After an extensive consultation process, the Department for Transport has announced that they will legislate to introduce E10 petrol as the standard 95-octane petrol grade by 1 September 2021. They will also require the higher-octane 97+ ‘Super’ grades to remain E5 to provide protection for owners of older vehicles. This product will be designated as the ‘Protection’ grade.

The introduction of the 95-octane E10 grade and the maintenance of the Super E5 protection grade will be reviewed by the Government after 5 years to ensure they remain appropriate to the needs of the market. In relation to the E5 protection grade, such a review will examine market developments over the period. HM Government have sought to reassure FBHVC members and historic vehicle owners that, without a suitable alternative becoming available, it is highly likely the Super E5 protection grade would continue to be available.

Filling stations that stock 2 grades of petrol and supply at least one million litres of fuel in total each year, will need to ensure one product is the Super E5 protection grade. While not all filling stations meet these criteria, almost all towns across the UK will have a filling station that supplies the ‘Super’ grade and currently one major retailer, a national supermarket group, has committed to offer the product. The main exception to this is in certain parts of the Highlands, north and west coast of Scotland, which will be covered by an exemption process and allowed to continue to market the 95-octane E5 grade.

The Federation therefore recommends that all vehicles produced before 2000 and some vehicles from the early 2000s that are considered non-compatible with E10 - should use the Super E5 Protection grade where the Ethanol content is limited to a maximum of 5%. To check compatibility of vehicles produced since 2000, we recommend using the new online E10 compatibility checker: https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol 
​
It should be noted that some Super E5 Protection grade products do not contain Ethanol as the E5 designation is for fuels containing up to 5% Ethanol. Product availability varies by manufacturer and geographical location and enthusiasts should check the situation in their location.

It's taken us a while to get everything together, but at long last we can now bring you - just in time for Spring - our latest item of group merchandise - Enthusiasts Duo Car Window Shades, priced at £10.99 + shipping per pair.

Perfect for keeping the interior cool on those warm Spring and Summer days ahead, or just to fly the flag when you're out and about - and what better way to show your support for the Group at classic car events?

Offer is for a pair (2 shades). Please check sizes and details before ordering.

Unsurprisingly the ongoing Covid situation continues to affect public events and we are very sorry to tell you that the Gloucestershire Vintage Steam Extravaganza planned for this Summer has been called off. Hopefully it will return next year.

A decision has also been made to postpone our visit to Crich Tramway Museum on March 27. The revised date is Saturday 8 May and we can only hope the later date will enable this event to go ahead.

All being well, we will once again visit Crich Tramway Museum to display our cars on the iconic cobbled street. Starting at 10am, entry is free to drivers of classic cars but passengers will pay normal admission price. In order to help boost funds for the struggling museum we politely request that all our drivers pay a voluntary £10 entry fee if travelling alone.

At Lancaster, the insurance policies we can arrange for Buildings and Contents mean you can be safe in the knowledge that your home and belongings are covered.

All risks are considered and policy benefits may include; buildings cover up to £1m, contents cover up to £100,000, alternative accommodation cover as well as accidental damage cover, bicycle cover and cover for your
possessions whilst away from the home*.


​To find out more information and see how we can help you, call the team today on 01480 400903 or visit www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk
​*Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may vary between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable.

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.

 We can beat your everyday car insurance quote
 
If you insure your classic vehicle with us, and providing you fit the scheme criteria, we guarantee to beat your renewal price for your modern daily driver, whether that is from your current provider or a competitor. This means you can enjoy the benefit of having your classic and your modern daily driver under one roof. Our insurer panel understand your passion for motoring and the care and dedication you put into your classic car and keeping it safe and as such have made this pledge to our classic car insurance customers.

With many of us spending more time in our everyday cars, ensure they have the right cover in place too. Speak to the team today on 01480 400 903 and challenge us to beat your renewal price.

We are pleased to let you know we have today reopened our online shop. A great range of merchandise is available from stock and can be seen here.

​Regarding deliveries, Royal Mail advises that both UK Domestic and international mail services have resumed and are operational although for the duration of pandemic restrictions some additional delays on top of usual delivery times are to be expected.

