Automóvel Club de Portugal
The Automóvel Club de Portugal ( ACP , occasionally also Automóvel Clube de Portugal ; German: Automobilclub von Portugal ) is a traffic club in Portugal with its seat in Lisbon . It has 26 offices throughout continental Portugal as well as Madeira and the Azores . It is recognized as a non-profit association ( Instituição de Utilidade Pública ). With over 200,000 members, it is the largest traffic club in the country. The ACP is the partner club of the ADAC in Portugal.
history
On April 15, 1903, the Real Automóvel Club de Portugal (English: Royal Automobile Club of Portugal) was founded in Lisbon with the resolution of its statutes and the constitution of its bodies. Official recognition followed on May 31, 1903, and King Carlos I became honorary president .
The club was accepted into the Association Internationale des Automobile Club Reconnus (AIACR) (now FIA ). The international sports commission founded there in 1907 is still a member of the ACP with a permanent delegate.
After the fall of the royal family and the proclamation of the Portuguese Republic in October 1910, who called Real Automóvel Club de Portugal (Real ACP) with bodies and election statutes decision of 6 March 1911 in Automóvel Club de Portugal to (ACP).
With the club elections in 1928 an increased activity of the club began. From then on, the club published a club magazine and a road map of Portugal. The increasing number of members also made it necessary to move into their own headquarters. After temporarily moving into the Palácio de Palmela, the association acquired the Palacete de Tarouca at number 24 on Rua Rosa Araújo in Lisbon, which is still the association's headquarters today.
On March 21, 1931, the non-profit status of the association was officially recognized for the first time. In 1934 the ACP founded its first driving school in Lisbon, followed by Porto (1935) and Coimbra (1960). In 1934 the tourism organization Centro Português de Turismo was founded within the ACP , which from then on represented Portugal at the international tourism association AIT (Alliance Internationale de Tourisme).
In the course of the onset of democratization after the fall of the Estado Novo regime with the Carnation Revolution in 1974, the previous management resigned. The newly developed statutes were approved by the newly elected association bodies on October 20, 1975.
In 1981, in association with ACP Viagens, Lda. a company in the tourism industry, in 1987 with ACP Serviços, Lda. a service company for technical customer service in the field of automobiles, two-wheelers, trailers, motor boats and IT was founded.
After working with Dr. Pinto Balsemão had already been elected an ACP president to the FIA leadership committee in 1976, this was repeated in 1993 with Alfredo César Torres. In 1993, a driver safety and driver training center was founded with the Centro de Exames de Condução Automóvel , and with ACP Mediação de Seguros, Lda. an insurance brokerage company.
In 1994 the ACP, together u. a. with Brisa - Auto-estradas de Portugal , the insurance company Tranquilidade, and official quality assurance bodies , responsible for the establishment of Controlauto , a company that carries out the regular vehicle inspections ordered by the authorities .
In 2000, the FIA posthumously declared the ACP President Torres, who died in 1997, as Honorary Vice-President. In the same year, the Centro de Documentação, a historical archive of the association accessible to all members, was set up at the headquarters of the ACP .
.JPG)
In 2001 the ACP Clássicos founded an organization dedicated to classic cars , and in 2002 organized the Figueira da Foz - Lisbon rally with the Club Português de Automóveis Antigos for the 100th anniversary of the first rally of the same name.
2002 was marked by cost control measures and service improvements for the ACP, including the establishment of a call center for member support.
A series of awards and events took place for the 100th anniversary of the club in 2003. Among other things, three official stamps were issued for the anniversary, and the state lottery issued tickets with ACP commemorative motifs, a book and an anniversary volume were also published, and a photo exhibition was organized. In the Circuito do Estoril , the ACP organized the Estoril International Historic Festival , with original vehicles etc. a. the Formula 1 , the Formula Junior and the Rally of Portugal . At the same time, the ACP established its involvement in golf with its sub-organization ACP Golfe .
In 2006, the ACP was instrumental in founding the Museum of Miniature Cars in Gouveia , and in 2007 it turned to the auto trade with the creation of the ACP Usados website for used cars. With ACP Autos , the association set up a website with the possibility of information, comparison and advice when buying a new car.
In 2008, ACP President Carlos Barbosa was appointed by the FIA as their motorsport representative to the European Commission . On October 23, 2009, he became FIA Vice President with the Mobility and Tourism department.
activities
The ACP represents the interests of motorists in Portugal towards politics and the public. In addition, it offers its members a variety of services, discounts and information, organizes various national and international races and rallies in motorsport and is involved in golf with sub-groups such as ACP Golfe , or with ACP Classicos with classic car events in various areas involved. He also runs his own driving schools and used car dealerships, offers home safety, health and care services, and with the ACP Moto also a traffic club section for motorcycles. The Rally Portugal is one of the most famous races in which the ACP is involved as an organizer .
The range of services includes, in addition to comprehensive legal and practical support, for example when buying a car or in the event of a claim , the cartracking offer, where u. a. various monitoring functions secure the vehicle from theft or allow tracking, and an emergency button is set up, which u. a. makes an emergency call to the official Portuguese ambulance service INEM and directs the ambulance directly to the car.
The ACP also offers its members a. discounted trips and acts as an insurance broker to them, in addition to a number of other offers.
The monthly club magazine acp , published eleven times a year (July and August in one issue), has been archived on the club's website since 2009 and is fully accessible, along with a few other publications such as event overview brochures or annual reports.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Chronicle of the ACP website , accessed on August 25, 2012