NEWS

Summer's lease

Published: September 1st, 2024

A drive through the English countryside at this time of year provides even the most casual of observers a glorious spectacle of trees dressed in all their finery and golden, freshly cropped wheat fields, replete with straw bales. On a late summer’s day, near the end of August, the light seems just right for showing off these sights. And yet there seems a contradiction, in that the last days of August are also the last days of summer. Everything is at its best, just as it is reaching its end. Summer's lease does indeed have all too short a date, as Shakespeare said.

I’m inclined to think that part of the reason that the summer months fly by so fast is due to the number of club activities that we pack into the short period of time between June and September. August, as always, has been busy. We started the month with the West Berks Classic Car show, which was covered in last month’s news update. Unusually, after the West Berks show, we had a couple of weeks free of club events, which gave us the opportunity to film and edit the next of our club car features. This time the spotlight is on Peter’s Reliant Scimitar GTE (SE6).

We hope to do several more of these short films over the next few weeks, as we continue to build our features page on the website at … https://www.whitehorse-cve.com/features

Wanborough’s Village and Country show, which takes place each year around the middle of August has become a bit of a fixture for us. We put on a great display of nine club cars, several of which were first time visitors to the event. Unfortunately, our member Paul was parked away from our pitch, as he was taking part in the arena parade, but it was great to have him at the event with us in his Plymouth Fury State Patrol Car. It was definitely one of the most unusual and popular exhibits at the show.  

Photos (above): White Horse CVE club cars on display at Wanborough.

Photos (above): Some of the other great exhibits at Wanborough.

As well as all the fantastic cars, scooters and motorcycles, there were steam engines, military vehicles, stalls, plus arena displays. It really is everything that you could want from a village show.

August’s club night was a little quieter than we have experienced in the last few months. This was probably due to some members being on holiday and perhaps partly because it was an extra busy club week, with Wanborough a few days before, and Shalbourne a few days after.  Even with only 19 members in attendance, there was still plenty of fun and laughter. It was particularly nice to see Mark back with us, in his fabulous Jaguar F-type. It might not have the age typically associated with a classic, but in our club it quite rightly qualifies as a “car of interest”, due to its incredible performance. It was also the first outing at a club night for George and Penny’s Land rover Defender.  Given that we evolved out of a Triumph TR club, albeit several years ago now, it’s unsurprising that owners of two-seater sports cars tend to gravitate to us, but one of the things that I think makes us a bit different as a club is the increasing diversity of our cars. I doubt that there are many club stands where you’ll find a rare Datsun 240C, alongside an E-type Jaguar, alongside a Series II Land rover, alongside a Caterham, alongside a 1970s Plymouth state patrol car. It’s brilliant. 

We rounded out a hectic week, with a club display of eight cars at the Shalbourne Classic Car Show. This event always boasts an array of unusual and interesting cars, several of which are rarely seen elsewhere. As is usual for us, we convoyed in, picking up members at various locations along the route. We often find that the convoy to an event can be as much fun as the event itself. 

Photos: A couple of club cars at Shalbourne that we do not see regularly at shows.

Photos (above): Just a small selection of the great cars on show at Shalbourne.

With summer drawing to an end, we wanted to see August out in style. All we needed was a warm, sunny day, and some willing (and even some unwilling) participants. We had aimed to do a punting trip on the Cherwell last year, following on from the success of the gliding and go-karting events, but time and warm days ran out. Weather is always a key factor with activities such as this, so we knew we would have to act fast when the forecast indicated that a perfect day would present itself. Fortunately, when it did, all those who had shown an interest in taking part, plus one who had pretty much said “under no circumstances are you going to get me out there on a punt” were available. Many car clubs offer their members non-car related activities, such as trips around country houses and museums, all of which are nice and we offer too, but we also like to arrange activities that members might not have thought of doing … we encourage trying something a bit out of the ordinary, even something that might be a bit outside the comfort zone. Thinking back to the eleven members that we got in the air gliding, I thought that a nice, relaxing couple of hours on the river might appeal, but it proved a harder sell than anticipated. Nevertheless, the six of us that did go, two of which had never been on a punt before and one who had not been out on one in around forty years, had a fantastic day. Special mention to Kathleen who braved it, despite some reservations.

Photos (above) credit: Kathleen. Messing about on the water.

Arriving early at the boathouse in order to be sure of a parking space, we had a brief conflab and decided that we would take two punts out. We could have all squeezed into one at a push, but it was far more comfortable and fun to take two. Thankfully, Dave had been once before, so he knew what to do and quickly picked up the technique again. Soon we were gliding down the Cherwell, past the beautifully manicured grounds of the University Parks, taking in all the sights and sounds of the river. It was great to see Joyce, who had never been punting before, perform the tricky manoeuvre of switching places with Dave to have a go. It didn’t take long to get the hang of it. 

After two hours on the river, we were all ready for lunch, so we headed for the Trout in Wolvercote, situated on the bank of the river Thames and famed for regular appearances in episodes of Inspector Morse. We got a good table outside, next to the wooden footbridge, where we enjoyed an excellent meal. Good food, good weather, and great company. A perfect day to round off summer. 

Poor behaviour at car shows and other matters of concern

As a club, the shows we visit are nearly always well managed and trouble free. In fact, it’s almost unheard of to encounter any difficulties, but earlier this year we experienced some poor behaviour at two events. Not from our members, of course, because we are an unassuming, refined, and well-mannered bunch (honest!), but from visitors and in one case a show marshal. I’ll not name the shows, because they are both excellent, and these issues were beyond the organiser’s control.

One of the advantages of attending shows together as a club is being able to look out for each other’s cars. This is important, because we have seen cases where a car’s owner has left it to look around the show and has then returned to find children and in some cases adults inside the car pressing buttons and flicking switches, potentially causing damage. We fully understand that our cars are attractive to youngsters and we aim to encourage their interest and passion for them, but the “adults” that are supposed to be responsible should understand that these cars are not playthings. One of our members experienced this recently, when he was not able to park his car as part of our club display. What was perhaps even more surprising was the reaction of the parent when confronted, who dismissed the concerns as a joke. Nine times out of ten, classic car owners are more than happy to discuss their cars and let anyone who is interested sit in them. All we ask is that people show us the courtesy of asking permission first.

Our next example of poor behaviour cropped up at a show where Jason had organised the pitch. It’s an event that we have participated in for many years and where we always arrange for a particular spot. As usual, the organiser was more than happy to accommodate us in this request but recommended that we arrive early to make sure that there were no difficulties getting the spot. On arrival, a good 45 minutes before most cars turned up, the display area was almost totally clear. Leading us in, Jason talked to the parking marshal and explained that we are a club with a pitch reserved in a particular area. For some reason that I still cannot fathom, the marshal took umbrage at this and demanded that we park in a row of cars that he had started to form, despite the area we had reserved being free and despite other clubs already parked next to the spot we had arranged. In the end, we felt it best not to argue and to park up where directed and then find the organiser to straighten things out, which Jason duly did. We could not have asked for a better response, as the organiser came straight over to where we were parked and explained to the marshal that we had an area set aside for us. Clearly unhappy with the organiser, the marshal argued for a minute or so and then walked off, leaving us to park up in the spot we had arranged. Just to be clear here, we have the utmost respect for marshals and the work they do. Some of our committee and members marshal at shows and understand what a difficult job it can be, and it’s not made any easier by people not following directions. In this particular case, we had tried to explain to the marshal that we’d been allocated a spot, but when he refused to listen, we followed his directions. After all, he might not have been informed beforehand about the plan, we do not know. His initial stance was not the issue, it was what came next. A few minutes after we’d reparked, the marshal came over to us from across the field and began arguing with Jason. As it looked to be getting a bit heated, I went over to try and calm the marshal. I said to him, “We are all parked up now, so there is no need to continue arguing over it. It’s all resolved and over and done with.” To which he replied, “This is not over and done with.” and then stormed off. It was all rather unnecessary, but thankfully it did not spoil a brilliant day.       

A worrying trend that we are hearing from classic car show organisers lately is that of scammers trying to charge potential exhibitors for what are free events. Where our club is concerned, we typically only attend those shows where it is free to display our cars, the only exception being the Castle Combe Autumn Classic, which is more about vintage racing than about a car show. And so our members hopefully all know that they'll not be charged for the shows we attend together. However, for those that are aiming to attend shows on an individual basis, please take extra care if asked to pay a charge to exhibit and check that the request for payment is genuinely from the event organisers. If in doubt, contact the show organiser using an email address displayed on the event’s website.

As many classic owners will be aware, there are some potentially worrying changes in the pipeline. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) plans to revamp the rules and regulations relating to classic cars and has issued a call for evidence (CFEs) to gather views. Two of the key organisations working on behalf of classic car owners, the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) and the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance (HCVA) have responded. You can read the HCVA’s response here . . .  https://www.hcva.co.uk/398/the-hcva-campaign/the-hcva-dvla-cfe-response

I think it is obvious to most owners that there is a push from some quarters to remove older vehicles from the roads, so whether the DVLA will properly consider and accept the views of classic owners and the organisations aiming to protect us is anyone’s guess. Let’s all hope that there’s no fudge at the chocolate factory. 

Summer, then, is officially at an end, but as we move into autumn there are still plenty of club events and activities to take part in. Next weekend we are putting on a display at a village fete local to club members Joyce and Dave and afterwards they have kindly offered to host a barbecue for members. And then at the end of the month we’ll be at the Castle Combe Autumn Classic. We might even be able to fit in another special activity, so watch this space.     

Truly magic

Published: August 5th, 2024

Those of us involved with the running of clubs like to think that we offer something of value. Clubs can be a platform on which to build friendships, they can provide member benefits and they can give a voice to members within the wider community, but it is rare to find a club that truly makes a difference to lives on a grand scale. Last summer I became aware of a club that really does make a difference to its members and I cannot praise its work highly enough. 

Founded in 1976, the Under 17 Car Club charitable trust offers members between the ages of 11 and 17 the opportunity to learn to drive within a safe, legal, and controlled environment. Its primary aim is to create drivers who by the time they reach the age of 17 already have a wealth of driving experience and abilities that go beyond what is required to pass the driving test. According to the club's own research, the accident rate of former students is at least seven times safer than that of their peers.

Following on from our initial contact with the club last year, we got together with two of the club's organisers earlier this year to discuss ways in which the White Horse CVE might be able to assist and to that end our members received a private invite to take part in the Under 17 Car Club's Magic Day event.  Magic Day offers the club's students the chance to drive a wide range of vehicles, including many vintage, classic and high performance cars. 

Seven of our members took part: Chris H in his Triumph TR6; Dave W in his Triumph GT6; Derek in his Triumph Stag; Jason in his Alfa Romeo;  Pete C in his MG TF; Simon D in his Jaguar E-Type and myself in my Caterham 7. I think it is fair to say that we all felt a little trepidation going into the event, but that was soon forgotten. It was explained that each young driver had reached a level of ability between five and one (one being the highest) and that we could either offer passenger rides or "drives" to which ever level we felt comfortable with. Most of us began by only offering passenger rides, but within less than half an hour nearly all of us were letting the students loose in our cars. On my first run out, I was lucky to have a passenger who understood how the racetrack was set up with cones to replicate a two way road and roundabouts. It all looked a bit confusing to me on first sight, so I was thankful to have a guide. Many of our members were soon allowing level three drivers to take the wheel of their car, but I was still being cautious after a couple of hours, mainly because the clutch on the Caterham can take a bit of getting used to. After a while I was approached by a student who asked if he would be able to drive the Caterham. He told me that he was a level one driver and seemed very confident, so without too much thought I agreed, while at the same time letting him know that he might find the clutch a bit tricky. I need not have worried because by the time we joined the track he had already mastered it. He got the hang of it much faster than I did when I first bought the car. Soon he was whipping us around the track at a good lick of speed and overtaking other cars where it was permitted to do so. He was clearly very relaxed, confident, and comfortable behind the wheel, as he chatted with me throughout the drive.  He told me that one of the things he liked about the club is the confidence it had given him in his daily activities and dealings with people. As we neared the end of the drive, I remarked "You must be getting close to taking your test aren't you?", assuming that he was nearly 17. "Oh no, I'm only 14", he replied. Each and every one of the students I took out exuded a confidence beyond their years and were incredibly polite. All our members remarked that they had found the same.

Those of us that took part felt privileged to have received an invite. I can only imagine the amount of time and effort the organisers must put into an event like this; to make it work so smoothly is quite a feat. And it was all organised in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust with around £8,000 raised and donated. We at the White Horse CVE helped by adding a donation of £200 to the money collected by the Under 17 Car Club. 

Each year we like to add a sprinkling of new shows to the club's calendar and this year we opted for the Grove Charity Car Truck and Bike Show, held in aid of the mental health charity, Oxfordshire Mind. There is always slightly more work involved with adding a new event because we cannot just replicate what we have done in the past and found successful. Thankfully, all went smoothly and we thank the organisers for making everything straight forward.

As we typically do, we arranged two pre-meet spots for members and then convoyed in together. There was a slight hiccup when we lost one car to a breakdown on route, but a switch to a second car meant that the member didn't miss out on the show and on the return drive he was even able to fix the car and get it home.   

Unlike many of the "classic car shows" that we attend, the focus of this event was equally on the trucks and motorcycles, which made for an interesting mix. There was also a higher proportion of modern classics, modified cars, and American cars than we would usually see at a show. All of which made for a fun day out.

