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The Hornets Nest Region AACA has 262 enthusiastic families (467 Adult members) dedicated to the love and preservation of vintage motor vehicles. The club roster lists over 275 drivable vehicles, with a few in models from the 1900s. The most senior car is a 1910 Stanley Steamer. Scattered among the automobiles are a number of trucks and two-wheelers.
The present club began in 1967 as a chapter of the North Carolina Region, AACA. Swapping parts and restoration tips are the lifeblood of any car club, and the group quickly organized their first flea market the following year. Twelve vendors spread their parts and told their stories in the parking lot of the Bradley Motel on Wilkinson Blvd. in Charlotte. Each year’s show became bigger and required more space. In the mid-1970s, the club teamed with the Queen City Model A Club for a joint show/sale at the Metrolina Fairgrounds.
With the membership growing, in 1983 the club petitioned the national organization to become its own “Region.” They concurred and the group became the Hornets Nest Region AACA.
IIn less than twenty-five years, this once small swap meet had morphed into the second largest car event on the eastern seaboard, The Charlotte AutoFair©, now held at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway near Charlotte. The spring and fall events attract thousands from all over the east coast to walk aisles of some 9,000 vendors.
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