Georgia Magazine - December 2020 - 25

CAMERON WH

ITLOCK

CAMERON WHITLO

Left: Reggie Elrod, of Alto, shows off one of the many awards he's won with his fully restored
1970 Ford Bronco. Elrod is a member of the Gainesville-based Old Friends Car Club. Above: Elrod's
trophy collection continues to grow, as he enters his classic ride in several car shows every year.

CAMERON WHITL
OCK

All of the club's members have
one of two models of Buick's muscle
cars: either a 1965-72 Gran Sport or
a 1986-87 Grand National. Because
these automobiles are so rare, the
Buick GS Nationals car show is held in
Bowling Green, rather than on a local
level like the shows put on by many of
Georgia's other car clubs.
" You can't put on a cruise or
local show with just these cars. There's
just not enough of them around on a
regional or local basis, " he says. " When
I first started the club, I didn't know five
people in the entire United States who
even owned one of these cars. "
Lasseter still owns his original 1970
Gran Sport, which he drag-raced for years
before retiring it in the early 2000s. A
self-proclaimed " car guy, " he owns three
classic Buicks and several more modern
muscle cars, which he refers to as " fourwheel appliances. "
" My [newer cars] do everything
wonderfully, " he says. " Probably a lot better
than the old ones. But they are just like appliances. They don't
have that nostalgic, sentimental value that we have with these
older cars. They don't evoke the memories that we have from
back in those days. "

Lasseter believes that nostalgia is the biggest driving force
behind the passion and excitement he sees among Buick GSCA
members.
" Every time I get behind the wheel of my car, some memory
pops back into my mind, " he says. " It's truly special-the cumulative memories that we have in these cars. "
Charity plays a big role within the membership of the Buick
GSCA. The club has raised money for multiple causes throughout the years, including the Children's Miracle Network, the
Humane Society of America and the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
For more information about the Buick GSCA, call
(229) 244-0577 or visit buickgsca.org.

Georgia Mountain Classics Car Club,
Blue Ridge
Gerald Long well remembers watching a 1938 Pontiac
speeding around the rural roads of his hometown of Morganton. He kept an eye on that car for years as it traded hands a
couple of times, only to end up in a local junkyard in 1963.
" I bought that old car for $60 and went up to the service
station in town, " Long says. " I had some change left in my
pocket-around 60 cents. And I put what I had into gas for the
car, and I took off home with it. When I got in sight of my house,
I blew a tire, and before I even got in my driveway, I ran out
of gas. "
Long still owns the '38 Pontiac. And while it isn't restored
or expected to be road-ready any time soon, he remains fond of
the car that first piqued his interest in classic rides.
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Georgia Magazine - December 2020

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