Alongside the cars, trucks and motorcycles there was live music and other attractions for all the family. In fact there was so much going on, the organisers did an incredible job of fitting it all into what on first sight seemed quite a small area.  Here are just a few of the cars that caught my eye on the day . . .

It was particularly nice to have a catch up with club friend Graham and to take a look around his 1956 Chevy Bel Air Wagon, which he purchased in the early part of this year.

Well done again to the organisers for delivering a great event and for raising an amazing £6,130 for Oxfordshire Mind. 

From a brand new event in the club's calendar, we moved to one that we have supported ever since we formed the club in 2019. The West Oxon Steam and Vintage Show (or "Ducklington" as many of us still refer to it) always offers up an amazing collection of steam engines, classic cars, stationary engines, and motorcycles. Add into that mix, stalls, fairground rides, an autojumble, live entertainment and a beer tent, and right there you have the perfect recipe for a fantastic day out in my opinion. In fact, as a club, we enjoy the event so much that we put on a display of club cars across two days.      

This year the event moved to a new location, something which I am sure gave the organisers no end of sleepless nights and headaches. It's easy to replicate something that has worked well for many years, but when it comes to moving location and lot of extra work is required to make a smooth transition. Well done to all involved with keeping the show going and pulling off the move with great aplomb.

Of course, the reason that most people attend steam fairs is to see the steam engines. As time goes by, rules and regulations will probably make it even more difficult to keep these magnificent beasts going, which makes it more important than ever to take the opportunities to see them up close and to support the shows that give us those opportunities. 

Following on from the success of the June club night, run out and Indian meal, we were hoping for another great evening in July and we were not disappointed.  With 20 club cars and over 30 members and guests joining us, it was the best attended meet of the year to date. And not far short of our record for a club meet.  Along with our many long-standing members, it was great to properly welcome new members Chris, Peter and Simon to the club, and also to meet several prospective new members. We welcome Mary and Jan, along with Jasmin and Conor who have since joined.

It really was a great club meet, despite a bit of drama when a certain member (who shall remain nameless, because my life wouldn't be worth living otherwise!) forgot what she'd ordered and grabbed another member's meal. Poor old Alan was then left to struggle through a lasagne that he'd not ordered. To be fair, he did make a good job of it. 

One of the things that I've been keen to do for some time now is build a proper features page for the website where we can have member interviews and video reviews of their cars. We made a start with that a few years ago, but it's always been difficult to find a day when the weather is suitable and when both the club member and I have several hours free to make a short film. 

Such a day presented itself just recently and so Jason and I got together. It was quite heavy going because of the high temperatures, but we managed to produce something that isn't too rough around the ages. Still, there is plenty of room for improvement, so if you'd like to be interviewed and a have a film made of your car, then please let me know. I already have a couple more lined up.

Moving into August, we put on a club display at the West Berks Classic Car show, which is another event that we are a long-term supporter of. With hundreds of cars on display, plus lots of autojumble stalls, it's an interesting event. Unfortunately, for one reason or another we had a low turn out of club cars this year, but it was made up for with great company and lots of amusing chat. It got quite silly at times, which is not like us at all. Along with our stalwarts on the stand, it was lovely to be joined by new members Jasmin and Conor with their Ford Capri and prospective members Tom and Ian with their Triumph TR6.  

Along with our own great club cars, several others caught my eye. Here are just a few of those.

One of the most gratifying things about the club, I think, is being able to plough some of our funds into supporting various charities. This year we have already donated more as a club than ever before. With the £200 to the Teenage Cancer Trust via the Under 17 Car Club and £100 to Thames Valley Air Ambulance via the Yattendon Classic Car Day (part of an excellent total of £4448 raised), and £150 to Julia's House via Peter C's fund raiser, we have donated a total of £450 this year. All this is made possible by our member subscriptions and their raffle donations/ticket purchases. Thank you on behalf of the club and all of the charities that have benefited.   

It's been another busy few weeks for the club and we still have a lot of events coming up before the show season starts to wind down at around the start of October. That's not too far off now, so let's continue to make the best of these warm days while we can.

Lending a hand

Published: July 1st, 2024

If the old saying “There’s no rest for the wicked” has any truth to it, then we of the White Horse must be a bad bunch indeed, because June has been non-stop with club activities. Sit back then, forget about election fever, forget about football fever, and delve into a lengthy recap of what we have done over the last thirty days.

May had been an unseasonably chilly and wet month so as we entered June we all hoped for better weather, especially as three of our members were about to embark on the London to Brighton Classic Car Run on June 2nd. Sadly, club member Chris didn’t make it on the day, but Jason in his Triumph TR6, with his navigator Jess, and Pete in his Reliant Scimitar, with his navigator Colin, took part and completed the approximately 80-mile drive without any hiccups. Congratulations to both. And well done to Pete for raising in excess of £1000 for the children’s hospice, Julia’s House. We were pleased to support Pete in that by making a club contribution to the fund raiser.

Our first club event of June was the Faringdon Festival of Transport on the 9th. As this is a local event for many of our members we got a good showing of nine cars. It did, however, feel like a bit of a throwback to our earlier days, when we were a Triumph TR only club, as six of our cars on display were TRs. That is unusual for us these days. I could have made it seven if I’d have brought my TR5, but I was in Caterham instead. We also had Dave in his Ford Fiesta MK1 and Joyce and Dave in their Triumph GT6 rounding out an excellent display. 

Part of our raison d'etre as a club is to lend a hand where possible, by getting involved in community and charity events or just helping out with requests from friends. We were therefore pleased to receive an invite from Jason’s friend Ian, owner of Marlborough Classics, to put on a display of club vehicles on the day of his wedding. Club members Chris, Dave, Ian, Jason and Simon helped by taking their cars along to display and to chauffeur bridesmaids. 

Our congratulations to the happy couple, Sarah and Ian.

Despite the rather unhappy thought of missing out on a glass of champagne at the wedding, I was looking forward to a quiet weekend of catching up with some gardening. We had received a request from a care home in Wantage some weeks earlier asking if we could put on a small display of four or five club cars for a Father’s Day event they were holding on the 16th. Normally we would jump at the chance to help with such an event, but knowing how many club activities we had stacked up in June and being aware that many of our members would be with their families on Father’s Day, I suggested to the organisers that they approach members of some local informal meet groups. They did receive a few positive responses from that, however, on the day before the event, three of the cars pulled out. I had said to the care home event organiser that if they got really stuck to contact us again and they did just that. I said I’d go along (it didn’t take much persuasion to get me out of gardening) and then put out the call to members to help if they could. Thankfully, club members Chris, Caroline and Derek, and Simon came to the rescue. It was lovely to meet some of the residents and their families and to put on a display for them. What was particularly nice was hearing that a resident who had not stepped foot outside of his room in over a year came out to see the cars. It just goes to show how cars can play an important and emotive role in our lives; something that all our club members know very well. 

For a while now we’ve been thinking about ways in which we can “spice up” our monthly club meets by doing something a bit different to the traditional get together. Finding an alternative is always easier in the summer months when we have lighter evenings, so as we approached the summer solstice an idea presented itself. We would find a great location for an early evening gathering of members and then from there set off on a thirty-minute drive through the country lanes of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, finishing up with a meal at an Indian restaurant. It was important to have the three different elements to the evening, as we knew that not everyone would make the early pre-meet and not everyone would enjoy an Indian meal. Judging by the number of members who came along, I think the idea went down well. Sixteen club cars and twenty-seven club members and friends took part. Everything went pretty much to plan; we headed off from the pre-meet location on time and made good progress. I’d checked the traffic map beforehand to make certain we wouldn’t be slowed by road works. It was clear and we didn’t even encounter horses or cyclists, which was unusual on the roads we covered. Unfortunately, I had missed one thing in the planning. As we headed west towards the Indian restaurant (ironically), we were directly in the path of the setting sun. At one point we had to almost come to a complete stop because it was so bright. Nevertheless, we arrived for our meal on time and it was enjoyed by all. Given the success of the evening, we now need to come up with some other ideas to inspire members. 

And now for something completely silly ...

Completing a busy week of club activities, we rounded off with a visit to the WittStock music festival on June 23rd. This was a new event for us and we didn’t know quite what to expect. It turned out that along with a small number of cars from the local area, our club cars were the only ones invited, but the lack of cars was made up for by some excellent live music, a good beer tent, nice weather, and great company. It turned out to be a lovely, relaxing day.  And we saved on the £8 admission charge; for two tickets, that’s more than half our joint subscription fee! It can’t be bad. 

When the club received a request for help from the British Army a couple of weeks back, the Household Cavalry no less, we were quick to rally the troops, because when King and Country calls, there is no way that the White Horse regiment is going to be found wanting. Our orders: come along to our Alice in Wonderland Victorian tea party with some unusual cars, preferably in fancy dress costume.  There was the possibility of a slight problem, because there was only room for four or five cars, so we were prepared to draw straws for the spots if we had a lot of interest. As it was, only six of us came forward in four cars, so it worked out well. I was certainly pleased to get a spot as I love a chance to put on a daft outfit. I’ve always taken such silliness extremely seriously. I’d heard in advance what Jason and Peter would be wearing, but Rachel and Mike kept their outfits a mystery until I saw them on the evening of the event. All Mike would say beforehand was, “it’s all in the best possible taste”, which had me somewhat worried. And that’s how on a swelteringly hot summer’s evening at the end of June, Peter dressed as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (he couldn’t persuade either Jason or I to go as Dum!), Jason dressed as the March Hare, Mike dressed as the Mad Hatter, Tina dressed as a Victorian lady, and myself dressed as the Hatter before he went mad, came to spend a couple of hours in the company of the cavalry. You may have noticed that I’ve missed Rachel from that list of members taking part and that’s because special mention is required. Rachel came along in a full body furry cat outfit; it was brilliant. My abiding memory of the evening will be seeing Rachel in my rear-view mirror, behind the wheel of the Daimler Dart, as we hurried along the roads of Wiltshire. Words do not do the costume justice, so here are the photos.

On the very next day, we closed out June with a trip to one of the shows we’ve always supported as a club, the Yattendon Classic Car Day. I make no secret of the fact that I'm a big fan of this event. For a pure, out and out car show, I think it's excellent. It's free for exhibitors, the organisation is superb, and it's in aid of a great cause, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. One could easily pay £20+ to exhibit at a car show these days and not see such a varied collection of fine vehicles as were on display at Yattendon. Our members came out in force with twelve club cars. 

Alongside our own great collection of club cars, several non-member cars caught my eye. Here are a few of those.

June has been a busy and fun month but also a month of great sadness. On June 13th, club members Kate and Chris, Chris, Jason and myself attended our friend and fellow member Colin’s funeral to pay our respects and say our goodbyes. Everything I’d ever thought about Colin was confirmed as I listened to the eulogies. He was a warm, kind, clever, and generous man … a true gentleman.  Our thoughts remain with Lisa and Colin’s family, as they also do with other of our friends who are dealing with loss at this time.

Ahead into July, the events continue to come thick and fast. Please keep an eye on our Events page to see what is coming up. 

Clubs

Published: May 27th, 2024

Clubs are funny things. They unite people around a particular passion who might not otherwise have met and formed friendships. In our own case, we are drawn together around our love of classic vehicles and it is that that creates the bonds we make with fellow club members, but often that is only the catalyst for much more. In small clubs like ours, where many of us spend more time in each other’s company than we do with family members, it’s hardly surprising that we are a tight-knit bunch that often help and support each other with more than just the cars. For me, that is the most important function of our club. It is what makes it all worthwhile. And that is why the loss of a club friend is always hard to swallow. 

Colin and Lisa joined the club in October 2021 with their red Morgan, known as “Millie”, but due to a serious health condition, Colin was sadly not able to attend many of the club events that he would have liked to.

I could see that Colin was struggling with pain when he came along for the gliding experience last year, yet he battled on and in his typical fashion understated how difficult he found it. 

Outside of the club, I was fortunate and privileged to have spent time in Colin’s company on several occasions when he would meet up with my fellow committee member Chris. It was always wonderful to see Colin and Chris together, as they had a great friendship, evident from the humorous banter the pair would engage in. There was always laughter. Colin was aware that the prognosis for his condition was not good but he was stoic in the face of it and made every effort to enjoy life the best he could. Above all, I will remember him as a warm-hearted man, with a generous spirit, who always had something interesting to say. He’ll be greatly missed. Our condolences to Lisa and Colin’s family.

Colin’s funeral is on Thursday 13th June at 11am. Lisa has extended an invite to all club members who would like to attend and has said it would be lovely to see us out in the classics. Kate, Chris D, Chris H, Jason and I will be there. If you wish to be too, please email me info@whitehorse-cve.com to confirm. 

May’s club activities kicked off as they usually do with a visit to the Carterton May Day fair. Held in aid of Save the Children, the event offers a number of attractions, a car boot sale, and a small number of classic vehicles on display. For this year, we asked the organisers if we could have a different location for our club pitch and they kindly obliged. Our reasoning for this was that in previous years we found that visitors to the event were walking between the cars to get to other attractions and unfortunately this had the potential for causing damage to the cars. We now have a new location at the back of the recreation ground up against a hedge and we found this to be much better. 

As is typical of early May, the weather was changeable on the day of the event. It started out wet, but improved slightly as the day went on, at least to the point where the rain wasn’t continuous. We displayed seven cars, which was somewhat less than in previous years due to the poor weather forecast. Well done to all of those that did brave it. 

