I really appreciate the history of old car clubs that were formed in the 50's and 60's and think it's super cool that some of these clubs are still active today. If you were or still are currently part of a car club that originally started in the 1950's or 1960's please post the club's name, car club plaque/logo, and also feel free to post some historic or older photos of the club/cars back in the day.
I was never a member but one of the oldest clubs (at least in the NW) was the Slo Poks of Vancouver Washington. I belonged to two Portland area clubs that were member clubs of the Multnomah Hot Rod Council, MHRC, one of the oldest groups in the country and home of the Portland Roadster Show. One was called the "Counts" during the early 70's that was re-formed from its original 50's/60's charter. The other was in the late 90's, GM Haulers Portland chapter, the base club Obsolete Fleet Chev club is from Salem Oregon. I am no longer a member of any club, mostly due to the inherent politics involved.
The Portland Roadster Show began its historic run in 1956 and has become one of the most respected and long running shows in the country. To put things in perspective, the Slo Poks Car Club came into being in 1952, some four years before the inception of the Multnomah Hot Rod Council who produces the Roadster Show. The Slo Poks have been in continuous operation since, now beginning their seventh decade with a near sixty car entry into this year’s show. Only a very few clubs in the entire nation can boast of such a marathon history of sustained activity. The club began as many did with several guys hanging around their cars at a local gathering place when some suggested forming a club, this was 1952. The “Spic”, as it was known, was a popular stop for these car lovers. Typically they would buy a malt or a Coke and dump the contents out, replacing it with their beer of choice. The group adjourned to a local business, Luepke’s Flower Shop, to discuss its further. There were seven in this founding group, Frank Baker, Bob Bernstein, Roger Porter, Rudy Luepke (son of a city councilman), Gale Todd, Dick Evanson, and Ron Stevens. Roger, Rudy and Ron are still active members today. The club’s first few meetings were held at the flower shop until Rudy’s dad threw them out because of all the hot rod activity in the area on meeting nights, something the neighbors didn’t appreciate that much. The club moved to another location with the same result, then ended up at Tom Pratt’s mother’s house in 1953. Hot rodders were looked upon by the community in general as hooligans and trouble makers, nothing more than an outlaw motorcycle gang, so finding a place to gather was a challenge. The hot rod activity wasn’t as much of an issue at Tom’s because he lived just a block from Sellberg’s and Rosemere’s Taverns and a couple more, which already had its share of ne’er-do-wells. From the beginning the Slo Poks were racers first. Street racing was the main reason many of them flocked together. Their beverage of choice was a close second. Racing and beer drinking were the Poks celebrity in the teen age community. Vancouver Hi was the only high school in Vancouver at the time and the Poks had car guys separated into two groups, Slo Poks, and those that wanted to be Slo Poks. When Scappoose Drag Strip began operation in 1952 at the airport there and racing could take place openly without fear of police interference, the Poks were first in line. They shared the airport and often the racing would stop to allow a plane to take off or land. For years Slo Poks such as Chester Jennings were virtually unbeatable in many classes and guys like Richard Dunn with his aluminum framed, rear engine and independent suspended dragster were searching for more speed with new ideas, decades ahead of their time. By 1955 the National Hot Rod Association had developed some guidelines for putting on organized drag races and had embarked on a nationwide tour with their Safety Safari, educating clubs and civic organizations about drag racing. This began to open up new strips in the area like Aurora, Shelton, Madras, Arlington, McMinnville and Dallsport. Later the Multnomah Hot Rod Council would spearhead the opening of Woodburn Drag Strip, and the Poks were there. The club carried on through those formative years both street and strip racing. As time evolved so did the cars and performance until in the early 1960s Slo Poks members held numerous national records and were competing at national events on a regular basis. In an article in Hot Rod Magazine in April 1963, a list showed no fewer than nineteen Slo Pok cars holding seventeen individual national records including fuel and gas dragsters, altereds, gassers, roadsters, modified sports and stockers. By the mid 60s The Famous “Northwind” fuel dragster of Jim Albrich, Steve Kreiger and Ed McCulloch had captured the #1 spot in the nation, Jack Coonrod was one of the first full time touring pros in the country with his blown Chrysler Willys coupe and Skeans and Pickering were terrorizing the competition in their well advertised modified roadster. The racing history of the Slo Poks is legendary closely followed by their reputation for having a good time. Throughout the 1960s and on past the 80s, the good times flowed freely with the Slo Poks. As interests changed so did the Pok membership, moving away from the drag racing to boats, motorcycles and back to hot rods, but would eventually return to racing as well. The Slo Poks are also famous for their Friday night get-togethers known as the “Alley”. Started in 1972 in an alley by Ed Smith’s Muffler Shop in Hazeldell, the club gained new prominence as older members brought new blood into the club and the partying continued non-stop. Every Friday the Poks would meet, members and