The Misconception of the Car Club

Car clubs give car owners a venue to socialize and bond with one another.

Often times, when I speak to someone who is not a car enthusiast, the following conversation ensues:

“So you guys get together and street race and play loud music all day?”

“Not at all. We are simply a group of friends who were brought together by cars. We are a family. We have a lot more in common than a love for horsepower and suspensions.”

Automotive clubs have been around since the release of the very first automobile in the late 19th century. Groups of enthusiasts would get together to discuss their cars’ performance, reliability, and just the joy they get from driving. Over the past 10 or so years, new technologies like the internet have made it easier for people to communicate through message boards (See Enthusiast Forums 101), online groups on such search-engines as Google, and the everyday brand-appreciation websites.

These automotive communities all have a different purpose. Some groups, like the Davis Motorsports Club are dedicated solely to legal track-based racing, where the sole purpose for the group is to set up track days in order to improve one’s skills. Some clubs, like the Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti based Team Driven in northern California, try to incorporate many aspects of auto-enthusiasm, and end up turning into something completely different.

The club organizes large monthly Nissan meets, where Nissan fans from all over the state gather for one day of barbeque, photography, and fun. Also, the club holds small bi-weekly events for members of Team Driven, which are in fact not so much car gatherings but rather dinner with friends to chat about any and all topics. Recently, the club made the trek from Sacramento to San Jose (about 100 miles), to enjoy a day out at Dave and Busters and then Santana Row. The get-together obviously had the mandatory quick photo shoot, but mainly consisted of a group of close friends playing arcade games, eating lunch, and strolling down Santana Row as if they were kids again. More so, a number of the people at this event often see one another outside of meets and are friends/family rather than fellow members of a club.

Now, granted some clubs exist that are rowdy, obnoxious, and a general nuisance to those around them. They play loud music; drive in a disorderly and dangerous fashion, and generally draw unneeded attention to themselves. These clubs however should not be the stigma by which car enthusiasts are held, as they are a minority.

Another common question that comes up is that of elitism in the groups. Many people are afraid to join these clubs because they feel they will be cast out for having a slightly different taste or style. That is simply not the case, as most of these clubs simply ask for one thing: respect of others and a general love for automobiles, whether they are brand-specific or general. For example, Team Driven has a member-base of people between the ages of 19 and 55. Some members are very high-energy and track oriented, while others are more reserved, prefer to have a comfortable vehicle modified for a clean look rather than outright speed. This blend of high-energy and reserved wisdom is what makes car clubs so diverse.

The common misconception about the auto enthusiast and the car club, then should not be that of menaces to society, but rather a separate, respectful and exciting culture that thrives on a family atmosphere and diversity. The clubs normally begin with just a number of car fans getting together to talk about their cars. This quickly changes, however, into long-term or even life-long friendships between people who have so much more to enjoy about one another’s company than just a brand emblem and the smell of gasoline.

-KF