Part of our remit as a club is to support charities. We often help financially, as we did earlier this month with a donation of £150 to Julia’s House Children’s hospice (https://www.juliashouse.org) via club member Pete C’s fund raiser, but where possible we like to be a bit more involved, by offering to put on a private display of club cars.  We did just that on Sunday 19th May for the TWIGS Community Garden (part of the Recovery Tree Charity), an organisation that supports people who experience mental health problems.

See:  https://www.therecoverytreecharity.org.uk/twigs-community-gardens

It all came about after club member Chris H suggested that we find a way to assist TWIGS with its National Garden Scheme Open garden event and it was great to see so many members come out in support of it. Among the ten club cars on display we had the first showing at a club event of Paul’s recently acquired 1977 Plymouth Fury State Trooper Patrol car. If you watch the film (below), you’ll see that it certainly gave some visitors to the event a bit of a start; the delayed reaction of the poor chap standing near Paul’s car when he switches the siren on is priceless. 

Along with our display of cars, Chris kindly organised for the Ukey Dukes ukulele rock band to play throughout the event, all at his own expense. It made for a fantastic party atmosphere, although I was disappointed that the band didn’t play “When I’m cleaning windows”. Even the weather played ball.

Our hosts at TWIGS have said that our cars and the band proved to be great attractions and brought in more visitors than they’d normally expect and that this has helped them raise in excess of £1200.

Alan at TWIGS, via Chris, has asked me to pass on his thanks to all our members that took part . . . so thank you! 

We are always pleased to receive invites from other clubs to participate in their events, so we were happy to be contacted by Matt of the Austin Ten Drivers club back in February asking if we’d like to support a meet they would be hosting at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum. In part, the aim of the gathering was to get some younger people along and hopefully provoke more interest among them in our older cars. I think Matt was concerned that he might not get a good number of Austins attending and that worry must have been heightened when he saw the weather forecast for the day of the event. No doubt that made it all the more pleasing for Matt to see a good turn out of eleven Austins, alongside several cars from an MG club, and a few others.

Photos: Some if the magnificent Austins on display. 

We did our bit with a display of seven cars. Unfortunately, this was a lot less than the fourteen that we had originally lined up. Sadly, some members had to pull out due to ill health, others had family commitments to attend to, and some were understandably put off by the weather forecast. As it was, the weather didn’t turn out to be as poor as expected. It was one of those “four seasons in one day” type of days, when one moment it was quite hot and the next it was chilly and plagued with heavy downpours of rain. Despite a sky that was brooding for most of the morning, the predicted hail and thunderstorms did not materialise. Matt told me that they’d had the worst of the rain the night before, when he camped in the event field.

Aside from being able to assist the Austin Ten club in putting on a good display, the event was also an opportunity for me to visit the Atwell-Wilson Museum for the first time, which I’m told has undergone a lot of improvements in the last couple of years. Although it’s not on the same scale as Beulieu or Gaydon, the museum has a lot of interesting exhibits and it’s all well set out. That’s important to me, because I tend to find museums with large, cluttered displays quite overwhelming at times. 

After lunch, the sky started to look a little more ominous so we packed up and headed home. I think our timing was just about right because the weather on the way back turned a bit squally and as I arrived home I could hear the first rumbles of thunder. Matt had told me that his drive from Wales to Calne in his Austin had taken nearly three hours, all on B-roads, so I hoped his journey home wouldn’t be hampered by the weather. Thankfully, I heard from Matt later to say that his trip home went well. He also asked me to pass on his thanks to our members for supporting the event. 

Website development: Members who visit the website regularly might have noticed a slight change to the layout. With the volume of activities we now do as a club, the news section has grown quite large, which meant that for some visitors to the site, the page could take a long time to fully load. For that reason, I am now archiving news every two years. Archived news is still easily accessed by using the drop down box on the news button at the top of the page. 

With May nearly at an end, we look towards what we have planned for June.  

It’s not a club event as such, but we have three of our members taking part in the London-Brighton Classic Car Run, Chris in his TR6, Jason in his TR6, and Pete in his Scimitar. We wish them all good luck and a safe and enjoyable journey.

On June 9th, the club is listed to attend the Faringdon Festival of Transport.  At present, not too many members are showing an interest in attending this one, so unless we get some more interest we might pull it as a club event. Members can still attend on an individual basis as no pre-booking is required.

June 19th is club night and we are thinking of shaking things up a bit by incorporating a road run. Details to be announced soon.

On June 22nd, we’ll be at Wittstock.

We round out June with a display at the Yattendon Classic Vehicle event on the 30th.

Alongside all this, we looking to slot in a few special events, so keep an eye out for those. We have a busy few months ahead, but they’ll soon fly by and before we know it it’ll be winter again. Let’s make hay while the sun shines.   And don’t forget … clubs are funny things! 

All about the drive

Published: April 28th, 2024

April’s club meet was our first at the new summer venue and as usual it included our AGM, which took all of five minutes to complete this year. We’ll distribute the minutes in the next few days and also post them to the members' area of the website, but in the meantime we can confirm that the minutes of the 2023 AGM and the accounts were approved unanimously by all who voted and that all committee members who stood for re-election were voted in. 

Unlike the small financial loss the club made last year, we did add to our funds over the last 12 months, so we are now looking at options for charity donations and subsidising club events in order to use up those funds. In the last financial year, we as a club donated £255.00 to charities and subsidised club events to the tune of £509.40. Our thanks to club treasurer Kate for keeping a track of everything and preparing the accounts. As is often the case in April it seems, it was quite a low turnout of members, with only 22 attending. Perhaps a few members have holidays at this time of year, or maybe not everyone fancies sitting through the AGM.

After a lot of planning, the morning of Drive-it-day on April 21st finally arrived and we were all relieved to be greeted by a dry and sunny day, made all the more beautiful by the fact that most of April has been blighted by days of persistent rain and chilly temperatures. We have been lucky as a club in that since our inception five years ago (celebrated earlier this month) we have never had a Drive-it-Day rained off. For us, Drive-it-Day really is all about the drive and having fun; it is an informal gathering of club members who can choose to drive a suggested route together or make their own way to a suggested destination if they wish. It is kept deliberately informal so as not to contravene any legislation that applies to activities taking part on public highways.

Most of our club members are located close to the borders between Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire, giving us easy access to areas of outstanding natural beauty, charming chocolate-box villages, rolling hills, prehistoric monuments, and ancient woodlands. Given that we are spoilt for choice, it is never easy to decide where our Drive-it-Day will take us, but this year we opted to weave our way through the glorious Cotswolds. Committee members Pat and Tony provided a suggested route of about 80 miles that offered up a great combination of roads to challenge our cars and our driving skills. Our aim was to start out just after 10am from Ye Olde Swan’s island car park in Radcot. Club member Sinclair provided a bit of history that I was unaware of, when he explained that Radcot Bridge is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge across the Thames, having been built around 1200 AD, Furthermore, the original bridge is still largely intact. 

I always try to get to the meet point a little earlier than everyone else so I can greet members as they arrive, but to my surprise half a dozen cars were already in place when I rolled in at about 9.40am. And before long, we had 14 club and guest cars all raring to go. We are not called “enthusiasts” without good reason! 

A club run wouldn't feel right without a slight bit of drama. And when it comes to drama, the club's TRs can usually be counted on to supply it. This year Jason's TR6, fresh from an engine rebuild, provided the action when its battery failed completely just before we were about to set off. Jump cables did the trick and got Jason to the first stop. They were then needed again for Jason to get home, which he managed without letting the engine cut out at any point. New battery, supplied by Lucas "the Prince of Darkness", now installed.   

As we know from past experiences, convoying a large number of cars is not simple, so we always suggest that members go in small groups of no more than five cars. We also recommend that members group according to the sort of pace they like to travel at. Having never done it before, club member Kathleen was a little unsure about leading a group out, but with fellow club member Alan alongside in the role of navigator, both did a fantastic job. Our thanks to them for stepping in to help. Ten minutes or so later, Pat and Tony led out the second group, and the third group set off another ten minutes after that.   

With blossom on the trees highlighted under blue skies in bright sunshine the Cotswolds were stunning. Alan pointed out later that to live in the Cotswold villages we passed through requires deep pockets. For example, the average house price in Oddington, one of the villages we passed near to, is currently £985,834. Despite many of these properties being out of reach for the majority of us, most of our cars looked very at home with them as a backdrop. I just hope that we didn’t disturb the sleepy atmosphere too much as we burbled our way along.   

Halfway through the day, we stopped at Ye Olde Hobnails for an excellent lunch, as recommended by Pat and Tony. Surprisingly, despite the three groups setting off from the start at ten-minute intervals and despite each taking slightly different routes, some by accident and some by design, we all arrived within about 5 minutes of each other. Well, I say “all”, but we did lose one car along the way, following a slight excursion in search of a convenience. Thankfully, although they did not make it for lunch, we are pleased that they did make it home safely.

Following lunch, some members headed home or on to other local points of interest, while others of us carried on with the second part of the day and headed for The Cheques in Brize Norton for refreshments. It was an excellent day all round.   

In praise of the Lotus / Caterham Seven - a remarkable little car

Ever since I bought my Caterham Seven back in 2021 I’ve been conscious that it’s not a natural stable mate to many of our club cars. It lacks the elegant lines evident in a lot of classics, it’s impractical, it offers little protection against the elements, it can prove a struggle to get in and out of, and it can be a handful on wet and icy roads if not treated with respect. Indeed, when it comes to our annual “Club car you would most like to take home” competition, it never receives a single vote.

Members have described it variously over the years, with names such as “the skateboard on steroids”, “the slipper”, “the coffin” and even “the condom” (although I think that last description is more pointed at me as the driver). We like a bit of banter! When most people think of the Seven, they tend to think "track day toy", especially when it comes to the newer, more powerful Caterhams. And of course, they are pretty much perfect for that, which makes it easy to forget that there is another side to them ... the side that harks back to the cross-country trials that Colin Chapman's early cars were designed for. As we wound our way along the narrow, twisty and in some places rough roads that we encountered on Drive it Day this year, that trials heritage stood out. This little, well sprung, lightweight car really came into its own.  In comparison to how my TR5 would have performed on those roads, where in places it would have loosened some of my fillings, the Seven was nimble over the bumps and potholes and squeezed past oncoming cars with ease. On roads where high speeds can not be attained, braking is rarely necessary, as the car goes around bends and corners as if it is on rails. It was a joy to drive on the day. 

Now that the club’s spring activities are well underway, we turn our attention to what we have coming up in May. We kick off on May 6th, a Monday bank holiday, with a club display at the Carterton May Day Fair and car boot sale, held in aid of Save the Children. This is always a nice, relaxed event, with things other than cars to look at and do. This year we have a pitch for up to 12 cars. Next up, on May 19th, we are putting on a private display of club cars at the Twigs Community Garden (part of the Recovery Tree Charity). Twigs is a resource that gives people who experience mental health problems the chance to regain confidence and self-esteem and to learn new skills.

See: https://www.therecoverytreecharity.org.uk/twigs-community-gardens

And then we round out May with the Austin Ten Drivers Club invite to display with them at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum on May 26th. Providing we can find a suitable slot, we also hope to organise a special club activity between May and mid-June.   

For details of what we have lined up so far for June and the rest of the year, please visit our events page . . . https://www.whitehorse-cve.com/events

Onwards into May then, when we look forward to better weather and lots of great days out taking part in club activities. 

A buzz of excitement

Published: March 17th, 2024

Classic car ownership is, for many of us at least, a yearly cycle of … prepare, use, maintain, use, fix and store.  Of course, there are some rare individuals that will use their classics whatever the season and whatever the weather, but these tend to be people with cars that have good heating systems and the luxury of a “proper” roof. It’s not just cold and wet weather that can put classic owners off driving through the winter, it’s also the risk of the dreaded tin worm. Owners of aluminium or fibre glass bodied cars are less at risk, but for the rest of us it is a real concern, so avoiding salted roads whenever possible is a good option.

Compared with newer cars, even those of up to around 25 years old, where the occupants are cosseted within, classic and sports cars offer a direct, visceral experience of the environment and the elements. It’s an experience that I think for many classic owners, especially those with leaky convertibles, is intimately linked with the weather and the seasons. And it is for this reason that spring brings with it an extra buzz of excitement. I sense it when I talk with fellow club members; cars are coming out, engines are being fettled, parts are being cleaned, checks are being made, and services are being done. The "prepare" phase of the yearly cycle is well under way in readiness for the warmer days and lighter evenings that April brings with it.

One of the things I really enjoy about my chats with club members is hearing about differing life experiences and interests. In such discussions, hidden talents often come to light.  Earlier this month I was struck by something written by our member Alan on his Facebook page. It captures nicely that period that falls between the end of winter and the full blossoming of spring.

