If you want to learn about the fascinating history of the sports car movement that hit the USA like a ton of bricks after World War II, you’ve come to the right place.  The Four Cylinder Club of America was one of the earliest and largest non-racing sports car clubs in the USA. This web site is a work in progress. It went live on August 1, 2010.  I have a large amount of materials to add to it, so what you see now is only the tip of the eventual iceberg.  Many of the functional areas of the web site are only minimally populated.  But, don’t be put off.  There is much more to come. If you would like to be updated when material is added to this web site, contact us and we will add your email address to our notification list. We respect your privacy!  This list will only be used for notifications regarding the FCCA history web site and will not be shared with anyone else.  Emails will be sent in such a way that recipients will only be able to see their own email address.  All others will be hidden.

 

Bill Wilkman

FCCA Historian and Webmaster

 

THE LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE SITE  (Starting with the latest.)

 

 

9-22-2011: Documentation of the beginning and the end.

Here you will find a brief history of FCCA’s newsletters, including images of the very first newsletter of July 1951 and the very last newsletter of December 1999.

 

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1474

 

8-31-2011:  The most recent additions include a new story and a vintage photograph

The two latest additions related to some exciting discoveries.  One is a collection of stories about the early days of the sports car movement in the USA, by Doug Worthy, a former member of the Santa Monica Chapter.  See his stories at:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1460

 

The other is a vintage photo of the 1954 Motor Sports Week Victory Banquet.  See this at:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1443

 

 

6-21-2011:  Two great stories have been added this day:

Glenn Davis there during the FCCA’s earliest days.  Accompanying his dad, Ralph, Glenn participated in the Club’s earliest rally in 1950.  To read Glenn’s fascinating story (along with a sidebar by his dad), take a look here: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1420


6-10-2011:  Some very significant historical materials have been added to the web site:

John Burkhard was involved with the FCCA at its beginning in the early 1950s.  His mother, Jean, and father, Jack, were avid sports car enthusiasts, and John was their teenage son.  John has shared a number of important items with the archive and these are now posted as part of the web site.  Take a look at these fascinating items:

1.  Here you will find some early photos of FCCA (and other) photos:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1404

2.  This is probably the rarest of all FCCA dash plaques.  It is a cast plaque for the 1952 Palm Springs Road races that appears to be hand-engraved:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=491

3.  Here is a tiny lapel pin that was among the Club’s early regalia offerings:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1397

2-19-2011:  Three fun things were added this day:

1.  Some great trophies have been added, featuring John Foster, founder of the FCCA:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1370&pid=225

2.  Photos of some club name badges from the 1960s at:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1334

3.  The program from a 1957 event called Sports CARnival, full of fun ads, articles, celebrity profiles, and event descriptions:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1347

11-12-2010:  Several new and exciting things have been added to the web site this day. Thanks to the donations of Bob Beck and Glenn Davis, the archive now has some of the earliest documents of the Four Cylinder Club of America.  Here’s a chance to see what the young adventurers who created the FCCA thought and dreamed of concerning their new creation, the  Four Cylinder Club.  They were driving small cars that were brand-new to the U.S. auto scene and creating new and different ways to use and celebrate those cars.  It was an exciting time with many ground-breaking decisions and activities undertaken.  Follow these links to see these very early FCCA documents:

1.  Hand-written notes from the earliest recorded event of the FCCA: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1270

2.  Hand-written notes from the second earliest recorded event of the FCCA: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1275

3.  Hand-written notes from the third earliest recorded event of the FCCA: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1279

4.  Hand-written notes from the first recorded FCCA meeting: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1282

5.  The minutes from the first meeting of the FCCA as an incorporated non-profit: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1258

6.  The minutes from the second meeting of the FCCA as an incorporated non-profit: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1265

 

1-11-2011:  I’ve added a slide show to the history page. The slides include some early group photos and membership lists.  It’s fun to put names with faces and to see who the early members were.  http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1137&pid=209

 

1-11-2011: Johnny Burkhard was browsing through the pictures of Glendale Chapter picnics and recognized him and his mom in photo number 9. Here’s a link to the slide show: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=980&pid=87

 

