Terrific news for the British classic car movement, we say! Twenty years ago, the RAC MSA and Norwich Union Insurance got together to organise what soon became the worlds largest moving motoring event a one-day run for all cars over 20 years old from points around England, converging on the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone for a couple of fun laps followed by tea with the widest assortment of historic cars from Edwardian times to (then) the late 1960s.
It was a brilliant formula the routes were superb, finding scenic country lanes in the most unlikely places and giving the opportunity to drive on test tracks you normally only hear of; plus the sheer camaraderie and fun of driving in company with such a wide range of different classic cars, the number and variety steadily increasing as we converged on Silverstone I took part in that first event in my 1960 Rochdale GT and didnt miss one of the subsequent Runs.
Only an organisation with the clout of the Motor Sports Association could ever have run it, with visits en route to circuits, hillclimbs, stately homes or other attractions, and it grew to include 2-3 day overseas and more distant UK starts; it was so popular that experts (myself included) were drafted in to vet entries as hundreds, if not thousands, had to be turned away they just could not all be accommodated.
The event grew to accept a maximum in 1996 of over 1600 participants, though by then the increasing number of other events for classic cars and the increasing cost of running the event was taking its toll. Foot and mouth disease was the final nail, forcing cancellation of the 2001 event (which by then was sponsored by AXA), and it has been sorely missed ever since until now!
The MSA has teamed up with Norwich Union again to re-run the event on October 14 this year, converging once again on Silverstone from a range of start points around Britain, with an entry fee of just 100.
This represents the best days motoring youre likely to have this year, so get it in your diary and get your entry off right now: see www.msaclassic.co.uk. Its an event for all the family, kids, wives, husbands, everyone enjoys it even if theyre only remotely interested in classic cars. My son navigated faultlessly from the tulip diagram road book at the age of six and loved every minute of it.
Malcolm McKay, Motorbase News Editor