"Sunlight at 7am, as the mornings draw out towards the promise of spring, and it stops raining for a bit. The Vale is sodden, under the drip dry downs. Sunrise pegs the crest, marching back to the east. So much water that the damp infests the low air, getting into everything that is not artificially warmed. The cattle fields tuft above the general level, steaming, a little like islands off the beach from the foot of my house. Freezing fog fills the valley of the Ock, between the downs, and my position on the gentle up-sweep of the Golden Ridge. Already warming in the weak sunshine, before the deep edge of the downs knows it is daytime. They will be sleeping in an hour extra this Sunday morning, unless they have reason to be up, and praise a better day. Called by muffled bells of Saxon towers. The reflected light gives a glow to the place, The sky pale as a result looks colder than it is, unless you are under that clingy blanket"

Alan Hitchcock

March 2024

For the club’s committee, February and March is a time of planning and preparation of club activities for the year ahead. We have now pinned down a list of the shows that we aim to attend as a club (see Events page) and we also have ideas for a host of non-show events and charity displays. Our first major club event of the year is almost always Drive-it-Day and this year is no exception. Committee members Pat and Tony have been busy planning a route of about 80 miles which takes us on a scenic tour of the Cotswolds, with a pub lunch along the way. A suggested route, along with meeting points and timings will be distributed to all members soon.  If you wish to purchase a Drive-it-Day rally plate in support of Childline, you can do so using this link:  https://www.driveitday.co.uk/shop

Drive-it-Day is always a popular event in the classic car owners' calendar and we as a club try our best to lay on a bit of an adventure, with varied road types to navigate. It might be that the successes we have had with this in previous years has got out, because last week we were contacted by the local branch of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, who have members that are looking for an activity on Drive-it-Day and have asked if they can join in with us. For the moment, I have said that it will depend on the number of our members taking part, because we have to make sure there is room at the pub for all of us to eat, but if we can accommodate a few JEC members we will try to.

Following Drive-it-Day, our second charity event this year is likely to be at the Twigs Community Garden (part of the Recovery Tree Charity). Twigs is a resource that gives people who experience mental health problems the chance to regain confidence and self-esteem and to learn new skills. See: https://www.therecoverytreecharity.org.uk/twigs-community-gardens

We’ll put on a private display of club cars at Twigs in Swindon, with the aim of raising awareness and funds for the project. More details will be distributed to members shortly. 

Along with our April club meet, when we will be at our new location, The Royal Oak, we’ll also be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM). All members should have now received full notification of the AGM by email.

If you are an official club member and have not received this notification, then please request it from us.     

That buzz of excitement that I mentioned earlier is perhaps most evident in club member Paul at the moment, as he continues to prepare his newly acquired 1978, 7.2 litre, Plymouth Fury 'Tennessee Highway Patrol' car.

Despite the car’s “Tennessee” livery, it is actually a former North Carolina Highway patrol car that was repainted to emulate a Tennessee State Trooper patrol car by an ex-Tennessee police officer around 12 years ago. It's an A38, E86 car. For those not in the know, like me, Paul says that the A38 Handling Package (also known as a Police Pursuit Package) provided the car with beefed up torsion bars, anti-sway bars, a reinforced frame, Dana 60 rear end, and front disc brakes. And E86 package cars came with the potent Chrysler 440 V-8, engine oil cooler, power steering oil cooler, and transmission oil cooler. 

Since importing the car from Poland back in January, as covered in our February news, much work has been done on it. This included work on the battery tray and boot interior (plus around the boot seal) due to corrosion. A lot of parts required replacement:

New battery

4 new tyres

New cover for lightbar

New steering pump

New power steering pump pulley steering box

New power steering hose

New gaskets

New radiator hoses

New filters

New drive belts

New differential pinion seal

New front brake callipers and front brake pads

New rear brake shoes

New exhaust manifolds and gaskets

New spark plugs and leads

New rear taillight lenses

New marker lenses

New ECM module

New distributor

New wiper link bushes

New wiper blades

New carburettor and fitting kit

New front and rear shocks

New upper and lower ball joints, and track rod ends

Wheel alignment

Raptor paint for chassis and inner trunk

Paul, the master of understatement it seems to me, says “It needed quite a bit more work than I was expecting”.  He adds, “The most difficult to install was the steering box due to space issues and wiper linkage bushes. The hood had to be removed and wiper linkage removed so the bushes could be pressed in”.

Paul added a “AID 313” decal on the rear panel after seeing some old photos of Tennessee State Trooper patrol cars. Various police districts around Tennessee had patrol cars marked as "AID" vehicles. "AID" stands for, "Aid to Interstate Drivers". The 1st number is the district 3 for Nashville, the 2nd & 3rd numbers being car identification, Paul says. 

All photos courtesy of Paul.

Future work will include weatherstripping for windows and door felts. And the transmission will have to be removed to cure a small oil leak from the camshaft. More work on the suspension will also be required in due course. 

I dread to think how many miles per gallon that 7.2 litre engine will drink; perhaps I should be talking in terms of how many gallons per mile!

All I can say is that Paul must be a glutton for punishment because he also has a new addition to the family, the aptly named, Trooper.

I wonder which will prove the more expensive each year.

Something I know that all our members are keen to encourage is younger people taking an interest in classic cars, and so I was pleased to receive an email last week from a school in Banbury that has a pupil looking for work experience restoring classic cars. I explained that we as a club cannot offer any such work, but I pointed the school in the direction of Bicester Heritage in the hope that they will be able to help. If any of our members know of firms near Banbury that focus on classic car repairs or restoration and might be able to offer work experience, then please let me know and I'll pass that information on too.

White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts: AGM 2024

Published: March 3rd, 2024

We hereby give notice that the White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts’ 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Wednesday April 17th 2024 from 8.30pm at Helen Browning's Royal Oak, Cues Ln, Bishopstone, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 8PP.

Details will be sent to our members shortly and will also be available on the Members' page of this website.

Not long now

Published: February 2nd, 2024

Despite the recent storms and floods, it is starting to feel like we are not too far off spring now. And the sooner it arrives the better, as far as I'm concerned. January and February are quiet months when it comes to the classic car scene, but at least the lack of activity gives us a break and allows us to plan the club year ahead.

We always start the planning process by collating a list of all the events we can find that are taking place in and around our area (see Events page). At the same time, we ask members if they have any preferences about what they'd like to do with the club in the year ahead. Then, committee members gather together to work out a provisional plan. It's not always straight forward to do this, because several factors guide our decisions. Firstly, we take into account feedback from members. We prioritise those events that members have asked us if we can display at. Our next consideration is whether or not we think we can get the numbers to make up a good display that warrants a club pitch. It is only really worthwhile organising a pitch if we can get at least six cars on it. This is why it helps us if members can let us know if they are interested as early as possible. We do appreciate that that is not always easy. Next, we have to be certain that at least three committee members are available for the show and can commit to being there. For any club organised event, committee members have to attend. We aim to always have three attending, just in case any committee member has to drop out due to unforeseen circumstances. And lastly, we look at the timing of events and their location. Given that we now have members that are quite far to the east and the south of our central area, we want to make sure we do some events that are more local for them.    

Our activities will break down into three broad categories, as follows . . . 

Regular club nights: We will have these as usual on the third Wednesday of each month.

Shows: As always, there are many to choose from and we might add or remove some along the way, depending on if we think we'll get the numbers to make a pitch worthwhile. Some are events that we have supported before, whereas a few are new for this year. Here then is the list: 

Carterton May Fair - May 6th

Austin Ten Drivers Club invite show at Atwell-Wilson Museum - May 26th

Faringdon Festival of Transport - June 9th

Yattendon - June 30th

Grove Charity Car, Truck and Bike Show - July 13th

West Oxon Steam and Vintage Show - July 20th - 21st

West Berks Classic Car Show - August 4th

Wanborough Country Show - August 17th

Shalbourne, August 25th

Collingbourne Ducis Church fete & Village Show / Tri-village tournament (includes Classic Car Show) - September 7th

Castle Combe Autumn Classic - September 22nd

Special Events: After the success last year of the special events that we laid on, we are aiming to do more again this year. Our difficulty, as always, is working out when we can fit these in. 

Drive it Day, April 21st.  Tony M is putting together a route for us that will take in some of the beautiful Cotswold scenery. Details will be announced soon. It'll be 80-100 miles, with a meal along the way.

Charity Event - We are currently in discussions with Julia's House Children's Hospice about how we might be able to assist them with a fund raising event. Next week we are having a meet with them to discuss possible options.  

Punting and lunch by the river - Aiming for mid April to mid-May for this. We don't need to book this far in advance, so we can do it at the drop of a hat when we can get members together and it looks like decent weather. 

Atwell-Wilson Museum, May 26th. For those wishing to visit the museum, it can be combined with the show we have been invited to attend by the Austin Ten Drivers Club. We'll take a scenic run there, too.  

Something for the wild bunch - After the go-karting and gliding last year, we want to lay on something exhilarating again. Ideas so far include: Archery, Axe throwing, Blind driving, Clay shooting, Hovercrafting, Rage buggies, etc. A decision on what we do will be based on member feedback.

Summer Party - Details to be announced, but as usual there will be an overnight stay, food, drink and dancing. This will also be to celebrate five years since we formed the club.

Christmas meal and celebrations in early December.

I'm keen to revive the idea of doing club car features. We discussed this last year, but time ran out. I still have a list of those that expressed an interest in this, so I will be in touch. If anyone else wishes to take part, then please let us know.

Don't forget, you can keep up to date on all our activities by visiting our Events page

We have tried to put forward a varied selection of activities in the hope that members will find at least some to be appealing.  If there is something that you'd like the club to do that is not on the list, then please let us know. If we can get enough interest from members for it and we can fit it in then we'll try our best to make it happen. 

Each year we get busier as a club and the work load increases. If any member/members would like to assist with event organisation, then please get in touch and we can discuss.

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Other news:

It's always exciting when we get a new car in the club and when it comes to our member Paul we never have to wait too long. I've lost count of the number of cars Paul has had in the three years I've known him. Is it 6 or 7! With his latest acquisition, Paul has really outdone himself. He's only gone a got a 1978 Plymouth Fury 'Tennessee Highway Patrol' car.

It's currently undergoing some work, but we are hopeful of seeing out at shows with us in the very near future. I can see it being a great draw for the crowds.

That's all for now. We have a great year planned ahead of us, so let's get out and enjoy it.

Times gone by and times to come

Published: December 23rd, 2023

‘Twas the night before Christmas! Well, not quite, as there are still a couple of days for final preparations to be completed, so don’t panic, not just yet anyway! For me, the best news of the season is that we have now cleared the winter solstice and soon we’ll be seeing lighter evenings again. I always long for those first few signs of spring. 

It has been another incredibly busy year for the club and in many respects a very successful one, although it has not been without its difficulties. Towards the end of last year, members began to ask if we could add some non-car related events to our calendar, so back in January the committee gathered together to discuss what might be possible. We know a lot of clubs that offer various events that are somewhat sedate in nature, but recognising what a wild bunch we have among our ranks, we wanted to add a few that might prove a bit of a challenge. Our aim was not to to cut the more traditional car club activities, such as shows and museum visits, but rather to fit extra activities around them, which is what I think we have succeeded in doing. By my reckoning, as a club we have done . . . ten classic car shows; eleven regular club nights; a Drive it day run/meal; a visit to the Haynes Museum; a gliding experience; a go-karting experience/race; two charity/community events (Moredon School and Richmond Retirement/Care Home); a club BBQ; a visit to the Classic Motor Hub; a trip to Le Mans (not an official club event, but arranged by club member Peter and open to all members); a visit to a race horse trainer’s stable; and a Christmas meal/celebration. In total, that is 32 events, which for a smallish club like ours is pretty good going. It’s always our aim to encourage members to get out and about in their classics and I think we have achieved that again this year. We would have done even more, but time and good weather ran out.

It was a sad start to the year, when we heard the news in March that our club mate and friend Eric had passed away suddenly. Eric had not been with the club for very long, but he threw himself into club activities with great enthusiasm, which made all of us who knew him through the club feel that he had been with us for years. What has been nice is seeing Eric’s wife Kathleen continue Eric’s support for the club by bringing along his rare Datsun 240c to many of the events we have attended this year. We know that Eric would like that.

As is typical, the year started slowly for most members. A few of us ventured out all through the winter, but things tend to be quiet until at least March. Some of the informal breakfast meets are good for shake down runs and blowing the dust off, but it was not until April that we saw our first official club show of the year, the Spring Vehicle Meet. Unfortunately, it was blighted by heavy rain, which kept many visitors and club members away. Angie and Graham, Jason and Graham B, did brave it, but I think that before too long they wished they hadn’t. Shows are never fun in the rain. 

Thankfully, as we neared the end of April, there was a marked improvement in the weather, just in time for an extremely busy weekend of club activities. Our inaugural club go-karting event took place on Saturday April 22nd, with eight members taking part, plus two guests. This was the first of our “new format” events and it turned out to be great fun. With qualifying, the best laps of the mid pack were all pretty similar, but out in front one man shone. Jason put us all in the shade with his lap times and I don’t think it came as much of a surprise to anyone when he won the competition. This is definitely one of those events that we’ll aim to do again if we can get the same level of support for it.

Following on the day after the go-karting, 14 cars gathered for what is always one of the club's best events of the year, Drive-it-Day. Graeme organised a route that took members into Henley-on-Thames, alongside the river and then out for a lovely meal in the village of Highmoor Cross, before the drive home. Due to the large number of members who take part in this event these days, we now have to break the convoy up into groups. This year, these were led out by Karen and Graeme, Pat and Tony, and Kate and Chris. As is usual for this event, there were some shenanigans along the way. Those in the know, will have a good idea of the ringleaders! 

Members supported Children in Need by purchasing Drive-it-Day rally plates, and the club and its members also donated £105.00 to the Wessex MS Therapy Centre. 

May is the month when the classic car season properly comes to life each year. We kicked-off with the Carterton May Fair on May 1st. Given that it wasn’t the nicest of weather, it was great to have a display of nine club cars on our pitch. 

Part of the club’s remit is to support charities and community projects by providing private displays of our cars. This is particularly important when it comes to care homes, where residents might find it difficult to get out to shows. We were therefore pleased to be able to put on such a display for the Richmond Retirement and Care Home, which specialises in dementia care.   

