We hope this email finds you well. This Saturday we will be holding our first live, 'in-the-room' motorcycle sale since last autumn. The date, as you can imagine, was set for the first weekend out of lockdown, post 'hug day', however, that has been postponed so once again we find ourselves setting out the Covid-secure plans. We'll go into that detail below but let's put that to one side, as one can in an email, and focus on the positives - a fantastic collection of bikes on offer - 70 in all and 160 spares. 

The highlight of the sale is probably the Manx Norton (pictured below) with racing history in the 1970s and '80s. There's 12 classic Triumphs including several Bonnevilles, Tiger 100s etc. Also a collection of pre-war bikes ripe for restoration including Douglas, BSA and AJS as well as at the other end of the scale a 2000 MV Agusta F4, a Honda Goldring and a 1972 Harley Davidson Electraglide.
Amongst the spares are approximately 30 lots of Douglas parts and projects and a large quantity of Norton spares from a single owner collection.

As desperate as we all are to return to bidding 'in-the-room', we're mindful of the risks still there and have sought advice. We are able to confirm that we can offer in-the-room bidding but this is limited. To invite a select number of customers would of course be an impossible quest for us. We will not make our sales exclusive and so here is our offering. There are to be no reserved seats, it will not be a first come first served on the day either. What we suggest is a fair turn-around and so we can have a set number of people in the room (the number has not yet been fixed and will depend of measurements taken once the bikes have all arrived and are in place). This will work fairly if customers come in for the lots they are interested in and exit temporarily afterwards. The barn doors will be open and we will take bids from outside in the carpark with a porter mediating when necessary. To be fair to all, no-one will be able to reside in the saleroom for the duration of the sale regardless of the number of lots that hold interest unless the number attending is below the number we can accommodate. The situation is far from ideal but we ask you to be patient with us and fellow bidders, this is a trial for us all and will only work if we're all mindful of one-another. We desperately want this to work and will do our utmost to smooth the process for you and we are of course pleased we can return to seeing our bidders and offering the opportunity to view the bikes in person. To manage numbers we ask please that you email or call the office to notify us of your intent to attend. Please supply your name and contact number. If numbers are looking to get out of hand we'll need to limit numbers but we're not anticipating that at this stage.

If you are able to view before the day then we advise that you do, as with the limited numbers able to view at one time, viewing may be difficult for Saturday's viewers. 

Viewing: Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday from 8.30am, Sale starting at 10am for spares and approximately 11.15am for bikes.

In addition to in the room bidding, bids can be left with us, live bidding over the telephone available as well as through the-saleroom.com Refreshments will be available.

​We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Stay safe, 
from all the R.E.A.L team

Making it over the 28k members line is surely worth a moment's pause to reflect.

It was a little over 7 years ago on 1 February 2014 that John Simpson decided to set up a Facebook group exclusively for lovers of classic British motors. John didn't know how it would work out, but accepted my offer to help run things quite early on in 2014 after the original Admin team members had departed for various reasons. 

​As a result John soon found himself very stretched; with multiple other Facebook groups and also the much longer established Boston Classic Car Club all requiring his precious time, I took on the challenge of running the group with John's blessing and set about gradually building today's Admin team from very carefully selected members.

​The Admin team has grown in experience and capability, maturing as the group itself grew over the years, remaining strong and constant throughout some pretty turbulent times of very rapid growth. Back then we used to jokingly refer to the group as "The Wild West" which gives you an idea of how things once were.

Huge gratitude and appreciation goes to my friends and colleagues who continue to make up the Admin team (in no particular order);

• Zebidee Habib
• Mike Peake
• Gar Cole
• Steve Favill
• John Simpson
• Edwin Feenstra

The group has over the years matured into a calm oasis of fun yet civilised enjoyment and mutual respect despite our relatively large numbers - these peaceful waters are rarely troubled by the irksome antics that plague other online communities and when trouble does strike it is invariably dealt with swiftly and effectively by the experienced team.
​
Not only has the Facebook group grown in size beyond all of our wildest expectations, but our online presence has over the years spread onto various different platforms including our own website www.britishmotorvehicles.com which is designed, built and run by yours truly and also our own Instagram page www.instagram.com/enthusiasts_of_british_motors/ which is looked after brilliantly by Emily Fleur-Peake.

