International contacts: Sister clubs and Eurotour

Right from the start the GCCC has had excellent connections with a number of foreign sister clubs. Good contacts with the French sister club Ledorga, the English GCCG (Gay Classic Car Group), the German club Queerlenker, and the Danish Gay Owned Vintage Cars (GOVC) with whom we have a lot of contact too. These contacts have led to a number of highly successful international events.

These started off in 1993 when an Easter Run was held round Brussels during Easter, followed a few weeks later by the first RIGAC (Rencontre Internationale des Gay Automobile Club) at Le Touquet on the Normandy coast of France. The year after that GCCC organised its first international gathering, with Maarssen as its base. Since then it has become a tradition for each club to take turns in organising such international events, which have become known as “Eurotour”. It was our turn in 2004, when, at Whitsun, we had a gathering of some 160 people in and around Antwerp.

  • In 2005 the British club organised one around Southampton, 2006 saw a weekend around Gladbeck and Essen and in 2007 it was our turn again around Emmeloord (in the land reclaimed from the sea), with the motto ”Dutch Lowlands & Highlights”.
  • From May 16-18, 2008 we were guests in the British Cotswolds, a special Eurotour organised by the GCCG.
  • In 2009 we helped Anders, Lars and Steffan from the Danish GOVC to organise the first Eurotour in Denmark on the Island of Fynen (May 29 – June 1, 2009).
  • In 2010 QueerLenker organised Eurotour, from May 21-24 in Neumünster, near habour city Kiel.
  • From June 10-13, 2011 the GCCC organised Eurotour in Belgium again, this time in Verviers.
  • In 2012  for the first time a Eurotour in Switzerland from Bern took place from May 25-28.
  • Eurotour 2013 from May 17-20, 2013 took place in Wiltshire, organised by our sisterclub GCCG in the UK.
  • In 2014 Denmpark organised a Eurotour in Lolland and Falster.
  • Queerlenker organised the Eurotour in 2015 (May 22 – 25). It was situated in the Pfaltz, the region between Frankfurt and Alsace.
  • GCCC was host again in 2016 (May 13 – 16). This time it was the area between Leyden and The Hague, with a visit to the Louwman Museum and a round trip by boat through the Leyden canals.
  • June 2-5: Eurotour around Baden (CH)
  • May 18-21:Eurotour around Norwich (UK)
  • Denmark hosted again in 2019, held in Jutland.
  • Covid-19 has ensured that the next Eurotour only took place in 2022. The GCCC was up again and organized a successful weekend around Alkmaar from June 10 to 13, with a prison converted into a luxury hotel as the central location.
  • Our British sister club hosted again from 19 to 22 May 2023 in beautiful Yorkshire, a county also known as ‘God’s Own Country’.