It’s in April and May that we tend to see greater numbers of members out at our monthly meets again, following on from the winter lull. By this time of the year, we usually see 30+ members in attendance. However, what is especially pleasing, to me at least, is that even in the winter when members usually leave their classics at home, we still get 18+ attending on club nights. This is a good indicator that the club for many members is as much about the camaraderie as it is about the cars. 

At our committee meeting at the start of the year, when we set about planning the calendar of club events, I think there was some scepticism regarding the proposed gliding experience. It was an unknown and as such we had little idea of whether we would get enough members to support it, but we needn’t have worried. On a slightly chilly evening at the end of May we got eleven members aloft for what I think most of us found an exhilarating experience. I know that some who took part were apprehensive, so all credit to you for giving it a go. 

Just a couple of days after the gliding, nine club members paid a visit to the Haynes Motor Museum, on a trip organised by Graeme. Many of our members have visited the motor museum at Gaydon numerous times, so it was nice to offer something different. 

Each year we try to strike a balance between doing the shows we have done in previous years and adding in some new ones. One of those new events this year was the Wiltshire Steam and Vintage Rally, also organised by Graeme. We put on our display of eight club cars on the Sunday, which was a good choice, as there was heavy rain the day before. Not taking ourselves too seriously is one of the hallmarks of our club, so when we saw the bumper cars it didn’t take long before a gang of us had jumped on them. 

Of all the shows we do each year, Yattendon at the end of June is one of a handful that is consistently good. There is always a fantastic display of classics and other vehicles and this year there were almost 500 to be seen. It’s a great location, a nice drive there, and well organised. We had a strong turnout of eleven club cars on our pitch. It’s all in aid of a great cause too, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance. 

There was no let up in the pace as we moved into July, with four club activities taking place in the first week alone. Peter, Jason and Stephen headed off on a trip to watch the classic racing at Le Mans. Sadly, Stephen’s Triumph Spitfire didn’t make it all the way and had to be returned home on the back of a recovery vehicle with a blown engine, but apart from that, a good time was had. 

With some of the gang down in Le Mans, others of us were enjoying the Aldbourne Classic Car Show and Doggy day. We had seven club cars on our pitch. In terms of the overall car show size, the event wasn’t as large as Yattendon, but the location and organisation were equally as good. We did have a slight hiccup, with a flat battery on Chris’ TR4, but we soon got that sorted with the help of a battery booster pack. 

Later that same week, club members Christine and Simon were kind enough to host the club’s BBQ. We had around 32 members come along, making it a great evening. The club funded the BBQ, by paying for food, soft drinks, and competition prizes to the tune of £177, but the hard work of cooking and tidying up was all done by Christine, Simon and their family. Many of our members brought along their classics for the evening, so we put on a nice display of club cars and held two competitions. These were: Car You’d Most Like to Take Home, which was won by Mike with his Suffolk SS100 Jaguar recreation and Best Presented Car, which was won by Sinclair with his Morgan. 

We rounded off an extremely hectic first week in July by supporting the Moredon Primary School and Nursery fete with a private display of eleven club cars, which was excellent given that the event was on a weekday afternoon and some members needed to take time off work to join in. 

Apart from at our first show of the year, we had been reasonably lucky with the weather, but all that changed for the West Oxon Steam Fair. We were expecting about ten cars on the club pitch, both on the Saturday and the Sunday, and so we were looking forward to a great weekend, but it was ruined by continuous heavy rain and strong winds. A small handful of us did make it there, but the ground was so muddy and waterlogged that we decided against showing. In terms of the weather, it was certainly the worst event I have been to in my ten years of car showing.

July came to an end with the sad news that Dave’s Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid had been hit side on by a car exiting a driveway. Thankfully, although shaken up, everyone involved in the accident escaped with only minor injuries, but the Whizzkid ended up a write-off. Dave did get an insurance payout that covered his financial outlay, but he, the club and the automotive world lost an interesting and rare car. We’ll certainly miss the Whizzkid at shows.   

Early in August we took up a kind invitation from friends of ours at the Cotswold Vale TR club to join them for a private tour of the Classic Motor Hub near Cirencester. We spent a very pleasant morning looking at all the high value cars for sale, as well as a small collection of incredibly rare cars that are part of private collections stored there. Afterwards, we rounded off the day with an excellent lunch at the Jolly Tar in Hannington. 

Just a few days later, we put on a club display of nine cars at the West Berks Classic Show. It’s one of the larger events that we attend as a club, and in recent times it’s been held at the Newbury Racecourse. However, this year the venue was changed to the Newbury Showground, which is even better in my opinion. As in previous years, the show was held in aid of Blood Cancer UK and in support the White Horse CVE was pleased to donate £150. 

Wanborough Village and Country show is another of the smaller events that we attend. In terms of the classic car display, the show is not that large, as space is limited to about 80 cars, but the organisers pack in so much more. Alongside the cars, there are steam engines, military vehicles, scooters and motorcycles on display. Each year special events take place in the main arena; this year we were treated to a falconry display and a motorcycle stunt rider. On our pitch, we had eight club cars on display. 

A week later, we displayed at the Shalbourne Classic Car Show, where Jason had arranged a club pitch for us. This is another of the club’s favoured events, not least of all because it provides a good opportunity for many of us to have quite a lengthy run out together. This year we had members attending from many different directions, Angie, Graham, and Paul coming from the east of our area, Jason from the south, and another eight cars from the north. With twelve cars on the pitch, it was one of our best displays of the year. 

With the number of car shows beginning to dwindle in September, we had hoped to slot in a couple of other activities at this time, a run to the New Forest and an afternoon Punting in Oxford. Unfortunately, it all proved a bit difficult to pull everyone together at the same time, so we have postponed these until next year. In some respects, I was pleased that we had a quiet month, because much of my time spent on club matters involved working out the pros and cons of switching the location of our monthly meets. Having conducted a survey of members, it was clear that we needed to find a new meet pub that could better serve our requirements. Penny, George and Jason were all instrumental in highlighting a possible new venue to me, which I then visited to see if it could work. It was then a case of working out how such a move would impact on members. Fortunately, every club member who expressed an opinion on the matter was in agreement that we should try the proposed move.

We did have one highlight in September, which was the club’s display at the Castle Combe Autumn Classic, arranged by Graeme and Jason. I’d never been to this event before, but I had heard good things about it from club members who had visited in the past. It turned out to be an excellent day out, with not only a static display of many interesting cars, but great classic racing to watch too.   

October saw us pay our first visit to the new monthly meet venue. With the terrible weather we had on the evening, I didn’t think we would have a good turnout, so I was extremely pleased that 23 members came along. And better still, all the feedback about the pub’s food and service was positive. 

By the end of October, other than the club meets that continue all year round, club activities have usually come to an end for the year, so it was nice to be able to visit the stable of race horse trainer Mark Usher, as arranged by Karen and Graeme. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for the post visit fry-up, but I hear it went down extremely well. 

Our last event of the year was the club’s Christmas meal and celebrations, which took place on December 6th. With 28 of us in attendance it did get a bit rowdy at times, but members will be relieved to hear that we have not been banned. And thankfully nobody had to go home in an ambulance! 

As is our tradition, we followed the meal with a raffle, some speeches, a vote for the Knackered Spanner Award and the presentation, and lastly a quiz. 

Our thanks to everyone who contributed to the raffle, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. Without the prizes you donate and the money from the tickets you buy, we couldn’t do a lot of the things we do in terms of subsidizing events and giving to charities. 

It didn’t come as too much of a surprise that the winner of the Knackered Spanner award was Dave for writing off his car. Although the accident wasn't Dave's fault, we are a harsh bunch. 

Then came the dreaded quiz. Despite all the moaning, the heckling, and the thrown food, I’m pretty sure that members love it. We had four tables of seven members each: The Canoeists (led by Alan); The Whizzkids (led by Simon H); Still Thinking (led by Jason, I think); and Tina's Table (led by Tina). It was another close-run thing at the end, with two teams on 11 points and two on 14 (although one team claimed a disputed 1/2 point to make it 14 1/2). This is a serious business! There were then 5 extra points on offer for the team that could put on the best star turn. Pete was up first for the Canoeists and wowed us with his full Father Christmas outfit. We then had a magic trick from Simon of the Whizzkids. Mike from Tina's Table gave us a song that was good, although after the 15th verse, he probably should have heeded the calls of "get off". Still Thinking played a wild card, which turned out to be me singing a little ditty. As I felt that my turn was the best, Still Thinking should have won the competition, but the language and insults hurled in my direction for suggesting that sadly made me bow to pressure. And so it came down to a tie breaker question for the Whizzkids and Tina's Table. Result: Tina's Table took the win. 

Without doubt, 2023 has been the busiest year in the club’s history. We have packed in more events than ever before and had a strong influx of new members. We welcome Nigel, Mike, James, Simon, Geoff, Madelaine, Graham, Caroline and Derek. Our aim remains to not allow the club to grow to more than around 75 members and so at the current rate of growth we could well reach that figure by the end of next year.

With the increase in members, we now have an even greater diversity of vehicles within the club, which all adds to the interest. We have also had some members change cars or add second and third cars to their collections, so now there is nearly always something new to see at club meets. Here are some of the new vehicles that joined our ranks this year . . .

Apologies if I've missed any. If I have, then it's probably due to not having a photo on record. It's not always easy to keep track. If you would like to see more of our activities throughout 2023, then please take a look at our club restrospective film . . . 

We never forget that as a club we are nothing without our members. It is all of you that makes it what it is. From the committee, we thank you all for your support.  There are a few members that deserve an extra mention this year for their help.

Alan: Thank you for putting forward numerous ideas for club events and for coming to the rescue with a spare part when a friend of the club had damaged his car.  

Cyan: Our thanks goes to Cyan for help with transporting the club flags.

Christine and Simon: Our thanks to you both for all your work in hosting the club’s summer BBQ.

Karen and Graeme: Thanks to Graeme for organising Drive-it-Day, our display at the Wilts Steam and Vintage Show, the Haynes Museum trip, and the visit to Mark Usher’s horse racing stable. And our thanks to Karen, who helped out with Drive-it-Day and the Mark Usher visit in particular.

Mark:  Our thanks to you for help with transporting the club flags.

Peter: I know that the support you provided to Jason on the trip to Le Mans was greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Back in the dark days of covid (remember that?), I joked in one of my news reports that we could still meet up if we classed ourselves as a support organisation.   Funny thing is, in essence, I think that that is exactly what a good club should be, regardless of what it is focused on. I know that behind the scenes, many of our members have helped each other, not just with car issues, but with other things too. It makes me wonder if there is a way to formalise this when it comes to car breakdown and maintenance problems. It would need more consideration and feedback from members, but perhaps a directory of members that can be contacted for help is a possibility.

We are already beginning to formulate our plans for next year, with an emphasis on what extra benefits we can offer members. If you have ideas about what more we can be doing to support you, then please let us know.  It has always been our aim to make certain that members get what they want from the club. We hope that we have succeeded in this and that the club continues to be a happy distraction from some of the difficulties life throws at us.   

From all of us on the committee, we wish all our members (present and past) a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2024 is just around the corner and there is plenty to look forward to, not least of all, a celebration of our 5th anniversary.  See you all down the road.  

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Published: October 25th, 2023

Watching from my window and seeing the green leaves of summer transformed into a striking array of yellows, reds, golds and browns, I’m reminded that soon those leaves will fall and winter will be upon us. Autumn’s beauty is not lost on me, but already I miss those warm days, enjoying time with club friends on a weekly basis. Of course, club activities do not come to a complete halt through autumn and winter. Our monthly meets continue all year and although we do not typically organise show attendance between November and March, I know some members continue to show on an individual basis whatever the weather. However, by now, the majority of us will be tucking our classics away under cover until the warmer days return.

A lot has happened since the last news report back in August, so grab a snack, a cup of coffee or tea, or maybe even something a bit stronger, and sit back while we take a look at what the club has being doing over the last few weeks. 

We start with August club night, back on the 17th of the month. August nearly always sees a strong turnout of members and this year was no exception. It was great to see most of the regulars and some members, such as John in his Triumph TR5, who for various reasons are not able to make every meet. We also welcomed new members Caroline and Derek in their beautiful Triumph Stag. Another highlight, was the welcome return of Penny and George's Daimler Dart, that had been off the road for several months undergoing work.

August’s meet began a busy couple of weeks for the club, as just two days later we had a pitch at the Wanborough Village and Country show. As is usual for this show, most of us met beforehand at a location a few miles down the road from the event and then convoyed in together. We would have had a display of twelve cars, but sadly four had to pull out, due to breakdowns and family commitments. Nevertheless, we put on a strong club display of eight cars and it was great to see Guy’s Toyota MR2 making its first appearance at a show with us.   

In terms of the classic car display, the show is not that large, as space is limited to about 80 cars, but the organisers pack in so much more. And alongside the cars, there are steam engines, military vehicles, scooters and motorcycles on display. Each year special events take place in the main arena; this year we were treated to a falconry display and a motorcycle stunt rider (not at the same time!). There are arts and crafts stalls to visit, as well as a flower and vegetable show. All in all it is a great day out. 

Just over a week later, we displayed at the Shalbourne Classic Car Show, where Jason had arranged a club pitch for us. This is another of the club’s favoured events, not least of all because it provides a good opportunity for many of us to have quite a lengthy run out together. This year we had members attending from many different directions, Angie, Graham, and Paul coming from the east of our area, Jason from the south, and another eight cars from the north. With twelve cars on the pitch, it was one of the best displays of the year. Karen and Graeme, Kathleen, Nigel, Chris and I convoyed in together. We did have a bit of drama en route, when the Datsun 240c cut out and had to pull over. Thankfully, it seemed to be a minor fuel filter blockage and before long it had cleared.

