News, Recent Newsletters

It has been a very interesting exercise to go back to the very first newsletters and see how the Federation and its publications have evolved since 1989. Legislation has always been the most important topic for us and all members can be sure that we only print the absolute truth of the situation in these pages and on our website. It has been quite alarming to see how much misinformation is being circulated recently by other organisations and on various internet forums. Our contributors always choose their words very carefully, especially when writing on complex matters of legislation, and we continue to encourage clubs to reproduce verbatim any of the contents of this newsletter in their own publications. It is all too easy to inadvertently change the meaning of a piece of text by overenthusiastic editing.

Download full version HERE (pdf format – Note: Very large file so may take a few seconds to fully download)

Download rtf version of Newsletter HERE

Thank you to everyone who sent in pictures for this new format newsletter, we will use as many as we can, but we would still like to see more so that we can cover the whole range of two, three and four wheeled vehicles of all sizes and shapes in these pages. Drive It Day on 17 April will be a perfect opportunity to see a wonderful selection of vehicles out on the road – I look forward to seeing and hearing all about it.

WELCOME

Roger Wrapson

Director of Communications

Welcome to the new look FBHVC Newsletter. As the new communications director I recently caused some raised eyebrows by describing the old A5 format Newsletter as “good lavatorial reading”. I was not, in fact, criticizing the magazine but referring to the difficulty in easily assimilating the information contained and which will, of course, continue to be available, within it. It is the objective of our editorial committee that the new look Newsletter will provide easily digested information for the initial flip through while still providing depth and detail for the in depth browse, wherever that may take place!

Nothing gets members more excited than a hot issue and hot issues seem to predominate at present, increasing the need for good information, well presented. Hopefully, with the help of our skilled friends at Lavenham Press, we’ve added an artistic element to the continuing high quality information you’ve enjoyed before with, as you would expect, the FBHVC finger still firmly on the historic vehicle industry’s pulse.

And before you ask – thanks to the input from Lavenham Press it isn’t costing any more than the old style Newsletter, win – win for us all!

RESEARCH

ACTION NEEDED!

Yes, it’s survey time again and FBHVC needs all clubs to encourage their members to take part by maximising publicity about what FBHVC is doing, and why.

Nothing captures politicians’ attention more effectively than big, or valuable, numbers. To be effective in its work, FBHVC must have up-to-date facts and figures about all aspects of the historic vehicle movement. These include the numbers of people and vehicles involved as well as the movement’s economic value.

The last set of such data is now five years old and needs to be brought up to date to meet the challenges of the next few years. FBHVC is thus embarking on a new survey of the movement in May

In 2006, clubs were asked to distribute paper questionnaires. This time it’s easier – the survey is on-line, but this will only work if clubs encourage their members to take part. The panel below contains some suggested text – please use this on websites and in all publications being sent out between now and July.

Clubs: please include this on websites and in all May/June/July publications

IMPORTANT SURVEY

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs exists to ensure that we all continue to have the right to use our vehicles on the road – whatever their age.

It does this by lobbying politicians and government officials but it can only be really effective if it is armed with accurate information about the interests it represents, such as the number of people involved and the number of vehicles they own as well as the value the movement brings to the economy.

FBHVC’s last survey was in 2006, when the gross value of the movement was shown to be in excess of £3bn annual expenditure. This now needs to be brought up to date, so a new survey has been started.

We urge all our members to take part and to encourage their friends to do so as well: the more people who do, the more accurate the results will be, and the more accurate the results are, the better FBHVC will be able to protect all our interests.

The simplest way to participate is to go to www.fbhvc.co.uk and click the link to the survey. The link will open early in May and remain open until the end of July.

If you prefer to complete a paper questionnaire, please send a C5 stamped addressed envelope to FBHVC, Kernshill, Shute Street, Stogumber, Taunton. TA4 3TU

Separate questionnaires will be sent to traders, club secretaries and museums during April.

The results will be analysed during the summer, and results should be published in November.

UK LEGISLATION

David Hurley

Progress on points raised with Mike Penning, Transport Minister

I am pleased to report that the various matters raised have been passed down to appropriate government departments for detailed consideration. The FBHVC has already spoken with civil servants and meetings/telephone conferences are being arranged in the near future. Where the law has to be changed or referral to the European Commission is concerned, the parliamentary process demands that various hoops have to be jumped through – such as risk assessments and impact assessments, before even consultation documents are issued, so don’t expect rapid progress!

Minor changes to existing internal agency procedures (DVLA) are more straightforward. An example is the recent relaxation relating to engine number changes for historic vehicles (see Nigel Harrison’s DVLA section). Similarly the DVLA are reviewing the Reconstructed Classics requirements and FBHVC will be involved.

The forthcoming FBHVC/DVLA meeting will hopefully assist in other procedural anomalies being reviewed. It is vitally important that any dialogue between FBHVC, member clubs, individuals and the DVLA is conducted in a non belligerent manner – we are an important but small minority compared with the total vehicle park of approx 35 million vehicles. In the main the Federation has always found civil servants sympathetic – for example the V765 and the issue of age related registration numbers which are completely non-standard procedures as compared with normal vehicle park processing. The cost of running this special area is funded by the overall DVLA budget, not by the two or three thousand enthusiasts needing this specialised service; a point that should be remembered before writing abusive letters to DVLA staff who are instructed to work within a detailed framework laid down by policymakers.

HGV Plating and Testing Exemptions – Reductions of Categories

This topic was last mentioned in June last year (Newsletter 3-2010) and followed a meeting on 31 March 2010 with DfT officials and FBHVC accompanied by several interested member clubs. DfT have not yet issued any response to the consultation and it would appear to have been held in abeyance (bench rest!) whilst other priority tasks are undertaken. We will of course continue to actively monitor the situation

PROPOSED CONSULTATION ON EXEMPTING EARLY VEHICLES FROM TESTING REQUIREMENTS

David Hurley

Our report in the February Newsletter that the Department for Transport was planning a consultation on exempting some early small vehicles from the need for an MoT has had wide circulation. Inevitably rumour and speculation has been rife both in club forums, internet chat rooms, enthusiast interest group sites and the press, often misquoting what the FBHVC originally suggested and turning opinions into fact!

