For Immediate Release:
July 10, 2005

CONTACT:
Jesse Mosston
Mt. Washington
Auto Road
P.O. Box 278,
Gorham, NH 03581
(603) 466-3988
Fax: (603) 466-3328

PHOTOS:
Jesse Mosston,
Mt. Washington
Auto Road

   2005 CLIMB TO THE CLOUDS A VINTAGE AFFAIR

Pinkham Notch, NH – In 1904, the Climb to the Clouds was created by early auto manufacturers to showcase their new inventions. In 2005, the event is still about showing off cars, but now they are vintage vehicles. The 2005 Climb to the Clouds Vintage Car Weekend presented by Volkswagen Dealerships of New Hampshire was held on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10 at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in Pinkham Notch, NH. The event marked 101 years since the first car race up 6, 288 foot Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. The steep and narrow Mt. Washington Carriage Road, now the Mt. Washington Auto Road, was considered to be the ultimate site to prove the abilities of what was then a new invention.

The weekend featured a vintage car show on Saturday hosted by the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Granite Region and featured cars manufactured from 1970 and earlier. The Vintage Car Club of America (VSCCA) returned this year to organize the vintage car Hillclimb to halfway up the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

The car show was held on Saturday, while the Hillclimb practice was in progress. Many notable cars were present this year including a 1934 Lancia Belna Eclipse that won Best of Class, European Custom Coachwork, at the Amelia Island Concours D’ Elegance, a 1940 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet, Jaguars, Studebakers, Cadillac’s, Packard’s and many other manufacturers were on display in “The Glen” at the base of the Auto Road. In addition, the Stutz Club of America named the 2005 Climb to the clouds as their venue for the 2005 Grand Stutz which resulted in seven significant and historic vehicles on display and in the Hillclimb over the weekend.

The Lancia was awarded Best of Show by the AACA. Only four of these cars were ever built. Three of them were disassembled and used for parts by the German war effort in World War Two. The car is owned by John Moir of Chocoura, New Hampshire and is believed to be the only one in existence. The interior features ostrich skin upholstery and Bird’s Eye maple trim.

The Auto Road’s choice for the Best in the Glen was a meticulously restored 1932 Stutz DV-32 owned by John Schiavi of Oxford, ME. Of the 29,000 Stutz manufactured between 1911 and 1934, it is estimated that only 500 Stutz still exist. Many of the American cars of that period were melted down for use by the military for the war. Over 400 Stutz are accounted for through the 420 members of the Stutz Club. Norman Barre, president of the Stutz Club, here from England, said “Sadly, most of the Stutz cars were broken up and sent to the wrecker’s yard. It’s the age old problem, the car cost 1600 pounds in 1929, and by 1938 you couldn’t get 20 pounds for it.”

In the Special Interest Class, the winner was a 1950 Ford 8N Tractor owned by Tom McCarriston of Wolfboro Falls, NH. Other winners were a 1902 Covert in the class for cars up to 1909, a 1910 Buick Model 17 won the 1910 to 1919 class, a 1929 Stutz L6 Blackhawk won the 1920 to 1920 class, a Stutz DV-32 Monte Carlo won the 1930 to 1939 class, a 1940 Lincoln Continental won the 1940 to 1949 class, a 1952 MG TD Roadster won the 1950 to 1959 class and a 1960 Thunderbird won the 1960 to 1969 class. A 1934 Chevrolet ½ ton pickup won the Commercial class. Best Original Pre-war was won by a 1923 Studebaker, Best Original Post-war was won by a 1963 Cadillac, and the 50th Anniversary T-bird award was won by a 1955 Thunderbird.

Another car of note was the “Paul Newman Car”, one of two of the first Datsun 240Z cars brought to this country in 1969. The car won seven nation championships and was raced by Newman in the 1970’s.

The Hillclimb has traditionally attracted a wide range of cars and this year was no exception. The field included cars like a 1930 Bentley Speed 6, a 51 Jaguar XK 120 Special, and a 1953 Kurtis 500S. There were two Stutz in the Hillclimb, one built in 1928 and one in 1929 that was transported from England just for the Climb to the Clouds Vintage Car Weekend.

For the drivers in this year’s Hillclimb, the challenge was to be consistent between two timed runs, not having the fastest time, although many drivers came off the starting line very aggressively. The cars started at the Toll House at 1565 feet above sea level and drove to 4100 feet to just above treeline, which is about halfway up the 8-mile Auto Road. The driver with the closest matching times determined the winner. This year the winner was Tom Ellsworth of Essex, MA. Driving his 1935 Ford Amilcar Special, the difference between runs was a mere 28 hundredths of a second. Ellsworth was the organizer of the Hillclimb and remarked about the event, “This was a great weekend. We had a tremendous variety of cars and what better venue for them than the Auto Road.”

One of the vehicles returning to the Climb to the Clouds this year with a significant history at the event was the “Old Gray Mare”, having twice set the record on the Auto Road. It’s a Ford Special that was first raced by John C. Reuter in 1935 in a record time of 12 minutes 46.6 seconds that stood until 1938 when Lem Ladd broke that record with a time of 12 minutes 17.6 seconds driving the same car. After sitting in a barn for over 40 years the Old Gray Mare was carefully restored and competed in the 2004 Climb to the Clouds. The Old Gray Mare has been invited to the Rolex Monterey Historic Races as one of this year’s featured mark, Great American Specials. The event is being held in Monterey, California in August. The car is co-owned by Ben Bragg of Woburn, MA and Sandy Leith of Dedham, MA.

The television show “My Classic Car” with Dennis Gage was on site filming for a program to be aired on the Speed Channel in 2006.

The Climb to the Clouds Through the Years historic display was open during the event. It is set up in the Auto Road’s red barn that was once the home of the many horses that pulled the wagons and guests to the summit of Mt. Washington. The display also features memorabilia and pictures from the history of the Auto Road and Climb to the Clouds.

The Presenting Sponsor of the event was Volkswagen Dealers of New Hampshire; Media sponsors for the Climb to the Clouds Centennial Celebration were RSN TV 16 of North Conway, New Hampshire and 94.9 WHOM - FM of Portland, Maine. WHOM transmits from the summit of Mt. Washington and can be heard in five states.

Opened in 1861, the Mt. Washington Auto Road is America’s oldest manmade attraction and has thousands of visitors travel to the summit each year in private vehicles and guided tours. The Auto Road will celebrate its 144th birthday on August 8, 2005. For more information call 603-466-3988 and or go online to www.MtWashingtonAutoRoad.com