From cars, trucks and motorcycles to fire engines, tractor and military vehicles, we care passionately about vehicles from the early era of transportation right up through the present so that everyone can experience the history and fun preserving and driving these vehicles can bring.
VAE is 501(c) Educational & Charitable Organization that awards scholarships to encourage and support young men and women who wish to pursue a career in automotive trades. VAE has funded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships for Vermonters like you.
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Vermont Antique & Classic Car Meet
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Recent Wheel Tracks Articles
- Ralph Shepard’s Steamboat
Ralph Shepard lives in Ferrisburgh, VT not far from Otter Creek where his steam boat resides most summer days. Ralph is pictured at left. Ralph and Pat’s home is one of those special places where you want to stay for a while because there is a lot going on. Adventures can be felt all around! Thank you for giving Wheel Tracks this… Read more: Ralph Shepard’s Steamboat - Vermont’s Local Racers
While researching background on Dave Dion , the famous local race car driver, for the following story, I got to thinking about something that happened way back in the 1970s when my youngest brother, David, and our cousins, John and Billy, were around 8-10 years old. They were nuts about Vermont’s local racers… Bobby Dragon, “Beaver” Dragon, Dave Dion, and… Read more: Vermont’s Local Racers - 1910 Metz Runabout
From Tammy….. During my travels to England this summer, I participated in the Ellis Journey, a tour retracing the first British motorcar trip in 1895. The Honorable Evelyn Ellis traveled the original journey in a four-horsepower Panhard car. He traveled at 10 m.p.h. flagrantly disregarding the 4 m.p.h. speed limit. Today, only automobiles from before 1905 are permitted to participate… Read more: 1910 Metz Runabout - Getting Ready for WinterThe other day I was thinking about what had to be done before the first snow started to come down and realized that the jobs had changed over the years. Having grown up on a farm, it seemed we were always “getting ready for winter.” I will not go into all the farm chores but what we did at our… Read more: Getting Ready for Winter
About Vermont Auto Enthusiasts
The Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts was founded around a kitchen table in Essex Junction, Vermont by a small group of vintage automobile enthusiasts in 1953. It has continued to grow in membership and activity, and now has members not only from Vermont, but nationally and even internationally, among people who share an interest in all things related to automobiles and automotive history. VAE members are invited to monthly meets to explore Vermont’s scenic drives at the wheels of their prized autos in warmer months and visit historic sites and facilities of automotive or historic interest when indoor venues are called for. These include garage tours, restoration shops, and historically significant museum collections which add to each member’s enjoyment. And, yes, there’s a fair amount of car talk too. To the general public, we are probably best known for our annual Vermont Antique and Classic Car Meet, now held in Waterbury, Vermont which is the high point of our yearly activity.
The VAE is now a 501 c (3) non-profit educational and charitable organization devoted to encouraging and supporting education of young people in fields related to automotive technology and history. Proceeds from our car show, as well as individual donations, go to support this educational outreach.
The VAE proudly provides and supports these educational programs:
- The Golden Wrench Award: This award is presented annually to one junior in each of the sixteen automotive technical career centers in Vermont. The award consists primarily of a valuable tool set and $500 scholarship for continued post- secondary education in an automotive related field. The winning students are selected by their teaching faculty in recognition of their demonstrated dedication to their education.
- Skills USA: We provide financial support to help career center students who are first place winners in the state wide Skills competition in four automotive related competitions. This support helps with the expense of representing Vermont in the national competition to which they are invited.
- VAE Automotive Seniors Scholarship: We are now annually awarding six $1,000 scholarships to Vermont high school seniors who intend to pursue further education in the automotive field. They are selected based on their applications which describe their career goals and indicate how they intend to achieve them through further education.