In addition to these online activities, we have also developed a vibrant 'real world' side to the club driven tirelessly by Gar and ably assisted by Mike. Their achievements include running several official club stands at the Practical Classics Resto Show and the Lancaster Classic Motor Show, both held annually at Birmingham's NEC as well as numerous static shows and driving tours. Oh, and did we mention we won a Judges Choice Award for our stand at the NEC in November 2019? Do join us at a future event - new folk are always welcome! The current list of planned official events can be seen here

I'd like to thank my fellow Admins for all their time and effort and also all the members who make the group worth visiting again and again with so many interesting, informative and enjoyable contributions.

​Hopefully we will continue to grow and develop in the years ahead.

Available now in our online shop, this traditional but trendy unisex headgear is a stylish and comfortable way to keep your bonce warm in winter and also protected from unexpected seagull attack in Summer. 

Designed and embroidered in the UK by Beechfield Original Headwear, this is a quality unisex item made of Herringbone weave fabric (100% washed cotton). The vintage styling features a stitched-down peak and elasticated crown and is available in two sizes. Our Group logo is embroidered in very high quality (10,000 stitches) on the rear panel.

The Enthusiasts Vintage Flat Cap is now available from stock for immediate despatch.

This new exhibition from the British Motor Museum 'Factor Us In' will  open on 22 July and is the culmination of a two year-project to uncover the fascinating stories behind the motor industry and of the people who worked and lived around it. In a year where the sense of community is more important than ever, the Museum wants to encourage local people to engage with the history on their doorstep, the history of an industry that has dominated the West Midlands for more than a century.
 
‘Factor Us In’ puts the spotlight firmly on how the motor industry in the West Midlands affected people, the local landscape and surrounding businesses. The exhibition will look at the societal impact of the factories, the highs and lows of their production, as well as everyday life and reflect on the legacies they left behind.
 
The exhibition will primarily focus on recollections from the communities of Canley in Coventry, Longbridge in Birmingham and Lode Lane, Solihull. It explores the community response to key moments across the industry including manufacturing booms, strike actions, the subsequent loss of industry and recent efforts for redevelopment and diversification in employment.
 
‘Factor Us In’ uses a combination of the Museum’s rich collections of archival material, artefacts and oral history videos and recordings to illustrate those themes. Its style is very much of overheard conversations, celebrating the people that helped make the factory communities what they are today. The exhibition will evolve continually throughout its run and so the Museum is very keen to engage with more people to incorporate their own recollections during its lifetime, unlocking more stories of motor car communities.
 
The exhibition will run from 22 July 2021 until summer 2022. Alongside the physical temporary exhibition, the Museum will also have an online counterpart. ‘Factor Us in’ has in part been made possible by generous funding of Arts Council England.
 
The exhibition is included as part of a normal Museum entry.  Museum entry is £14.50 for adults, £12.50 for concessions, £9 for children (5-16 years) and under 5s are FREE.  There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return, at no extra cost. 
 
To find out more information about the exhibition please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/factor-us-in
If you have a factory community story that you would like to share, or perhaps some artefacts you would like to loan for display then please email museum@britishmotormuseum.co.uk 

Group members Graham Adams and Sue Clamp invite everyone to join them on a tour they have planned and designed for the group.

Day 1 on Saturday the convoy will leave base camp www.haleshallcaravanandcampingpark.com based in Cheadle and head north onto the moorlands with a first coffee stop in Flash, the highest village in England. From Flash we head across country to the town of Buxton before heading towards Macclesfield on the Cat & Fiddle road. Lunch stop will be at the newly refurbished Cat & Fiddle Inn, recently reopened with it's own whiskey distillery, suitably fed and watered the tour will continue back towards the campsite stopping off at Oakamoor to give our cars a blast up the Speed Hill climb course located there.

Sunday's tour takes a gentle turn south to the National Memorial Arboretum, with time to explore this thought provoking place, from here onto the National Brewery Museum in Burton on Trent, this organised visit will allow us to park in the museums inner courtyard, sample the brews on offer , have lunch and check out their collection of vintage brewery vans and their beautiful Shire horses and carriages, returning to base camp around 4pm.

This tour is open to all members of this group and the Pre Millennial Motors group.

Headline sponsor Lancaster Insurance will be doing just that as its VW Camper restoration nears completion before it drives around the coast of Britain before being auctioned in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. Andrew Evanson, Senior Operations Manager for Lancaster, said:  

This year’s show is being planned with a number of Covid safety measures still in place that can adapt with any changing guidelines.
 
