Model A Ford Club Meets at IP -- Members Compete with 1/24 Scale Models in Hubley Derby

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

Dec. 13, 2006

Contact: Pat Getter

702.794.3114

  pgetter@imperialpalace.com


  

 



Model A Ford Club Meets at Imperial Palace


 Members Compete With 1/24 Scale Models in Hubley Derby   

        

            LAS VEGAS - Ahooga.

 

            No doubt you'll hear that distinctive automobile horn at the
Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino Dec. 14 through Dec. 16 when more than 200
members of the Model A Ford Club of America roll into town in about 40 of
these iconic antiques for their annual membership meeting.

 

            MAFCA is a non-profit national historical society dedicated to
the restoration, preservation and enjoyment of Model A Fords as manufactured
from 1928 through 1931. It is the largest club in the world devoted to one
make of automobile. Of the more than 4.8 million Model A's built, several
hundred thousand are still on the road.

 

            You may never see Model A's barreling down the highway in an
elimination heat, but from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, MAFCA members
will race - with scale models - in the Hubley Derby. The contest will be
held in Royal Halls A on the third floor.

 

            Named after the company that for years made accurate metal
replicas of Model A's and other cars, the Hubley Derby is a gravity race
using die cast 1/24 scale models, similar to the Pinewood Derby run by Cub
Scouts. The Las Vegas Valley Model A Club will set up the 40-foot-long pine
and birch track at a regulation 21-degree downward angle.

 

            Hubley Model A's come in seven body styles: sedan, station
wagon, coupe, roadster, roadster pickup, victoria and phaeton. Cars must
weigh no more than 21 ounces and include the original tires, wheels and axle
screws; no modifications allowed. But, each car takes on its own identity
depending on how it has been hand-painted by its owner. 

 

            This being Las Vegas, the race order will be determined by
picking a card from a deck. The field of 32 Model A's will face off in 16
elimination heats, then eight, then four and finally the last two contenders
will line up at the gate for the starting light sequence similar to
professional auto races. 

 

            These cars may be pint-size, but the heats are won or lost based
on fine tunings applicable in any full-size car race, such as making sure
the inside surface of the wheel hubs are smooth so they turn freely against
the brake drums. Wheels that wobble and rub the side of the track could toss
a contestant right off.  Overweight, non-scale cars or those with the wrong
screws in the wheels will be disqualified. A laser light at the bottom of
the track notes the winner of each heat.

 

            First, second and third place will receive a plaque with the
meet logo. And the Las Vegas Valley Model A Club has added a People's Choice
Award so meeting attendees can vote for their favorite. 

 

The Imperial Palace is home to the award-winning tribute show Legends in
ConcertR and the DealertainersT, celebrity impersonators who deal blackjack.
The hotel also hosts The Auto CollectionsR, the world's largest classic car
showroom with $100 million worth of inventory for sale. Imperial Palace is
the most central stop on the Las Vegas Monorail. The resort is famous for
"Five-Star-Friendly Service" and includes the Karaoke Club, a race and
sports book, 2,640 rooms and suites, world-class gaming and amenities, a
seasonal poolside luau, 40,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space,
nine specialty restaurants, 10 bars and lounges, state-of-the-art spa and
fitness center, business center, concierge service, medical center, wedding
chapel and reception facilities.

 

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