CCA has two main types of events: Our 3-day events which have an entry fee, and take care of your hotels and meals (among other things). And our 1-day events which are free.

On our free events, you're welcome to show up in any vehicle of your choice. True, we'd prefer if you brought a classic, a soon-to-be-classic or a "Retro Car" of distinction. But honestly, our one-day free events are all about sharing our love of Classic Cars with the public at large, so please come and join us in anything you like.

For our paid events, we're a little more selective. Our age requirements of 1979 or earlier is there to keep our events focused on what we feel are the "best" years of classic cars. We do, however, recognize that some classic cars continued on beyond 1979, or there are some later model cars that should certainly qualify. In the past we've allowed 1983 Porsche 911's in, as the 911SC was essentially unchanged from 78-83. For all other vehicles, we've implemented the "Delorean Rule".

The Delorean Rule states: if you own a DMC-12 and are willing to let Dave drive it for a short period, your entry is automatically accepted. The Delorean rule is open to interpretation for other awesome vehicles you think we should consider. In the past it has been used to enter a wide variety of cars. If you look at our entry list, anytime you see "1979ish" on the vehicle year, it's a car that didn't meet the 1979 or earlier rule, but was successfully  entered via the Delorean rule.  We've hosted Audi Quattros, Lotus Esprit, a Plymouth P50 pickup, Caterham 7's, a Toyota MR2, an International Pickup, a Ferrari 308GTS...the list goes on!

We typically host our dinners in a banquet hall, local restaurant or other unique venue. We don't have a dress code, though many guests do choose to go with a casual change of clothes for dinner. Your organizer is probably wearing nice jeans and collared shirt. Occasionally a crew or two will arrive just in time for dinner, having rebuilt some portion of a car along the route. We're certainly not going to turn them away, and can look past a grease spot or two. For dinners in a venue in where a dress code may be appropriate or required (golf course, winery, etc.), your organizers will make mention of it in a pre-event email.

Occasionally throughout our site and documents you might see references to a vague vehicle reference we call "Retro Car of Distinction". Just what is a retro car of distinction?

Here at CCA we're all about the classic cars, but we have a huge heart for some 80's and 90's cars that are true classics. The "Retro Cars" portion of the term comes from one of Dave's favourite magazines, Retro Cars, out of the UK. The magazine features classics, modified classics and modified 80's and 90's vehicles. The "Distinction" portion of the term comes from a need to narrow down the possibilities to just those cars which are really special.

Truthfully, we don't have a specific list of vehicles which would be admissible under the "Retro Cars of Distinction" list, it's just one of those things we can 'feel'. If the car turns heads, and has 'car-people' walking across a parking lot to check it out...there is a good chance we're interested. If it has rally heritage, we've probably got a soft spot for it. If its tastefully modified and interesting, we're probably intrigued...

Unfortunately, if you own a Healey, Mini Moke, or pack as though you're taking a cruise in the 20's, we don't offer a luggage transport service. It's a perk we understand the $1000 a day rallies offer, but it just isn't our style. On the plus side, we don't require a black tie or evening gown for our dinners...so less luggage is required.

If you do anticipate a problem, there are certainly solutions. For every tiny-car-without-a-trunk in the starting parking lot, there is probably a vehicle with a trunk that could swallow a Mini. We suggest walking over, introducing yourselves and offering drinks at the day's finish in exchange for luggage transport. We suspect you'll have both new friends, and dry clothes, by the end of the first day.

Honestly? It's probably not ideal. We certainly don't plan our events with kids in mind, and they may find three days of driving, banquet dinners and a whole pile of adults to be a little boring. Having said that, we've got some awesome kids who join us for our events...and Chance (one of our regulars) probably knows the name of more cars in the parking lot then you do.

But, really, you know your own kids better than we do. If three days of driving and car-related fun is up their alley, we're not going to turn them away. Having never had kids, but been ones ourselves, we are curious why parents don't jump at the chance for a mini-vacation away...

There is plenty of non-car stuff to enjoy on our events. We've worked hard to gather incredible scenery, create a route book which has more then just directions, and we pick some great accommodations and dinner venues. Our guests come from a wide variety of backgrounds, careers, interests and hobbies...so there is a good chance you'll find something besides cars to focus on...you just might need to start the first non-car question or story.

