Here in Belgium, the best places to see many Firebirds are the meetings organized by the C.C.C.
I'm a member of the Camaro Custom Club, a club for Corvette, Firebird and Camaro owners.
Currently there's no Firebird club in Belgium but no problem, the C.C.C. is an extremely good club
and the prez is a true Firebird guy.
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Camaro Custom Club
president : Jan Cuypers
Pikkeriestraat 36
2811 HOMBEEK
Belgium
website :
Camaro Custom Club Site
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Camaro Custom Club
C.C.C. stands for Camaro Custom Club.
I guess the founders all drove Camaro and had some deep fascination for euh...
exploding stuff.
The club saw the light of day way back in March '89.
Pretty soon Firebirds and Corvettes got involved as well and hey...
people driving those cars started to show up from everywhere.
And me too... on the phone.
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My first Firebird, click here for more...
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A very very long time ago I mistook direction and ended up in 'unknown territory'
where I saw this car on sale. It was the first time I saw a '77 Firebird in real
life - and it was for sale!
I pulled over and admired the car and I knew I had to buy this car.
Luckily I just finished school and had found a job.
The car looked alright but I wanted to be sure, so I decided to contact the C.C.C.
for some good old advice. I found the phone-number in a national car mag.
So, when I explained my situation to them, the good people (the current prez and friends)
were so kind to come over to assist me buying my first 'bird'.
I'm still thankful to them because Pamela Sue turned out to be a fine car.
And naturally I joined the at that time young club (and became member nr. 71).
Mag & Site
And now, some 8 years later, the club has 500 effective members what's quite a big number
for a small country like Belgium.
Most of these people own a Corvette, Camaro or a Firebird.
Several times a year, mostly in the warmer seasons, local meetings are held.
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Every 3 months a very good club-zine is produced (in Dutch) by Jan Cuypers, the president.
It contains the latest information on Corvette, Camaro and Firebird, dates for upcoming events,
reports resuming past shows, 'for sale' and 'wanted' pages, and every now and then an
introduction of a members car.
In short: it is a damn good club-mag.
More information on the
Camaro Custom Club Site.
The website has info in Dutch, French, English and German and offers linkwise some really neat rock'n roll
pictures of APOW '97 and APOW '98.
Meetings
Like already mentioned, the C.C.C. organizes several meetings a year.
The biggest meeting - 'American Power on Wheels (APOW)' - takes place in Antwerp, Belgium.
It's a weekend happening, usually in the latter half of August and over time it has become
one of the more important US car meetings on the old continent.
American Power on Wheels is the biggest US-car festival in Belgium.
Don't forget to check out my images from
APOW-98
and
APOW-99
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Contrary to other club meetings where Corvette's, Camaro's and Firebirds make the bulk
of the happening, APOW is accessible for all American vehicles.
It's my favorite meeting.
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It's a great opportunity to take pictures of a wide variety of US cars, from showroom models
to daily driven wrecks (I just like the battered road weary look), from common Corvette's
to customized classic Fords and from new Saratoga's to old army transportation like the
M3 Half Track (and I bet if you have a P-61 and know how to land it on 100 meters, you're
also welcome).
What makes it a success is the free entrance for every US vehicle (from bike to truck)
and they come from everywhere. Swiss, Swedish and even Czech cars have already visited this
show.
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Only visitors have to pay a minor fee (300 Bfr./8.00$) but they get a lot in return.
Besides all these dreamcars, there's always a life band playing great rock'n roll tunes
(hey, wasn't that 'Rebel, rebel' from Bowie !?), there's a lot to drink and eat,
there are trade stands and there's time to see some burn-outs (heck, I missed the one
with the Mark V Continental).
And when the whether is fine you get to see some gorgeous babes, US car drivers have
good taste, not only for cars !
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