SCCA In History: Early Cars, Early Races, Early Tracks

The Sports Car Club of America turns 75 this week. RACER has a nice series of historical articles about the very early days, starting with the very first day when the club was founded. Reading this material helps you realize how different the WWII period was in America. Of course, gas rationing was an issue the club had to think about, but also, you realize how different the automotive landscape was. As an example, the club defined its area of interest to be cars built after 1914, because pre-WWI cars were adequately attended to by other clubs. 1914 seems like ancient history to us, but those excluded cars were only 30 years old in 1944 — the equivalent of 1989 or earlier cars today. The impact of WWII can also be seen in the club members' cars, which are generally from the 1930s and look pretty beefy. As the club developed into the 1950s, post-war cars appeared and things quickly feel more modern. Highly recommended reading.

RACER – 75 years of SCCA: Day One – Pete Hylton

RACER – 75 years of SCCA: SCCA Goes Racing – Pete Hylton

RACER – 75 years of SCCA: Road Racing Domination – Pete Hylton