Whilst the Minister, Mike Penning, has accepted the proposition in principle, the exact cut off dates will be the subject of detailed research including Risk and Impact Assessments together with discussion within the DfT and Stakeholders before the issue of the Consultation document. Nothing will be finalised until after the responses to the formal consultation are analysed and the DfT prepare advice to the Minister. These processes will take many months and could easily spill over into 2012. It has already taken three months since the topic was raised on 30 November 2010 to get this far.

One major (and legitimate) concern raised by clubs has been speculation that restriction of use will be involved or will follow. There is no way that the FBHVC would bargain with, or condone, any such restriction. As recently as 1 March, I attended an event at the House of Commons where Mike Penning gave his assurance that restrictions on use had never been considered, or mentioned, and would not be an option. Since the function was attended by three senior officers of the FBHVC, Lord Montagu, five MP/MEPs, two other Peers, plus members of FBHVC clubs and representatives of the press, the Minister would have been well aware that this concern needed to be clarified once and for all.

There are several factors (see background below) that led us to ask for this change for cars and smaller vehicles up to 31/12/1920 and PCV’s up to 31/12/1940 only although the current EU Directive permits exemptions for pre-1960 vehicles in member countries. The two dates have been carefully selected to fit in with technological developments in the evolution of cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. A rolling exemption date has not been proposed but the exemption dates would be periodically reviewed.

The Minister and the DfT have also been approached by the press and other individuals to consider other cut off dates beyond those suggested by FBHVC, and no doubt they will be considered in the formulation of DfT advice. This would have been the case anyway, because the UK authorities have to make a case to the European Commission for their use of the exemption and would have to justify any dates chosen. They will have to satisfy the EC that they have considered all the decades right up to 1960.

Background

The MoT regime was introduced 50 years ago in the UK well before most of the EU states. From the outset the UK test regime acknowledged the variations of specification and performance of older vehicles and has continued this approach on vehicles built subsequent to 1960, many of which are now the classic cars of today.

The Role of the Commission

The first Directive introduced the concept of testing but did not contain in specific detail methods of testing or minimum test standards/values. Other EU states often used the UK regime as a model when introducing testing (but not necessarily adopting the concept of variation for older vehicles). Recent Directives have majored on detailed procedures and minimum pass values which relate to the majority of the modern European car park i.e. incorporating testing of systems never fitted to old vehicles. Since new technology is constantly being incorporated in new cars, the testing regime has to keep pace with those changes.

The EC has a system of technical committees, made up of permanent members together with representatives from member states to discuss and approve ‘technical changes’ to the fine print of Appendices to Directives (a Directive sets out principles, the Appendices the detail). This method of changing the technical detail without going through any consultation outside the civil service of both EU and member states is known as comitology.

In our case it would rely on the committee members from the majority of all participating countries having knowledge of our vehicles and taking into account our special needs, since any mistake in drafting could adversely affect our position. In general, the age profile of the ‘historic’ vehicle park in EU mainland states is biased towards post-war vehicles, (two major conflicts in Europe decimated the very old vehicles) and comparatively few before 1920, (as compared with UK) so committee members may not necessarily support the UK view. DfT staff are well aware of the need for continued vigilance, but in recent years FBHVC has had to prompt action in some areas. Like all employers, corporate memory is confined to fewer people and in practice only goes back 40 years – our vehicles go back 125!

Other factors are that the EC is keen on majority voting, has a dislike of permanent continuing exemptions, and sometimes forgets the principle of no-retrospection that was one of the first things that was agreed in principle when FBHVC was established in 1988. Since the UK old vehicle park is the largest and most varied in Europe we are more at risk.

The physical test in UK

Testing equipment has become more sophisticated and continues to be developed to eliminate use of discretion by the tester. An example is computerised headlamp equipment that uses a back screen with imbedded light sensors to measure headlamp beams. This machine is placed appropriately in front of the headlamp, the tester then presses a start button, the machine runs its course and then illuminates a green or red light. The machine makes at least two assumptions 1) there is a focussed beam; and 2) there is no scatter. It is currently being introduced /used for testing commercial vehicles and would be totally unsuitable for most vehicles right up to the eighties. Shaking plates are increasing in use to check suspension defects but it has to be said that most time served testers still rely on the bar! Over the years brake rollers have replaced the old decelerometer (Tapley meter to you and me) and there have been reports of resistance by testers to use the old method on older vehicles, despite the unsuitability of rollers for very old cars or those fitted with solid tyres, mechanical transmission braking etc. The IT system used by VOSA does not show the tester all the concessions/exemptions which are allowable for the actual vehicle tested. It was obviously designed for modern vehicles only (one size fits all!) and unfortunately some owners are less than diplomatic in the way they point these failings out to younger testers. This attitude does not make the tester sympathetic to subsequent old car owners!

Garages

One big concern is that the trend away from small independent garages will lead to loss of essential testing expertise. Small, independent operators are under pressure and this sector has diminished over the last ten years. The motor manufactures have all contracted their dealer networks and virtually abolished agencies to concentrate on (in the main) dealer networks owned by large groups. The selling of fuel has also drifted away to larger chains and supermarkets and since the smaller outlets cannot possibly compete on price this move will have adversely affected the profitability of smaller concerns. The main dealers owned by large groups compete on price for servicing and many offer free MoTs. There is also the inevitable loss of small family owned garages due to retirement and the lack of interest by the next generation. Whereas five to ten years ago finance was available at variable cost, in recent years and into the immediate future getting finance to purchase is problematical. I also understand that on change of ownership VOSA makes it mandatory that test equipment is upgraded.

