Grand Classic in New Jersey, June 28 & 29

Friends

After deliberation, the fees for the Metro Gand Classic for Saturday June 29 have been revised downwards. individuals who have already sent payment in will be refunded the difference. I have attached a link to the revised application for your convenience.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6419b9981005ff19352727d8/t/65fee7e609b79636c410615e/1711204327027/CCCA_v2_MetroRegion_GC_2024_Event_Registration.pdf

Best

John Harley

How much if you have no earthly interest in judging, clipboards, trophies, awards, luncheon, dinner, breakfast, soft drinks,  golf, alcohol,  and are vegan, avoid sugar;

                                     just want an excuse to drive your well-tended, CCCA-accepted car, park, look at other well-fettled survivors, visit the Babinsky museum, go home?

No wonder cars and coffees replaced most "concours d' elegance."   

Looks like a fun well planned event at reasonable cost.  I hope those who attend share some pics and details. 
 

Will people who are not members of CCCA or CCCA Metro Region be welcome to come view the cars? This means people from other car clubs not bus loads of spectators on their way home from the casinos , flea markets of non car parts, and with unsupervised  hoards from the orphanage all with cotton candy in hand?

Not trying to make light of the event by any means but a recent exchange of information I had with a great guy who was a new member got a negative response from that region when he asked if his 80 something year old parents could attend an event. 

I was also told that if I wanted to attend any further Metro region events I had to be invited by a member of that region and come as their guest . Please elaborate or mention what is acceptable as to who can attend. thank you.

Walt asks a good question.  I did not mean to sound tart above, but really, in this day and age of retro rods, Frankencars, utter ignorance of what prewar, even pre-1950s automobiles,  are all about, it behooves us to make such gatherings welcoming and affordable, even free, for those with or without CCCA-eligible automobiles, to swing by, park with if not interspersed among the registrants, hobnob for a few  hours, and drive home.   Think about it.  We've even seen mid-'30s senior Packards, and a once lovely '34 Pierce-Arrow 8 club sedan,  ruined with crate Chevy V-8s, Turbo HydraMatics, huge chrome wheels.  Let's be welcoming to those driving or interested in the real thing, sharing our cars, knowledge with a rapidly declining segment of society, so fewer authentic cars are butchered in ignorance.

 The CCCA remains insular at its own peril.  There are many....owners of "Full Classics" long since bored with judging, points, trophies, ceremonies; still more of us with decades,  a half century,  in this hobby who well know there is no such thing as a "100-point" car.  Somewhere, West of Laramie--- no, wait -- between clear coated jalopies and the alleged interest in "barn finds" simply as few fiscal mortals can afford full restorations these days,  and over-restored cars trailered to such events like beached whale carcasses,  are many lovely older rebuilds, restorations,  well-tended survivors relegated to private garages because their owners have other interests than self-congratulatory rubber chicken award dinners, drinking, mincing around with clipboards.

   Meanwhile, the CCCA is right to adhere to their present historical window, and   n o t   allow any post-'48 cars.  There are clubs and organizations aplenty for such.  Watering down for the sake of attracting more members is self-destruction.  Tanglewood presents classical music.  Newport Jazz Festival that.  Both are fine and revered.  Not complicated.   What's interesting is that some of the most enthused members and sticklers for accuracy among the HCCA (Horseless Carriage Club of America) are 20- and 30-somethings.  Freely sharing knowledge and disseminating experience remain the best ways to remain vital.

Su8overdriveMar 29, 2024

The CCCA remains insular at its own peril

This sums it up nicely and without demeaning the organization. Events are to expensive, younger people are not welcomed nor encouraged to attend with their parents or grandparents. Just to costly , but that is not taken into consideration enough by the ruling powers that be. Who will own and be the preservation custodians of these luxury  classic cars 20 - 30 years from now? The need to generate interest is  NOW without looking down from a lofty position and no bias if a person has some health issues not to attend every event even though the desire is there needs some serious correction of ATTITUDE.

To me it is like teaching kids in school - they don't know yet what they may want to embrace, but giving them the path to see something and have the patience to encourage and welcome them is what it is all about. Try to comprehend what it was like when you were first interested in classic cars- who helped you and had insight and welcomed you and had the patience to do so . Lest we forget............................

I’m a member of the ccca national , metro region and Long Island sound region . I hope everyone enjoys the show , I wish I can attend not bring the car but just attend 

and yet the club growing the most, the club national magazines with the most photos of those

under 30 (many under 20)..........is........who would have ever guessed it......... the Horseless Carriage Club.

Brass cars are fun. One rides on them not in them. Most are really not that complicated. Simple blacksmiths

kept them running.

History is tricky. It's too easy to make assumptions about what will be.

@jcrowAmazing what is going on in SW CT regarding brass cars and spilling into prewar in general.  Hat's off to Shenton King & Alex Dragone who are driving a lot of that activity.  It is resulting in increased HCCA membership as well.  For another post I guess but those guys are models on how to do it.

Does anyone have any pictures from the Metro Region Grand Classic this past weekend?

Thanks for the interest. Here is a photo of our "red field". 

Please use the link below to visit the  Metro website with some photos from the Grand Classic.. More will be posted in the coming weeks, so keep checking back.  I can recommend them, they are rather better than some of the ones I took.

https://www.metroccca.org/grand-classic

Kudos to the Metro Board of Managers for all the work and challenges, especially Grace and Bob Gluck. Jack's Barn was a lovely host. A storm the day before took out their power and burned their junction box, but it was repaired and our events there went on as planned.

Thanks to the participants for their time and effort in bringing their vehicles.

And we thought the Yankees of yore had a "Murderers' Row."  Nice to see the second Packard from the end wearing black pumps.  Elegant, understated as such cars usually were in the day.  What's also nice with all four of the fine cars above, is that they are all deep reds; claret, maroon,  not the odious resale red circus wagon hue too often seen today.  The Pierce's color is gorgeous.   Too bad about the glaring chrome wheels, when painted spokes would've made the car "flow," look one of a piece.  But the Pierce's color, now we're talking.

Any more picture of this event