Clubs Smaller Than The AACA

[jeff_a]

I was looking at the Old Cars Weekly list of car clubs and found four that probably haven't reached the 1000-member level yet:

• 
  [*=1]The Gremlin Club
  [*=1]The Pacer Club
  [*=1]The Yugo Club
  [*=1]The Pedal Pumpers Club
  

The last group is "For owners of cars from the 20s to the 80s that are hard to start in the morning", or something along those lines. I thought it was for little kids with pedal cars.

Insert humorous comments/awesomeness of the club comments below:

Edited March 9, 2014 by jeff_a
Moved one of my statements to the comments bin. (see edit history)

[Mark Shaw]

We bought a new 1976 Pacer X (sport model) new off the dealer lot in 1978. AMC was about done by then and the dealer was just trying to liquidate his inventory. So we got a new car for only $4000 if I remember correctly.... My wife loved that car because it had great visibility and would corner like it was on rails. It was dark green with green tinted windows and looked like it was from Mars....

We replaced it with an S-10 Chevy Blazer that she almost rolled over when she first drove it...

[jeff_a]

I actually think Gremlins are pretty cool.

[Rusty_OToole]

The Gremlin was a pretty good car when you look at who they were selling against (Pinto, Vega, VW Beetle, Plymouth Cricket, Toyota B210, Austin Marina).

[CarNucopia]

If you're a member of any of the first three clubs, you're probably eligible to join the fourth one too.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Buick64C (see edit history)

[Guest Drew Kreidelcamp]

I was a member of the AMC Pacer club for many years. I didn't know it still existed. I had a 1976 AMC Pacer X with a 4 on the floor and a rally pack. It served me well for 13 years and was fun to drive. I bought it for nearly nothing and sold it for slightly more than that.

[jeff_a]

Say what you want about the Pacer, but it's probably the closest thing yet to the futuristic cars in "The Jetsons", unless you count some of the more outrageous GM concept cars from about the time of the series.

I wish Rodney Dangerfield were still around -- he might say the Yugo was a real P.O.C., but compared to that other Communist car, the Trabant, it was a regular Sedan DeVille.

[Guest Texas Old Car Guy]

Reminds me of the story of the guy who walked into Pep Boys and told the clerk at the counter, "I want some floor mats for my Yugo." Clerk says, "Okay, sounds like a fair trade."

Fred

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Remember the movie,"Contact"? Jodie Foster finds intelligent life at the other end of a wormhole on a planet in the Vega constellation and sets out to go there. The Vega club showed up with all manner of Chevy Vegas.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Dave Mellor NJ (see edit history)

[D Yaros]

The very first "brand spanking new" car I ever bought was a 1973 Gremlin. It was not that bad. It was easy to work on in terms of maintenance and repairs. To me the biggest draw back was having to load/únload heavy items from the rear storage compartment as there was no tailgate. Only the window opened for access.

Edited March 10, 2014 by D Yaros (see edit history)

[Guest billybird]

There was a Gremlin that could be had with the 304 V8 and 3 or 4 speed on the floor. That one wasn't a joke. Can't remember what it was called, just remember seeing them.

[john2dameron]

There was a Gremlin that could be had with the 304 V8 and 3 or 4 speed on the floor. That one wasn't a joke. Can't remember what it was called, just remember seeing them.

I think that was the Gremlin X. I tried one out in 1975 that was a '73 or '74 model. It had the 304 with a 3-speed. That car would spin the wheels in a heart beat. I decided it would be useless with a little bit of rain or snow on the road. I passed on it.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Drew, that is a GREAT picture of your Pacer and the redwood tree.

It ought to be on a magazine cover; or make some postcards out of it!

And Mr. Texas Old Car Guy, thanks for the excellent joke.

I'm saving it for future use in a newsletter!

[sambarn]

Some of my favorite car clubs are under 1000 members. The Marmon Club for example. The Stutz Club. The Buzzards Breath Touring Region. Great things come in small clubs. How big is the Peerless Club?

[Restorer32]

Pullman Owners' Group. Max possible membership of about 23. I believe at one point they had maybe 95% of all Pullman owners as members.

[jeff_a]

Sambarn,

Thanks for the comment that: "Great things come in small clubs." like those for Marmon, Stutz and Peerless. The Peerless Motor Car Club has had an increase in members recently, but I don't know the exact number. You don't have to own a Peerless car, truck or armoured car to join. One could join just for the quarterly magazine, the Annual Meet, or in appreciation of the marques place in automotive history. I wouldn't mind joining the CCCA or the Lamborghini Club, though I don't own a Lamborghini or a Full Classic.

If everyone with a Peerless were to join the PMCC, we would have 300-plus members, with some people having more than one Peerless. I would guess our membership might be as high as 80 right now. I think if every museum with a Peerless joined the Peerless Club we'd gain 20 memberships!

As you know, Peerlesses are kind of rare these days. There appear to be 16 times as many Packards around, and 6 times as many Pierce-Arrows. I wouldn't go so far as to say that any of these three marques are "a dime a dozen", but there are even more Duesenbergs around than Peerlesses.

----Jeff

Edited March 11, 2014 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Steve Braverman]

The HH Franklin Club has about 750 members. It's a great group of people that I have always been proud to be a part of.

[Dandy Dave]

The Pedal Pumpers Club. LOL... I have had a few of those though the years. I take it, it would cover anything with a carburetor and acceleration pump. It is an art to keep one running in the winter without revving it to rod spinning speeds before it is warm enough to run on its own. Those born in the Fuel injection era have no idea. Dandy Dave!