I am aware that small garages are unhappy with the trade organisations that are supposed to represent them, which have become dominated by personnel from large groups. It is interesting to report that a few years ago, when the trade bodies were lobbying for an increase in MoT fees to cover additional test items, I cheekily suggested a reduced fee for old vehicles, since they didn’t have these and other features. The trade reply was that testing of old vehicles took longer because testers were unfamiliar with exemptions and had to look them up!

For these reasons the FBHVC has launched a section on its website to collate recommendations from clubs of MoT testing stations that are happy to deal with our small section of the UK vehicle park. Like Post Offices, small garages will die if they do not receive regular custom – not just for your MoT.

It should be remembered that the MoT test only proves that a vehicle complied with Minimum Test Standards at the time of the test. We understand that it is perfectly possible to enter a vehicle for a test at any time without there being a legal requirement to do so – but if the vehicle fails it is unroadworthy and should not be used.

VEHICLE HEIGHTS AND LOW BRIDGES

James Fairchild

This item is relevant to buses, trucks, vans and caravans. We recently received details of a meeting held to discuss bridge strikes, attended by Network Rail, the Highways Agency and others. The 1986 Construction and Use Regulations stipulate that for a vehicle over three metres high, the height must be displayed in the cab – in the case of a towing vehicle this may be a device that allows a different height to be selected depending on the height of the trailer being towed. Many vehicles built before 1986 will have the height displayed in the cab, however for those which do not, we recommend a simple sign inside the cab be added, in order to aid both regular and occasional drivers of your vehicle. We would also urge drivers who tow a caravan or trailer to write the height somewhere easily visible from the driver’s seat (even if just on a piece of paper stuck to the headlining), even if the trailer is below three metres (9’10″).

We would also politely remind drivers that overhanging branches can do damage to your prized vehicle and urge all drivers to keep a careful eye out, especially when on a road that isn’t regularly used by double decker buses. Low bridges or overhanging trees are a particular hazard when one is following a satnav, or following the directions of someone unfamiliar with high vehicles.

In general, bridges with a clear height of five metres (16’6″) or less are required to be signed with their height. Should you be aware of a bridge locally to you that is missing its sign on one side or the other (or in your opinion is insufficiently signed) please report this to the council with responsibility for highways. Likewise, if you know of a road with overhanging trees, this should also be reported to the authority, who have a statutory duty to coordinate landowners trimming trees on their own property, and council staff trimming trees located on the highway.

It would be appreciated if all member clubs, including those dealing solely with cars, could include the paragraph above in their newsletter, in order to help vintage commercial preservationists.

ACCESS TO RECORDS HELD BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES

James Fairchild

We recently received a question from a member club concerning access to vehicle licensing records held by local authorities (such records being pre-computerisation at DVLA in the early 1980s); specifically that such records may be disposed of, or have access to them curtailed, or stopped, due to various budget cuts. After consideration, it was agreed that this issue is peripheral to FBHVC’s core aims, and as such we do not propose to contact any councils, and in any event we ourselves would be unable to act as a repository. The Kithead Trust do excellent work in conserving and allowing access to certain records, although we do not know whether they are able or willing to take further records.

If there are members or others concerned about loss of records, a good approach may be for member organisations (or their regional/local branches) to contact councils in their area to find out whether there are any records that may be at risk of disposal (potentially not just vehicle licensing records, but other road/vehicle related information also) and then at a local level lobby your elected council members to either try to get a change of heart, or to get agreement for the records to be transferred elsewhere. Do note though that we cannot assume that organisations such as the Kithead Trust would be prepared to take extra material (and almost certainly would not have the resources to provide a van and two people to spend a day loading and transporting them) and that if someone does want their local records to survive they may have no alternative but to store them locally with a club/branch of a club. In many cases, this will mean a member’s garage or spare bedroom. For this reason, we do urge people to think about the practicalities before making the initial approach. Yes, ‘someone’ ought to do it – but who is that someone if not yourself?

MOT TESTING STATIONS

The list of MoT testing stations that understand our historic vehicle continues to grow and at the time of writing contains over 170 entries. This list is on our website and is updated every Monday.

FUEL NEWS

In the last issue of the Newsletter we printed extracts from the long-awaited QinetiQ report on the effects of bio-fuel on older vehicles. As a result of FBHVC involvement there are signs of a softening of government attitude to allow the supply of E5 fuel until at least 2015 and there is a suggestion of provision of low ethanol (whatever that is) fuel for historic vehicles. It should be remembered however that our vehicles use a very small percentage of the total UK fuel sales and it may be difficult for retailers to commercially justify stocking such fuel even if the oil companies will distribute it. The Federation will continue to monitor the situation and are working with the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group to see what can be done.

In 2010, through our trade supporter scheme, we introduced five companies to a manufacturer of a corrosion inhibitor additive for petrol. This additive should overcome many of the problems associated with the inclusion of ethanol in petrol (but not material compatibility issues, please note). One of these companies, Tetraboost, who also supply an additive for unleaded petrol, have sent us the following statement about the launch of the product in the UK.

‘TetraBOOST E-Guard™ has been specially formulated to give protection from potential damage caused by ethanol in petrol, except for GRP tanks and sealants. In addition it will prevent deterioration of fuel kept in a vehicle tank for several months during winter. It will be submitted to the FBHVC for testing as soon as they have the facilities prepared. The problems with ethanol have been fully explained in earlier FBHVC Newsletters and on their website. TetraBOOST E-Guard™ will be supplied through retail outlets, dealing with automobile parts and accessories, in 250ml bottles sufficient for 250 litres of fuel. It will not be available direct. However, as stockists are appointed, they will be listed on the Tetraboost website www.tetraboost.com.’

