Coachmakers’ Car Club kicks off with two events

The Coachmakers’ Car Club was formed earlier this year and the first formal event was planned to be the visit to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon.

However, such was the enthusiasm for the Club, that CCC member and Liveryman Daniel Geoghegan kindly offered an ‘unofficial’ first event at Bicester Heritage at the Spring Scramble. Whilst tickets were limited, they were soon taken up by CCC members who met on a beautiful sunny Sunday to see a glorious Spitfire arrive and taxi to just a few yards in front of us at the exhibition hanger shortly after 9am, with the throb of that wonderful Merlin engine.

In the hanger behind the Spitfire were assembled a stunning (the word is not used lightly!) selection of Aston Martin ‘Q’ cars orchestrated by Liveryman Simon Lane, aided by Concorde Edition creator Aston Martin Bristol, raising money and awareness for the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA).

The Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition, and V12 ‘Spitfire 80’, plus the DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition were all represented in the same space that sheltered Spitfire and Blenheim aircraft during the war.

Beyond the hanger, were hundreds of cars of every description across this historic former RAF site, with their owners hungry to show their love for their marque.

The CCC hopes to have a bigger event at the scramble later this year in October, to allow more members to attend.

As for the ‘official’ inaugural event for the Club, this was organised as the outing of the Club to the British Motor Museum in the campus of the Jaguar Land Rover development headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire. A group of 20 members and guests showed up in an array of exotic and classic cars to visit this immensely impressive museum.

The Museum offers a colourful insight into the British motor industry – from the popular ‘Time Road’ to the ‘Under the Skin’ interactive displays and exhibits. From its earliest days the British motor industry has been a vital part of the economy and the lives of people living in the Midlands and is still a hub for automotive creativity today. The Museum tells the story of the birth, decline and rebirth of the motor industry and the cars it produced, as well as celebrating the skills and creativity of the people who designed and built them.

We enjoyed an excellent tour by our guide, who pointed out many fascinating features of the cars on display. There were collections of almost every famous British brand; Morris, Austin, Rover, MG, Wolsey, Humber, Hillman, Standard, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Vauxhall, and more.

Among the exhibits were many prototype and concept cars that never saw mass production as motor manufacturers sought to develop marketable product. There were also several very first builds off the production assembly line including the initial 1961 Jaguar E-type-Series 1, 3.8-litre open two-seater which retailed at just over £2,000! Also in the line-up was Princess Diana’s treasured 1987 Jaguar XJ-S V12 Cabriolet with numerous custom features including rare and small rear seats for the Princes.

Having enjoyed an interesting and unique venue, the party then repaired to the Caffeine & Machine hostelry on the Fosse Way at Ettington near Stratford-on-Avon. The perfect venue for Car Club enthusiasts, it’s a place that caters to everyone with a love for powered road machines. From fast cars to hyper cars, spotless classics to super bikes, micro cars to trucks, there’s a place for it all at the C&M. It seeks to break down barriers, encourage conversation and discovery and above all. worship at the altar of the cult of machine. The huge parking area and grassy slopes were packed with all kinds of motorised exotica, and not surprisingly on a Bank Holiday Monday, the place was so heaving with ‘petrolheads’, that it was a struggle to secure refreshments! Car Club members had an opportunity to display their superb machinery and join the throng.

A superb and memorable day out was enjoyed by all, and a great launch for the new Car Club.
If you would like to join, please contact Nick Lyford on 07399 637154 or Simon Gurney on 07768 848584.