Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22449 Location: UK

Do you prefer them to national clubs and/or one-make clubs?

I'm thinking about looking into what local car clubs are around here.

RJ
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baconsdozen · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1119 Location: Under the car.

In East anglia there are quite a few local car clubs.I'm a member of http://www.norwichclassicvehicleclub.co.uk/ but there are plenty of others.Its good to meet other club members at shows etc and swap note and tips face to face.
Personally I like the small local clubs for the atmosphere but larger groups obviously have a greater diversity of both cars and people.
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Roger-hatchy · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 2135 Location: Tiptree, Essex

I am also with an East Anglia club
Essex-classics.co.uk
Because of the location mostly Fords, in fact the club was formed by one make, Capri and Cortina, club members who were fed up with the one car scene.
Also with Thanet Classics, Lee has posted on here a few times.
And CVCM, not relay a club, more a gathering of clubs who gather once a month for an informal meet, and organise a lot of events.

My experience of one make cubs is too clique and snobbery.
But that is my opinion of those I have had experience of.

Roger

Phil - Nottingham · Joined: 01 Jan 2008 Posts: 1252 Location: Nottingham

I think local multi car clubs can be more friendly from what I have seen but any club will have its cliques though some are more so than others. I have been a member/involved with 3 Rover Clubs for almost 20 years and others before and its really down to what you make of them.

I am and always will be a clique of 1+ the Mrs who is also a CC enthusiast and owner and quite happy with that

I am not involved with any local clubs though
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MikeEdwards · Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 2472 Location: South Cheshire

It depends.

I'm in my local classic car club (South Cheshire Collectors Car Club www.scccc.org.uk, meets in the pub 500 yards from home, so about as local as it can get) which I tend to do more with on the social side, also all the show display stands that the local club organise are in local shows.

I'm also in the Droopsnoot Group www.droopsnoot.co.uk, a national club aimed at 70s Vauxhalls, which is more involved in technical help and has its own spares scheme with a lot of stuff like moulds and technical information provided by Vauxhall.

They both have their own strengths and weaknesses - I went to a couple of the "local" Droopsnoot Group pub nights, but because it's a national club the closest was a 120 mile round trip. But there probably wouldn't be much point asking anyone in the SCCCC for advice on how to rebuild by gearbox because no-one else has a Firenza. Horses for courses, basically.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22449 Location: UK

ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4105 Location: South Cheshire

MikeEdwards · Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 2472 Location: South Cheshire

At the Elephant in Shavington, last Monday in the month (usually, but bank holidays throw it off). Dates are on the web site. Feel free to come along and see us, though we don't do a lot during the winter months, perhaps a quiz or something like that.

We've been going since about 1988. I say "we", I wasn't in the club then, not until a year or two later. We've been big and small over that time, I remember seeing reports in the newsletter that our club stand at Tatton Park had 60-odd cars on it at one point.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22449 Location: UK

Richard H · Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Posts: 2148 Location: Lincolnshire, UK

I'm in the Southend and District Classic Car Club(SADCCC). Apart from reading the bi-monthly mag (there was an article about my Atlantic in a recent one!) and putting the sticker in my car windscreen I haven't really done much with them. Need to get involved more. I did attend an Essex Classics meeting ages ago but found it far too Ford biased for my taste. Nice people though.

The national clubs I'm in are the A30/35 OC, the Cambridge-Oxford OC and the Austin Counties Car Club. The Counties Club has such an excellent spares service and magazine it's worth joining just for those. The problem with National Clubs is that the events are, well, on a National basis. Most events would involve a very long journey for me, usually to the North, West Midlands or the South West, and even committee meetings tend to be a 300+ mile round trip.
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Roger-hatchy · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 2135 Location: Tiptree, Essex

On a lighter note
I did try to join/start a one make club,
but found it lonely on my own Laughing

baconsdozen · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1119 Location: Under the car.

Has anyone noticed that a lot of the smaller local car shows etc seem to be getting cancelled this year?. We've already lost a few in East Anglia,is it happening elsewhere?. Is it the recession do you think?.
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Roger-hatchy · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 2135 Location: Tiptree, Essex

off topic

Riley Blue · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1750 Location: Derbyshire

To return to the original question, it depends on your particular requirements, doesn't it? When I bought my first Riley I wanted technical help and spares, neither of which a local club could be expected to provide.

Since then (12 years ago) I've become so involved with the Riley Motor Club I don't have time to join a local club.