The Federation hope to have the test programme up and running very soon; there have been some technical problems to overcome but we are hopeful that later this year we will be able to offer an endorsement to the products that pass the test regime.

EU LEGISLATION

Extract from FIVA’s regular update provided by its lobbying service, EPPA. More information can be found on FIVA’s website: www.fiva.org

European Parliament Historic Vehicle Group

On 20 January, the third MEP Historic Vehicle Group met in Strasbourg attended by nine MEPs. Matters discussed included the definition of a historic vehicle, cross-border historic vehicle use and MEP rallies/historic vehicle activities.

The Group agreed to proactively promote the view that historic vehicles are those over 30 years old which are well maintained in the appropriate condition – and to do so in the first instance within the debate on the amendment of the Roadworthiness Testing Directive. FIVA agreed to aim to help with the organisation of two events for the MEPs: a visit to the Mahymobiles in Leuze-en-Hainaut in Belgium and an historic vehicle rally starting in Brussels at the end of the Parliament’s July session.

The meeting concluded with an agreement that future meetings should aim to address customs/duty issues, the impact of bio-fuels, registration issues, the historic vehicle business and the cultural value of historic vehicles.

Type approval

In January, the European Commission undertook a consultation on the implementation of the internal market for motor vehicles – specifically the type approval process. FIVA realised the need to contribute to the consultation because type approval can be required for vehicles which have been restored using parts from a number of other vehicle resulting in the vehicle being ‘rebuilt’ by the rules which vary across the EU. FIVA therefore commented in its response that: ‘Historic vehicles by definition do not need to undergo type approval. However, FIVA is aware that in a very small number of cases, vehicles which have undergone extreme restoration or rebuilding do require single vehicle type approval and FIVA believes that there is some variation between the member states in the application of this process. FIVA feels that a review of the differing regimes could be a part of the EU’s work to enhance the implementation of the internal market for motor vehicles’. FIVA will maintain dialogue with the Commission on this matter.

New Commission Regulation on Individual Type Approval

On 22 February, the European Commission adopted a Regulation on Individual Vehicle Approval with an amendment to the Appendix titled: ‘Requirements for the approval pursuant to Article 24 of complete vehicles belonging to category M1 and N1, produced in large series in or for third countries’ which allows individual type approval of such vehicles. In the text, a definition of a new vehicle is provided as:

A vehicle is deemed to be new where:

(a) it has never been registered previously; or

(b) it has been registered for less than 6 months at the time of the application for individual approval.

A vehicle shall be considered registered where it has obtained a permanent, temporary or short-term administrative authorisation for entry into service in road traffic, involving its identification and the issuing of a registration number.

In the absence of a registration document, the competent authority may refer to available documented evidence of date of manufacture or documented evidence of first purchase.

FIVA suggests that the wording of the final paragraph might be of use for discussions with national authorities about imported historic vehicles which do not have registration documents (because they were never registered, possibly because they are military vehicles, or because the documentation has been lost, to ensure that they are not treated as new vehicles once new documentation is provided.

European Commission shows how new fuels can reduce CO2 emissions

The European Commission has announced that it wants CO2 emissions from transport to be reduced by at least 60% by 2050 compared with 1990 levels as part of the EU’s long-term climate goal of a total 80-95% reduction compared with 1990 levels.

As a part of the programme, the Commission believes that alternative fuels have the potential to gradually replace fossil energy sources and make transport sustainable by 2050 and is aiming for an oil-free and largely CO2-free energy supply for transport by 2050. In this context, a new report published by an expert group for the European Commission has stated that expected demand from all transport modes could be met through a combination of alternative fuel sources with urban transport powered by electricity while vehicles designed for longer distances could use biofuels, synthetic fuels, methane or liquefied petroleum gas. The Report does however note that technical and economic viability, efficient use of primary energy sources and market acceptance will determine the success of the programme. The Report can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/vehicles/road/clean_transport_systems_en.htm

FIVA is aware that the move away from fossil fuel powered transport presents a threat to the use of historic vehicles and is aiming to protect the movement’s interest – notably in the short-term from potential problems resulting from the increased use of bio-fuels.

Report details LEZs and congestion zones

A new study undertaken for the European Commission on Urban Zones has detailed all the low emission zones and congestion zones (in all towns, cities and regions) across the EU. The study has noted the exemption for some historic trucks and buses applies to the London LEZ but does not report on any of the other exemptions applied to historic vehicles. The full report is available on the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/studies/doc/2010_12_ars_final_report.pdf

DVLA LIAISON

Nigel Harrison

DVLA Meeting

There was a last minute flurry of questions just prior to the 18 February deadline. In total there were 31 questions, from 18 clubs. The background information with some questions was somewhat lengthy, almost amounting to a magazine article. In many cases it has been necessary to produce a focused summary, however DVLA will also have the full question in all cases.

Some questions have been covered in previous editions of the Newsletter. Other questions are of a factual nature, so it will be interesting to see if my understanding of the facts line up with the DVLA reply. I anticipate that these replies will be covered in subsequent Newsletters.

Not wanting to pre-empt any of the answers has limited me somewhat in the subjects that I can cover in this Newsletter. However, DVLA have given the Federation a statement on one of the initial batch of questions, and this is covered below.

The DVLA club meeting on 24 March will have taken place by the publication date of this newsletter at the DVLA’s local office in Theale. A full report will appear in the next issue of the newsletter.

Verification of Engine changes

This was a subject that has been causing some difficulties. DVLA have now made a statement as follows:

‘I note that the issue of evidence to support notifications of engine change also features [in the list of questions]. As you are aware, this was raised at the recent meeting with the Minister. I am pleased to confirm that this policy has been reviewed and that it will no longer be necessary for keepers of vehicles in the Historic class – date of manufacture before 1 Jan 1973 – to provide evidence to support an engine notification. Grateful if you can pass this information on to your members’.

