CLASSIC CAR CLUB OF AMERICA EXPANDS LIST OF APPROVED CLASSICS BACK TO 1915

March 13, 2015 by Classic Car Club of America

The Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) membership has approved a proposal that dramatically changes the date of the earliest automobiles accepted for Full Classic status.

The club will now recognize a select group of cars back as far as 1915. The change was announced during the club's recent annual meeting in Savannah, Georgia.

Previously the club recognized select automobiles built between 1925 and 1948, although some pre-1925 automobiles were accepted if they were virtually the same as their 1925 counterparts.

Some marques that have been considered Classics for years—Packard, Cadillac, Pierce-Arrow, Locomobile and Rolls-Royce among them—will now have their years of acceptance extended back to 1915. Other marques, Duesenberg and Lincoln, for example, will be accepted back to their beginnings, in 1919 and 1921, respectively.

A significant change will be the acceptance of marques that did not survive until 1925. Examples cited by the club's classification committee in making its proposal include the Daniels, Lafayette and Winton. All were high-end luxury automobiles and all ceased production in 1924.

Chris Bock, current chairman of the club's classification committee, noted that the process of evaluating which cars from the 1915 to 1924 era would be accepted will be an ongoing exercise.

In addition to those noted above, other marques that will likely be considered by the committee include the 1916-24 Mercer, 1922-24 Richelieu and 1917-24 Templar. In some instances the committee will be reviewing specific models produced by a marque prior to 1924 such as the 1921-24 Paige 6-66 and 6-70 and the larger series cars produced by Haynes between 1919 and 1924.

There were a number of cars that did not offer a virtually identical successor in 1925 and thus were not eligible under the former bylaws. Examples include Kissel, Stutz, duPont, Cole, Doble and Marmon.

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Current CCCA President David Johnson stated, 'I am delighted that the membership has approved this change to the starting year of the Classic Club of America. It connects our Full Classic® automobiles with the true beginning of the coach built era and will bring scores of remarkable automobiles into our registry.'

David Schultz, CCCA immediate past president and chairman of the club's classification committee when the effort to recognize these cars began, stated, 'The addition of 1915-24 motorcars is a long overdue correction to the roster of CCCA Full Classics. These motorcars embody all of the qualities of what CCCA defines as a Classic—'fine design, high engineering standards and superior workmanship.' The heyday of the coach built era extended from the mid-'teens through the early Thirties, as many of the top coach building companies were closing.

'Hopefully, we'll see some of these grand motorcars at CCCA Grand Classics and other CCCA events, where they will be recognized for what they've always been—the first, great Classics.'

'I find the expansion of the Club's definition of the Class Era back to 1915 a logical move as it brings many more cars from the magical 'Coachbuilt Era' into our ranks,' said Bock. 'Our two most populous marques, Packard and Cadillac, both made major mechanical changes in 1915, greatly supporting the choice of that year.

'As the mechanical aspects of quality cars grew in refinement more attention was turned to style and elegance. Manufacturers of luxury cars sought acceptance through both mechanical excellence and passenger comfort in our Classic Era.'

As noted, the classification committee will continue to discuss the merits of pre-1925 automobiles that should be recognized as Full Classis®. Individuals who wish to comment may contact Chris Bock, classification committee chairman, care of the club's offices: P. O. Box 346160, Chicago, IL 60634.