encountering two of its products in just two weeks' time.

Class 4A - Small Vehicles thru 1941.

The AACA defines a "Small Vehicle" as one with a short wheelbase (91" or less), a short overall length (161" or less), and a small engine (4 cylinders max, 91 CID max, and 50 hp max).

1939 Crosley convertible coupe.

During the Pre-WWII era, Powell Crosley, Jr wore a number of hats. He manufactured automobile parts and accessories. He was a radio manufacturer and radio broadcaster. He manufactured refrigerators and other small appliances. He owned the Cincinnati Reds baseball team from 1934 - 1961. In 1939, Crosley became an automaker and built economical small cars that he marketed through his appliance stores.

His first offerings were a 2-passenger coupe and 4-passenger sedan, both of which came with a soft-top as seen in the photo above. Want to buy one ? All you had to do was head into one of Crosley's appliance stores where car sales and service were handled.

In the plus column, these cars were tiny, barely 10 feet long and weighing a mere 950 pounds. As expected, they were also dirt cheap, as in starting-at-$299 cheap. And using a 39 CID 2-cylinder engine and its 13.5 hp to move that 950 pounds resulted in 50 mpg.

But there is a reason why Crosley went under in 1952. Tiny didn't work in a "bigger is better" era. After WWII gas rationing ended, nobody cared about saving fuel when it only cost $0.10 per gallon. And even though horsepower was later increased to 26.5 thanks to a new 44 CID inline 4-cylinder engine, this was still a bit lacking even by 1950s standards, (zero to 60 mph in around 20 seconds has been reported).

And then there was the D'oh! engineering. "Cable-operated mechanical brakes" sounds fine for my bicycle, but not so much for a passenger car. Driveshaft u-joints were deemed "unnecessary" because Crosley's engineers believed the "flexible rubber engine mounts" would be able to take care of any vibrations that may be present. Marketing loved the idea because eliminating the u-joints lowered the price of the car.

The mechanical issues were rectified after a few years. But the damage was done. After a peak of just over 28,000 cars sold in 1948, sales took a tumble. Crosley was out of the car business by 1952.

Class 4B - Small Vehicles, 1942 - 1998.

1957 BMW Isetta 300.

The Isetta originates from an unlikely source. Italian engineer Renzo Rivolta was building refrigeration units and household appliances during the WWII era. Following the war, production shifted to the transportation industry with motorcycles, scooters, and even a snowmobile. Rivolta jumped into the automobile business in 1953 when he founded Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A.

Even though Rivolta would later build high performance touring cars like the Iso Rivolta and Iso Griffo, his first production car was actually the tiny Isetta bubble car. Rivolta was looking to sell a small, economical, and inexpensive car to the masses. The Iso Isetta was so well received that Rivolta eventually licensed production of the car to other companies around the world.

The most successful of these came from BMW in Germany. In addition to redesigning the engine, BMW also reengineered the car to the point where most parts were not interchangeable with the original car. A total of 161,728 BMW Isettas over the production run from 1955 - 1962.

Class 4B - Small Vehicles, 1942 - 1998.

1960 Metropolitan convertible.

The evolutionary path of the Metropolitan contains a number of interesting twists. While the rest of the 1950s domestic auto industry was all about "Bigger is Better," management at Nash Motors was anticipating a demand for something small and economical that would serve as the second car in a two car household. Nash did its research and determined that there was a market for such a vehicle, and gave the project the green light.

The second twist involved how the car would be produced. Management determined that the in-house costs associated with developing an all-new car from scratch would be prohibitive. Their solution was to use foreign manufacturers to build and assemble the parts.

In other words, the new car, which was designed in and marked to North America, would be assembled overseas and imported once completed. Fisher and Ludlow of Birmingham, England would build the bodies and ship them across town to the Austin Motor Company to be mated to the chassis and drivetrain. Once the details were worked out, production began in late 1953.

The third twist involved the slightly confusing story of how the car was marketed. The new Metropolitan arrived in Nash dealerships for the 1954 model year. But in May 1954, Nash merged with Hudson to form American Motors Corporation. This allowed the Metropolitan to be marketed also as a Hudson, which it was for 1955 and 1956.

