In this space we will be running biographies of various Board Members and Council Members for your information. Our goal is to publicize the individuals who make up the Council and who without their involvement the Council would not exist. Take a moment and read about these folks!
Robert M. (Bob) Jones’ pristine 1983 Buick Riviera
This month’s “member of the month”, is Robert M. (Bob) Jones, President of the VMCCA. VMCCA stands for the Vintage Motor Car Club of America. The VMCCA national website tells us that the organization was founded ‘way back in 1938. It is truly an organization that traces its roots to an original period of evolving automobile technology. The site tells us that the purpose of the VMCCA is to promote touring and general enjoyment of vintage vehicles. You might ask what constitutes “vintage vehicles”? The answer is that the organization supports events aimed at vehicles at least 25 years old. For us in New Mexico, any car that qualifies for “Horseless Carriage” tags should also qualify for a VMCCA event.
Specifically, VMCCA focuses much of its energy in promoting tours of vintage vehicles. I suppose this encourages it’s members to keep their cars in good condition. The premier tour event of the season for the VMCCA is the “Revival AAA Glidden Tour” for pre-WWII motor vehicles. That means my trusty Corvair won’t be invited. Even with that omission this must be quite an event to enter or simply watch.
Turning back to Bob, he tells us that his garage sports two Buick Riviera’s, One is an all original 1983 that has less than 65,000 original miles on its odometer, the other a 1968 Rivera GS with less than 71,000 on it. Note that his classic car skills have gotten him an “Archives Award” from the Buick Club of America.
Bob began his classic car journey in 2002. He bought a very nicely restored 1958 Buick Super, 2dr hardtop. Well before that was his enjoyment of his first car, a 1938 Chevy. As Bob tells it, “My car was 17 years old and I was 16 years old.” He notes that he was only the 2nd owner of the Super.
As Bob looks forward he says that he still enjoys tours, but because of “Father Time” he takes shorter journeys. You might see him at a cars and coffee event. Be sure to tell him you read his biography in the Council newsletter. We wish Bob all the best on his tours with the VMCCA. —Robert Gold
This month’s “member of the month”, is Robert M. (Bob) Jones, President of the VMCCA. VMCCA stands for the Vintage Motor Car Club of America. The VMCCA national website tells us that the organization was founded ‘way back in 1938. It is truly an organization that traces its roots to an original period of evolving automobile technology. The site tells us that the purpose of the VMCCA is to promote touring and general enjoyment of vintage vehicles. You might ask what constitutes “vintage vehicles”? The answer is that the organization supports events aimed at vehicles at least 25 years old. For us in New Mexico, any car that qualifies for “Horseless Carriage” tags should also qualify for a VMCCA event.
Specifically, VMCCA focuses much of its energy in promoting tours of vintage vehicles. I suppose this encourages it’s members to keep their cars in good condition. The premier tour event of the season for the VMCCA is the “Revival AAA Glidden Tour” for pre-WWII motor vehicles. That means my trusty Corvair won’t be invited. Even with that omission this must be quite an event to enter or simply watch.
Turning back to Bob, he tells us that his garage sports two Buick Riviera’s, One is an all original 1983 that has less than 65,000 original miles on its odometer, the other a 1968 Rivera GS with less than 71,000 on it. Note that his classic car skills have gotten him an “Archives Award” from the Buick Club of America.
Bob began his classic car journey in 2002. He bought a very nicely restored 1958 Buick Super, 2dr hardtop. Well before that was his enjoyment of his first car, a 1938 Chevy. As Bob tells it, “My car was 17 years old and I was 16 years old.” He notes that he was only the 2nd owner of the Super.
As Bob looks forward he says that he still enjoys tours, but because of “Father Time” he takes shorter journeys. You might see him at a cars and coffee event. Be sure to tell him you read his biography in the Council newsletter. We wish Bob all the best on his tours with the VMCCA. —Robert Gold
Michelle Garcia—Council Board Member and President Land of Enchantment GTO Club
Hello, my name is Michelle Garcia I am the President of The Land of Enchantment GTO Car Club. Our Club was founded in 1977 here in Albuquerque, NM. A group of guys with Pontiac GTO'S as their high school muscle cars would ride the streets on Eubank Blvd drag race pick up chicks and take them to drive in movies. Today we are a club of 31 second generation owned 7 women owned. We welcome all Pontiac's from Lemons, Grand Prix, Trans Am Catalina and Firebird. We enjoy hanging out with one another attending car shows and cruises.
