Gay Classic Car Group

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About Us

About the GCCG

The Gay Classic Car Group is a UK based classic car group with over 1000 members. Members’ cars are incredibly diverse both in marques and age, which adds to the enjoyment of coming on GCCG events. Some members' have veteran vehicles old enough to compete in the London to Brighton run with others nearly new 'modern classics'.

Members Car Show Summer Spectacular 2018
Summer Spectacular Members Car Show 2018

Even if you don’t own a classic car, you are welcome to join and come along to events and social meets. Above all the GCCG is a social group for LGBTQ+ individuals to meet like minded people with an interest in classic cars in a safe and understanding environment.

We have a strong set of regional area groups each organising their own events and social activities. More information about our different areas.

Many of our members are also very active members of national one make car clubs but the GCCG offers an alternative, or a parallel, to single-marque club membership. The opportunity to enjoy a LGBTQ+ social experience in the context of a shared, and often very knowledgeable, interest in all classic cars has proved to be very attractive over the past thirty plus years.

Even though the GCCG is a primarily a UK based club we have very strong international links with our sister organisations in France, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, USA, and Australia. At least twice a year we meet up with at least 100 people from the other European groups for weekend events such as Sweet Trip and Eurotour.

Cars at Eurotour 2013
Eurotour 2013
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Benefits of Membership

  • Quarterly editions of 'Big End Journal' (with archive available online) - see an example here
  • Monthly 'All Torque' national and local emails that give you updates on everything happening in the group.
  • Attendance and discounted entry to many classic car events across the country with specific GCCG stands, including large events like the NEC Classic Motor Show.
  • Monthly social meets at various locations across the country (currently being held virtually).
  • Organised GCCG weekends away at home and abroad. Previous events have included Northumberland, the Isle of White, the Lake District and Wales.
  • Access to the Members Area of the website to access resources for members.
  • Discounts with various classic car insurers and suppliers including Hagerty and Disklok.

Membership starts at just £17.50 a year and includes a lead member plus a partner member free if you have one.

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Awards

Classic & Sports Car Club Awards

In December 2020 The GCCG won 'Best Virtual Club Event' at the Classic & Sports Car Club Awards 2020 for our 'Fix-It Weekend'.

Mark Wells, our Yorkshire Area Organiser was also Highly Commended as part of the 'Lockdown Award'.

Full details of all the award can be found at: www.classicandsportscar.com or watch the virtual ceremony on Youtube

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Previous Awards Expand

In 2019 we won two major awards

To add to our award of ‘National Car Club of the Year’ the GCCG was been named ‘Club of the Year 2019’ at the Classic & Sports Car Club Awards, in association with Lancaster Insurance, that took place on 9th November as part of the NEC Classic Motor Show.

Full details can be found at: www.classicandsportscar.com/news/gay-classic-car-group-scoops-top-prize-csc-club-awards

 

In March 2019 we won National Car Club of the Year.

The prestigious National Car Club of the Year is presented in association with Tourism Ireland, supported by Classic Car Weekly and endorsed by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs.

The National Car Club Awards celebrate, recognise and honour the achievements of the nation’s car clubs, the enthusiastic people who run them and the remarkable cars they preserve and cherish.

The GCCG had stiff competition from: BMW Car Club GB, GT40 Enthusiasts Club, Maestro & Montego Owners Club, National Street Rod Association, and the The Rover Sports Register.

This historic achievement comes at the end of the 30thanniversary celebrations last year and sets us on course for another historic year. GCCG Chairman Brian Palmer said, “This accolade follows the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the Gay Classic Car Group. So we are especially delighted that our club has been recognised by such a prestigious award.”

Club representatives Alan Webb Moore (also shortlisted for club ambassador award), Mark Wells (who tirelessly spent many late nights filling the required forms for nominations), his partner Malcolm and other GCCG members attended the awards ceremony during the NEC Classic Restoration Show. The GCCG also got an honorary mention for live action on their stand.

The GCCG made the shortlist in:

  • Unsung Hero (Simon Legge)
  • Club Ambassador of the Year (Alan Webb-Moore)
  • Outstanding Car Club Run, Rally or Tour (Eurotour 2018)
  • Outstanding online presence
  • Outstanding club magazine: (Big End Journal)

The National Car Club Awards winners press release can be found here:  https://www.necrestorationshow.com/article/winners-celebrated-national-car-club-awards-association-tourism-ireland

GCCG Press Officer Darren Mitcham talks to Matt Hill of Radio Moorland about the award.

