Why does GCCG continue to grow in popularity? We think it’s because GCCG adds another dimension to the ‘single-marque’ classic car clubs that currently exist.
It is often acknowledged that the classic car scene is very male dominated, but as our club demonstrates, not all ‘men and motors’ fit the standard stereotype. The gay scene is a very large market and there are gay and lesbian interpretations of virtually every aspect of life, from camping to cooking, politics to policing.
Gay men in particular, by nature of their largely family-free lifestyle, tend to have a wide range of interests, which gets channeled into a diverse variety of pursuits and interests. With many of us having an interest in design and lifestyle classic cars are an obvious outlet.
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 gay 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 25 years. Single-marque clubs are social to varying degrees, but are often far more concentrated on the nuts and bolts workings of the cars. To put it another way, single-marque clubs provide a resource to help us maintain and learn more about our cars; the GCCG gives us an additional gay space in which to enjoy them.
The diverse cross-marque ownership of cars in GCCG gives it a whole other dimension too.
There are no reports about our members feeling unwelcome in ‘traditional’ clubs, but there are cases of club members who still do feel excluded in the other clubs. So the GCCG offers a friendly space where they feel more comfortable and can have their sexuality accepted as the norm not an exception, an aspect they may not feel able to express elsewhere.
But all makes and types of car are owned and enjoyed by members and it is this sheer variety of cars (and maybe their owners!) that makes the GCCG so unique and such fun. And you don’t even have to own a classic to be a member, all you have to bring along is an interest in them.
Feel like joining us? Find out more on the ‘Join Us’ page.