Car Club Invitational

Car Club Invitational

The local chapter of Lambda Car Club International will host a car show as part of a January event.

By Cait Brennan

Car

Mid-century cars to be focus of AZ Car Club's invitational

The rumble of powerful engines, the wild swoop of tail fins and chrome shining in the Arizona sun — for automobile enthusiasts, it's a love affair.

The AZ Gay Car Club is celebrating with Century of the Open Road: 10 Decades of Arizona Motoring, Jan. 19-22 at the Embassy Suites North in Phoenix.

"You're going to see classic and antique pre-war cars, and a lot of '50s, '60s and '70s cars," said Steve Poessnecker, president of the Central Arizona chapter of Lambda Car Club International.

The free car show, open to the public on Jan. 21, will feature more than 30 vehicles on display, spanning the century from the early years of motoring to the present, with a special focus on mid-century muscle.

"People have a love affair with those cars, especially the '60s," Poessnecker said. "Due to the age range of our group, those are the cars we remember the most. That was their love affair, whether they grew up driving them or whether a parent or grandparent had one."

The annual car show typically draws 50-80 motoring enthusiasts from the Valley and beyond, he said. This is the 11th year for the January invitational, which takes its theme from the state's centennial celebration.

"We always do it in January around that same weekend because of all the car auctions in Phoenix," including Barrett-Jackson, Russo and Steele, RM Auctions and others, Poessnecker said. "We time it so people can do both," he said.

For club members, the weekend will also includes the "Way Out West To Wickenburg" drive, an excursion on Jan. 20 down Route 74 that will take classic car fans to the popular western town for a visit to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and more.

"A big part of it is the driving, giving people a chance to go out and drive the cars," Poessnecker said. "Then there'll be a scavenger hunt that gives people a chance to go through the town and visit the antique shops."

On Jan. 22 there will be an optional driving tour of southern Arizona.

The club got its start locally in 1991. "Some people who had lived back east moved out to Arizona and realized there was a need for our car club and started the chapter," Poessnecker said.

The group has more than 100 primary members and 30-40 associate members. "We've really grown over the years," he said.

The group also fights a lingering perception that gay people aren't interested in cars. "That perception is still out there, believe it or not," Poessnecker said. "A lot of people go ‘Really? You guys like cars? There are other people like me?' So it's always an education process."

Generally, the group's members range in age from the 30s on up, but younger people are actively encouraged to join — whether or not they have a classic car.

"I remember when I was that age, I didn't have the money to blow on a car," Poessnecker said. "A lot of people think you have to have a car to be a member, and you don't." An interest in cars is all that is required.

Poessnecker had a long wait before he got his own dream car, a 1982 Chevy Corvette. "I wanted one of those when I was 12 years old — it was new at that point," he said. "I bought it a couple of years ago. That's my pride and joy."

The January invitational is one of many events the group has planned for the first half of 2012. "In February we'll be doing a sweetheart tour, and at the end of March we'll be heading down to Bisbee," Poessnecker said. In April, the group will be part of the Phoenix Pride parade.

The group also does charity work and meets regularly for socializing, fostering friendships and sharing knowledge.

"You get a sense of family," Poessnecker said. "This is a chance to be part of a group, part of a family, and be around people with that same interest. Personally I was drawn to the camaraderie and the fun. It's a lot of fun." -E

VITAL STATISTICS

Century of the Open Road: 10 Decades of Arizona Motoring
AZ Gay Car Club Invitational
Jan. 19-22; car show 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 21
Embassy Suites North
2577 W. Greenway Road, Phoenix
Information: www.azgaycar.com