After the hot-rod drivers of the 60's and the cheap cars the interest for "yankee cars"
decreased in the beginning of the 70's. Then, when the oil crisis came in 1973, no one really
believed in an increasing interest for US cars.
Some enthusiasts still remained and one of them was Jörgen Jacobsson.
Spare parts for US cars were scarce in Sweden at that time so Jörgen read Hot Rod Magazine
to find spare parts.
In the beginning of 1975 he happened to read a small advert saying that a new club for
Chevrolet 55 - 57 had been started in the US in December 1974 and it was called
Classic Chevy Club. Jörgen sent in his application for membership and became member 435.
This is the lowest membership number any member in Sweden has in Classic Chevy International
(the present name).
In May 1975 Hasse Fröberg and Hugo Dahlgren became members of Classic Chevy Club and they
and Jörgen Jacobsson started making plans for a Swedish local branch of Classic Chevy Club.
I myself and a few other members became members in August 1975 and then planning for the local
branch began.
The planning went on into 1976. But Norway was first and the Norwegian local branch was started
in the middle of 1976. Swedish Classic-owners were invited to, what the Norwegians called,
the first Classic Chevy meet of Europe in August.
From Sweden 15 cars drove to Feiring's camping site in Minnesund, where everyone gathered in
a meadow, where the only convenience was a water tap. The meet was a success as you met
like-minded people.
Now the planning for a Swedish club speeded up. During the autumn the general outline for
name, logotype, rules e.t.c. was laid down and eventually the club was founded in December 1976.
In May 1977 the first open meeting was held and Classic Chevy Club was in full swing.
CCCS became a local branch of the club in the US and by that all Swedish members were
required to be members of the American club. The membership number in the US became the
Swedish membership number, too.
The first Summer Meet in Sweden was held in August 1977 on Bolmsö in Småland.
In December 1977 the club paper Classic Front was distributed to the members for the first time.
The paper consisted of a few stenciled pages folded to A5 format. The first editors were
Torbjörn Dahlgren, Håkan Jonasson and the undersigned. In this small format the paper survived
until 1981, when the format was changed to A4 at the same time as the paper was called
Classic Mirror.
The club paper with 4 issues a year is an important part in the activities of the club in order
to inform the members in Sweden and abroad. This is where you as a member can make yourself
heard with opinions, articles and adverts.
The years passed by and in the beginning of the 80's the obligation to be a member in the
American club was removed and by that the present numbering started.
Up to 1995 many things have happened. CCCS has got its profile with the Summer Meet as
the highlight of the year and with many local meetings across the country.
Through the years the chairman and the members of the committee of CCCS have worked to
get a functioning club. Of course there have been problems with filling all post in the committee,
but everyone has worked hard for the common goal - for the best for CCCS.
There would probably have been a Classic Chevy Club in Sweden today but the fact that
Jörgen Jacobsson was so early to get a club started in Sweden is something we all benefit
from. We "old" active members get the opportunity to teach the next generation to be in
charge of the club, and of course we are sure that we need a Classic Chevy Club in Swede.
The history of CCCS told by Göran Asplund #005