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About Us

Little Detroit Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America

What do the movie "Thunder Road", an antique car museum, doughnuts, rust holes, & rolling back speedometers have to do with establishing a new AACA chapter?

    You know how our Great Smoky Mtn. Region began. The Little Detroit Chapter bears little resemblance. Let's start with the 50's movie, "Thunder Road" & a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the production date. Since most of the filming sites of the movie were in & around the Asheville, NC area, the Great Smoky Mtn. Region produced a 3 day tour to explore the remaining sites. Discussions with several avid "Thunder Road" historians lead us to Jim Mitchem, who, at the age of 16, starred in the movie with his famous father, Robert Mitchum. After several contacts, Jim agreed to fly into town & participate in our little tour.

    The enthusiasm began to build in our quiet little town of Forest City. A new antique car museum, Bennett's Classics, had just come into being and the owners generously offered their facility for the Friday Night Kick-Off with barbecue, a viewing of the movie, and the arrival of Jim Mitchem. Controlled chaos followed on Saturday & Sunday with the actual tour in full swing. The number of participants fluctuated with the folks joining in at each stop.

    After the dust settled, the local Old Car Guys gathered for breakfast in downtown Forest City, reliving every enjoyable moment of the tour over coffee and doughnuts. This became a regular habit for the bunch, with the numbers growing each Saturday since.

    Somewhere along the line, someone made the suggestion that a car club was in order. This was the birth of the Little Detroit Chapter. The name sprang from stories that had been bandied about concerning Forest City's reputation during the 1950's which resulted in the nickname for the town "Little Detroit". It seems there were a few locals known for loading six drivers & tow bars into a jalopy & traveling to northern towns in Michigan, Ohio, & DC to buy & transport rusty cars back to Forest City. The cars would be repaired & painted, & mileage reallocated, & the old cars sold. Needless to say, this was a retail "boom" for the area for several decades, which still thrives a car Mecca.

 

The Little Detroit Charter was presented in December of 2008, & currently, in 2018, boasts 80 plus members and growing. The marriage between Great Smoky Mtn. Region & Little Detroit Chapter has been successful, with each group participating in the other's events, & all working hand-in-hand on many projects.

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