It’s difficult to know how many classics were on show at the event, but I’d estimate 300+. Among those, there were quite a few rarities, not least of all among our own ranks.  Below are a few of my favourite photos from the day.

As we find each year, the number of events start to tail off in September and with that we turned our attention to other matters. One thing we had been meaning to do since just before the weekend of the West Oxon Steam Rally was to get Chris’ Gilbern Invader Estate moving again, so on a blisteringly hot day early in the month Chris, Tony and I set to work on it. We were already aware that the fuel pump wasn’t kicking in and there was a suspicion that it had failed, but with a bit of tinkering, we soon established that it was the wiring at fault, just a loose connection. Fingers crossed for Chris that this will be the last of these niggling issues and we’ll see the car at plenty of events next year.

September’s club night was a bit quieter than usual, with many of the regulars away. It was also marred by the poor quality of the food served up at our usual haunt, which was a great pity, because after many months of problems we had hoped that things were improving, but sadly that was not so. After the meet, we conducted a survey of members, asking for their thoughts regarding whether we should make it a priority to find a new venue for club meets. Everyone who responded said that we should. We had in fact been looking at local alternatives for over a year, but it’s never been easy to find somewhere suitable. However, given the most recent poor experience at our usual venue, we now pulled out all the stops to quickly find other options. Within a couple of weeks we had found somewhere that seemed to tick all the boxes, but at the last minute they informed us that we could not have the third Wednesday of each month, which is the night that we have always met on. This was a deal breaker, as we felt it would be too much to change both the venue and the meet date at the same time. And so it was back to the drawing board. At the previous club meet, members Penny and George had mentioned a possible venue, but I’d already taken a cursory glance at it and dismissed it as not having a large enough car park. Then, after looking at aerial views on Google Maps, Jason mentioned the same pub to me as a possibility. A few days later I was passing and thought I’d have a better look around. On closer examination, it did look like a possibility, so I popped in to talk with the staff. What struck me immediately was the positive attitude from everyone I talked with. We discussed the car park and they came up with options to make it suitable for our needs. It certainly had potential, but we pride ourselves on being a democratic club, so the next thing we needed to do was to work out the impact the move would have on members. As it turned out, 57% of members live closer to this proposed new venue than the current one, and of those that would have to travel further, nearly all were less than an extra 15 minutes of travelling time away. Armed with that information, we put the proposed move to a vote. Around 80% of members responded and of those, 100% were in favour of trying the new venue. 

For the last couple of years, we have looked at adding the Castle Combe Autumn Classic to the list of club events, but it never made the final cut. This year, we decided to give it a try. And I’m pleased that we did. What a fantastic day out! It is far more than just a car show, it’s an excellent day of classic and vintage car racing, in the same vein as the Silverstone Classic and Goodwood Revival, but smaller, less expensive, and without the long queues. It also doesn’t require a great deal of walking, as the club stands are right alongside the track, so we were in the middle of the action. If it makes the list of club events again next year, then I highly recommend giving it a go. Thanks to Graeme for some initial preparation, but mainly to Jason for pulling it all together and making it happen, when it looked like it might have to be scratched. 

With everyone who had voted to switch the venue of our monthly club meet in agreement, on October 18th we took the plunge and held our first meet at the new location. Other than in the days of Covid, when we couldn’t meet, this was the first monthly meet not at our usual location (where many members also met in a previous incarnation of the club) in over ten years, so it was a big step for us. One of the many great things about the new meet pub is that we have our own private room to gather in, a club room if you like. October can be a quiet month, so I wasn’t too sure that we’d get many members coming along, but we were extremely pleased to see 23 turn out to show support for the move. I’m sure we would have had several more, but some members were on holiday at the time. And best of all, the food and the service, according to almost all the feedback (one member didn’t enjoy the burger source), was excellent. These positive reviews convinced us that we should also book the venue for our Christmas meal, details of which will be distributed to members soon. 

As some of you will remember, we had hoped to pack in an afternoon of punting and a drive down to the New Forest before the year closes, but time seems to have run out for these. It was difficult to find a weekday when all those interested in the punting would be available and now, of course, the weather is against us. Perhaps we'll have more luck with these events in 2024, if they make the list.

And so we rounded off our year of events (not including club nights) with a visit to the stables of a well known race horse trainer in Lambourn, arranged by Karen and Graeme. It was attended by nine members and 4 guests. Our thanks also to Graeme for cooking the bacon rolls, which were provided by the club, although sadly I missed out on those as I had to head home a bit early. 

All that remains now for the rest of the year are the November and December (Christmas meal) club nights. That means that my next report is unlikely to be published until late December, when we’ll look back over the year. For now, at least while the rain lets up, enjoy this season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.   

Ups and Downs

Published: August 9th, 2023

Classic car ownership can at times feel like a rollercoaster ride, a series of ups and downs. One day you can be bowling down a French autoroute heading for Le Mans, the next you can be wondering how long it’ll take to have your car trailered back to the UK and how much the blown engine will cost to repair. One day your engine can be ticking over as sweet as a nut, the next you can be scratching your head wondering why it won’t start. One minute you can be driving down a country road on a summer morning, the next minute your pride and joy can be ruined by the inconsiderate actions of another driver.  Yes, classic car ownership can bring great joy, but it also has the potential to serve up a great deal of misery. Each of the scenarios just outlined have happened to club members and friends in recent weeks.

Late in July, club member Dave was heading down to the Simply Japanese Car Show at Beaulieu when he was hit side on by a Mercedes leaving a driveway. Thankfully, although shaken up, everyone involved in the accident escaped with only minor injuries, but Dave’s Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid suffered substantial damage. No decision has been made yet by the insurers as to whether the car is to be written off, but Dave says that the body is twisted and there are ripples in the roof, so the signs are not good. Quite rightly, in situations like this, our initial and main concern is always for the physical welfare of those involved, but we invest so much time, money and emotion in our cars that the impact of their loss should not be underestimated. I know that in Dave’s case, the Whizzkid was a car that he had wanted as a youngster and since purchasing it he had spent a considerable amount of money on improvements. 

People that feel no special affinity for their cars will wonder what all the fuss is about, but for some of us, our cars are more than just a means of getting from A to B. My wife often gets annoyed with me when we meet up with my older family members and friends that I’ve known since childhood, because before too long the topic of conversation will always turn to cars. I’ll say to my Uncle, for example, “Do you remember struggling to get up the 1 in 4 hill at Porlock, with the clutch slipping on the old Triumph Dolomite?.” And then we’ll go into a long conversation about cars. We’ll talk about heading off on holidays, he and my Aunt and Cousin in his MK1 Cortina and my parents and I in the Austin A40 Farina. This was in the days when cars and roads were so slow that it would take an age to get anywhere of note. There were very few motorway services (in fact, there were very few motorways!), so we’d pull over on the roadside, get out the camping stove and have a brew up on the verge. I suspect most people of my age and older will be able to relate to this and will understand that cars can mean more than just a form of transport, they are wrapped up with memories of family and friends and of good times. Whether this love affair with the motor car exists in the same way for younger people I don’t know, but I imagine that it doesn’t and to some extent I can understand why. Children have it drummed into them at school that petrol and diesel cars are an evil, governments of all shades bow to the pressure exerted by a highly vocal minority and wage war on the motorist by imposing ever more restrictions, and the costs associated with driving are enough to put off many a young person. And on top of all that, over the last thirty years or so, the cars being produced are on the whole completely soulless, a range of jelly mould shapes in a range of bland colours. It’s no wonder that many people feel that the joy has been sucked out of motoring. Those of us that love classic cars do so I believe, in part, because they remind us of the joy that motoring once was and help us recapture that feeling. Classic cars stir memories of when motoring excited the senses … with the sound of the engine, the smell of hot oil (Castrol R was always a favourite), and the way the cars looked and handled.

No doubt the car that hit Dave’s Whizzkid will be repaired and back on the road in a few weeks and the driver of it will think no more of the incident, but Dave has lost something more than just a metal box on four wheels. And not only that, but the automotive world has lost something quite rare, as there are only a small number of Suzuki Whizzkids still on the road. It’s a sad loss to the club as well, because the car was always one of the most popular with visitors to the club stand at car shows. 

Now, I’m by no means an expert when it comes to climate, but I’m getting sick of hearing that it has been the hottest July on record (worldwide), whilst at the same time looking out of my window and seeing little but rain. Poor weather is the enemy of the classic car owner and the classic car show organiser, as was evident when we attended the West Oxon Steam and Vintage Show in mid-July. Typically, the show is one of the highlights of the year for the club, as several members camp from the Thursday to the Monday. As we do each year,  Pat, Tony, Kate, Chris and I set up the club’s campsite on the Thursday before the event. 

We were expecting about ten cars on the club pitch, both on the Saturday and the Sunday, and so we were looking forward to a great weekend. However, we were already aware that the weather forecast looked ominous. Thursday remained dry and reasonably warm, but overnight the rain came in and was pretty much continuous throughout the Friday, and by the evening the event field was a mud bath. By this point I’d already decided that I wouldn’t be showing the Caterham, and that if I showed at all, it would be my nearly 20-year-old Land Rover. My mind was made up when I returned to the field on the Friday evening and struggled to reach the campsite area even in the Land Rover. Nevertheless, we made the best of it and went on a Fish ‘n’ Chips run. By this time, we’d also been joined by Rachel and Mike, who were very brave to put up their tent in quite wet conditions. At around 8pm, Kate headed for home, leaving the rest of us to “party” for a bit longer, but the fun was broken about 30 minutes later when Kate called to say that she had a puncture on the road into Bampton. Tina and I went to see if there was anything we could do, but it turned out that both front and rear near side tyres were split. We can only think that it was caused by hitting a pothole. It took a few hours for the breakdown service to arrive, so Kate didn’t make it the last few miles home until gone midnight.  It wasn’t a great start and it wouldn’t get much better. 

I returned to the event venue early on the Saturday morning, following a night of more heavy rain, to find that most vehicles were now being towed onto the field. Again, I got through, but it was touch and go in places. Looking at the state of things, I suggested to those members that had said they were coming that it would be better to wait until Sunday to see if conditions would improve. We had two classics up in the camping area, Mike’s Daimler Dart and Chris’ TR4, but neither fancied venturing down to the show area. I’m not sure they’d have got back even if they had of got there. And so we spent the day huddled in the large gazebo, sheltering from the rain and the 40+ mile an hour gusts of wind. I have to say, it wasn’t the best time I’ve ever spent at a car show, but at least we were there with friends, although Chris was not in the best of moods, having just suffered open wallet surgery for two new tyres. 

By late Saturday afternoon, it was looking increasingly likely that the event would be cancelled and that was confirmed on the Sunday morning. It was a great pity for everyone who had made it along, but especially for the organisers who had invested so much time, effort and money into staging the show. They made a valiant attempt to keep the show going, but in those conditions on that field, it was impossible. As we broke the campsite down on the Sunday afternoon, the sun did come out, but it was a case of too little, too late. It’s ironic that at the same event last year the concern was extreme heat, when we feared 40c+ temperatures. Is it climate change, or just typical, ridiculous British weather? You tell me.

A few weeks back, the club received a kind invitation from the Cotswold Vale TR club to join them for a private tour of the Classic Motor Hub near Cirencester on August 3rd. As some members will know, in a previous lifetime our club was called the Vale of the White Horse TR club and was for TRs only, so it was nice to meet up with some old friends. Our thanks to them for making us most welcome. For those of you who have never visited the Classic Motor Hub, it is well worth a look. There are a lot of high value cars for sale there, as well as a small collection of incredibly rare cars that we got to view as part of the private tour. See: https://classicmotorhub.com

After the visit, a few of us headed off for a very pleasant meal at the Jolly Tar in Hannington. It rounded the day off nicely. 

Just a few days later, on August 6th, we were on the road again, this time for the West Berks Classic Show. Originally, we were not going to have a club pitch at the event this year, due to not having committee members available to organise it, but several members said that they would like to do the event, so we managed to change our plans at the last minute and go. It’s one of the larger events that we attend as a club, and in recent times it’s been held at the Newbury Racecourse. However, this year the venue was changed to the Newbury Showground, which is even better in my opinion. It didn’t feel as cramped. Several members met beforehand and then picked up others along the way, as we progressed to the venue in convoy. We were then joined by other members at the event. In all we had nine cars on the club pitch, including Geoff in his Mini who was attending his first show with the club. Thank you to all of you who helped us to put on a great display. 

As well as the hundreds of fantastic cars to be seen at the show (photos of some that caught my eye above), there were plenty of stalls to peruse and a falconry display to entertain. 

As in previous years, this year's show was held in aid of Blood Cancer UK (https://bloodcancer.org.uk). In support, the White Horse CVE was pleased to donate £150. 

We have two more shows lined up for August, that’s Wanborough on the 19th and Shalbourne on the 27th, so still lots to do. Moving into September, there are fewer shows, so once again we’ll focus on other social activities. Our run down to the New Forest is still planned, as is our afternoon punting in Oxford. We might also add another go-karting day if we can get the numbers for it.  

Onwards and upwards!

