The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain
AbbreviationVCC of GB
Formation1930[1]
FoundersS C H Davis, J A Masters and J H Wylie
PurposeTo encourage and promote the preservation and use of veteran and Edwardian vehicles[1]
Location
  • Jessamine Court, 15 High Street, Ashwell, Hertfordshire SG7 5NL UK
Region served
World-wide
Membership
(1500 in 2016)
PublicationVeteran Car
SubsidiariesVeteran Car Company Limited previously, 2002 to 2010, known as Veteran Car Services Limited
Websitehttp://www.vccofgb.co.uk/

The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain is a private members' club formed to encourage the preservation and use of veteran and Brass or Edwardian vehicles, whose activities include the promotion and organisation of events and rallies, dating and identification of motor vehicles and acquisition and maintenance of a library and archive connected with early motoring.[2]

Scope

The club caters for cars built before 1905 (known as 'veteran') and those built between 1905 and the end of 1918 (known as 'Edwardian').[2]

History

The club was founded by racing driver and sports editor of Autocar, Sammy Davis, with Jackie Masters and John Wylie at the Ship Hotel in Brighton, England following the 1930 RAC London to Brighton run.[3] It was the world's first club for antique car enthusiasts.[4]

They formed the club to encourage and foster the preservation and use of vehicles eligible for the Brighton run, those built before 1905. The scope was extended to Edwardian cars in the 1950s, now defined as those built after 1904 but before 1919 (an earlier cut-off date was applied during the 1950s and 1960s).[2]

By 1937 a considerable archive had been accumulated by the club. The Scotsman noted that the club issued certificates of authenticity of date. The membership included remaining well-known pioneers of motoring. In the 1937 Brighton run there had been 116 cars and 105 of those cars belonged to club members. Club members owned 140 cars in roadworthy condition all built before 1905. There were 235 members of the club.[5] In 1950 a rally and reliability trial in Oxford attracted 84 cars, the oldest an 1895 Lutzmann with a 4 hp single-cylinder engine.[6]

Club activities

The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain organises events, rallies and other activities to encourage the preservation and use of veteran and Edwardian vehicles. It offers members a dating and identification service for early motor vehicles and maintains a library and archive connected with early motoring.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Nagle, Elizabeth (1955). Veterans of the Road: The History of Veteran Cars and the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain. New York: Arco Publishers. OCLC 1467507.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Aims (of the club) at vccofgb.co.uk Accessed 18 May 2017
  3. ↑ Nixon 1936 St. John C. Nixon, The Invention of the Automobile - (Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler) Country Life, London 1936, reprint ISBN 978 88 96365 75 5
  4. ↑ Massed veterans hit the magic ton. The Times, Saturday, 2 November 1996; pg. 1[S1]; Issue 65725
  5. ↑ Veteran British Cars. The Scotsman (1921-1950) [Edinburgh, Scotland] 7 Dec 1937: 15.
  6. ↑ Veteran Cars' Rally. The Scotsman (1921-1950) [Edinburgh, Scotland] 29 May 1950: 3
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