All credit must go to David Hurley and Geoff Smith of the Federation for being able to do promote a ‘top down’ approach to resolve this problem.

It is anticipated that DVLA will need time to brief their staff of this change in policy, and update their internal and external documentation. In the unlikely event that an engine change for a vehicle with the taxation class of Historic Vehicle is rejected by DVLA, please send a copy of the rejection letter to the Federation. This should enable the Federation to have the rejection letter retracted, and enable DVLA to re-brief the staff member who sent out the rejection letter. If it is a ‘verbal’ rejection, then the name of the DVLA staff member and the name of the office will be helpful.

Updated List of Owners Clubs (V765/1)

We have been notified that the V765/1 booklet, called ‘List of Vehicle Owner Clubs’ has now been updated. The latest version is 02/11. The new list is available for download at http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/forms. Personal experience in the past shows that occasionally a DVLA local office may issue out of date leaflets and forms; if you are obtaining a paper copy, check that it is the latest version.

The primary function of the list is to indicate the club contact when attempting to claim an original registration number. Where such a claim is not possible, as indicated in the last Newsletter, there is greater credibility to a club’s dating letter, if that letter is signed by the club signatory listed in the V765/1 booklet.

For those of your unfamiliar with the booklet, there are three sections: cars, motorcycles and others. If there is not the specialist club for your vehicle, contact the Federation for advice.

Built Up Vehicle Inspection Report (V627/1)

This form requests the origin of the various major components of a vehicle, and is normally used with a vehicle that is already registered, but has been rebuilt. For example in the Rebuilt Vehicles Guidelines (INF26), Section 2 (Rebuilt Vehicles), Section 3 (Altered Vehicles), Section 4 (Kit Built) and Section 5 (Kit Conversions).

On one occasion, unexpectedly, this form was included in a pack of forms sent to an owner seeking to reclaim a registration number. This is not a form that needs to be associated with a V765 application.

I would not normally expect that this form would be used in association with INF26, Section 6 (Reconstructed Classic) application for an age-related number. However, if a DVLA local office have a need for additional information, possibly prompted by a poorly produced or ‘woolly’ dating letter, other supplied documentation, a verbal statement from the owner, or the lack of a chassis number, then an owner could well be requested to fill in a V627/1 form.

If you were requested at the counter to complete the form, I would suggest that there would normally be quite valid reasons why the form is taken away for completion because information is either at home or in an inaccessible place on the vehicle. This also gives time to reassess the presentation of the vehicle, and its associated documentation

The consequences of how this form is completed can be quite significant, making the difference between an age-related, or a Q plate registration number being allocated.

WITHDRAWAL OF CHEQUES

Rosy Pugh

The UK Payments Council has set a target date of 2018 to end central cheque clearing, with a review in 2016 to see if this is feasible. Cheque use has apparently fallen by 40% over the last five years and already some businesses are not accepting this form of payment. Cheque processing costs about £1, four times as expensive as electronic payment methods.

There are still 3.8 million cheques written every day but that number is declining; some 104m fewer cheques were written between December 2009 and December 2010, compared to the previous 12 month period and it is estimated that this number will almost halve again by 2015, with some retailers already refusing to accept this form of payment. Cheque guarantee cards will be withdrawn on 30 June 2011 reportedly because the average value of a cheque is £268, well above the £100 maximum value of the majority of guarantee cards.

Although the Payments Council is trying to promote cheque alternatives it admits that: ‘many sole traders, small businesses, clubs, charities and schools are concerned that one of their key means of exchanging money has been removed. The payments industry has to rise to the challenge of finding easy-to-use efficient alternatives for these payments and to ensure that they are easily accessible and well understood by cheque users.’

The Payments Council website: www.paymentscouncil.org.uk has published commitments for cheque users to reassure them that banks won’t leave them high and dry.

The Federation of Small Businesses and the Consumers’ Association have both expressed concern about the lack of viable alternatives for organisations such as the FBHVC – and many of our member clubs will be in a similar position. Where two signatories are required for a cheque, electronic banking cannot at present offer of viable means of payment, and the Payments Council do list this as one of the problems that must be overcome before 2016.

Alternative methods of payment that are being suggested include the use of debit or credit cards; new online payment methods as well as PayPal; electronic transfers; the use of mobile phones; and an option of pre-paid cards similar to a gift card. Most of these new methods assume that the payer and the payee are willing and able to embrace technology and have easy access to a computer and a mobile phone. The Payments Council have also suggested that a new ‘paper-based’ alternative method might be offered. It will be interesting to see how this actually differs from the cheques we are using today.

Our larger member clubs may well have problems, as will the FBHVC, with dealing with a large number of individual electronic payments coming in. Currently we bank cheques in batches at subscription time and see just that relatively small number of credits on our bank statements. In the future there will be a very long bank statement with each subscription a separate entry. There are options offered by Sage Accounts and Barclays Bank to enable the bank reconciliation to done automatically – but this software does come at a cost.

For further information the Payments Council website is very informative, the same cannot be said of the High Street banks’ sites. With the exception of Nat West none of the other banks researched had any mention of the 2018 deadline at all (Lloyds, Barclays, RBS, HSBC, Co-Operative, Santander group, Nationwide).

INSURANCE

Denise Pitwell, Aston Scott

Aston Scott provides specially negotiated insurance schemes for all FBHVC member organisations.

More than two years have passed since Aston Scott personnel met with Rosy Pugh and Jim Whyman (the past secretary) to discuss the possibility of our company helping with the revival of the Federation insurance scheme for member clubs.

Some of us have known Jim for many years and he knew exactly where to find an insurance broker with a whole team of staff – bloodless beings whose veins run with racing oil and who know just how many veteran cars exist and the years with which the words ‘vintage’ and ‘historic’ can be spoken in the same breath!

