Thought you were the only gay or lesbian interested in cars?

You are NOT alone!

Lambda Car Club International (LCCI) has approximately 1500 members coast to coast, all of whom share that interest.  LCCI was founded in 1981, originally called the Gay Old Car Owners Society, in New York City.  It's membership has been exploding ever since.

The national organization has a newsletter, The Driveshaft, which is published bi-monthly.  Each chapter, 29 across the nation, produce a monthly newsletter of their own covering the specifics of their club.

Lambda Car Club International website

The ultimate goal of LCCI is to provide an entertaining, safe, social outlet for gays and lesbians, with the added common characteristic of being auto enthusiasts.  The Central Arizona Region members have cars from the 1930's up to just off the showroom floor.  We have events throughout the year (see them menu to the left for several), usually 1 or 2 a month.  Some of these are multiple day events (Barrett Jackson and Bisbee for example), to afternoon or day jaunts.

You don't even have to have a car!  You will, however, have to suffer through innumerable conversations about wheel base, engine displacement, number of barrels and/or cylinders, interior fabric, paint, tires, etc.

After all, are are important statistics to remember when coordinating which frock to wear with which vehicle.  :)

Feel free to join us Friday evening (except the first of the month) or Sunday morning to check us out.  Click on the links to see details about each.

LCCI –In The Beginning

In August of 1981 John Ball (founder of LCCI) went to a Swap Meet in Macungie, Pennsylvania. His interest of course, in classic and antique cars and having come out some 4 years prior, (in his mid-forties and still married), he was looking for a boyfriend with the same interests. Being surrounded by hundreds of handsome, young, shirtless men, he couldn’t help but wonder if there might be other gay guys among this mass. His wife suggested he put an ad in Hemmings Motor News for an openly gay car club. The monthly magazine is well known among classic car fans and John Ball took the chance that some male readers would also be gay. He contacted his friend, Terry Ehrich who was the publisher of Hemmings (at the time), about placing an ad for a car club called the; “Gay Old Car Owners Society”.

Enthusiastic and encouraging, Terry Ehrich placed the ad in the “Services Offered” section. There were numerous complaints from readers, so the club’s ad never ran again. However, John received dozens of letters from classic car fans eager to meet other gay men with a similar passion. John arranged the very first event at a car show in Atlantic City, New Jersey in February of 1982, where the first 25 members met and held elections for officers. Events followed in Rhinebeck, New York and Hershey, Pennsylvania that attracted many new members. Some members thought the name; “Gay Old Car Owners Society”was a bit too much and trying to book hotel reservations in the same name proved to be less then acceptable. The name was changed to the “Lambda Car Club”, which would send a more familiar signal to men who might join. The Greek letter “Lambda” has been used as a symbol of gay rights since at least the 1970’s. In the past 20 plus years, the “Lambda Car Club”has grown to 29 chapters across the country with over 2,000 members. A Heartfelt “Thank you” in appreciation for a man; John Ball who with foresight, encouragement, enthusiasm and a quest to meet and form a social club for gay men with similar interest brought about this great club, “The Lambda Car Club”!

Published in the July –August 2003 Flamingo Flyer
Newsletter Editor: Randy Sallis
With the assistance from Steve Hayes and Nick Kurczewski of the Empire Region

[ Home ]