The Sports Car Club of America or SCCA was formed in 1944 as an enthusiast group for both amateur and professional racers.
After World War II, sports cars—typically defined as low-bodied vehicles designed for speed, handling, and acceleration—grew popular among returning U.S. service members, many of whom
were dazzled by the quick, nimble European cars that had a lower center of gravity and more direct response to the driver. Though names like MG, Healey, Porsche, and Alfa- Romeo weren’t yet common in America, the SCCA soon made a name for itself with regular marquee racing events around the country. The SCCA began sanctioning road races with the inaugural Watkins Glen Grand Prix in upstate New York in 1948.
Early SCCA events, like Watkins Glen and Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin often utilized public street courses through state parks and on county roads—or even disused air force bases owing to the large, flat
expanses of paved runways. In 1950, Studebaker offered to host the SCCA summer regional meet at its famed Proving Ground just west of South Bend. The 800-acre “outdoor laboratory” featured a three-mile oval track along with graded roads and other automobile testing facilities, and was the only closed course race supported by Chicago Region of the SCCA. That June, hundreds of SCCA members, press, and Studebaker staff descended on the Proving Ground for a fun weekend of camaraderie and motorsports.
*This information comes from our past exhibition “Sports Car Invasion: The SCCA at Studebaker“