We are never happier than when we are with our clients in their workshops, garages and showrooms hearing about the latest projects, trophies won, engines rebuilt (again) and lifelong ambitions to acquire that certain special car achieved. We usually remember to discuss insurance.

We were delighted to take on the job of looking after the insurance requirements of the clubs and the response to our special scheme has been rewarding. We are working closely with insurers to ensure that each club has the protection it needs and we receive valuable feedback from club officials with regard to our service levels and policy wordings. The record so far is good and insurers are happy to expand the scheme so we would like to ask club secretaries to give us a try when your insurance is due for renewal. Almost half of the member clubs buy their insurance via our scheme.

We promise to give a personal service. We also promise to answer our telephone within four rings and that the person who answers the call will know who you are and be ready to help. We will never ask you to ‘press button 1’ or listen to irritating music!

We work extensively with clients who work in classic and historic motor trade environments. They include restorers, race preparation engineers, dealers, trimmers, auctioneers and museums.

Over the years we have learned that without private owners of historic cars, clubs would not exist. Without the owners and the clubs, there would be no cars for the traders to restore, repair, maintain in racing trim or sell. For this reason we are particularly proud to work with the FBHVC ‘in the middle of it all’.

The Federation is working hard to create a successful and special section for people in the trade and we hope that we can make some new relationships. For trade members, we can offer competitively priced motor trade insurance with every policy tailored to the needs of the business – and there cannot be a more diverse group of people in the land! Each business is totally different but with a common aim – to do a fantastic job for their customers and for the historic car movement. Insurers recognise that the risks are far lower than those applying to the ‘every day’, ‘modern’ or ‘ordinary’ trading companies, hence the sensible rates and approach to the task of providing protection and peace of mind.

If we can be of help to you, please call us – Jo Hudson johudson@astonscott.com and Chris Liddle chrisliddle@astonscott.com are our club scheme experts and Carl Smith carlsmith@astonscott.com or Sam Aslett samaslett@astonscott.com will ensure that motor trade enquiries receive a fast response from one of our account executives. They can be reached by telephone on 01483 899490 for Jo and Chris and 01483 899495 for Carl and Sam.

EVENT NEWS

Colin Francis

The last historic Liege Rally was run some years ago now and I thought it had merely faded away. The name belonged to a club in that city in Belgium but when that club was wound up they sold the name to the Belgian ASN, our equivalent of the MSA, who immediately tried to make money out of the name. They launched an event costing about €9000 for four or five days without accommodation. Needless to say they did not get many, if any, entries.

I am pleased to say that the name now belongs to Bart Rietbergen who runs many successful events including the Winter Trial and the next Liege-Rome-Liege will be run from 28 August to 2 September this year. I can promise you that it will be more of a celebration of the legend than a really competitive event. You can get information on any of these events by emailing bart@rietbergen.com or phoning 0031 578 575100.

I gleaned this information while visiting the Race Retro show at Stoneleigh last week. This event has changed considerably since it was started by Ian Williamson, having become a lot more commercial with very few club stands these days. It also concentrates on racing and motorcycle events and there appeared to be very little for people interested in taking their classic cars out on public roads. I saw just three stands for events of that nature.

I was very pleased to see that CRA, the British organiser of the Poppy Rally, out of Ypres in Belgium, say that this event would have very few speed changes and no tricks. Those elements seem to put many people off doing competitive road rallies these days. One of the attractions of the Jogularity system in its simpler form (when it gave the speed one had to drive at) was that it reduced the speed to go through habitation without the need for speed tables and clocks. The same organisers have announced they will rerun the Monte Challenge in November this year on much the same lines as it was in the late Eighties. At one time this event attracted almost 300 entries. It aims to finish in Monte Carlo and has a start in the UK.

A good meeting point for older cars and exceptional vehicles, including bikes, is the Circuit des Ardennes Historique from 1-4 July. You can get details from circuit.ardennes@skynet.be or by faxing your request to 00 32 2 640 84 82. The Carovana Romantica (what a name!) is also running its commemorative 30 year event in Sardinia from the 1-9 June. You can get details from carovana@carovanaromantica.it or by faxing 00 39 81 19364652.

Both these events are non-competitive but the Motor Rally Organisation in the north of Greece (Info@mroe.org or by fax to 00 30 2310.343997) is organising its third Mountain Classic in the middle of March using many classic sections from the days of the Acropolis when drivers like Sandro Munari, Bjorn Waldergaard and Walter Rohl aimed to win. These sections will be run as regularities and although it is a long way it can be very good value. It is probably too late for this year but MROE runs other events as well and there is always next year.

What do events do for historic cars? When I first started to drive and owned a Morris Minor, over 50 years ago, the biggest problem for car owners was reliability. I recollect when I did my first historic event in the early Eighties the same question of reliability applied and many cars failed to complete the course because they broke down. Nowadays that is a rare reason for cars retiring from events and I think that historic cars these days are far more reliable than when they were made.

