About Bankrupt Society

Bankrupt Society is an Australian-based car club, primarily located in Canberra and Brisbane, with its main focus of bringing together the car community around Australia and around the world, connecting enthusiasts who all share a passion for cars. Through car meets, cruises, and even fashion, this car club aims to encapsulate the community spirit, where anyone is welcome to enjoy their cars and other’s cars.

History

It all started in December of 2019, when a group of 5 car enthusiasts in Canberra created an online group chat to cruise and hang out together. As they started inviting more friends out and as the small group was getting larger in size, a decision to become a local car club was made. The initial name started out as ‘Capital Division’, however was changed shortly after to ‘Bankrupt Society’ after a joke that everyone in the car scene is bankrupt because of the amount of money they’re spending on their cars - hence the name.

Shortly after, an Instagram page was created, then a Facebook page. It was time to put Bankrupt Society on the Canberra Car Scene map. From there, Bankrupt Society became more known within Canberra, with more and more people attending the small meets that would happen every weekend. With the increased presence of the new club, a Facebook group was created to host organised and larger meets, which now boasts over 1,200 members. The first ever official Bankrupt Society meet was held on the 12th June 2020 at the Questacon car park, Canberra, with around 20 people in attendance. Since then, Bankrupt Society has hosted many events, from night meets, day cruises, cars & coffee events, and more, expanding to an average attendance of 80+ people per meet. In July 2020, the Bankrupt Society YouTube channel was launched, showcasing videos of members’ cars, with the launch of the ‘Driven’ series shortly after, a series where people are interviewed about their cars. In 2023, the Bankrupt Society vlogs were introduced.

With Bankrupt Society’s increasing online presence, it gained attention from car enthusiasts interstate and overseas. Today, the club has members from all across Australia, as well as from the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, the UK, Netherlands, New Zealand, and more.

In April 2020, the Bankrupt Society Store first launched. This was the club’s first taste of merchandise retailing, with popularity surrounding the product designs, making it a quirky and urban-like clothing line. Air fresheners and stickers were also sold in-person at Bankrupt Society events, and the first physical pop-up store was established at the Boosters ‘Show ‘n’ Shine’ meet in December 2020.

One whole year after the origins of Bankrupt Society, the club went on to win ‘Best Club Display’ as well as a Bankrupt Society member winning the ‘Cleanest German Car’ award at the Boosters ‘Show ‘n’ Shine’ event, a major car event held by one of Canberra’s largest clubs and good friends of Bankrupt Society, Boosters Garage. This was one of Bankrupt Society’s milestone achievements thus far.

Today, Bankrupt Society continues to thrive, inspiring and impacting many automotive enthusiasts around the world, with its main mission still crystal clear and driving full speed into the future.

Updated by Bankrupt Society, 30th May 2024