It seems today, we’re always celebrating something – different drinks, different food, different animals – and now we can add collector cars to the list. Collector Car Appreciation Day, or CCAD, is a holiday that automotive hobbyists celebrate each year on or around the second Friday of July. This is a fun celebration that has been going on since 2010 when the industry first came up with an informal “drive your collector car to work day.” The idea caught on quickly and by the following year in 2011, there were more than 200 events across the United States and Canada that took place in July to celebrate our love for collector cars. However, there wasn’t an officially recognized day, until now.
Support CCAD by submitting your automotive-inspired July event here.
This year, July 9th has officially been adopted by the United States Congress as Collector Car Appreciation Day. However, CCAD is not intended to be a stand-alone day of tribute. The automotive aftermarket encourages everyone – especially event hosts – to recognize the occasion and hold CCAD activities throughout the entire month of July.
It is SEMA’s ongoing desire that everybody in the industry will coordinate their July automotive events, regardless of the actual date, and officially register them here with the SEMA Action Network to encourage individuals across the country to celebrate cars and raise awareness of how important the automotive restoration industry is and how collector cars play such a vital role in American society today. Everything from small garage gatherings to organized cruises and shows and even virtual events should be added to the CCAD list to support the cause.
Intended to celebrate classic cars of the past and the future, the U.S. Congress has helped launch CCAD by introducing resolutions each year at the request of the SEMA Action Network. This year, the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution 292 (S. Res. 292) and a similar resolution was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H. Res. 491).
Each resolution was sponsored by the co-chairs of the SEMA-supported Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA). These Congressional leaders are strong advocates for the automotive hobby in Washington D.C. The Caucus is an informal, non-partisan member organization that pays tribute to America’s ever-growing love affair with the car and motorsports. All of the members recognize the integral role collector cars have played in fostering our nation’s appreciation for the automobile’s unique historical place in our history.
If you or somebody you know is hosting a vehicle-related gathering during the month of July, whether public or private, we strongly urge you to take a few minutes to submit the details on the SAN website. There is no charge to add your event to this list and all private information will be kept confidential.