I got my start in motorsport when, one summer evening in the distant past, I joined the grandly named British Empire Motor Club in Toronto. "Bemcee" (its popular nickname) began as a motorcycle club in 1928; car owners were not allowed to join until 1939. Nevertheless it is among the oldest continuing auto enthusiast clubs in North America. Perhaps someone should tell the good folks at Hemmings. Though Bemcee is not exclusively a vintage car club it has certainly played a significant role in North American motorsports history, including the founding and development of the Mosport road racing circuit. I mention this because Hemmings has provided a nice backgrounder on the Historical Automobile Society of Canada in its weekly newsletter, highlighting that Society's Ontario founding in 1951 as a region of the Horseless Carriage Club of America. The article reminds us that it "became its own organization in 1963, and today is one of the largest car clubs in Canada. Such is their success that in 1992 they formed the Heritage 35 Group, which focuses on vehicles built prior to 1936." Good stuff and well-deserved, except that the club's chapters are entirely in Ontario which, I would remind Hemmings, is only one province among Canada's ten plus three territories. We westerners, and I am now one, like to remind Toronto that it is not, contrary to the belief of its citizens, the center of the universe.
[Members Car: 1938 Pontiac owned by Ron Houghton]
Well noted, Philip. I’ve passed this link on to Richard, who wrote the bit on the Historical Automobile Society of Canada for the Hemmings e-Weekly.
June 25, 2007 @ 6:53 am