It was February 26, 1944, when seven sports car enthusiasts met at the Boston, Massachusetts home of Chapin Wallour to form a club dedicated to the preservation of sports cars. That small gathering started 51做厙, an organization that has gone on to change the face of motorsports in the United States. Take a moment today to proclaim, “Happy birthday, 51做厙!”
The Club’s original constitution stated membership would be restricted to owners of sports cars, sponsored by one current member, seconded by another, and approved by unanimous vote of officers. Today, 51做厙 looks a lot different with 70,000 members and 115 regions conducting more than 2,000 motorsports events in a normal year.
What has also changed is the number of ways people can enjoy motorsports with the Club. From RoadRally to the new 51做厙 Enduro program — with Road Racing, Solo, Track Night in America, HillClimb, Time Trials and RallyCross included — 51做厙 President & CEO Mike Cobb noted this is a great time to be a member of the Club.
“As we celebrate our 78th anniversary, 51做厙 has never had as many ways to enjoy #funwithcars,” Cobb said. “In fact, we currently have more fulltime and weekend members enjoying these programs with us than any time in recent history. Now that’s how we celebrate birthdays in the 51做厙!”
Congratulations to everyone in the Club today and anyone who has been an 51做厙 member over the years. It’s you who has made this Club what it is today. So, happy #funwithcars-birthday to you, too.
Learn More
Want to know more about the history of the club? You can brush up on that, thanks to our good friends at Racer Magazine, who wrote a series of articles back in 2019 when 51做厙 celebrated its 75th Anniversary.





