Car clubs are social communities made up of enthusiasts of one type of car (e.g. hatchback, pick-up truck, etc), one brand (e.g. Ford, Tesla), or an activity involving driving (e.g. off-roading driving). In the past, the organization was mostly bound locally with a few interstate and international connections. Thanks to the Internet though, there are now car enthusiasts from all around the world meeting and sharing with one another.
They represent the opportunity for fanatics to meet, share, and drive in their favorite style or favorite car in the friendly environment.
The term ‘Car clubs’ was exclusively used to refer to the off-line organization that was usually a non-profit, fraternal club-like run by unpaid volunteers with its own hierarchical structure. Some clubs were big to afford to be run as a business, paying salaries to their members; during the 60’s decades, some large car clubs were sponsored by car dealers.
Often car clubs charge a fee to their members in order to procure for them material difficult to access for an individual using their vast network of contacts. From events to parts, exclusive services, historical car-related material, and even particular vehicles for sale. Just like any club, they also hold ‘rallies’ that welcome and encourage curious not -yet-member to bolster ranks. Activities such as cruising, racing, ‘mod’ exhibitions where members can show their DIY car work, and community service in some form are the preferred activities car clubs are engaged in.
Membership to car clubs tends to be subject to much pre-selection. Stablished members meetup and evaluate hopefuls in an effort to asses their suitability into the fraternal organization that is their club. Hopefuls are put through a testing period where they’ll volunteer to help carry out activities from the club to be evaluated for entry. By reaching a satisfactory conclusion to their evaluation, hopefuls are finally notified of their acceptance or rejection of membership into the club, usually symbolically represented in the US by receiving an official T-shirt or jacket printed with the logo and name of the club along with a ‘drag plate’ to hang on their cars as a symbol of their membership.