CLUB NEWS

David Davies

There are plenty of anniversaries to celebrate this year but there are not many one-make clubs that can equal the Riley Motor Club in having achieved their 85th birthday last year. The Messerschmitt Owners’ Club has recently celebrated the 30 years since the merging of two existing organisations to form the current club. Congratulations to the Vanden Plas Owners’ Club on their 30th anniversary. Three anniversaries were celebrated together by the LE Velo Club last year – 60 years of the club, 50 years of the Viceroy Scooter and 40 years in the editor’s chair by Colin Roberts. The Clan Owners’ Club has recently celebrated the 40th birthday of the marque. The HRG Association has recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the marque and the 50th for the association. The Delorean Owners Club remind us that 2011 is the 30th anniversary of this iconic and sometimes controversial bolide. The Humber Register celebrates the 60th anniversary at Lewes over the week-end of 29 April – 2 May. Congratulations to the Pre-1940 Triumph Motor Club on their golden jubilee. It is the diamond jubilee of the Singer Owner’s Club this year – more congratulations! The Leeds and District Traction Engine Club tells us that it is the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy this year. The Rudge Enthusiasts Club celebrated 100 years of motorcycle production in July culminating in a parade and reception in Coventry and the re-dedication of the Rudge War Memorial at Radford, Coventry. The Jowett Car Club celebrated its centenary in great style at Wakefield and descended upon the Morrison’s supermarket that occupies the hallowed ground of the original factory in Bradford. The Ariel Owners Club are celebrating 60 years since three keen riders met at the Ace Cafe and formed the club. It is also the 60th anniversary of the Austin A40 Sports and the Austin Hereford which will be celebrated by the Austin Counties Car Club at the Atwell-Wilson Museum on 23-24 July. The BSA Front Wheel Drive Club remind us that we have just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the MCC Exeter Trial, not the 100th trial, I might add. The BSA three-wheeler of Geoff Nunn and Ian Pinkney was a successful participant. The Imp Club has just celebrated 30 years of support to the Rootes Group’s challenge to the Mini.

The Jaguar Enthusiast from the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club prints an obituary to Ralph Broad, the man behind Broadspeed and the terrifying ‘big cats’ that made touring car racing in the 1970s just that bit more exciting. Another edition of the same magazine recounts the achievement of two enthusiasts who managed to climb both Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya within 24 hours. The XK150 used to facilitate this as-yet unsurpassed feat averaged 82mph over 286 miles of dirt roads between the two mountains. www.jec.org.uk

The magazine of the Military Vehicle Trust can be relied upon for some splendid photographs but the views of Chipping Sodbury market place taken in 1918 and filled with rows of Army Service Corps lorries are quite exceptional. www.mvt.org.uk

Bugantics, the magazine of the Bugatti Owners’ Club, has what must be a unique photograph of the late Norman Wisdom taken in 1955 at Prescott when he was not ‘playing to the gallery’. www.bugatti.co.uk

The Journal of the Daimler and Lanchester Owners’ Club has a photograph of the infamous Lady Docker seated on the equally infamous BSA ‘Beeza’ Scooter which thankfully was never inflicted on an unsuspecting public. There is also an account of the successful sourcing of paper element oil filters from China. The build quality is impressive, they tell us. www.dloc.org.uk

The cover of the Sphinx, the Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club magazine, has a brief biography of Sir Basil Zaharoff who would appear to have been one of the more colourful owners of these enigmatic cars. Oh, and by the way, did you know that Fairey Aviation’s FD2 delta research aircraft set a world speed record of 1822 km/hr in 1956? www.siddeley.com

The Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club newsletter has an interesting article on rust removal that employs electrolysis.

The Bentley Drivers’ Club Review has a highly educational article on radiators, focussing on the honeycomb designs. There is also an appraisal of Blockley 7.00 x 21 tyres. www.bdlc.org

You learn something new every week! There is an erudite exposition on the self-tapping screw in the MG Octagon Car Club bulletin. www.mgoctagoncarclub.com

Some little while ago, we enquired about the name and nature of a ‘plastic patch’ repair to an alloy engine. The Association of Singer Car Owners tells us that it is made by Worth South Africa (Pty) P.O. Box 616, Isando, South Africa. The self-same magazine enquires of the current whereabouts of Le Mans KV 9245, which seems to have ‘enjoyed’ an exciting life. www.asco.org.uk

Never underestimate a Bond, or its creator, Laurie Bond. The Bond Owners’ Club magazine has a cover picture of the only surviving Power Ski of 1962 – an invention that would have been appreciated by that other Mr Bond. www.bondownersclub.co.uk

The Triumph Sporting Owners’ Club has a feature on re-engined dodgem cars in Florida (where else?). Fitted with 750cc motorcycle engines, these things are said to be capable of 160 mph! www.triumphsportingowners.com

AM News, the Aston Martin Owners’ Club magazine carries an advertisement for brake upgrades that are available for 1970s and ‘80s cars and a feature of a club visit to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby – an excellent venue for a club run. www.amoc.org

The Maestro and Montego Owners’ Club has been looking at the VOSA MoT test data and has unearthed some interesting data on vehicle survival rates which are quite thought-provoking. www.maestro.org.uk

The Manchester Historic Vehicle Club recommends the Elsecar Heritage Centre (near to Barnsley) as a destination for a road event and recounts the fascinating story of the origins of the Briggs Motor Bodies in Doncaster. www.mhvc.org.uk

The Reliant Kitten Register magazine has a cover photograph of the Caribbean Cub built by Reef Engineering on a Kitten chassis. Are there any more survivors?

Meshing Point – the Scottish Austin Seven Club magazine has an interesting article on the Austin Whippet – a single-seater tractor biplane with folding wings, designed by a Mr Kenworthy, Austin’s chief aeronautical engineer in 1919. It is thought that three were built and that one went out to Argentina – is it still there? www.scottishaustinsevenclub.co.uk

The Mini Cooper Register has a tribute to the late Ralph Broad, whose breathed-on cars frequently beat the Works’ minis. www.minicooper.org

The Vincent HRD Owners Club gets about a bit. Their International Rally for 2011 is in Pennsylvania: details from www.voc.uk.com

The magazine of the National Traction Engine Trust always delights with an array of splendid photographs, the contribution to global warming by a trio of hard-working engines at the Dorset steam fair should be on everyone’s study wall. It is remarked upon that part of Fowler’s works in Leeds still survives and has recently been put to new use; the police discovered that the former locomotive shop was being used to grow cannabis on an industrial scale.