I am the second-generation owner of a 1967 GTO hard top post. My interest in the Pontiac GTO cars came with my childhood upbringing. My mother would but us kids in goat sit at a light and would be challenged for a race and believe me it was on. We were in braced by her right arm if she had to come to a hard stop otherwise hang on. Our family outings were cruises to the Doghouse, A & W Root beer, Rout 66 Drive in and White Sands Missel Range. I come from a large family of 7 uncles and 7 aunties and 63 first cousins many of my cousins were in to restoring cars each of them had a talent from body work, painting, mechanical and upholstery diamond tuck was the fashion then. I am proud to say I was the only female in the family that has spent endless hours in my garage restoring my high school car.
My first swap meet was held on the south parking lot at UNM moons ago. My son and I attended with some parts, and he set a booth on a cardboard box with some hot wheels and tonka trucks must have been about 8years old. I meet a couple of gentlemen there with some Pontiac stuff and discovered they were the Land of Enchantment GTO Club. The evening ended with my son going home with a wad of cash and a monkey bike. Lesson learned! In no time he was buying and swapping the whole time we were there. I must add teaching him math fractions was one of our struggles, so I handed him a set of standard and metric wrenches and said here take these to your teacher and show her what fractions are. Today he is a mechanical technician on enjoys building Subarus, welding, drifting and helping club members with their
Pontiacs.
I've been a member of the New Mexico Car Council for about 8yr now and have discovered that I'm not an outcast any more being around the car community and embracing the auto hobby brings much joy to me and my lady divas.
My next project is a 1940 Ford coupe custom deluxe family car. With the knowledge of car council, family and friends my intentions are to get that moon shine on the road again.
Hello, my name is Michelle Garcia I am the President of The Land of Enchantment GTO Car Club. Our Club was founded in 1977 here in Albuquerque, NM. A group of guys with Pontiac GTO'S as their high school muscle cars would ride the streets on Eubank Blvd drag race pick up chicks and take them to drive in movies. Today we are a club of 31 second generation owned 7 women owned. We welcome all Pontiac's from Lemons, Grand Prix, Trans Am Catalina and Firebird. We enjoy hanging out with one another attending car shows and cruises.
I am the second-generation owner of a 1967 GTO hard top post. My interest in the Pontiac GTO cars came with my childhood upbringing. My mother would but us kids in goat sit at a light and would be challenged for a race and believe me it was on. We were in braced by her right arm if she had to come to a hard stop otherwise hang on. Our family outings were cruises to the Doghouse, A & W Root beer, Rout 66 Drive in and White Sands Missel Range. I come from a large family of 7 uncles and 7 aunties and 63 first cousins many of my cousins were in to restoring cars each of them had a talent from body work, painting, mechanical and upholstery diamond tuck was the fashion then. I am proud to say I was the only female in the family that has spent endless hours in my garage restoring my high school car.
My first swap meet was held on the south parking lot at UNM moons ago. My son and I attended with some parts, and he set a booth on a cardboard box with some hot wheels and tonka trucks must have been about 8years old. I meet a couple of gentlemen there with some Pontiac stuff and discovered they were the Land of Enchantment GTO Club. The evening ended with my son going home with a wad of cash and a monkey bike. Lesson learned! In no time he was buying and swapping the whole time we were there. I must add teaching him math fractions was one of our struggles, so I handed him a set of standard and metric wrenches and said here take these to your teacher and show her what fractions are. Today he is a mechanical technician on enjoys building Subarus, welding, drifting and helping club members with their
Pontiacs.
I've been a member of the New Mexico Car Council for about 8yr now and have discovered that I'm not an outcast any more being around the car community and embracing the auto hobby brings much joy to me and my lady divas.
My next project is a 1940 Ford coupe custom deluxe family car. With the knowledge of car council, family and friends my intentions are to get that moon shine on the road again.