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| Vintage Car Club of Great Britain | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vintage Car Club of Great Britain |
| Formation | 1934 |
| Type | Membership organisation |
| Headquarters | Brooklands Museum |
| Location | England |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
| Membership | Vintage vehicle owners |
| Leader title | President |
| Parent organisation | None |
Vintage Car Club of Great Britain
The Vintage Car Club of Great Britain is a British organisation dedicated to the preservation, restoration and enjoyment of motor vehicles built up to 1939. Founded in the interwar period, the Club has maintained ties with key institutions such as Brooklands Museum, Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, Royal Automobile Club and National Motor Museum, and works alongside regional bodies like The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs. Its activities encompass historic motoring events, technical guidance, archival publishing and advocacy with planning authorities such as Historic England.
The Club was established in 1934 during a wave of motoring enthusiasm that included contemporaries like Le Mans 24 Hours, Royal Automobile Club and Brooklands preservationists. Early members included enthusiasts from Bentley Motors, Rolls-Royce Limited circles and veterans of RAC Tourist Trophy competitions. During the Second World War the Club maintained records and collections that later informed postwar restorations tied to institutions such as Imperial War Museum and Science Museum. In the 1950s and 1960s it cooperated with figures from Goodwood Circuit and Silverstone Circuit to stage veteran runs and contributed to archives at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. The Club’s later history intersected with the rise of historic rallies like the Mille Miglia revival and shows such as Concours d'Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
The Club is governed by an elected Committee and Officers including a President often drawn from notable collectors associated with Bonhams, Christie's motoring departments or marques like Alvis and Sunbeam Motor Car Company. Membership tiers vary from Full members owning pre-1939 vehicles to Associate and Overseas members, mirroring arrangements used by the Vintage Motorcycle Club and Veteran Car Club of Great Britain. The Club liaises with insurers such as Hagerty Insurance and brokers who specialise in historic vehicle policies, and collaborates with standards bodies like The Institution of Mechanical Engineers for technical guidance. Honorary memberships have been bestowed on personalities linked to Bentley Boys and restoration authorities connected to Charles Rolls and Henry Royce scholarship.
Regular activities include timed trials, reliability trials, concourses and road runs, reminiscent of events like the Mille Miglia and Gordon Bennett Cup heritage meetings. The Club organises driving tours through historic routes involving locations such as Avenue des Champs-Élysées heritage corridors and country houses associated with English Heritage and National Trust. It supports participation at major gatherings including Goodwood Revival, Beaulieu Festival of Speed and smaller regional trials influenced by the traditions of RAC Tourist Trophy and Isle of Man TT car races. Members also compete in inter-club challenges with organisations such as Vintage Sports-Car Club and Historic Sports Car Club.
The Club publishes a regular magazine that documents technical articles, event reports and archival research akin to periodicals from Motor Sport (magazine) and Classic & Sports Car. Newsletters, bulletins and technical circulars are distributed to members and are referenced by libraries such as British Library and archives at National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. The Club maintains an online presence collaborating with digital archives inspired by projects at Internet Archive and library catalogues of Victoria and Albert Museum. It also issues guidance notes on taxation, roadworthiness and historic vehicle registration in relation to agencies like Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Regional centres operate across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reflecting a network comparable to the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs structure and akin to branches of Royal Automobile Club regionals. Local sections stage annual shows, concours and hillclimbs at venues such as Shelsley Walsh, Prescott Speed Hill Climb and country estates that host Concours d'Elegance events. The Club affiliates with marque-specific groups associated with Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' Club, Bentley Drivers Club and MG Owners' Club to facilitate specialist expertise and shared events.
Technical committees provide restoration advice on chassis, coachwork, ignition systems and period tyres, drawing on knowledge from archives tied to Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, Bentley Motors Heritage Library and engineering references like The Institution of Mechanical Engineers publications. The Club maintains lists of accredited workshops, specialists in carburettors, magnetos and coachbuilders historically linked to Willowbrook and Park Ward. It organises skills workshops on metalwork, coachpainting and period electrical systems with trainers from restorers connected to Beaulieu Motor Museum collections and conservation experts at Historic England.
Members own and exhibit vehicles from eminent marques including Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Alvis, Lagonda, Sunbeam Motor Car Company, Riley and Austin 7. Collections associated with the Club have appeared in exhibitions alongside holdings from National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, private collections auctioned at Bonhams and displays at Goodwood Motor Circuit events. Significant cars include early Bentley 3 Litre examples tied to the Bentley Boys, prewar Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines and sporting Alvis Silver Eagle models that illustrate coachbuilding trends once served by firms such as Vanden Plas and Hooper Limited.
Category:Automobile clubs in the United Kingdom