Events

The GCCG organises over 100 events a year ranging from monthly pub nights across our regions to multi-day international rallies. A lot of our events are one day visits to local attractions, usually involving a scenic drive and an eating opportunity. We also have club stands at an ever increasing number of public car shows as well as an annual GCCG Members Car Show.

Lakes weekend group

There's a regularly updated full list of events available to Members in the Members Area and members also receive a monthly e-newsletter called All Torque with latest news of events.

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History of the GCCG

Why the GCCG exists

The GCCG was founded back in 1988 when the classic car and LGBTQ+ world was a very different place. Since those early days and gentle growth in the 1990s the GCCG has expanded to over 1000 members. The GCCG offers a home to enjoy a friendly diverse mix of people and cars in a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere.

The GGCG windscreen sticker can be seen on many cars at classic car shows, which shows how increasingly relaxed attitudes are to our existence. Indeed many of the classic car press often contact us to find rare or unusual cars to review as they know someone in the club will own one and our members tend to love to share their passion.

GCCG members Minis at the British Motor Museum Gaydon
GCCG stand at the British Motor Museum Gaydon

Our humble beginnings started informally in 1988 when a few friends met up at a pub in London. After a few more ad hoc meetings the first event was a 12 car London to Brighton run.

In 1989 the GCCG displayed five cars at London Pride in Kennington Park, where more than 20 people enrolled as new members. By 1990 over 40 people attended a meeting in Surrey. The 1990s saw a few events per year and a photocopied newsletter. Our Big End Journal today is a multi page full-colour professionally printed A4 magazine.

GCCG membership has grown steadily, going on to exceed 1000 in 2015.

In 2018 we celebrated our 30th Anniversary with a very large stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show.

Group photo at NEC Classic Motorshow 2018

For 2021 we hope to keep building on our previous success though events are likely to be rather different for the foreseeable future due to social distancing rules.

Open Top Bus Tour
GCCG Open Top Bus Tour
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FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about GCCG - please feel free to contact us if your question isn't answered here:

Do I need to own a classic car? Expand

No, you only need to have an interest in classic cars. Some of our members own no cars at all; some own several classics. We embrace all makes from Allegro to Zagato and from veteran to modern. Many members join just for our vibrant social scene.

Do I need to be LGBTQ+? Expand

The majority of our group are gay or lesbian, but our policy is to make our group open to all, whether LGBTQ+ or straight. If you are happy in the company of our LGBTQ+ members, feel free to join.

Can I try before I buy? Expand

Yes. We can put you in contact with your local Area Organiser who will be happy to arrange for you to attend an event as a guest. You can also join our Facebook group free for three months, where you can chat with existing members, see photos of cars and events and generally get a feel for what a friendly group we are.

Is it all older, more mature people in your group? Expand

Certainly not! We have a very diverse age range in the club all the way from 18 to 80. In fact many of our more recent members below 30.

Are your events always on a weekend? Expand

Many of our events do take place on a Saturday or Sunday. We have over 100 events per year, including visits to places of interest and country drives.

But we also host many local monthly pub meetings spread around the UK, many of which are on weekday evenings. Events attract from 10 to 70 members; in the summer months pub meetings can attract 30 or more members.

We also have weekend and week-long trips in the UK and Europe.

Are you a London-based group? Expand

No! Quite a few of our members are based in and around London and the South East - but we have very active membership in many of our 14 UK regional areas. Our South West, North West, Yorkshire and West Midlands areas are very active. We also have close links with similar international groups, such as Ledorga in France, the Gay Classic Car Club in the Netherlands, and many US clubs. We have many overseas ex-pat members.

Are you a recently formed group? Expand

We were formed way back in 1988. Some of the original members are still in the group.

The group has grown from strength to strength. We now have over 1000 members.

In 2018 we celebrated our 30th anniversary with an impressive stand a the NEC Classic Motor Show.

Do I have to pay for my partner to join? Expand

No! Partners join for free and enjoy full membership rights. Just add their name to your membership details.

How many members do you have? Expand

We currently have around 1000 members.

What benefits do I get from joining the GCCG? Expand

We think the GCCG gives some of the best value of any classic car group:

  • You can meet other LGBTQ+ car enthusiasts all over the country, with friendly local groups in many areas
  • You receive four issues of Big End Journal per year, which is a multi page full-colour professionally printed A4 magazine that is packed with interesting articles on recent events, cars owned by members past or present, and many other motoring related stories.
  • You receive a monthly National All Torque email bulletin to keep you up-to-date on forthcoming events along with regular updates from your local Area Organisers.
  • You can get preferential rates at car insurance brokers and other car related offers.
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