Grand Valley State University’s Car Enthusiast Club made its debut one year ago, offering students passionate about cars a place to gather every Friday. 

The organization has grown and developed over the past year, creating opportunities for students to appreciate automobiles.

“It is a good way for car enthusiasts around Allendale and Grand Rapids to display and discuss automotive culture,” said Trevor Cordell, the Vice President of the Car Enthusiasts Club.

Members of the club either bring their own cars or admire other people’s cars, and have conversations with those who are passionate about the subject. The events also draw photographers who enjoy creating content, taking pictures and filming videos with cars as the subject. 

“We wanted to bring together automotive enthusiasts from GVSU, and the surrounding area and we saw that there wasn’t an existing club, so we filled that need,” Cordell said. 

Sam George, the financial officer of the club, described the meets as “a way to get away from the weight of college.” He said the car meets are filled with music, as members go around looking at cars and share their passion with each other, further fostering a community.

George said one of his favorite memories of the club is his first memory with the organization. 

“I remember that fondly because it was the first time I went to a car meet-up,” George said. “It kicked off the car meeting experience for me and since then I’ve gone to car meet-ups outside of Grand Valley, so it was kind of like my introduction to car meet-ups.”

George said the club means a lot to him. The organization helped introduce him to the world of car meets and rekindle his passion for cars. 

“I was really into cars as a kid. Whenever I saw a nice car drive past, I would always make note of it. (The club) kind of brings back that emotion,” George said. 

For George, a large part of being a part of the club is how it fosters a supportive and safe space for car enthusiasts. To maintain this, the club has certain rules for the meet-up to make it as respectful as possible for the people on campus, such as no revving and other loud engine noises. 

“Having a safe car meeting area here in Grand Valley is really nice. Having a safe environment here at Grand Valley is very important to me,” George said.

Both George and Cordell mentioned that the organization is gaining more attention and meets are becoming more popular with students. 

“It seems like a lot of fun for the people who attend our meets, (we have) grown to almost 300 followers on Instagram,” Cordell said.  “I am pleased to say we have been pretty successful, and I hope we continue to grow in the future.” 

Aside from weekly meetings, the club also plans other excursions around automotive culture, including local, Grand Rapids-based meets. Members of the club also coordinate groups that go to auto shows across the state.

In the future, the club is planning a driving cruise. They plan to all meetup and drive the same route down to Grand Haven. Other tentative ideas include having a food truck attend the Friday meets. During the future winter semesters, the club plans to have car simulation games during the meetings to make up for the lack of consistent outdoor meets.

Cordell said weekly meetings throughout the semester help end his week on a good note, offering him a space to congregate with like-minded people, close to campus. 

“To me this is a great way to end the week, bringing people together and talking about cars is a great way to enjoy a fall or spring evening,” Cordell said.