During 1956, the entry level Nash Rambler, which had been around since 1950, was spun off into its own division, "Rambler." Then one year later, both the Nash and Hudson brands were discontinued. The Nash and Hudson Metropolitan were then shifted to Rambler dealerships and marked simply under the name "Metropolitan." This lasted until Metropolitan production ceased in April 1961.

More than 95k Metropolitans were produced over its production run, making it a success, especially in the "Bigger is Better" era.

Class 4B - Small Vehicles, 1942 - 1998.

1996 Toyota Starlett.

This is a Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicle, and is right-hand drive. My favorite thing about these cars is how they are built for drag racing and fitted with turbo rotary engines.

Class 4C - Volkswagen thru 1998.

1951 VW Beetle.

Development of what would become the Volkswagen Beetle actually began in 1931. Ferdinand Porsche was tasked by motorcycle builder Zündapp to build a basic car that the average German worker could afford. Porsche built a prototpye and would end up taking his idea to several companies throughout the rest of the decade. German dictator Adolpf Hitler loved the idea. In 1938, the Nazi government established a factory to produce its "People's Car" in what is now the city of Wolfsburg. The first cars produced by Volkswagenwerk GmbH arrived in 1940 in very limited numbers.

Once civilian vehicle production resumed after WWII, the "Käfer ," (the German word for "beetle"), became quite popular. The car's original design objectives of simple low cost transportation worked in post-WWII Europe. Production increased dramatically beginning in 1948. This 1951 model is one of almost 99k produced that year.

The split rear window was produced until the beginning of 1953, after which it was an oval one-piece window.

1957 VW Beetle.

The Beetle steadily became more popular with each passing year. For 1957, more than 380,000 were produced.

Next was Class 5. The various sub-categories of Class 5 are for motorcycles, motorized bicycles, and motor scooters.

Several Class 5 motorcycles.

Class 5D - Motorized bicycle, mopeds thru 1998.

1951 Whizzer Pacemaker.

Not technically a motorcycle, Whizzer is actually a maker of gasoline engine bicycle kits, (i.e. a gas engine that is mounted to a bicycle). After a slow start in 1939, sales picked up after WWII.

Beginning in 1948, Whizzer introduced the Pacemaker, its first pre-assembled motorized bicycle. The 199 cc engine produces 3 hp which is funneled to the rear wheel via a belt and pulley system.

Class 5D - Motorized bicycle, mopeds thru 1998.

1950 Monark Super Twin.

Chicago Bicycle maker Monark Silver King became notable for developing a bicycle with an aluminum frame in the early 1930s. After WWII the company took notice of the previously mentioned Whizzer motorized bicycle kit and introduced the Monark Super Twin in 1949. Like the Whizzer Pacemaker, the Super Twin was a pre-assembled motorized bicycle powered by a 150 cc two-stroke gasoline engine that made 2 hp..

Class 5G - Motor scooters and other two or three-wheeled vehicles with small diameter wheels, 1961 - 93.

1962 Vespa VBB

The iconic Vespa design appeared in 1946 when Enrico Piaggio was looking to build low-cost transportation in post WWII Italy. Aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio designed a two-wheeled scooter with an enclosed engine, a tall splash guard, and a flat floorboard. After he first saw the prototype scooter, Piaggio felt the overall body shape looked like a wasp, the Italian translation for which is "Vespa."

Sales were slow at first. But by 1950, more than 50,000 found buyers. After Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn rode through Rome on a Vespa in the film "Roman Holiday" in 1953, sales topped 100,000. Today, more than 19 million have been sold worldwide.

Class 9B - 2 & 3 cylinder gas vehicles thru 1913.

1909 Maxwell Model A.

The Maxwell-Briscoe Company began producing automobiles in 1904 in North Tarrytown, New York. After a fire in 1907, the company moved to New Castle, Indiana, and later to Highland Park, Michigan.

Sales were strong, and Maxwell became one of the biggest car companies of the time period. But immediately after WWI, Maxwell found itself heavily in debt. In 1921, Walter P. Chrysler took control of the company.