11-8-2010:  Thanks to Bruce Carnachan, Tachi Shimoyama, and John Taylor for donations of dash plaques and images of dash plaques. For a look at the “art show”, go to: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=491&pid=178

 

9-2-2010:  Sports Car Motor Week was one of FCCA’s most ambitious events. Spanning almost a week, it included multiple events in a frenzy of activities.  Click on these links to:

1.  Learn some basics about Sports Car Motor Week: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1021

2.  Read a fun story about the Chino Road Races associated with Sports Car Motor Week of 1953: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1034

3.  Look over a partial program for the 1953 event: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1026

4.  See a cool picture of some Chino Road Race action (thanks to Peter McKercher for this photo): http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1054

10-30-2010:  Ken Stutzman, a former member of the FCCA’s Whittier, California chapter relates some fun and interesting stories about the FCCA in the 1950s. It’s a fun read, so take a peek at:  http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1222

 

10-25-2010:  Bob Beck, National FCCA President in 1979, donated three boxes of materials from the 1960s and 1970s. Among the items was a very cool embossing machine.  Check it out here:

http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1210&pid=154

 

10-13-2010:  Frank Pierce sent some very interesting information about period rally calculators. To see his insights and for a closer look at the Curta calculator, go to: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1188&pid=151

 

10-11-2010:  Glenn Davis donated several items to the FCCA historic archive, including three news clippings. One of the news clippings tells about the 1951 Scotchman’s Lag Rally, what I believe to have been the club’s first economy run.  The article helped me identify several historic photographs donated by Bruce Carnachan.  For a fun trip down memory lane, go to: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1169 From here you will find a further link to the article.  Have fun!

 

10-10-2010: Tachi Shimoyama donated a very cool rally kit used by the Glendale Chapter FCCA. It includes some interesting World War II era stop watches and carrying cases.  Take a look at all this stuff here: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1147

9-30-2010: Some big changes were made this day:

1.  Glenn Davis supplied the archive with the most historic newsletter of all, Volume One, Number One of Exhaust Notes.  Take a look at this historic newsletter at: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=1111

2. John Taylor provided us with some great images of dash plaques for the Northern California based Racherfrachers chapter.  Take a look at them here: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=491

3.  For more information on the Racherfrachers chapter, go to: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=105

4.  For a look at the revised Grille Badge section go to: http://www.fourcylinderclubhistory.com/?page_id=500

 

 

WHAT WAS THE FOUR CYLINDER CLUB OF AMERICA?

 

The post World War II period was a fascinating one for automotive enthusiasts.  While all aspects of the hobby and sport grew in the late 1940s and early 1950s, arguably, none grew more passionately than the foreign and sports car movement. One of the earliest and most successful of the clubs that formed around the invasion of foreign cars into the USA was the Four Cylinder Club of America.   This organization began in Glendale, California ca. 1949-1950 and quickly grew into the largest non-racing sports car clubs in the U.S.A.

 

PURPOSE OF THE HISTORY PROJECT

 

The purpose of the Four Cylinder Club History Project is to gather as much information about the organization as possible, with the objective of documenting its history.  Possible projects include the publication of a book on the Four Cylinder Club of America, the creation of magazine articles about the club, and the maintenance of this web site.  The Four Cylinder Club of America was an important part of Post War automotive history, and this effort has been created to gather information and to help others learn about the role it played in automotive history.

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

 

This is an ongoing project intended to gather information, materials, stories, photographs, etc. on the club with the purpose of documenting and making available its history.  While the club has long since ceased to exist as an organization, recent reunions in Southern California have drawn up to 22 former members.  And, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg.  Obviously, there are other former members out there that are still enthusiastic about the club and who may want to share their stories and club materials    Family members may also know of collections of FCCA materials stored in attics, garages, and basements.  Here’s how you can help:

 

  1. If you were a member or knew a member, please contact us and share your stories about the club’s past.
  2. If you have written materials from the club, including newsletters, club fliers, and other literature, please consider donating, selling, or loaning these materials to the FCCA History Project so I can scan them and make them a part of the History Project archive.
  3. If you have memorabilia, including photos, pins, grille badges, patches, tee shirts, etc., please consider donating, selling, or loaning these items to the History Project so I can scan them and make them a part of a History Project archive.
  4. contact us with any information you may have.