SAAC 49 keynote speaker announced!

[Macstang]

Barn Find Hunter, Tom Cotter to keynote SAAC 49

(Click link below to watch a YouTube episode of The Barn Find Hunter)
https://youtu.be/1M2DrK7fWPo?si=0HHPS1RxVOcaxOmm&t=737

The SAAC Dinner and Evening Program is one of the highlights of our convention. SAAC is happy to announce that the keynote speaker at this year's convention will be Tom Cotter, also known as "The Barn Find Hunter." Tom's engaging talk will take place just after the SAAC Dinner on Friday July 26th 2024.

Cotter is a well-known figure in the automotive world, particularly for his expertise in locating and restoring "barn find" vehicles. He has been involved in the car restoration industry for over 50 years. He is also an accomplished author, having written several books about barn finds, including "The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology."

Tom gained widespread recognition through his popular series "Barn Find Hunter" on Hagerty's YouTube channel. In this series, Cotter travels around the USA, discovering and exploring forgotten classic cars. His enthusiasm and knowledge about classic cars not only make the series entertaining, but also educational for car enthusiasts.

Tom has loads of Shelby stories. For example he purchased his 289 Cobra, CSX2490 in March, 2001. He flew from North Carolina to San Francisco to pick up the car and drive it home, using only 2-lane roads. The trip took nine days. R&T writer Peter Egan accompanied him and Egan wrote about the trip in "Cross Country Cobra." The article was featured in the 2/02 issue of R&T. The car is famous for its luggage rack on the trunk with a large, battered suitcase strapped to it, covered with stickers from various places Cotter has traveled with the car. Notable is the prominent "Dan Gurney for President" bumper sticker. Cotter and the Cobra have been on several 1000-mile Cobra tours including one to Alaska where a grizzily bear tore through the soft top in order to get at a box of fig newtons left behind. CSX2490 was also pictured on the cover of The Shelby American's Spring 2017 issue.

Tom Cotter's passion for automotive history and his knack for telling captivating stories have made him a the perfect speaker for the SAAC 49 Evening Program. Be sure to register for SAAC 49 so you too can enjoy the myriad of events we've got planned including Open Track, the Simeone Museum Visit, a Road Tour and Poker Run, the Shelby Car Show, Concours d'Elegance, and lots more!

(Click link below to register for SAAC 49!)
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/saac-49-team-shelby-ecgn-njmp-thunderbolt-american-automobile-club-396835

[mark p]

I recently heard Tom Cotter speak at the Simeone Museum (about Briggs Cunningham).
He was a very good speaker - engaging, entertaining, and had his info all lined up.
... looking forward to this 

[Royce Peterson]

Tom is a great guy. I watched his TV series back when it was on the Speed Channel (that was a long time ago!)
, then a couple years ago went to his place and spent half a day there. He is a legit car guy, the real deal. No doubt a great choice as speaker.

[daltondavid]

I think he is a great choice!! looking forward to listening to him!