Written by Gar Cole.

On behalf of the Admin team I'd like to offer our condolences to the family of long-time member John H Page. John sadly passed away over the Christmas period; he was a lovely chap and very knowledgeable about cars , especially his beloved Rover P4 that he called SBO.

Whilst not lucky enough to have met him I did share many an online laugh with him. John was blessed with a very dry sense of humour peculiar to his generation; for example he posted the picture below of himself one time with the caption ' I'm sure you would all prefer Pamela Anderson, well you'll have to make do with me '

​It obviously struck a chord with everyone as the photo received over 600 'likes' and went on to be the most popular post of the year. John expressed his surprise by saying ' I never thought I'd be a pin up at my age '

We will give John himself the last word with just a few of his posts in the group over the past year or so. They reflect what mattered most to him - first and foremost his family and of course his lovely Rover, SBO.
Rest In Peace, John.

With that in mind, we bring you our brand new Enthusiasts Duo Car Window Shades - perfect for keeping your classic cool, looking cooler and also useful for finding your car in large car parks! We're still working on the final details but we hope to make our shades available to buy online early in the New Year - watch this space for news.

Our 2021 Enthusiasts Calendar has been a great success with sales in excess of 3 times more than last year and there's still time to grab yours. Don't miss out on your copy - there are just days left to get your order in.
No orders will be taken after December 15; all calendar orders will be printed and despatched before Christmas.

The calendar was beautifully designed and printed by group sponsor Phil Allin of Alvaston Press and features some great photographs of proud member's cars - see above, and below for more. 

We are pleased to bring you this new design custom-made Enthusiasts Lapel Badge featuring our distinctive logo. Like all our merchandise, these are high quality hand-made products.

A perfect present that will look great on your lapel, hat, overalls - in fact anywhere you like!

This is an urgent appeal by the RSPBB (the Royal Society of Purchasing Barney Bears).
​​Many of our brothers have found loving homes with group members, but for those left behind with Gar, life isn’t good.

​It’s bad enough he has 2 Basset hounds which keep looking at us like chew toys, but now he’s started dressing us in Christmas tinsel and is playing ABBA and Shirley Bassey constantly on the wireless!

​Please end our suffering - purchase a Barney bear in time for Xmas. If we hear ‘Big Spender‘ one more time, we’re going to leap into the coal fire. You can adopt us below; please help!

The rather special 2021 Enthusiasts Calendar featuring almost 50 stunning members' classics is now our best-selling calendar ever! To date around 80 copies have been printed by Phil and his hard-working team of elves at Alvaston Press which exceeds sales of all our previous calendars - but it's not too late to bag yourself a copy. Feedback has been very positive, so don't miss out!

Just in time for Christmas - Barney, our gorgeous and slightly grumpy Enthusiasts Teddy Bear is dressed in a white t shirt with the group logo printed in full colour.

​Barney sits 20cm tall and is silky-soft - just made for cuddling! He can sit as comfortably at home as in the office or car, and is priced at a very reasonable £6.25 + shipping.

Important

• Because Barney is hand-made, his appearance and colour can vary slightly.
• This long pile (haired) soft toy is recommended for children of 12 months and over with parental discretion advised, is CE marked and conforms to the European Regulations EN71.
• We accept PayPal and most major debit/credit cards
• Shipping rates will be displayed after you enter your delivery address and before you commit to buy.

The results of the 2020 National Historic Vehicle Survey have been announced by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs. The summary results were revealed during the Virtual Lancaster Classic Motor Show with Discovery, filmed at the NEC this month. 

From Admin

Do you remember your first Teddy? We all do at Admin Towers, and to help us through these dark times we're bringing back the Teddy Bear for today's generation as well as for those who just love a good cuddle - which is most of us if we're honest.

Availability:
We are expecting Barney to arrive at Admin Towers as early as next week. As soon as everything is ready Barney will be made available in our online shop - we plan to start shipping him to his new owners in good time for Christmas, so watch this space!