Research for MBA paper

For MBA :

To give you a perspective, let me give you a broad summary of how this particular car club got going. To do that, you need to have a picture of the time of its birth and early growth - the early 1950's.

First and foremost, there was no "nostalgia" phenomena....except for a small number of people in the antique and horseless-carriage movements, anything "old" was considered "un cool". Large old luxury cars in particular were considered to be something of scorn.

If you have a chance to view old I LOVE LUCY shows, you will see one segement which demonstrates how stupid LUCY was - she bought an early 1930's Cadillac phaeton !

In those years, technology had leaped foward, giving us much more "driveable" cars than those of pre-war days. But many of us felt that the luxury cars of the post-war years, however technically superior, lacked the "arrogant elegance" of the big cars of the per-war days.

Also a factor in understanding the "classic" era, is the fact that DURING that era (mid 1920's to World War Two) technology caused a revolution, in that when the classic era began, there was a TREMENDOUS difference in the general feel and performance of the cheap car, to the most expensive. By the late 1930's, technology narrowed the differences between the cheap car and the most expensive ones. This trend continued, so that by the mid 1950's, the popular "cheap" cars peformed nearly as well as (and in some cases BETTER than) the most expensive ones, some of which, such as PACKARD, kept building WORSE cars each year until their traditional buyers rejected them, causing the company to fail for lack of sales.

It is correct to say that the big "true classics", especially towards the end of the classic era, were becoming obsolete even as they were delivered as new cars. But they DID, at least on our view...have a certain...again...what else can you call it..but "arrogant elegance" lacking in post-war cars.

The fact remains, that with all the inconsistancies, some car buffs decided that the biggest most elegant cars of the classic era, were worth celebrating and preserving.

Given the above back-ground, our Club's founders looked around for a word to best descibe the "best of the best"...the "arrogant elegant" super luxury/high performance cars of that era...they wound up selecting a little used word ..CLASSIC...which, in the dictionaries of that day...meant two things..

" UNIQUE...FIRST RANK...OF THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE" - thus ordinary cars would not be included

" a theory of design in which FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION meaning BEFORE the advant of stream-lining.

Obviously, a portion of our membership ( which I HOPE is the over-whelming majority ! ) sees no reason to change our reason for existence..which is to revere and include only those cars which we were originally formed to celebrate.

I would suggest the correct answer to your question as to our "strengths", is our determination to remain true to our founder's purpose. I would suggest our "weakness" has been a well-meaning tendency to be bashful about the "arrogant elegant" cars, and thus let in too many "less than arrogant elegant" cars, and their owners, who believe dillution is a good idea. Obviously, the more of this type we let in, the potentially "weaker" we get, at least as far as our determination to be true to our original purpose goes.

Good luck on your study. Naturally, as one of the "hard liners" on Club policy, I hope you will see the merit in the "hard line" / "purist" approach !

Pete Hartmann

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful information. The research is beginning to show some great insights into classic cars especially the CCCA. I have read the CCCA's history of the (judging) world. I am impressed with the club's passion and conviction to maintaining the classic era benchmarks established fifthy years ago.

Question(s): Can classic cars that had previously won in a Grand Classic be entered again in future events? How many classic cars- as defined by the club- are still in existence? (About) Are there any educational materials/resources that are geared to and/or shared with younger students(under 18 year olds) for the purpose of cultivating future classic car interest (and maybe future owners)?

Again thanks. This is beginning to be an enjoyable process.

CjF

Hopefully, someone else with actual figures can give you precise info. as to the 'numbers' questions you ask. I understand we have well over 5,000 members now.

There has always been concern from SOME of our members, for how we attract more and younger members. This was not a problem in the early years of the Classic Car Club, for, in those years, you could buy the best of them in "mint" condition, for a couple of hundred dollars. Now, there may be NO answer to the question of how you attract younger members who are just starting out in their earing years. There are only a relatively few "true classic" cars, and a good number of them are owned by people already in the CCCA. There have ALWAYS been a small number of vocal people who for this or that reason, choose not to be a member, but..heck..it is a free country ! You can't, as Ricky Nelson said in that song...please everyone.....!