One of the things that makes a CCA event unique, is that we keep the route secret right up until we hand you a route book. Your entry fee to our paid events (unless specified), includes your overnight accommodations and probably some meals. Occasionally we get asked about what kind of hotels we stay in...

Your entry fee and the event information sheet suggest your accommodations will be in traditional road-side motel rooms. Occasionally we do travel to remote destinations where the only accommodations available are motels, but if this is the case we always use known chains and strive for the best possible. As a rule, we're always trying to surprise you with better hotels and meals than you expected. Typical hotel chains we use are Marriott, Coast, Travelodge (new properties), Prestige, and boutique hotels typically found in or near resort towns.

Unless otherwise noted in the supp regs, hotel bookings will always be one car per room, with your own private bathroom. We'll make clear notes before registration opens if we anticipate using more 'rustic' accommodations or shared bathrooms in any particular event, and provide alternatives wherever possible.

Our events are not TSD's*, where we tell you what speed to drive and keep track via timed checkpoints. At the same time, they aren't like your typical cruise where you follow the other cars bumper-to-bumper. At CCA events, we encourage you to enjoy the road at your own pace and give you the freedom to drive as you normally would if you were on your own.

In practice, most of our guests seem to settle out into groups of 2-8 cars, travelling along the route at a similar pace. Usually on the first day friends from various clubs tend to stick together, but by day two or three you travel in these wonderful mixes of british, italian, american and german automobiles.

The routes are planned so that if you are driving at the speed limit you have approximately 1 hour of time during the day for fuel stops and lunch, arriving at the hotel approximately 1.5-2 hours before the start of dinner. Certainly enough time to enjoy a parking lot hang out, and then do whatever preparations for dinner you require. Guests who stop more frequently for photos, or longer lunches, may find they arrive closer to the start of dinner.

Guests are reminded each morning at our 'drivers' meeting that we're traveling on open roads, where other traffic, animals, kids and enforcement officers might be found around every corner. We employ a system we call "The Yellow Card Rule" to ensure guests don't drive too enthusiastically, and to date have never had a major issue. Thankfully, it seems, classic car enthusiasts recognize the best thing to do is drive in a manner which means we can run the event again next year!

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*TSD - A TSD is a "Time, Speed, Distance" rally where the organizers tell you the speed you must drive over a given section of road. The car is timed on this section, and points are given if you travel too fast, or to slow, over the given section. It's a common style of rally event for classic cars, but not something you'll find on a CCA event.

If you're expecting an enclosed trailer with a lift and staff mechanic to be available "just in case", you might have found the wrong event. We don't have a staff mechanic who travels on each event. Unlike the luxury classic tours, our events are designed around having an adventure...and a mechanic on staff just doesn't seem adventurous. If Dave & Warwick (your intrepid organizers) were to climb mount Everest, they'd be aiming to do it without Oxygen, and with just one Sherpa as Sir Edmond Hillary did.

We do, however, offer a sweep vehicle for all our events (unless noted). The sweep vehicle will have extra seats, so if the car is terminal they can transport you to a spot where your cell phone will work. The sweep vehicle carries jack stands and a floor jack, but you're expected to be the one getting greasy attempting the repair. Great stories come from roadside repairs, and we hope you'll do your best to continue. If you're not able to, however, we will still have you covered. For 2015, each of our events features Hagerty Road Side Assistance, which means some towing and other services are available to each entrant. This service is provided over the three days as part of your event package, even if you may be insured with another provider.

You will find that our events have a number of mechanics who enjoy the tour, and plenty of 'shade-tree' home mechanics who are just as skilled. Trouble on the side of the road is often just a matter of asking for help, and perhaps offering some refreshments as thanks at the end of the day.

Nope!
We're happy to accept entrants who have their cars insured with anyone, but you do need to show proof that your vehicle is insured at registration. We do hope after you experience how much support Hagerty provides our events and the classic car community in general, you'll take a look to see how they could help with your insurance needs.

The entry form for each event includes a section where you can tell us about any allergy or dietary concerns. We deal with each application individually, and will communicate directly with you to ensure we understand your needs. Your personal information is always kept confidential. In the past we've had no problem accommodating requests, even those with severe allergies. We always ensure you're introduced to the chef so together you can confirm everything is taken care of.