Owners Clubs

Bluebottle · 14 May 2002, 19:15 (Ref:286571)

I've just found out something quite scary- there is an owners club for owners of the Ford Ka! My guess is that there is a club for every car. We are in the Dutton Owners Club, Triumph Sports Six Club and the Granada Enthusiasts Club. Three very different clubs.
What clubs do you belong to, and what are they like?

Maisie · 14 May 2002, 20:39 (Ref:286646)

Maestro and Montego Owners Club - lively, vibrant, enthusiastic and friendly. Very good newsletter and website, good with help and advice, relatively new club but growing fast. Getting the hang of organising events and has a growing calendar.
Vanden Plas Owners Club - catering mainly for older folks and older cars than mine. Friendly people but underusing their website and newsletters. Tends to go for the bigger shows and has more regional events - people usually friendly but less enthusiastic about the cars - or at least so it seems to a post-80s VP owner.

Bluebottle, what are your clubs like?

Bluebottle · 14 May 2002, 21:14 (Ref:286676)

The DOC is full of kit driving, beer swilling pyromaniac (use petrol to light bbq type) loons, great company to keep! It's run on a completely amature basis and doesn't have a shop/spares store yet- a mag 5 times a year, we're at most of the kit shows in some form or other and there is an annual meal and a newly established annual trip to the Isle Of Wight- and there's a website too.

The Sports Six now cater for all Triumphs, not just the Herald chassis derivatives. We joined this one at the beginning of this year and it seems to be a well set up operation with full time staff and a club HQ with a small museum and workshop facilities. There is a monthly mag and a website.

The Granada Enthusiasts are a nationwide bunch of Essex Boys. There is a quarterly mag, a website and a club shop which offers refurbishments and restorations but they currently are finding it difficult to get a gearbox to me ex-stock!

Every owners club has a significant person called Derek. I don't know why- they just do.

Bluebottle · 14 May 2002, 21:15 (Ref:286679)

Oh, and the D.O.C. has a logo that looks like a squashed donkey.

DAVID PATERSON · 15 May 2002, 03:23 (Ref:286898)

I've been a member of many car clubs, but oly one single make club. The Nissan Datsun Car Club of Qld. It doesn't really deserve to be called a car club, it's more of a social club, we meet fortnightly, watch motorsport videos, swap car mags, talk about cars and sell/swap a few parts. We haven't had an election in years, there are no minutes or committee reports and a magazine, which comes out every 2 or 3 years.

It's been my experience that many single make clubs are a little esoteric and somewhat dull. I prefer belonging to racing clubs, they actually do something rather than just stand around and talk.

DAVID PATERSON · 15 May 2002, 03:24 (Ref:286899)

I've recently found out there is actually an owner's club here in Australia for Lada. They call it an owner's club, but perhaps it's really just a support group.

Crash Test · 15 May 2002, 04:33 (Ref:286933)

Yeah, the Lada Appreciation Society has a 5 minute long monthly meeting

mtpanorama · 15 May 2002, 12:12 (Ref:287197)

The best one here in Aus is "The volvo sporting car club".
Now if that isnt a contradiction in terms.

DAVID PATERSON · 16 May 2002, 09:00 (Ref:287841)

Hey Shane, I know the founders of the club, they moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast several years ago and are now members of the Historic Racing Car Club. They don't compete themselves but are tireless workers behind the scenes.

You're right about the name though, what a contradiction.

Would you believe Volvo Australia actually approached them and asked them to form the club, they thought it would be good for their image in marketing.

P.S. Their pride and joy is an immaculate Volvo 740, running a 308 Holden V8 with a 4 barrell Holley.

TimD · 16 May 2002, 10:19 (Ref:287898)

There's some seriously quick Volvos in the world, it has to be said, and indeed the old 122S Amazon is still the machine of choice in classic rallying.

My own car clubs? Bentley Drivers Club. I don't have one yet, but the club is a great place to learn about the king of motor cars, to socialise with the most wonderful selection of eccentrics, and of course, to keep a close eye on cars coming on the market.

Mercedes Benz Enthusiasts Club. Mainly a member so I can avail myself of their spares service, as manufacturer prices for bits for a 1970 220 saloon are scary. I must admit that the Bentley people are more fun to be with. My Mercedes is rather an orphan model when the club lines up their Gullwings, SLs and Grossers. At least the Bentley club will celebrate any machine that comes to their door.

Also, the Mercedes people only organise shows and concours stands. The BDC in contrast, hires Silverstone for one day a year, and issues a challenge to the Aston Martin, Jaguar, Cobra and Morgan clubs, effectively to "Come and have a go". The resulting races have some of the wildest grids in the world.

elephino · 17 May 2002, 11:08 (Ref:288765)

Mumble mumble....I was a member of the Volvo Sporting Car Club. Now I'm in the Swedishbricks Car Club...is that an improvement or not?

I'm going to be driving a 220kw S40 T4 tomorrow. Not sure if I should be scared or not though.

Just remember, there is now a 740T running in the top 10 most meetings in Improved Production in NSW.

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