Why two Model A clubs?

R

RcT

Senior Member
Just curious and would like to know the history behind two Model A Ford national clubs... The events, publications and purpose seem similar, but there must be some reason or event that started the second club. Who was first, MARC or MAFCA? Why have they never joined as one common club?
 
They started off as one club.

MARC was first in 1952 in CT.
MAFCA started in 1956 as a chapter of MARC the MARC of Southern California. Their newsletter The Restorer became very popular and subscriptions started coming in from all over. In late 1957 the MARC of Southern California became The Model A Ford Club of America MAFCA. I have also heard other reasons for MAFCA splitting from MARC but I was not there at the time so I will not repeat the stories since that would be at best 3rd hand information.

Bob
 
Answer would be politics. Several Regions were split off at the time. The California Region went national, the Penn-Ohio Region remained an unaffiliated local club and the others recombined with MARC.
 
Politics has become an "all-inclusive" word hasn't it? :) RcT, based on what I know about both clubs, the more defining reason is their (each club's) perspective direction & mission of what they want to accomplish. And, knowing what I do know, I'm not sure there is an advantage to having just one club either. When you look at both clubs, the "rival competition" that happens between both clubs makes for better results for the hobby. For example, let's say when one club tries to have a better magazine than the other club, the results make both club's magazine better. When one club tries to "out-research" the other club, the results are there is twice as much information publicized. Just support one, --or both clubs and you can't go wrong.

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Bill Hall (MARC) and Red Grow (MAFCA) are generally recognized as their clubs' respective "founders". I grew up in CT where Hall started MARC and CMARC (the first Chapter) and knew some of the original MARC members when I got into A's in the late 60's. As Bob said earlier, its not worth mentioning all the details but suffice to say it was basically an East Coast/West Coast thing. As I saw things, many MARC members focused on correct restorations while having distain for the MAFCA anything goes attitude. As a prime example, Grow's incorrectly restored sport coupe "Betsy" won best of show year after year at MAFCA events while some really nice cars came out of MARC in the late 60's and early 70's. Apparently, this bias still exists today. Given approximately 3000 MAFCA members today in CA alone, I found it hard to believe that the recent San Diego MARC national was so sparsely attended.

I have been a member of both clubs for 38 (MARC) and 37(MAFCA) years and appreciate them equally, particularly the terrific effort made by current and recent former members of MAFCA JSC and the way the two committees have complimented each other in producing the excellent set of new revisions.

I frankly don't want to see a merger but obviously there is a lot of ground to work on collectively, particularly in concert with MAFFI on the new museum at the Gilmore.
 
What ever happened to Betsy? I remember when Valley Ford in Burbank bought her from RG (for the ungodly sum of $5000) and put her on display in the showroom.
 
RcT said:
Just curious and would like to know the history behind two Model A Ford national clubs... The events, publications and purpose seem similar, but there must be some reason or event that started the second club. Who was first, MARC or MAFCA? Why have they never joined as one common club?
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It's ironic that the 'BEHAVIOR' of old Fords (ctr of this subject)and animals(people) is so similar..this behavior is the simple answer to you inquiry, i.e.- both are territorial ! Both mark their territory.

You can call it politics, pissing/spitting contest, egos, differing goals/standardsI, pack mentality, bad behavior or whatever.

In the infamous words of a left coast guy who was the ctr of billion dollar riots/killings..."can't we all just get along". NO :mad: !!
 
Mendotaman, several years ago Betsy was featured on the cover of the Restorer with an article by the latest owner. I'm sure someone will post the issue.
 
Mendotaman said:
What ever happened to Betsy? I remember when Valley Ford in Burbank bought her from RG (for the ungodly sum of $5000) and put her on display in the showroom.
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Betsy is now owned by Paul & Donna Lewis from the Piney Woods Model A Club in Texas. They bought the car about 2 years ago. Donna is a former MAFCA president.
 
Well, I was just curious in the history behind the development of the two clubs. Personally, I belong to both organizations, but attend no meetings, due to the bad taste car clubs, in general, tend to leave... yeah, the politics, but the judgemental attitudes of the "club clique" got to me. I just like the magazines. Then there were the club "sub-sections", the T=bird group, the camping group... just all too much. Thanks for the input. I am not suggesting the groups merge. The compitition is interesting, from the sidelines. Sometimes I just wish I could find some other loner to shoot the breeze with, but no more clubs.
 
Oh yeah, one more thing. I reaaly like this Fordbarn site and the seemingly nice guys here. This sort of fills my need to "shoot the breeze".
 
RcT, I haven't been a chapter member for years. I don't like to drive in a parade and would rather stop at a shot and beer joint as opposed to eating an ice cream sundae. However, the national meets are terrific, something for everybody. I encourage you to attend if you can.
 
It seems to me that if they can agree on a common Judging Standards manual and manage to hold joint meets, that it should be possible to work everything else out. I personally can't perceive any difference in the magazines or philosophies, etc., and wish they would combine their resources and do one even more bodacious job.

Reminds me of when I was a kid and asked my dad what it would take for our various Lutheran denominations to merge. He said that some people will have to die first. Just the way people are.

Steve
 
Manuel said:
What about the 2 Model T Ford clubs??

Manuel in Oz
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Manual, even they are separated by minor differences HOWEVER in my opinion they would be much closer to agreeing than what the two Model A Clubs are. I presently serve as a Board member for the MTFCI and I am able to see just how well Bruce & the Klehfoths of MTFCA work with us.

Steve S, your comments are funny.
 
I would prefer to have one stronger larger Model A Ford Club than the two different clubs that I am a member of now. I think it would be possible to more efficiently operate one club.

While I am not close enough with any of the leadership of either club to know who... I understand enough about human nature to agree that a lot of people would probably have to die before a merger is likely to happen.

While we have brought up religion, I might as well add my own experience. When I was very young, the baptist church that I was raised in went through what was a fairly common experience in those days. Half of the congregation split off and became a new church. My uncle and my father ended up going to two separate churches at that time. They were still close brothers, but they still ended up in two different churches. I guess the two clubs are sort of like those two churches. Hopefully everybody in the two clubs can get along, and I would love to see them combine, but I don't think that it will happen in my lifetime.
 
I think two clubs is great and wish there was a third so I could get another magazine. Psssst! That MAFCA guy over there says your mother wears combat boots and your battery leaks!
 
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