Austin’s AACC one of country’s oldest car clubs
Austin has no shortage of groups dedicated to car culture in one way or another.
Every month, hundreds of cars make their way to shows, competitions and cruise-ins in Austin and the surrounding area, but one car club in Austin actually ranks as one of the older car clubs in the nation: the Austin Area Car Club (AACC).
“We’ve got about 110 members currently,” AACC Vice President Dan Barkley said. “It’s probably one of the oldest car clubs in the United States. I would almost venture to say it’s in the Top 10. It’s just really hard to say without doing a lot of extensive research.”
The AACC actually began as a chapter of the Horseless Carriage Club (HCC) back in 1954. At the time, as with many social organizations, membership was limited to men only. It was also required that a member’s car be built prior to 1915.
“It is interesting to note that to become a member of the club prior to 1997, before the new by-laws were written, you had to be sponsored by two members in good standing, the board of directors had to approve the nomination and you had to attend at least two business meetings,” writes Gary Smith on the club website’s history page. “Then your membership into the club was voted on by the general membership and you became a full member. It could take several months to become a full voting member. Today, anyone that wants to pay the membership fee becomes a member immediately.”
The Horseless Carriage Club still exists, based out of Meridian, Idaho, but the Austin club broke ties with that organization, which still defines a “horseless carriage” as a vehicle built before 1916 (though individuals do not have to actually own one of these models to apply as members).
The membership of the AACC broke ties with that group in 1988 and now operates as a stand-alone club. Unlike the HCC, the AACC was started as a club for vehicles more than 25 years old. The AACC name became official in 1997, when the name change was registered with the State of Texas, listed as a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation dedicated to the preservation of older vehicles.
While the AACC is an independent organization, it is one of the many groups that facilitate the annual Pate Swap Meet, held in April at the Texas Motor Speedway (near Fort Worth). It has been running now for 44 years.
“We’re one of the four founding fathers of the Pate Swap Meet,” Barkley said. “It’s the biggest swap meet in the world, with over 8,000 vendors. We’re one of the clubs that puts that on, and we started it back in 1972. I think it’s the second oldest swap meet in Texas, if I’m not mistaken.”
With some exceptions, you can generally find the AACC members meeting at Margarita’s in Liberty Hill on the first Sunday of every month. They can also be found around the Austin area helping to host or attend car events. They get together among themselves for occasional parties for fellowship and fun, and to catch up on how each other’s prized rides are running. The AACC also benefits the community by making various charitable contributions.
Most of all, members of the AACC can be found admiring old cars, and they’ve been doing it longer than most of us have even been on the road.