When booking tickets, visitors will be asked to choose a specific arrival time and entrance hall from which to enter the show. The organisers are planning the event to ensure everyone gets the best possible experience whilst keeping safety the number one priority for all attendees. More information can be found on the show’s website.
 
The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, is scheduled to be held at Birmingham’s NEC from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 November 2021. Tickets are now on sale. Check the website www.necclassicmotorshow.com or sign up for the newsletter at www.necclassicmotorshow.com/newsletter for the latest updates. 

One of our all-time best-sellers, the Enthusiasts Grille Badge is now held in stock & available for immediate despatch. 

​New for 2021
For the first time, we can now include on request a stainless steel badge bar clip with fixing screws.

Our Grille badges are a bit special, being manufactured by a West Midlands-based company with 35 years’ experience. Each badge is handmade and finished, the body is steel. After being cut out they are stamped with the logo designed by our own Gar Cole in 2017. The red, blue and white enamel paint is added by hand, then after heat treatment in the furnace they are plated with rose gold. Each badge is then polished using a finishing wheel.

​Tickets for the 2021 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, are now on sale with special discount codes available to enthusiasts to help get the classic car industry moving again following lockdown.
 
Show Director Lee Masters explains: “Like everyone else, we’ve had to sit on the side-lines through the lockdown. We know some of our exhibitors have struggled without events taking place and we’re all craving to get out and about.
 
“So to do our bit to help get the classic car community moving again, for the first time ever, we are going to be releasing discount codes that everyone can use. Historically, we have only given money saving codes to our exhibiting clubs, but this year we will also be offering them to all our partners, media outlets, and exhibitors, as well as our own social media channels and newsletters.”
 
The show is being planned with a number of covid safety measures still in place that can adapt with any changing guidelines. Visitors will be asked to choose a specific arrival time and entrance hall from which to enter the show. The organisers are planning the event to ensure everyone gets the best possible experience whilst keeping safety the number one priority for all attendees. More information can be found on the shows website.
 
The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, is scheduled to be held at Birmingham’s NEC from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 November 2021. Tickets are now on sale. Check the website www.necclassicmotorshow.com or sign up for the newsletter at www.necclassicmotorshow.com/newsletter for the latest updates. 

We have got a real treat for those of you who visit us at the beginning of June. You’ll be able to step on board on Sunday 6 June for a free ride at 12.15pm and 2.45pm. We’ll have a strict limit on the number of passengers- and all the windows will be open so wrap up well! 

On Sunday 13 June we are arranging a special event featuring country buses, which were used on rural routes in the past. We hope to have visiting buses and coaches, some of which may be used on the free bus rides at 12.15pm and 2.45pm. The first motor bus service between Oxford an Abingdon started in May 1914 just before the First World War started. In those days, the buses had solid rubber tyres. Although pneumatic tyres had been invented by JP Dunlop as early as 1888, the technology was still not available to make the pneumatic tyre walls strong enough to take the weight of a bus and its passengers. The result was that buses were hard on the roads. By November 1915, the Abingdon Rural District Council was claiming compensation from the bus company for damage allegedly caused by motor buses to its roads. The claim was not settled until the early 1920s. 

After the war ended the Oxford bus company looked to increase its profitability. Fares within Oxford were controlled set by the Oxford Tramways Act 1914. However, fares outside the City were uncontrolled. During 1918, the company was running country routes to Abingdon, Wantage and Wallingford, which provided a fifth of the company’s total mileage, took just a quarter of the total receipts– and the lion’s share, a hefty 40%, of the company’s profits. 

So successful were its rural routes, the company decided to expand its country operations with new routes to Chipping Norton, Faringdon and Burford via Witney Climb aboard for a half term rural ride A country bus in 1920s approaching Eynsham Toll Bridge to take advantage of the unrestricted fares. To operate routes in Berkshire, the company had to pay an annual licence fee to the County Council of 2d (approx. 4p) per mile, but for routes in Oxfordshire, the county council charged only 1d a mile. The introduction of the Vehicle Excise Licence in 1921 superseded this arrangement.

​Many of the buses in our collection ran on country routes. Single deck buses were usually used on country routes where passenger numbers were low but double deckers used if more capacity were needed. NJO 703 was acquired in 1949 by the Oxford bus company for private hire and excursion duties, but when not used for such duties was used on country routes. It is pictured after acquisition for preservation at an event showing country service 26 on its blind.