Others, such as myself, take the "elitist" view, that raw numbers ...was never what either our cars, or our Club, is all about..or should be...our very essence is the "cars of the elite", or, as one writer once said.." I want so little in life....ONLY THE BEST...and there is so little of that".

Since the cars the Club was originally created for were so few, I personally believe it is normal and natural that our membership should be "few". Some of us feel the best days of our Club, and our events, were when we had less than a QUARTER of our present membership, but a MUCH higher per centage of people who owned and operated "true classics"..and thus had a better understanding of why we started this Club in the first place.

You might, to get a better perspective on where the CCCA was, and where it may be going, try and get some statistics on how many members in the early years actually owned and operated classic cars, compared to how many now....are just "hangers on" without classic cars. OWNERSHIP of a classic was NEVER required, but my recollection..is that it was just ASSUMED to be the case, up thru the mid 1960's.

Let's hope your questions will attract people better able to answer your questions than I.

I smell a rat. Seems like the CCCA is the subject of more than 1 "research paper" lately. A search for "Belhave College" returns no results. Is the plural of "matrix" really "matrixes" ? Seems we have a devil's advocate here maybe ???

Mr.32~

Are you suggesting that some clever angler caught and is toying with the old carp? Shocking!

Let's ASSUME this guy is "legit", and try and help him. As far as being a litte paranoid...you know the old joke..." just because I am paranoid dosnt mean they arent still out to get me....".

As we know, the Classic Car Club Of America was wildly successful, even from its very first days, in drawing attention to the real inherent values in the "arrogant elegant", i.e. the super-luxury high powered cars of the elite, built roughly from the mid 1920's to the start of World War Two.

The ink was barely dry on our incorporation papers before this and that group of car buffs was so impressed with what we were tryng to do, they wanted to call the old cars they liked ..... "CLASSIC". Thus the campaign for "dillution" our founding members warned of, began early on in our history as a Club.

We have seen in here people whining that our Club is doomed to failure because the "hard core" of tradionalists want the Club and its Rule(s left the way they are (the adjustment to bring in cars made BEFORE 1925 that are IDENTICAL to their post-1925 "copies" is hardly a CHANGE in our basic standards and concepts).

Every so often there is a "big push" to further "water down" our Club with "almost classics". Mr. Lee's response to these people in a recent CCCA newsletter "says it all".

Even if this fellow IS part of some "sinister force to dillute the Club" I see no harm in cooperating with him. If our ideas arent worth defending with facts, friendliness, and reason, then they arent worth HAVING !

So - FORGET about whether the guy is "on our side" or not - it is irrelevant. Lets see how much we can all learn from each other, by helping with as much information as we can.

Pete Hartmann

Best example is Jean Jacques Rousseau. He was paranoid. And "they" WERE out to get him.

For those of you who don?t know, Matt Sonfield, a long time CCCA member, wrote a college level business textbook that uses CCCA as an example. At the end of every semester, the Club gets tons of requests for information from students who are writing papers on our organization. Most of the information needed is currently on the CCCA web site. Any student writing the office (snail mail, no email) can request a packet of pertinent facts about the Club.

Since it is that time of year, I?d bet good money that our inquisitor really is what he appears to be. I?m sure he will appreciate your help.

NOTE TO OTHER STUDENTS:

These questions come up about every 6 months or so. If you look back in archives of this Discussion Forum, you may find some of your questions have already been answered.

Found a Belhaven College in Orlando - probably is legit.

http://www.belhaven.edu/

This is not EXACTLY "on point"...but I just got a heck of an idea for a great new game.

How's this for an idea.....try and find something that is NOT "classic" these days.....! The other day, I got off the highway to cool my brakes ( hauling heavy equipment can really "heat you up" on the long mountain down-grades out here )...and had a CLASSIC Coke with my CLASSIC chicken. Behind the fast food joints was a CLASSIC Upholstery. Can you turn a page in Hemmings or OLD CARS WEEKLY without finding something someone wants to sell...that ISNT "classic".....?

