The public will be invited to watch the Ab Jenkins Memorial Duesenberg Exhibition of Speed and Stinson Fly-in. The admission fee is expected to be $10.

The national Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club is staging the event, along with the ACD Festival and financial sponsor Interstate Batteries.

The event's name honors Ab Jenkins, who test-drove Duesenberg cars in the 1920s and 1930s, setting several world records for speed. With massive engines capable of 90 mph in second gear, Duesenbergs were considered the fastest and most expensive cars of their time.

In each speed exhibition, two of the classic cars will run side-by-side. Organizers are hoping up to 50 Duesenbergs will come to Kendallville for the chance to run their cars wide open.

Plans include a fly-in for vintage Stinson Airplanes. Their manufacturer shared ownership with Auburn Automobile Co., which built Duesenberg, Auburn and Cord automobiles in the 1920s and 1930s.

 

Duesenbergs will depart from Auburn at 1 p.m. on the day of the event. On the way to Kendallville, they will drive across the stage at the new Classical Events Auction south of Waterloo.

The auction company will sponsor a coloring contest for children. Four children will win rides to Kendallville in Duesenbergs.

Owners of classic Auburns and Cords also will drive their cars to Kendallville to watch the event. Organizers expect at least 200 of those cars to gather at the airport, but they will not drive on the runway.

Vintage aircraft coming for the event will land at 2 p.m. Baeke said he is hoping for up to three Stinsons and is negotiating for an appearance by a vintage B-25 bomber.

Duesenbergs then will be parked on the runway for a photograph from a fire department aerial truck. A poster with that photo will be available for purchase the next morning, Baeke said.

Duesenbergs will begin driving on the runway at 3 p.m. The event will conclude at 7 p.m.

Baeke said the exhibition is planned as a one-time occurrence.

"This is truly an event of historic proportions that will be happening (in) 2010 and probably only 2010," he said.