Hitting our stride

Published: July 10th, 2023

Having recently passed the midpoint of the year, now is a good time to think about what we have coming up in the next few months, but before that we take a look back over the last few weeks. It’s been a particularly hectic time for the club since my last news update, so there is a lot to cover in this report. 

Hot on the heels of the club visit to Haynes Museum early in June, our newest committee member Graeme followed up that success by organising a pitch at a new event for us, the Wiltshire Steam & Vintage Rally. It’s one of those events that spans the weekend, but we chose to attend only on the Sunday. In terms of the weather, I think we picked the right day, because although there was some light drizzle, we didn’t experience the heavy downpours seen the day before. We had a reasonable turn out of eight club cars, made notable by the first appearance of Cyan’s VW Camper on a club pitch at a show, rather than at a private display event. It was an interesting show, but a bit smaller than I was expecting. I suspect that the poor weather forecast stopped a lot of classic car owners from venturing out, but there were some gems among what was there. A highlight, for me at least, was the appearance of Mike Vardy’s 1905 Fiat Isotta Fraschini, which is powered by a WW1 airship engine. What a beast of a car! Looking at it, the first question that many would ask is, how many horses reside under that endless bonnet? Surprisingly, the answer is only 250bhp, but what is startling is that the car produces around 3,000 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheels, propelling it to 127mph. However, there’s a downside to all that torque. Mike says that he gets through a set of tyres in about 4,000 seconds. That’s a new set per just over an hour’s driving. 

Alongside the attractions of steam engines and classic cars, there were a handful of fair ground rides. We were parked quite close to these and suffered an overdose of mainly 1980s music, but we decided to make the best of it and get a few club members out on the bumper cars. A fiver doesn’t go far at a fairground these days, but what time we had was great fun. Although, for much of it I did feel like I had a big target on my back with a couple of members gunning for me! Nevertheless, in many respects the bumper cars made the day, as can be seen in the film. Thanks to Graeme for organising. 

Next up was the Yattendon classic car show on June 25th. We’ve supported this event for several years now and it never fails to impress me. It’s a combination of things that I like about it … its great location, the large number of classics on display, the organisation, and the ease of working with the organisers. And of course, it’s all in aid of a very worthy cause, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

We typically begin the day with a pre-meet of club cars and then convoy to the event through some beautiful countryside. This year was no exception, with five of us meeting early morning in Stanford in the Vale. Unfortunately, Mark’s TR7 arrived exhibiting some power loss issues, which after some head scratching and a conflab, we all felt might be down to contaminated fuel. Given this, Mark headed home, and since draining the old fuel and replacing with fresh, there have been no further problems.

With one car down, four of us headed off to collect Kathleen in Wantage along our route and then Jason in Hermitage. Once all in place at the event, we had a good display of 12 club vehicles. It was nice to see Nigel’s Renault Alpine GTA V6 joining us at a show for the first time and once again Cyan’s VW camper was a welcome addition, not least of all for the awning, which offered some shade on what turned out to be a very hot day. 

One of the great things about being part of a small, tight-knit club like ours, is seeing how members are always keen to support each other. This was evident at Yattendon, when one of our gang fell ill late on in the afternoon. There were lots of offers of help, which I know were greatly appreciated. We always look out for each other.

Talking of awnings and hot days, we have had some questions about the club’s gazebo situation. We do in fact only have the one gazebo, a rather small 3m x 3m one. Our committee member Chris D owns a much larger gazebo, which he kindly provides for the club to use when we do weekend events, such as the West Oxon Steam Fair. This large gazebo is really only of use in a camping area, because it is too big to be placed in a show area. For several years the club got by not having a gazebo of its own, but at the Ducklington event last year, the weather forecast was for extreme temperatures of possibly 40C +. This gave the committee a lot of concern, because we knew that there would be no shade in the show area. With that in mind, we started looking around for a small gazebo. It wasn’t easy to find one that wasn’t too expensive and that was close by so that we could collect it quickly, but in the end one came up. It did require a run out to Newbury for it, but at only £76.30, it was a good price. Members who used it that weekend were certainly grateful for it. Since then, we have not had much need for it, although it would have been nice to have at Yattendon. However, there are a few issues with using gazebos at events. Some shows will not allow them (even at Ducklington last year, they didn’t really want it in the show area), so we do have to have discussions with organisers beforehand about gazebo use. However, our main issue is with transporting it, as it is too large for many of our club cars. With that in mind, if any member has a car large enough for it and is likely to be at most of the events we do each year, then they would be most welcome to take charge of it if they wish to. It would in fact be doing us a huge favour, because I’ve no room for it in my garage and I know Chris could do with the space in his, where it currently resides. This issue of transporting club items doesn’t just apply to the small gazebo, even the sail flags are too large for some of our cars. This sometimes means we have to ask members if they can carry them. In the last couple of weeks, Cyan and Mark have both come to the rescue, so our thanks goes to them for helping out. For the moment, the flags are back with me, as I am undertaking repairs to the carry bags.

A week on from Yattendon, we put on a club display at the Aldbourne Classic Car Show and Doggy Day. It’s not an event that I’ve done before, but I’ll definitely be doing it again. We had seven club cars on our pitch, including Dave’s Triumph GT6. It was great to welcome Dave back to the fold, after him having been out of the country for several months. In terms of car numbers, the event wasn’t as large as Yattendon, but the location and organisation were equally as good. And I want to thank the organisers for accommodating us so well. It made for a lovely, relaxing day. There were only two slight hiccups. Firstly, at the start of the day, when one of our members didn’t make it to the pre-meet location, after getting lost because of a SatNav problem. Then, at the end of the day, the same member suffered a flat battery when it was time to leave. Fortunately, the event wasn’t too far from my home, so it was a quick dash back to get the large battery booster pack and return to get the car started. Some days there is just no escaping Sod’s Law! I'll not mention any names, but how's the new battery performing Mr. D?

We would have typically had more cars on show at Aldbourne, but a couple of our stalwarts, Jason and Pete, were off at the Le Mans Classic event. With a round trip of approximately 700 miles ahead of them, I know that there was some trepidation about the adventure, which had been in the planning for several months, but on Wednesday June 28th, Jason in his Triumph TR6, Pete in his MGTF 160, and their friend Stephen in his Triumph Spitfire, headed off for Newhaven to make the overnight crossing into France. All made it across safely, but sadly the Spitfire suffered a big end bearing failure as the cars approached their destination. Fortunately Stephen had done the right thing and put breakdown cover in place, so the Spitfire was rescued and he did eventually make it to Le Mans for the event, albeit in a Peugeot. Apart from that putting a dampener on things, Jason and Pete tell me that it was a fantastic trip and great event. And thankfully, both made it home safely. Long trips in classic cars are always likely to show up weaknesses, but that’s all part of the adventure. Well done to all of you who braved it. As Robert Louis Stevenson, said: "Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour." I doubt that will make Stephen feel any better about the hefty repair bill he is facing, but at least he’ll always have a good story to tell. 

Aldbourne kicked off a busy week of club activities, as just three days later, we gathered for the club BBQ, which was kindly hosted by members Christine and Simon. We had around 32 members come along, making it a great evening. The club funded the BBQ, by paying for food, soft drinks, and competition prizes to the tune of £177, but the hard work of cooking and tidying up was all done by Christine, Simon and their family. Our thanks to you all.

Many of our members brought along their classics for the evening, so we put on a nice display of club cars and held two competitions. These were: Car You’d Most Like to Take Home, which was won by Mike with his Suffolk SS100 Jaguar recreation and Best Presented Car, which was won by Sinclair with his Morgan. Well done to you both. My car seems particularly unloved, because just like last time, it didn’t receive a vote in either category.

Subsidizing social events such as the BBQ is an important part of our club’s remit. We have seen some clubs that build up tens of thousands of pounds, if not hundreds of thousands, in their coffers, but rarely support club activities. Our view is that after fixed costs have been covered, surplus funds should be spent on subsidizing club events and supporting charities. 

We had a day of rest after the midweek BBQ, before supporting the Moredon Primary School and Nursery fete with a private display of club cars. Alongside classic car shows, we are always looking for opportunities to support charities and community activities in this way, so we were pleased to receive a message from the organisers of the fete asking if we could help. Given that the fete was to be held on a Friday, I wasn’t sure if we would be able to muster the troops to put on a good show, but I needn’t have worried. We had eleven club cars on display in total. Special thanks to Pete for bringing two of his along and to Paul who had a torturous drive out to reach us, taking over an hour and a half, as he navigated his way around traffic jams and diversions. It was particularly good to have Paul join us, as he’s only just got his Pontiac GTO back after several weeks away undergoing repairs. Despite the long drive, he still looked a very happy man. 

With June out of the way, we now turn our attention to the second half of the year, which looks to be just as busy, if not more so. July 1st is always our subscription renewal date and we are extremely pleased to report that we retained 95% of members and grew by 18% over the year to date. We can probably accommodate another 20-25 club members, but I don’t think we’d want to grow much more than that.

Our next event is the West Oxon Steam Rally on July 15-16, where we will have a club pitch over the two days. Several members will stay overnight, camping. As is usual at this event, we’ll have a get together on the Friday and Saturday evenings and have supper. We kick off August, on Thursday 3rd, with a private tour of the Classic Motor Hub at Ablington, thanks to an invite from the Cotswold TR Club. August events also include the West Berks show at Newbury, Wanborough Show and Shalbourne Show, but more about those in our next news update. We are also now working on plans for the New Forest run and an afternoon punting in Oxford. Club member Alan has also come up with a list of events and activities we might like to consider, including Microlight flying. Providing that we get enough interest from members, then nothing is off the table, but it might be tight to squeeze in too much more this year.

That’s it for another club news report. We might have passed the midpoint of the year, but there are still lots of good summer and autumn days ahead, where we can be out playing.  We’re only just hitting our stride.   



More Than Just a Classic Car Club 

Published: June 4th, 2023

Back in March 2019, when we established the White Horse CVE, we were a small group of friends who wanted to create something a bit different from the classic car clubs we had previously been involved with. Several of us had had unhappy experiences of national, single-marque clubs, so we had a reasonably clear idea of what we did, and what we didn’t, want from our club.

Firstly, it had to be a multi-marque club, and secondly there had to be a strong social dimension to it. It’s this second element that we are continually developing, as it only comes with time spent together and with shared experiences. To that end, this year, more than ever before, we are introducing new activities which do not necessarily need to involve the cars. Classic car shows will always form the backbone of our yearly calendar, as we know that many members enjoy them, but we are always striving to add something extra.

Of course, it’s not possible to get the balance right for every member, but I hope that we get pretty close for the majority. That’s why member feedback is vital. Whether it is negative or positive, we always want to hear the views of our members. Last week I had a chance to catch up with one of our members who we do not see that regularly as he lives on the far outskirts of our patch. We were speaking about the gliding experience evening (more on that later), as he wanted to join in but it clashed with something else. At the end of the conversation he said, “This is the best car club I’ve ever belonged to, because we don’t just sit around talking about the cars and we do more than just go to classic car shows”. I have to say that that made my day, because that is what we are aiming for. It's the social element and the range of non-car related activities that make us more than just a classic car club.

May, as it always is, has been busy. We started out with the Carterton May Fair, covered in the last news update, and followed that up on May 14th with a private display of club cars at the Richmond Retirement Village and Care Home in Letcombe Regis. We particularly like putting on displays such as this as it gives people who might not be able to get out to car shows the opportunity to see our classics. We had a good turnout of ten cars and I’ve been told by the manager of the organisation that those that came out to see the cars enjoyed the show. We were joined on the day by prospective new members, Simon and James, both of whom have now joined the club as official members. There was a slight panic on the day before the event, when one of the owners of a car to be displayed managed to shear off a wheel stud, but thankfully Alan came to the rescue with a replacement. It's another great example of how club members work to help each other.

Back in the Swing of Things

Published: May 3rd, 2023

It’s always a bit of a struggle to find news content over the winter months, but as soon as we hit the last couple of weeks of April things really take off. This year is no exception. In fact, I have so much news material, that I’ll need to do at least two updates this month to keep on top of things. Not that I’m complaining; I prefer it busy.

April’s club night was slightly more quiet than usual, with only 19 members attending. I’m not sure if that was due to some members being away on holiday, or the threat of rain on the evening. It might have even been because it was the club’s AGM, and members didn't want to listen to me drone on! On the plus side, we were joined by several prospective new members, so let's hope that I've not put them off.

Talking of the AGM, as is our tradition, we managed to rattle through it in double quick time. Our thanks to members who voted in person and to those that voted by email. Accounts and AGM 2022 minutes were approved and the previous year’s committee was re-elected by all who voted. A separate vote was conducted to elect Graeme to the committee and we are pleased that he was unanimously voted in. Welcome Graeme. All members should have by now received the minutes of the AGM. 

April has a habit of sending some club members into a bit of a panic, in the realization that shows are just around the corner and our cars are not ready for the season. I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but I did at least get the Caterham serviced and an MOT in the nick of time. Sadly, my TR is still awaiting repairs. It becomes quite easy to forget to get jobs done on cars over the winter, when events seem a long way off, but time can creep up fast.

One of our members returned home from a show last summer, stopped his 1960s Ford Mustang outside his garage, and then couldn’t get it started again. He has spent several months investigating the issue and replacing parts in the hope of solving the problem, but all without luck. Mike, Jason and I popped over to lend a hand and eventually discovered a problem with the valves. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a head off job. One of the things I like most about our club is that members will always try to help each other if they can. We might not always be able to fix a problem, but sometimes an extra pair of eyes and a bit of moral support is enough to make progress.

