The first automobile club in New Zealand formed in Auckland with 18 members. The moving spirit behind the club was Dr George de Clive Lowe. Part of the fun for the club in those days was going out for a "run" together in their cars.
"The speed attainable on these cars is from a 'crawl' to 38 miles per hour on the level," reported the Herald.
The club was the start of the AA which now has more than 1.25 million members and provides them with everything from breakdown services to advocacy for road-users.
Dr Lowe and his original members are our New Zealanders of the Year for 1903.
From the Herald archives:
'Motors and motoring', New Zealand Herald, 6 June 1903
