Courtesy of: The Morning News
March 18, Aruba’s National Day, is a time for many interest groups to display the objects of their obsession, be it mini-boats, sports, or in the case of the Aruba Car Collectors Association, (ACCA) their classic cars preserved as when they first came off the assembly line.
Founded by Marcelo Kock and others in January of 2009, they celebrated their first lustrum with a show for the public in the parking lot of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, which sponsored their new uniforms, followed by a motorcade to the Westpunt.
The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 30 and 49 years old to be a classic, while cars between 50 and 99 fall into a pre-antique class, and cars 100 years and older fall into the Antique Class. Membership in ACCA requires the auto be at least 25 years old, kept or restored to mint condition. They now have 44 members with 60 vintage cars between them, assisting each other in finding parts and sharing their enthusiasm for a quality machine, “They just don’t make them like they used to” commented one member.
Aruba’s post office honored the ACCA by issuing their latest commemorative stamps designed by artist Rhona Lemminga, depicting six of their classic cars. Post Aruba Head Marketing, Sales & Philately, Jennifer Kock, presented the board and Enrique de Cuba, standing in for ACCA President Eric de Cuba, with framed first day issue ensembles of the stamps.
The cars included in the stamp collection were on display to the public on March 18, among several others. The six special models include a pink, 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible owned by Elena Reyes Kock. Purchased and shipped from Caracas, Venezuela in 1985, it was restored in Aruba. This was the last year a two-seater Thunderbird was manufactured by Ford. The second stamp on the top of the series from the left is a Red 1969 M.G. Midget convertible owned by Jeffrey Angela. He obtained it on Aruba in 2011 and not only restoring the original condition, but also the color. The third stamp on the top row depicts a 1972 Dodge Charger, painted orange and black and owned by Alvin Zievinger. Ironically, the original owner purchased the car on Alvin’s birth date. It was obtained in Tampa, Florida in 2010, shipped to Aruba and restored here.
The bottom row of stamps, from left to right, depicts a pink and white 1955 Ford Crown Victoria purchased in Venezuela in 1995. It was restored on Aruba by owner Clemente Vrolijk, an extreme admirer of the model, who is a member of the Crown Victoria Association of Ohio. The middle stamp is a 1973 yellow Ford Mustang convertible owned by Eric de Cuba, who purchased the car in Florida. The last in the row shows a Red 1963 Chevy Corvette Sting Ray owned by Marcelo Kock, which he obtained in Venezuela in 1985 and restored completely.
The stunning car collection attracted quite some attention while on display in the PWC parking lot and cruising down L.G. Smith Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon. The stamps and the first day issue envelope and cancellation ensemble are now on sale at the Philately desk of the Post Aruba main office in Oranjestad, across from the San Francisco Church, or at their branch office in the Palm Beach Plaza Shopping Mall.
