The French Automobile Club (Automobile Club de France -ACF) - its foundation
The French Automobile Club is a private French club founded on November 12, 1895, housed in two adjoining private mansions: the Hôtel du Plessis-Bellière and the Hôtel Cartier, located at 6-8 place de la Concorde, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
A very "British" management style
Reserved for men, the club is managed by the Société de gestion de l'Automobile Club de France (ACF). It is the oldest automobile club in the world. Long a haven for wealthy aristocrats and industrialists, the ACF is one of the capital's most exclusive private clubs, like the Tir aux pigeons, the Polo de Paris, the Siècle and the Jockey Club. But it's a "themed" club, whose origins are intertwined with the history of the French automobile, and even the world.
Objective of the Automobile de France (ACF)
In 1898, this organization conceived and organized the first automobile show in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. In 1899, based on an idea by Paul Meyan, and with the help of the newspaper Le Matin, it created the Tour de France automobile, considered in retrospect to be (for this first season) the fourth edition of the Grand Prix... The famous Mi-Carême procession at the 1903 Paris Carnival for the right bank departs from ACF headquarters. The Queen of Queens is carried by "Le Triomphe", a De Dion electric motorized float (in 1903!), and prestige automobiles decorated for the occasion are part of her retinue.
French Automobile Club organization
The Automobile Club de France is headed by its president, elected from among the club's members, assisted by members sitting on the ACF's various councils. The President of the "Cercle", as it is known internally, is elected by and from an Executive Committee of 24 members, themselves elected by the general membership at a General Meeting.
How French Automobile Club works
The club is administered and managed by an Executive Committee. The Board is made up of the ACF President, the four Vice-Presidents and the General Delegate for Automobile Activities.
The "Cercle" also has an advisory board and several committees (finance, interior, sports, gaming, automotive activities, etc.). The ACF has developed reciprocal agreements with numerous foreign circles (Royal Automobile Club in London, Union Club of City Of New York, Jockey Club of Argentina, etc.).
The Automobile Club de France has 2,185 members, all men. The ACF was one of the Parisian gentlemen's clubs created at a time when British cultural influence was still very strong in France and around the world. Today, it retains its spirit and codes: high moral standards for members, co-optation, no mixing, compulsory dress, emphasis on cultural and recreational activities, importance of conversation.
Although women cannot join the Automobile Club de France, they can, as spouses, have access to certain club activities.
French Automobile Club admission
Sponsorship is compulsory (2 sponsors and 7 sub-sponsors). A 12-member candidacy committee, whose names are not known, examines the application and appoints a rapporteur who meets the candidate at his or her home14. The candidate, assisted by his or her two sponsors, is then presented to this committee for an interview. The board then proceeds to a secret ballot, with one unfavorable vote canceling out 3 favorable votes. Admission is not final until approved by the Chairman.
Since time immemorial, the President of the French Republic, the Sovereign of Monaco and the King of the Belgians have been members by right.
The French Automobile Club heritage
The Automobile Club de France owns the Hôtel du Plessis-Bellière and the Hôtel Cartier , the club's premises facing the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The façade, with its majestic peristyle, is a listed historic monument15. The ACF boasts a library containing almost 50,000 books16 , a swimming pool designed by Gustave Eiffel, a sports hall, a theater, a cinema, a bar-lounge, a restaurant, an aerial terrace and several lounges. The fencing hall, one of the oldest in Paris, is still in operation (the International Fencing Federation was founded at the ACF).
The ACF also owns a luxury campsite, Domaine des Naïades, in Grimaud, Var.
French Automobile Club restaurant services
The Automobile Club de France offers private customers (companies or individuals) its expertise in organizing weddings, family meals, family events or business meetings.
With lounges ranging from 20 to 600 m² in size, this ideal setting allows you to imagine and design top-of-the-range events, combining interior spaces with a terrace offering a breathtaking view of all the historic monuments of this royal square.
The diversity and quality of the lounges enable us to offer all types of entertainment: private concerts, dance evenings, artistic, playful or interactive activities to suit your desires and your sense of celebration.
Our teams of chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers and maîtres d'hôtel have been trained in France's finest establishments to cater to your every whim.
Chef Julien Guénée joined the Automobile Club de France in 2016. His technical skills sublimate the products he reinvents for each event. He leads a brigade of 50 cooks and pastry chefs, all trained in France's finest establishments.
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