Another great thing about being part of a club like ours is getting to know a variety of cars. Last year I mentioned to our member Simon D that I’d not been in an E-Type Jaguar since I was about six years old. Like many children in the 60s and 70s, the E-Type was my dream car, and I still view it as a thing of absolute beauty. And so when Simon dropped me an email to ask if I’d like to have a ride out in his car, I jumped at the chance and I was not disappointed. It really was everything I had imagined and now I want one, although that’s unlikely unless I win the lottery. At least dreams are free. On the drive, I talked with Simon about doing a feature piece on the car for the club’s website, so hopefully in the summer we’ll get together again and do that. It’s something I’d like to do for all our club cars at some point.       

Our inaugural and eagerly awaited club go-karting event took place on April 22nd, with eight members taking part, plus two guests. We arrived at the venue for 9.30am, had the briefing (where we behaved like naughty school boys in class), got suited up and went out for a 15 minute qualifying session. As is evident from the timing sheet, the best laps of the mid pack were all pretty similar. However, the qualifying also showed that there was only one man to beat. Jason had told us beforehand of his karting exploits in his younger days, and when he showed up with his own helmet, well, we all knew we were in trouble. He really did fly around the track, with a qualifying time that was one second faster than Graham in second.  In the past, some of us have called Jason “Flash”, due to the fact that he is pretty steady out on the road, but now we are going to have to start calling him it without any sense of irony.   

Looking over the qualifying times, as we took a short break before the race, I felt reasonably confident of a top five finish, so much so that I hired a camera to record it. That was a mistake; the evidence of my appallingly bad race should never be seen, but as I’ve now mentioned it, I suppose I should at least show some of the footage. I now have to accept that I’ll never be the next Stirling Moss, although I still swear that they gave me a dodgy, under powered kart. Or, it could have been that my left foot was slightly resting on the brake as a went round. Sadly, none of these excuses really hold up, so I just have to accept that I was rubbish. I’m fully expecting a ban from the Caterham club if they ever hear of this. 

Fortunately, all those that took part seem keen to do it again, so perhaps later this year I might get a chance to redeem myself, or just confirm my worst suspicions. I’d also like to make a public apology to Graham at this point, who I passed under waved yellow flags and then held him up for a while. 

Congratulations, then, to our champion, Jason, Graham S in second and Shaun in third. 

Following on the day after the go-karting, 14 cars gathered for the club's Drive it Day event. This is a favourite event amongst members, and one that I always look forward to and enjoy. Sadly, this year, Tina and I were unable to make it along, which was a pity, because we knew it would be a great day. Graeme had organised the route and a pub to eat at, and Pat and Tony and Kate and Chris D had agreed to lead two of the three groups. Before the day was out, I was already hearing tales of the shenanigans that had gone on. Pat and Tony led out group one of four cars, with Jane and Sinclair, John, and Jason in tow. Group two consisted of Karen and Graeme, Nigel, Chris H, Ian, and Simon H. And last out, led by Kate and Chris, were Pete C, Simon D, Rachel and Mike, and a potential new member, Graham.  Group three, the last out, somehow managed to arrive at the halfway point pub before the other two groups. Whether this was due to straying from the suggested route, or making sure they drove up to the speed limit at every opportunity, I cannot comment. Whatever the case, they also made it back to base before the other groups, too. Pat and Tony brought their group to the halfway pub perfectly, and everyone then awaited the arrival of Karen and Graeme’s group. They didn’t have to wait too long for the group to show, but somehow they’d become separated from the lead car. It seems that when Graeme realised that his group was missing from behind him, he pulled over to wait, but the other members found their way to the pub on their own. It just shows that the old saying about the “best laid plans” is true. Despite that slight hiccup, the day was a great success and everyone had a great time, I’m told. Our thanks to Karen and Graeme for organising the day and finding a lovely place to eat. Thanks too to Pat and Tony and Kate and Chris.

I hear that Karen made Graeme drive the route no less than five times before the day, so that they could be sure they’d got it right. It might sometimes seem that we just chuck these events together, but there really is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to prepare. 

Members supported Children in Need by purchasing Drive it Day rally plates, and we also donated to the Wessex MS Therapy Centre. The centre has been a great support to Jason in his battle with MS. £55 was raised on Drive it Day, and a further £50 was donated from the club and its members who contributed their karting subsidy. That makes a grand total of £105.00. Thank you all.

It’s been seven months or so since a large number of club members have got together for a car show, so it was nice to be back in the swing of things at the Carterton May Fair on May 1st. We had nine cars on our pitch, which wasn’t a bad turn out, especially given the changeable nature of the weather. Despite the Met Office promising it would be warm and dry, it didn’t materialize quite like that. It was a little chilly at times and there were a few light showers, but nothing to send us scurrying into our cars. Brollies sufficed. 

As always, it was a nice, relaxed event, with things other than cars to look at and do. Along with our club cars, there were a few Fords in attendance and several MGs. Special mention should also be made of Chris' Gilbern Invader Estate, which, after spending several months undergoing repairs, made its first appearance at a show.

With it only being the beginning of May, it might seem that we have plenty of time to get booked in to events, but not so. We need to start thinking about the events that are taking place in the coming few weeks. Next up is the Richmond Retirement village and care home, in Letcombe Regis, where we are putting on a private display of club cars on Sunday May 14th. At the moment I have nine cars booked in for this, so there is room for several more. I’d ideally like to fill all the spaces and put on a great show, as many of those living at the care home cannot get out to visit shows. Also, we are looking for members who might like to give a short talk after the show about their car. Come on, don’t be bashful.

Towards the end of May or early in June, we are still aiming to offer the gliding experience. To date, we have nearly ten members confirmed. I’d like to get a couple more so that we can get a group discount, but if we cannot, then we’ll still go ahead.

On June 3rd, the visit to the Haynes Museum is on. Graeme is organising this one and really does need final numbers now. If you haven’t expressed an interest already and would like to go, please let us know ASAP.

Then on June 11th, we have a pitch at the Wilts Steam and Vintage Rally.  This is another event that Graeme is organising and once again we need final figures for those wishing to attend with the club.

June 25th is Yattendon. This is always one of my favourite shows, and it’s a nice run there, too.

You can find details of all these events and more on our Events Page, https://www.whitehorse-cve.com/events

Well, that’s it for another news update.  Spring and summer doesn't last forever, so let's get out there and enjoy it.

Calm before the storm … and I’m not talking about the weather

Published: April 14th, 2023

We might not yet be enjoying all the delights of warm spring weather, but I get the feeling that it’s not too far away now. Once the mid-point of April is passed, warmer days usually follow soon behind, and correspondingly the classic and specialist car scene roars back into life with full force. That’s not to say that the winter has been completely quiet. Club meets continue throughout the year, and there are a handful of shows and informal breakfast meets that take place in the winter months, but there is nothing like spring and summer for enjoying the cars, especially for those of us that do not have luxuries like a car roof or heater. 

All credit to show organisers that put-on events early in spring, because in terms of rain this is perhaps the most risky time of the year. Sadly, the Spring Vehicle Meet at the Newbury Showground, which took place on Monday April 10th was blighted by heavy rain. We had planned to have a club pitch at the show, but the rain kept many away. Club members Angie and Graham, Jason and Graham B, did brave it, but the numbers overall were massively down compared to what would be expected at the event on a fine day. It was such a pity, as I know the efforts and expense the organisers go to in order to put on this excellent event. Fingers crossed that it will be back next year, and the weather will be accommodating. Thankfully, it was not a total washout, as some members retired early and headed to a local ale house for a spot of lunch and a good catch up.   

We start next Wednesday evening with our monthly club night and club AGM. Members should have by now received the AGM agenda and details of how to vote. I will be sending this information around again shortly, just in case anyone missed it. We’ll try to rattle through the AGM quickly, as for the first time this year, I expect we’ll have a good turnout of cars, so we’ll want to spend time looking them over in the car park and chatting.

On Saturday April 22nd it’s the club’s first go-karting event. With eleven of us taking part in this 30 lap Grand Prix, it should be great fun. It’s already bringing out a few competitive natures, so it’ll be interesting to see who wins and who gets black flagged for dodgy track antics. If you are not booked to take part, but would like to come and watch, drop us a line and we’ll provide details. 

Next weekend is a double header for us, as the day after the karting, the club is taking part in the annual Drive it Day event. This year, Graeme (who is standing to join the committee at the AGM) has organised a lovely route of approximately 70 miles that takes us through Henley-on-Thames, and from there we’ll wind our way back out into the countryside and stop for a meal halfway. We have sixteen member cars taking part so far, but there’s room for more. This year, as usual, the event is staged in aid of Childline/NSPCC. All the profits from the sale of Rally Plates (get yours here . . . https://www.driveitday.co.uk/shop) go directly to support the Childline Service. However, the club will be collecting on the day on behalf of the Wessex Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre (Registered charity number: 800851), a charity close to Jason’s heart. Visit: https://www.wessexms.co.uk

Film: Last year's club Drive it Day outing was well supported. Here's a little reminder. As you can see, we had lots of fun, despite unfounded claims of cheating!

On Monday May 1st, the club has a pitch at the Carterton May Day Fair. This is a lovely, informal event, with lots more than just cars. I have seven club cars on the pitch at the moment, so we could do with a few more for this one.

And finally, for the coming thirty days at least, we are putting on a private display of club cars at the Richmond Retirement Village and care home on May 14th.   We have room for sixteen cars and would really like to fill all the spaces. As a club, we feel it is important to display our cars to people who might not otherwise be able to get out to see them. Please support us in this event.

As we look forward to the exciting and packed year of events we have lined up, it’s also a time to reflect. Many of our members will now be aware that we lost our fellow club member Eric on March 12th. He was a kind man, with a gentle sense of humour, who will be greatly missed by all who knew him and by the club. Jason, Simon H and I went along to Eric’s funeral earlier this week to pay our respects and say our goodbyes. It was a sad day, but it was nice to learn more about Eric's life. Eric’s wife, Kathleen, is aiming to keep his beloved Datsun 240c going and is hoping to be able to join us at events. We know that Eric would have loved that.

Come on then, the waiting is over, it’s time to get the show on the road.   

White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts: AGM 2023

Published: March 6th, 2023

We hereby give notice that the White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts’ 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Wednesday April 19th 2023 from 8pm at the Horse & Jockey, Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, SN7 8NN. 

Details will be sent to our members shortly and will also be available on the Members' page of this website.

Pre-season planning

Published: January 31st, 2023

It hardly seems like anytime at all since we closed out 2022 and yet here we are with January almost at an end. Normally, we wouldn't start pre-season planning until the middle of February, but this year we wanted to get a head start. This is particularly important as we add in more events. We have also noticed that many of the car shows we attend are asking for commitment earlier in the year, so we need to be on the ball.

Last week some of the committee gathered together and devised a provisional plan of activities for the year ahead. These plans are not set in stone, but it helps to at least have a guideline to work to. Here, then, is what we came up with. 

Our activities will break down into three broad categories, as follows . . . 

Regular club nights: We will have these as usual on the third Wednesday of each month.

Shows: We have opted for the following based on member feedback, committee availability and anticipated support from members. As always, there are many to choose from and we might add or remove some along the way, depending on if we think we'll get the numbers to make a pitch worthwhile. Here then is the list: 

Spring Vehicle Meet, April 10th.

Carterton May Fair, May 1st.

Wilts Steam and Vintage Rally, June 10th and 11th.

Yattendon, June 25th.

Aldbourne Doggy Day (and Classic Car Show), July 2nd.

West Oxon Steam and Vintage Show, July 15th and 16th.

Wanborough, August 19th.

Shalbourne, August 27th.

Castle Combe Autumn Classic, Sept 23rd.

Special Events: Quite a few members have indicated that they'd like to do things with the club other than car shows. The committee is also keen to do more social and non-car related activities, so we have come up with a few options that we hope will appeal. Here then is what we have: 

Go-karting, late March or early April. We have already had positive feedback from several members about this, so if we can time it right, I'm hopeful we can see 8-10 members taking part. If you haven't already, please let us know ASAP if you wish to take part, so we can work on a date that suits all. We can combine this with a nice drive out there. And if you are not taking part in the karting, there is the option of Escape Rooms to challenge you, or you can just come for the drive out and watch the lunatics if you wish. 

Drive it Day, April 23rd. Hopefully we'll beat the 16 cars we had last year! Route will be announced soon. It'll be 80-100 miles, with a meal along the way.

Gliding experience/trial lesson, mid April to mid-May. Not one for the faint hearted this, but we wanted to add something in that's a bit different.

Haynes Museum, early June. It's a good run there, so for those wanting to be out driving, it's a good one. 

Private displays, details will be announced when in place. 

Punting, late Aug. If you've never been out on a punt through Oxford before (on the Cherwell), then this is something you might like to try. There's room on punts for six, so we could hire what we need and have a run down to the Vicky Arms for a drink and meal.

New Forest Run, early September. Several members said that they like the idea of a long drive out, either to the New Forest or the Coast. We opted for the New Forest, as we had the strongest positive feedback for that and we felt that parking would be easier. We have identified a nice place for a meal, or we might decide on a picnic.

Late Summer Party. Mid September. Details to be announced, but as usual there will be an overnight stay, food, drink and dancing.

Christmas meal and celebrations, early December.

It's certainly going to be another packed year. We hope members will find something they like in the proposed list. Before we know it, the weather will have improved and we'll be out and about having fun again (I know some of you brave ones who have the luxury of a roof and a heater already are!). 

Happy motoring 2023.