guests, no women (as it still is today), to drink beer, do a little gambling and test fast cars up and down the alley. In the early 80s the partying reached a new high when Billy’s Park, north of Vancouver, was rented for a Slo Poks picnic. The beer was free and so was the food, many memorable and often embarrassing moments took place there. One year Don Generaux, an early Pok member, flew his airplane in and landed in the somewhat rough and very small grassy pasture called a park. To make the next year even better, an aerobatic plane was added, doing stunts over the park and Interstate 5, an event that the FAA might not have cared much for. The Billy’s Park affair, with certain restraints, became the Ash Bash which the Poks produced for 25 years with the last decade and a half at the Clark County. Proceeds from those events supported charities in the Vancouver area. In recent years the Poks have continued to race, cars like Nick Nicholson’s string of winners, Buz Peck’s fuel altered, Earl Floyd’s flathead and DeSoto powered fuelers, Wayne Harry’s Supercharged Willys Gassers and many more. The Poks continue to keep their hand in local events and have produced a summer car show, another event is being planned for the Uptown Village of Vancouver, and the Poks are the host club for the annual Billetproof event in Centralia, Washington. The Slo Poks are pleased to be included in the 56th edition of the Portland Show, exhibiting cars that represent the club’s sixty years. Written by Don Pennington, This was included in the 2012 Portland Roadster Show Program
I attended the last Slo Poks free beer and hot dogs shindig at Billy's Park and went to a few of their events at the Clark County Fairgrounds. The "Poks" were always a tough club to get into, you had to be connected.
Yep, beat me to it. Claim is the oldest, continuously active Hot Rod club. Continuous is the key word as there's a lot of "revived" 1950's car clubs, thanks to nostalgia of your local Rodding history (which is pretty cool) and no doubt in part to the original car club plaque patterns being readily available. Order a couple of dozen and restart your local (long defunct) "Igniters" or "Coachmen", etc. http://www.san-diego-prowlers-hot-rod-club.com/
The Gladiators out of Redlands, Ca. here's a pic of Herman Broom and his Roadster. The club started in the 50's. I think Herman is the only original member left. The club meets at Arthur's in Mentone every Friday at 6:30 am.
There are several members of the Outriders, here on the HAMB. Oldest known hot rod car club you'll find. Established in 1932. Yes, you read that correctly.
Camsnappers of Newburyport, Ma. Started March 1952 and still going strong. Sent from my E6810 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Slo Poks have always had a rigorous membership process, and it has served them well since 1952. As a racing group in the 60's they had the tops in competitive cars in the upper classes. Now days the racing is pretty much over, and they focus on their hotrods, and boy do they have them !
More 'Snappahs' including Jere Sheehan- he founded the club. Sent from my E6810 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Dukes Auto Club was started in 1946 by a small group of 6 Hot Rod & Motorcycle enthusiasts in Spokane, WA. Today the club is 130 members strong. Their motto is First, Fastest, Finest.
Kingsmen were started in 1952 by Bill Linde when he was a student at Compton High School. It's still going strong with two chapters totalling about 15 members. The old guy on the right is an original member and Bill's brother who we refer to as "Uncle Danny". Sent from my LGLS992 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
South Carolina has had a lot of clubs dating back to the 50's & 60's but none survived over the long haul. Our Club, Tri City Rod & Custom was established in 1972 & continues to this day 46 years later and the oldest continues club in the state. HRP
The Auto Butchers out of East L.A. were started in 1947 by Gil and Al Ayala who built the Eddie Dye roadster, the Betancourt Merc, the Wild Bird, etc. Etc. The club is still active today here are some pics of current member cars Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
The Connecticut Street Rod Association since 1967 still going strong today. CSRA owns over three acres of land with a 5000 square foot club house. The CSRA property will always be a permanent location for future generations to keep hot rodding going well into the future. Ronnieroadster Past and Present club President.
Duncan High Lifters formed in 1953, I am the oldist living original member,i am 86 years old. Club is in Duncan Okla.
The Tarantulas car club was started at Boy's High School in Anderson, South Carolina in the mid 50's by several guy's taking Auto Shop class together, the surviving members still get together once a year here in town, the members are spread out all over the country. I knew nothing about the club until I found the plaque and it peeked my interest, it took about a year before I was able to find anyone that knew anything about the club and it was through a post Brenda did on FB, a member of the club that lives in North Carolina contacted me and that's how I was able to learn anything about the club, I made contact with Dennis O'Brien and found out he had the plaque on has massive inventory, I was able to talk to a couple of the members and I arranged to orfer some plaques that some had lost over the years .HRP
Another local car club plaque that I found was the Road Angles shortly after I learned about the tarantula plaque but to this day I haven't turned up any clues to when the club was started or any members. I can only speculate the plaque is from the 40's or 50's. HRP
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