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.
Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts Offers
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Recent Wheel Tracks Articles
- 1970 Volvo 1800E
Allen Begnoche’s brother originally bought this 1970 Volvo 1800E in Vermont in 2005 and it has been shipped back and forth several times from Mesa, Arizona. The Volvo now resides in South Burlington with its current owners, Allen and Erin Begnoche. I am a fairly new member of VAE, and after reading through the latest issue of Wheel Tracks (especially… Read more: 1970 Volvo 1800E - Safe At Any SpeedI think I can speak for us all in saying that what makes our vintage cars appealing to us are the ways in which they differ from the modern everyday drivers that we all own. By comparison to my prewar collection of cars, modern cars are more powerful, reliable, comfortable, fuel efficient, and full of a lot of whiz bang… Read more: Safe At Any Speed
- Morning at SpeedBelow is a car-themed poem I wrote last spring as part of a lot of writing I’ve been doing since Nancy died last January. It is based on an extraordinary early morning drive Nancy & I shared in the summer of 1964 in our then new Triumph Spitfire when we were in Europe for the summer to visit her family, my attending… Read more: Morning at Speed
- 1933 Cadillac Town CoupeKen and Sandy Green of Cumming, Georgia are new VAE members. They brought their 1933 Cadillac Town Coupe to the August 2025 show in Waterbury and it was judged Best in Show – Prewar as well as 1st place in Class 3. The original mission was to bring my freshly restored 1940 Roadmaster convertible to Vermont to show Clark Wright… Read more: 1933 Cadillac Town Coupe
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.