Art & Inspiration Art of the Vintage Car Club Coat...

28 sec in: Tommy Ivo and the Road Kings, Burbank 1960 in the Lions Dragstrip pits with the twin Buick race car.


Tony Waters Riverside Raceway 1959 Smokers, Inc. Club Bakersfield, CA

Tony Waters crew: Half Moon Bay Club 1959 Riverside Raceway

Hello,

We used to see a ton of car club coats around Long Beach when we were little. Maybe being near the ocean breezes in the late afternoon and night had them wear those coats a lot. But, those coats and jackets were the staple of the members in clubs at those Long Beach Municipal Auditorium Custom Car/Hot Rod Shows.

Later on in 1957-60 we used to see them at the drags in So Cal. Especially at Lions events that ran from the early morning all the way until the late evening. By the afternoon, the cool ocean breeze (West winds) started bringing in moisture and a lot of the times, fog. Many times jackets were necessary for the last rounds of elimination races. These cool ocean breezes helped out in the record runs or near record times and speeds.

One thing has to be said for the open space area of Riverside Raceway and Bakersfield Smokers March Meets: besides being the hottest shows in town back then, they were both located out in the wide open spaces. Despite the hot mid day temperatures, the early morning and late afternoon temperature drops brought out those race team or car club coats and jackets in droves.

Jnaki

So Cal dragstrips located near the local mountains also created an abundance of car club/race team coats and jackets. Yes, So Cal is normally hot, (built on a desert/Mediterranean climate area) can also get very cold at night and early morning. Most of the time, teenage angst kept the blood flowing and us warm.

What did the average teenager not in a club or race team wear to the drags? We did have our old wool baseball jackets (similar to car club jackets, and just as smelly in the rain/moisture) and then the local teenage style jumped to blue nylon jackets, Levis and desert boots. But, in trying to get sponsorships for our Willys build, we wore Wynn’s Friction Proofing yellow and red baseball jackets, in and around the pits.

 

watching a "club initiation " ritual??

 

Is he on his darn cell phone AGAIN ?

 

Two jackets in my care..

Continentals, Quincy, Massachusetts belonged to my uncle John.


Shaft Twisters, Portland, Maine belongs to my friend Ted.

 

Sad News this week
Email from Stitching by Susie of Bozeman Montana
Daughter gave me news of her Mom’s passing.
They/she did quite a few of our club jackets.
If anyone is interested my good friend Blake supposedly has the hookup to get them done.
Becoming few and far between, to find companies that will do short runs at a reasonable price
PM me for his contact info if you are looking to get club jackets




Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Club started by Tex Smith....Tom Medley did the art work.

 

Still laughing!

 

My step grandfather was a car painter in New York City.

Back in the mid 60s he gave me a wool jacket, like car clubs had, that read "GOMPERS" on the back.

He found the jacket, probably in an old car, and had no idea who or what the Gompers were or what the name meant.

In a modern urban dictionary a "gomper" is a derogatory term for a retarded person, but I wonder what it meant back in the fifties or early 60's when he gave me the jacket. I wonder who the Gompers were?

 

1971. We were young. Most of us in high school but I still have the jacket! We were featured in one of the cruising scenes on San Rafael's 4th st. in American Graffiti but sadly got left on the cutting room floor. We did make the local paper though.

 

Road Barons! we are only 3 weeks old with 3 members haha but i got an app from a new prospect tonight so he will get interviewed. Ive been shopping for car club jackets/patch makers. theres a company in portland oregon that does lettermans jackets who has also been doing car club jackets and patches for many years but i can't remember their name

EDIT: theyre called settlemiers, they have 2 1950s era stitching machines i guess

 

Anyone in San Diego got a Rapid Transit car club jacket? I was president of the club in the early '70's.

 

No Words

 

Back in the early 70's we had embroidered white shirt's and I just saw it hanging in the closet last week, I pulled it out a laughed, I can't believe I was that small and the shirt looks like a gas station attendant at a HESS station. HRP

 

My Road Knights jacket from 1957 .

 

I’m not sure how my floor got in there