During the four days of July 10-14, some 65 to 70 pre-World War II “Full Classic” automobiles from thirteen states will be in Salem as part of a four-day vintage auto “CARavan” —  culminating in a “Grand Concours de Elegance” car show on Saturday at the Salem Golf Club.

These vintage autos will be lined up on Saturday morning along Highland Avenue beginning at 8 a.m. At 9 a.m., there will be a police escort of these autos east on East State Street, then south on South Lincoln Avenue on out to Route 45 to the Salem Golf Club.

Once there, the cars will line up on the grassy lawn next to the golf course for judging from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. At 2:30 p.m., there will be a drive-by of the winning cars with trophy presentations.

The car show is open to the public, free of charge. If there are not enough parking spaces at the Salem Golf Club Club, off premise parking has been arranged at Kent State Salem, just one mile down the road, with the Salem Historical Society’s ‘Trolley Bus’ proving transportation back and forth to the show, starting at 10 a.m., at no charge.

The 1918 Winston Touring Phaeton was made in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo from CCCA National Show in Salem, in 2021.

What are Full Classic Automobiles?

“Full Classic” automobiles are those cars in the official registry of the Classic Car Club of America and include cars built between 1915 and 1948 –essentially cars built between the two world wars of the 20th century. Cars qualifying for this registry, however, are not merely cars built during this time frame, but rather the most remarkable cars of this era: those with the largest wheel base, the biggest and most powerful engines of the day and with exceptional design features.

These cars are often referred to as being of the “custom coach” era — a time when so-called custom coach shops would buy a luxury auto chassis and engine and then construct a custom car body with magnificent exterior and interior design styling and in some cases “one-of-a-kind” design features.

Examples of Full Classic automobiles would be Pierce Arrow’s, V-16 Marmon’s and the legendary Duesenberg as well as many others that did not survive the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

Cars need not be just American made to qualify for the official registry of the CCCA, however, as Rolls Royce and Bentley as well as many fine Italian makes are included among the CCCA ranks.

1938 Packard Roadster Photo by Dave Johnson, CCCA National Show, Salem, 2021.

Overall, there are approximately 5,000 members in the Classic Car Club of America, representing some 7,000 Full Classic autos. It is estimated that approximately 100,000 Full Classic autos survive today out of a total of some one million that would have been produced between World War I and World War II.

The Full Classic autos that will appear on the streets of Salem July 10-14 will be some of the best Full Classics in existence. Some will be pristine show cars while others will be truly original, unaltered originals, with faded paint and frayed fabric interiors. One and all, however, will be relics of an all but forgotten past … dating back to the roaring 1920’s and the Depression-era 1930’s… when the Full Classic automobile was the “King of the Road.”

Where you might see the Full Classics On the Road

The CARavan of Full Classic automobiles itself will drive mostly upon back country roads through Columbiana County and into neighboring Stark and Mahoning counties, with planned stops at five different private car collections.

Cars will start arriving Wednesday in Salem, with a private gathering at a new classic car museum in Salem. Thursday’s drive will take the cars to a private car collection in Hartville, Ohio and then on to the Canton Classic Car Museum in Canton, then back to Salem and to another private car collection Thursday evening.

Friday will start with another private car museum in Salem, then on to visit the Museum of Steel, The Arms Mansion and the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, with a drive through Millcreek Park on the way back to Salem.

The public may see all of these cars lined up on a show field for judging Saturday at the Concours de Elegance. Even more cars than have signed up for the touring will be on the field for the Saturday show.

“As this entire event is being hosted by the Classic Car Club of America Educational Foundation, it is our mission to share the knowledge we have of these magnificent cars with the general public and to engage public interest in our unique registry of Pre-World War II vintage automobiles,” according to Dave Johnson of Salem, the event coordinator and past president of the Classic Car Club of America.