User:Graham-ruckert/Fiat Car Club of Queensland

The Fiat Car Club of Queensland is a long established automobile club catering for owners and enthusiasts of Fiat vehicles in Queensland, Australia, established in 1964.

History
The Fiat Car Club of Queensland had unofficial beginnings early in 1964. From a chance meeting of some Fiat owners prior to the Tasman Series race at Lakeside, it was suggested that it would be a great idea to drive to Lakeside in convoy. A phone call to Bill Gates (a DJ and racing driver) lead to some announcements on his radio show, and as a result around 20 Fiats and their occupants had their first outing. Over the next couple of months suggestions of forming a club were brought forward and the inaugural meeting was held in July 1964.

Activities
Since its inception the club has provided a number of varied activities, both social and competitive. Social activities include regular club nights, dinners, weekends away, driver training days and day runs. Competitive events have included motorkhanas, sprints, night navigation runs, rallies, hillclimbs, lap dashes and historic racing. The club produces a monthly magazine, Fiat Avanti, to keep members in contact and up to date on past and future events.

Special Events
There have been a number of special events in the history of the club to celebrate significant milestones, namely anniversary dinners, motor show displays and in 1999 two special events to mark the centenary of the Fiat marque, a display at the Brisbane International Motor Show, and an major exhibition at the Queensland Museum entitled "Fiat - A Brilliant Century, 1899-1999".