You continue to mislead, Petey. The CCCA refers to the automobiles on their list as 'Full Classics', and they have registered that phrase accordingly as a trademark. With the trademark registered, use by the general public of the phrase 'Full Classic' has certain restrictions.

The common noun 'classic' has no such restrictions on its use and is thus able to be used freely by anyone for any purpose, as you have noted. This is to be expected, as it is a word familiar to most users of the English language. It has never been an obscure word, or one that had at one time sunk into disuse. I say this as you have on many occasions mistakenly claimed credit for re-introducing the word into popular usage. Your continued confusion, in fact, your apparent obsession, over this matter is sometimes humorous, sometimes irritating, but never instructive.

Yours in a constuctive, helpful manner, BillP.

My two cents, regarding the question originally asked by the apparently legitimate student:

CCCA strengths: Large membership, excellent and timely publications and snob appeal. Where else can a Darracq owner go?

Threats: Its own aging membership.

Weaknesses: Geezer members who think younger members should be flocking to the club just to listen to what the older members have to say.

Opportunities: The future belongs to the club. I think it will become smaller and more exclusive. This route may kill it, though, you need the energy of younger folks on board to volunteer, organize events, etc. But exclusivity has its attraction for young members too, and that may keep it going.

Bill

Albuquerque, NM

Look out...Bill....you are in trouble now...when you have guys like ME complimenting your "posts", and agreeing with you....gawd.....!

Pete ("the Geezer" ) Hartmann

My first reaction to the club's 1999 year end numbers was that your membership was in a decline mode and that increasing the membership would yield more revenue. However, I am beginning to feel that the true purpose of the club is not maintaining large membership, but rather a club that recognizes the classical values of cars in that era and servicing a memembership who uphold the same value.

Thanks,

I am the MBA student who posted the request and I have allot on my plate. Unfortunately, I do not always take the time to reread and edit all of my messages.

The college I atttend is Belhaven College, Maitland Florida and, yes - according to my dictionary- matrixes is correct.

I have never heard of your club before, but I can now understand its important value it has in our social history.

Needless to say, thank you for responding.

Carlos F.

Thanks BP, I can certainly see some truth in your comments.

Question: base on your premise that more young people would be needed, how would the club and its current membership approach them?

Carlos F.

For what it it?s worth, our membership is at or near the Club's all time high, just short of 6000 members. We?d rather be good than large, but we also have to face the reality that we need a reasonable size membership to do some of the things we do. If we were a lot smaller, we would lack the funds to do some of the things we are good at.

Our publications are world class. Noted automotive historian and author, Beverly Rae Kimes, edits them. Not only is she an amazing source of automotive history, she?s a really nice lady too! I?m a dedicated member of her fan club. I have lots of company.

A very large part of our dues goes to printing costs and postage. We publish our color magazine, The Classic Car four times a year. Our black and white magazine, The Bulletin, is published eight times a year. We also publish a huge Member?s Handbook and Roster every year, which is distributed to all CCCA members. It runs just a little under 200 pages and is an incredibly valuable reference, since it also lists members? cars.

The National organization subsidizes many events, trophies, Club projects, the web site, etc. Nobody on the Board receives any pay or reimbursement for their time or travel expenses. We are a volunteer army. We do maintain a small office in Chicago to process all this. The two nice ladies ladies who work there do so part time. They are the only ones who are on the payroll. We also provide insurance for meets and allow our regions to piggy-back (at very low cost) on the Club?s policy.

Obviously, if our membership dropped dramatically, we would have to do some severe belt tightening. A few months ago, someone suggested on this forum that they?d rather have the Club shrink to 50 members and still keep up the quality. While I understand the sentiment, that would be very hard to do. At our current expenditure rate, dues would be raised to a mere $5400.00 per year. Of course we would save money in postage and printing cost, but it is unlikely that dues for a 50-member club, that does the same quality of work as CCCA currently does, would be much less than $2000.00 per year. That certainly would make it a VERY exclusive club.

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yes,it's in your dictionary - along with such illiteracies as "gage" and "flammable." The plural of matrix is matrices.

If the plural of goose....is GEESE...how come the plural of mouse...isn't MEESE..?

Pete Hartmann