LISRA Club History

In late 1964 and early 1965, three young Hot Rod enthusiasts met by chance in the showroom of the Performance Products Speed Shop on Franklin Street in Hempstead. John Lange was building a 1934 Ford 5 window coupe, George Valente was building a 1932 5 window coupe, and Fran Cox a 1923 T-Bucket roadster. They had a lot in common and quickly became friends. All three cars were to be street legal and show worthy.

As time went these three "Street Rodders' met other car guys who also were building cars for the street. Eventually, they began to meet on Sunday mornings in the parking lot of the Times Square Store on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown. As interest in the group grew, they started to organize, and planned short drives together to various points of interest on Long Island. A club was formed...and so began the The Long Island Street Rod Association.

The club continued to grow and evolve with John as the first President, George as Secretary and Fran as Treasurer. The Rod Runs as they were called became weekend long events that were funded by money collected by LISRA sponsored shows. At this point the club incorporated as a non-profit organization. A Chevy Dealer, called Richard Chevrolet in Freeport, let the club put on shows in the service area of the dealership. The shows became very popular, and was a good source of income for the club to help offset the cost for the events.

LISRA also displayed cars in area locations like the Island Garden Arena and inside the Huntington Mall on Route 110 in Huntington. The club caught the attention of Chicago show promoters, Promotions Inc. and after some convincing at their Manhattan hotel room, LISRA asked to sponsor the Auto Show at the New York Coliseum. Individual car owners were paid to enter, award classes were formed for competition of similar types, and the club was paid for sponsoring the show.

About Long Island Street Rodders

Throughout our history we had become well known across the country and recognition in the new Street Rod Magazine now in circulation. We began to invite other Street Rodders from New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and upstate New York, to attend weekend rallies. We became the largest organized Street Rod club in the northeast and combined forces to form the North East Street Rod Association.

Now 60 years later, The Long Island Street Rod Association is still going strong, hosting major Spring and Fall car shows and swap meets, collaborating with other car clubs on Long Island, and celebrating this wonderful milestone.

Our non-profit organization continues to dedicate and support Suffolk County Community College with scholarships and donations. Our journey and motivations is to keep the love for classic car collecting alive and encourage future generations to carry on the traditions.