Where is the CCCA going?

I wouldn’t join, if I were you.

You miss the point, Lee.

Every club has its quirks, cliques, and jerks.  It is the nature of the human condition.   I had a hair across my fanny for years against a certain club I was sure screwed my dad (I still think they did) but got over it eventually and I'm still a member.   My rule with all these things is that I defer to the people that are doing the actual work.   Is the CCCA run perfectly?  Probably not, but as car clubs struggle  I appreciate they people doing the work to keep them going, even if it is not exactly the way I would do it.

The Milestone Car Society, formed in the 1970's comes to mind.  It was supposedly formed to be a postwar continuation of the CCCA of potentially, and already collectible cars from 1948 through 1964, at first, and then later until 1968, if I remember correctly.  As far as I recall, it was formed with the help of Richard Langworth and others, and dissolved sometime in the early '80s.  There was considerable controversy at first when the 1965 Mustang was not on their list as it was a '1965' model, and not a 'late '64' as some like to refer the early cars to, though extending the cutoff year to 1968 more or less solved that issue.  The MCS was active on the eastern area during the malaise era for a good few years when mid-to-late '70's cars were horrid to look at.

Craig 

What great, concise comments by "Al". 

Clubs are run by people, with their faults and biases. Most work for free,  sometimes doing a lot and

often with little help. As Lincoln said  "you can't make all the People happy all the time". 

Instead of the constant criticism of those who do the work, why not chip in and guide these clubs the

direction that we think is better?  Knowing what is "right" or "better" and doing nothing about it is worse

than knowing nothing and doing nothing.

Just my view.

Johnny

jcrowSep 25, 2024

why not chip in and guide these clubs the

direction that we think is better? 

I did for decades, formed a region, was elected to the national board,attended events and when I had open heart surgery and was not allowed by my Dr.s to attend anything was requested by the CCCA President to resign from the national board. Few of the other board members objected , so resign I did, from the board and my membership in the club after 45 years where I had contributed to their magazine for over 30 years. CCCA does not welcome people with open arms unless you own a car - do not promote or educate general car collectors to see and understand the value of the luxury cars of the era. Sad but that is the way it is and the attitude that remains..........

Walt,

I know nothing of your experience or the details over which you are obviously upset.

But, if you thought that Club was worth your effort for 45 years then it must have

offered something for at least 44 of those years.  Should board members who

are unable to fulfill their positions because of serious health issues be asked

to step aside......... I have no idea......I can see both sides. But I would guess that

those who were on the board then are probably gone...... and as happens with

long term clubs, new members pick up the slack. 

Again it seems that you have strong ideas, maybe good or bad about how the club

should grow and change. Those ideas will never execute themselves. You can sit

by feeling harmed (which maybe you were) or step up and offer your ideas and

efforts. Only then does it seem fair to be unhappy with the current state of affairs.

Just my two cents

Johnny

Well put, Johnny. 

One of the board members "then" is President now. No change . I stand by my convictions - I tried and did contribute beyond my annual dues but was dismissed when health did not allow me to participate in person. SO how is that fair? Meetings had been held and members of the board who could not attend were heard via audio communication at board meetings. I even suggested that until I could travel someone could take my place "in person" but that was not considered . So I guess that I am still wrong. Are you really putting yourself in my place to see it from my point of view - those of you who gave a thumbs up????

Some of you fellows either have short memories or have not been around long.  Walt Gosden is one of those genuine rarities;  an automotive  h i s t o r i a n.   Walt didn't and doesn't just write about vintage/Classic cars, but unearths period photos and asides about coachbuilders of the era.  His knowledge is nonpareil.  Walt's features were staples in the CCCA quarterly, The Classic Car,  as well as national magazines including the respected and much missed Special Interest Autos, published by Hemmings Motor News.   And Walt was already doing so before I involved in this alleged hobby half a century ago.

 Walt well merits your respect, and thanks.    Do a little homework before posting.  Spare us the clueless "get involved" gee whiz pep talk, reactionary drivel.  You're missing Walt's, and my points.  Many of the same CCCA "leaders" are still non-leading, hence a generally moribund club.  If they're happy with self-congratulatory chicken dinners at Marriott's and trading trophies, so be it.  Water seeks its own level.

Well not to drag this on too long, but I have gone out of my way to be respectful of Walt. In fact

my comments were made to help Walt considering joining back in to something that by his own

words he loved for 44 years. While I am not any part of the Club leadership, I have been a member

for over fifty years, so I have the experience of seeing both the good and the bad. I am fairly well

recognized as a complainer about those things that I think are wrong. But I also understand that

sitting around complaining only and putting others down seldom fixes much. 

Johnny

...and of course now-a-days with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc allowing real time video conferencing there should no longer be any such excuse. I've had job interviews, contract negotiations, troubleshooting, presentations, lectures all by this modality in the last 5 years.