This year's Tour, nicknamed “The Howard County Haycation”, was the 26th annual version of the event, which gives owners of “orphan” (discontinued-make) cars the chance to drive their vehicles over rural, low speed roads in the company of other orphan enthusiasts.

Despite the prediction of showers, the day was dry and partly sunny, and temperatures reached the high seventies by mid-afternoon. Drivers gathered at the Howard County Fairgrounds near West Friendship at 9:00 AM in the morning, and the tour got underway an hour later.

As cars left the Fairgrounds they were photographed for a keepsake photos (subsequently e-mailed to each car owner). Then, drivers were handed printed directions and were dispatched, alternately, onto one of three routes ranging from 46 to 54 miles in length. The routes generally covered the same territory but sometimes cars were sent in opposite directions, assuring that many cars encountered one another during the course of the day.

Six stops were included on the tour. They included Gene and Betty Sauter's private collection of antique cars, the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Catonsville, Frank's Garage outside Ellicott City (an auto repair facility now in its 73rd year), Breezy Hill Farm in Woodbine (home to alpaca, peacocks, ostriches and a host of other animals), the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum, and Alex's Ice Cream Stand in Lisbon.

Cars began returning to the Fairgrounds at 2:00 P.M. and at 3:00 a buffet dinner was served to 104 participants. Photos of all cars on the tour were projected onto the wall during dinner. Afterwards, the “quiz” award was presented to the winners, John and Judy Boksz of Parkville, Md., driving a 1966 AMC Marlin. Gary and Janice Masie won the “long distance” award; they drove 239 miles to the Tour from their home in Clinton, New Jersey. Also recognized were Ed and Ann Hilbush of West Chester, Pa., whose 1912 Flanders Model 20 roadster was the oldest car driven on the tour.

Participants or tour staff drove cars representing 14 defunct companies, motor divisions or nameplates. American Motors Corporation was the most heavily represented, with nine cars; the Packard, Studebaker, Hudson (including Essex and Terraplane) and DeSoto marques were next, with four cars each. Brand names represented by one or two cars each, included Flanders, MG, Mercury, Morris, Oldsmobile, Plymouth and Pontiac. A pre-War Wolseley (British) was driven to dinner at the end of the tour. In addition there were two Thunderbirds (Ford), two Corvairs (Chevy) and a Chrysler Imperial Airflow, and though their manufacturers are still very much “alive”, the models themselves are discontinued. (A couple of the cars on the tour were modern “Brand-X's”, driven by owners whose vintage “orphans” were under repair.)