Central Alabama Region - AACA

HISTORY OF THE CENTRAL ALABAMA REGION 

The history of the Central Alabama Region began with Kenny and Faye Toler who were married in 1959 and lived in Montgomery, Alabama.  Kenny and Faye shared a love of antique cars and traveled all over Alabama, as well as other states, looking for old cars.  Their first collector cars were a 1928 Chevrolet sedan, 1928 Ford Model-A Business Coupe, 1931 Ford Model-A Sports Coupe, 1922 Ford Model-T Fire Truck (the only one on their block) and a 1930 Buick Opera Coupe.  While the couple enjoyed collecting old cars, they soon realized that there was a need for an antique car club in Montgomery, and in late 1963 Kenny and Faye, along with twelve others (which included current C.A.R. members Bob and Helen Lonsdale and Dianne Fletcher), began organizing an antique car club.  The application for the charter was sent to the Antique Automobile Club of America on January 25, 1965, and the charter was issued later that same year.  At one time the membership declined; however, Kenny and Faye kept the club’s charter current by sending in forms and serving as officers even though they were the only members.  Eventually the club revived, the membership expanded and forty-three years later, the Central Alabama Region is still going strong.   

Over the years, the Central Alabama Region has held their business meetings in various locations:  Cloverdale Community Center, Capitol Chevrolet’s Conference Room, former member John Griffin’s Antique Car Restoration Shop, Bob Lonsdale’s Automobile Restoration Shop, All Saints Episcopal Church building and presently meets at the Vaughn Park Church of Christ building. 

One interesting project of the club occurred during the early years was that they were able to purchase antique automobile tags made by the prisoners for 50 cents each from Kilby Prison located here in Montgomery.  The club advertised in different publications and sold them for $2.00 each. 

The Central Alabama Region has hosted several annual regional shows and mall shows over the years.  They hosted their first Annual Invitational and Swap Meet at the Montgomery Civic Center, March 28-29, 1980 (Co-Chairmen were Mike Smith and Kenny Toler), second Invitational Meet was also held at the Montgomery Civic Center, March 26, 1983, and third Invitational Meet at the Downtown Union Train Station in 1988. 

They have also hosted four national meets as follows:  first Southeastern National Spring Meet at the Alcazar Shrine Temple, June 5-6, 1983, second Southeastern National Spring Meet at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in the Blount Cultural Park, June 5-6, 1992, third Southeastern National Spring Meet at the Downtown Union Train Station, April 17-18, 1998 and the fourth Southeastern National Fall Meet at the Blount Cultural Park, November 2-4, 2006.