1946 Revival Glidden Tour

Major Augustus Post was the only man who participated in all the original Glidden Tours and also the 1946 Revival. He is pictured at the wheel of a White Steamer, similar to those he drove in the original tours, owned by Murray Brown, in the passenger's seat.

The 1946 Revival Glidden Tour, organized by The Veteran Motor Car Club of America was one of the premier events in antique automotive history. The timing of the event was splendid, as it coincided with the Golden Jubilee of the American Automotive Industry and also continued the excitement and optimism that followed the end of World War II. The American public felt it had much to celebrate and confidence in our technical and engineering ability had never been higher.

The Revival Glidden Tour® was a unique and wonderful experience for all those who took part in it -- to say nothing of the thrill it gave thousands of spectators.

A banquet given by the International Harvester Company on Saturday evening marked the beginning of the 1946 Glidden. The dinner was the forerunner of many pleasant and sociable experiences over the next week. Instructions and car numbers were given out by Tour Chairman James Melton; and at the conclusion of the evening, everyone was anxiously anticipating the first day of touring.

On Sunday, August 18, the entrants in the first Revival Glidden Tour® cranked up their vehicles and with a few wheezes and pops were on their way out of Albany, New York. It seemed that everyone along the route in the country as well as the towns knew the antique cars were coming and greeted the Gliddenites with waving hands and shouted words of encouragement. The tourists reached Syracuse after a pleasant run of 140 miles.

On Monday morning, they were the guests of the Syracuse Automobile Dealers' Association and the Syracuse Automobile Club at breakfast. The group left Syracuse in tight formation, led by Jim Melton and escorted by the police. A rain storm soaked the road to Rochester and necessitated the raising of the tops on the cars. The 91 miles were completed without further incidence, and the Rochester police met the Glidden Tourists and escorted them to their hotel. The International Harvester Company provided a lovely dinner and entertainment to conclude another successful day of touring.

Tuesday's run from Rochester to Buffalo was a distance of 72 miles which allowed plenty of time to reach the loading dock of the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company. It was here that the cars and passengers were loaded onto the boat for the trip to Detroit.

Wednesday was a full and exciting day of touring. After the cars were unloaded in Detroit, officials from the Ford Motor Company and the Detroit police led the caravan to Camp Legion in Dearborn, a short distance from the Edison Institute (the Ford Museum), where the guests were housed. Henry Ford gave a luncheon for the Gliddenites at the Dearborn Inn and then gave them a leisurely tour of his fine collection of cars and transportation memorabilia. Dinner was also provided by Mr. Ford as was the evening's festivities.

After returning to the museum for a second look on Thursday, the cars departed for downtown Detroit to once again board ship, this time to set sail for Cleveland. The cars were unloaded on Friday. They then traveled to the Thompson Products Museum where the vehicles were displayed on the grounds. A buffet was provided by Fred Crawford and Thompson Products at the museum. In the evening, Thompson Products also hosted a gala dinner at the Statler Hotel. The guests thoroughly enjoyed the attention and delightful entertainment and food that had been lavished on them.

On Saturday morning, the cars lined up outside the Terminal Garage for the 70 mile drive to Columbiana, Ohio. They were escorted by officials of the Firestone Tire Company to Columbiana, where they were the guests of Mr. Harvey Firestone, Jr. and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company at an old-fashioned chicken dinner at the Firestone Homestead, birthplace of Harvey S. Firestone. After dinner, the Glidden tourists were transported by bus for a tour of Firestone Memorial Park and the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial.

That evening was the grand finale of the 1946 Revival Glidden Tour®. Six identical trophies were awarded to outstanding entries. The General Motors trophy went to Fred Hoyle of New Hope, Pennsylvania, owner of a 1904 curved dash Oldsmobile. The Ford Motor trophy was won by Harry B. Johnson of San Pedro, California, who with his wife drove a Model T Ford roadster 2,400 miles to join the tour in Detroit. E. Bennett Beede of South Lincoln, Massachusetts won the Firestone Tire and Rubber trophy for his 1905 Royal touring car. Thompson Products presented their award to Walter D. Marr of Flint, Michigan, who drove a 1909 Maxwell. The Texaco trophy was received by Gerry Fauth with a 1913 Buick in the tour, and the International Harvester Company trophy was presented to Major Augustus Post of New York City, the 74-year old veteran of all the Glidden Tours.

The superb attention to detail and concern for the enjoyment of participants on this historic tour contributed to its enormous success. The Texas Company provided 100 gallons of gasoline for use on the tour and also had supplies of unleaded gasoline and kerosene available for the steam cars. Firestone sent two service trucks along for the entire length of the tour. One of the most important contributions to the success of the 1946 Revival Glidden was the manufacturing of tires to fit antique automobiles by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.

Early in the planning stage of the tour, the public relations departments of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, The Texas Company, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Thompson Products, Inc., and International Harvester Company were contacted to organize suitable publicity for the event. Newspapers in all the cities along the tour route had extensive coverage of the Glidden Tour. After the tour ended, these newspaper articles were compiled, reprinted, and sent to each participant as a memento of the event.

The attention the tour received and the fact that this type of even was obviously enjoyable as well as a worthwhile way of preserving our touring heritage dramatically increased interest in the antique car hobby. It was a memorable tour for everyone involved. As VMCCA member James Melton said at the conclusion of the 1946 Revival Glidden Tour®, "It was a week of grand fun."