I picked up the newsletter of the Norfolk Military Vehicle Group and examined it very carefully indeed. It is not an issue for April, but it still takes some believing. There is a description of the proposal for a very serious tank indeed – the 1000 tonne Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte for the German army in WW2. This contraption would have been powered by two 24 cylinder marine diesel engines developing the 16,000 hp needed to move it and its two 280mm naval guns.

The Rover Sports Register reminds us of the company’s excellent bicycles when members exercised their machines in the re-enactment of the 1885 Rover 100 mile race. www.thersr.co.uk

Rumcar News the periodical from the Register of Unusual Microcars that fearlessly chronicles the dark side of motoring asks ‘Where is the Busy Bee, AL 8382? This learned publication also has a further instalment in the saga of the mechanical elephants – an example built by one Frank Stuart, of Thaxted, Essex. What became of it?

There is a thoughtful dissertation on the illogicality of DRL when energy saving is supposed to be all important in the magazine of the Swansea Historic Vehicle Register. www.swanseahistoricvehicleregister.co.uk

The Series Two [Land Rover] Club has an illustrated feature showing you how to change a heavy wheel without risking a hernia. It does not tell you how to get the spare wheel off the bonnet, however… There is also an article on B.O.A.T.S and their locations. www.series2club.co.uk

Members of the Tame Valley Vintage and Classic Car Club have been out and about, it seems; the Porsche Museum and the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart are highly recommended for a visit. There is also a quotation from an early edition of a Skoda owners’ handbook: ‘as they may break off do not with a hammer your nuts strike’.

There is an account of an extraordinary funeral cortege organised for the late Edward Charles James Gardner, an actor with a colourful career who will probably be best remembered for the role of Ernie Prang, the driver of the night bus in the Harry Potter films. A Morris Minor pickup carried the coffin, followed by a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, a Routemaster bus for the mourners and another Triumph Bonneville bringing up the rear. The full story appears in the magazine of the Morris Minor Owners’ Club www.mmoc.org.uk

Safety Fast from the MG Car Club has an interesting article on the development of car crime from the earliest day of motoring. It seems that car crime was ‘invented’ on the very same day as the first motor car. There is a timely warning to check for wear on the heads of the spokes on wire wheels. www.mgcc.co.uk

The magazine of the A30 and A35 Owners’ Club has a brief history of the Lincoln Imp and its connection with the Ruston car from the same city. Ruston cars were very heavy and expensive and adhered to the well-established Ruston principle of never using a one-inch Whitworth bolt if there was room for a two-inch example. www.austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk

The Ayrshire Vintage Tractor and Machinery Club newsletter has an example of a revolutionary new technique for trimming a very tall hedge…

The Hillman Owners’ Club celebrated their first 30 years with a gathering at the tramway museum at Crich, highly recommended as a day out. They remind us that 2011 is the 80th birthday of the Hillman Minx.

Staying with the products of Coventry, how many of you knew that a Humber motorcycle won the 1911 Junior TT in the Isle of Man? Have a look at the Humber Register for a list of all their TT statistics www.humberregister.org.uk

A must for all taxi enthusiasts will be the four DVD boxed set of films on the London cab trade produced by New Age Productions covering 350 years of history details can be found in the Vintage Taxi Association magazine. www.lvta.co.uk

The magazine of the Land-Rover Series One Club has an impressive list of early Land-Rover chassis numbers up to 1956, plus a series of excellent photographs demonstrating the incredible versatility of these iconic vehicles www.lrsoc.com

Delving into the past, the Ford Model Y & C Register gives us all the details of the wartime regulations that were applied. These specifications for lighting must have caused the accident rates to increase tremendously. www.fordyandcmodelregister.co.uk

The Morgan Sports Car Club has an article on the new Morgan three-wheeler reintroduced after a gap of 60 years. www.mscc.uk.com

The DAF Owners’ Club magazine has some useful lists of chassis numbers, etc. and some highly entertaining drawings that explain the intricacies of the Variomatic drive. www.dafownersclub.co.uk

The Crash Box and Classic Car Club magazine suggests a modification to upgrade flashing indicators for negative earth vehicles. www.cbccc.com

The Austin Big Seven Register has an article on the Weaver automatic brake tester which appeared in the late 1920s. Does one survive anywhere? The Big Seven celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

An extraordinary miniature Morgan, powered by steam and radio controlled, is to be found in the Morgan Three-Wheeler Club journal.

The Classic and Historic Motor Club mourns the sad end of Cyril’s Cafe on the old A 45. Later known as ‘Bob’s Caff’ it finally succumbed in 1995.

The Citroen Car Club’s Citroenian has some startling statistics on the English Electric Lightning interceptor aircraft – including the statement that 20 hours maintenance was required for each hour of flight. www.citroencarclub.org.uk

The Austin Seven Owner’s Club (London) inform us that in 1935 the Austin factory used five acres of cowhide from about 5,000 cows.

The Journal of the Cumbrian Steam and Vintage Vehicle Society has an atmospheric photograph of a Massey-Harris binder at work.

The members of the National Autocycle and Cyclemotor Club believe in testing themselves and their machines. A recent edition of their magazine gives an account of a five-day 428 mile odyssey from Lowestoft to St Davids in Pembrokeshire.

The West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club 19th annual show will be held on Sunday 7 August at Newbury Racecourse. All proceeds go to Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. www.classicvehicles.org.uk

The Bentley Drivers Club is celebrating its 75th anniversary starting with a very special Britain by Bentley Tour and finishing the year with an International Weekend in Cheltenham. Around the UK and across the world the regions will be hosting their own events to commemorate the Club’s birthday.

Each New Year’s Day for the past 20 years, the Essex Austin Seven Club have organised a special run in their cars. Originally attracting around 12 or 15 cars, this year there were 46 including a Bullnose, Wolseley, Model A Ford, several MGs and a rare Hotchkiss.

Professional photographer Jason Dodd is running a series of car photography courses at Brooklands Museum in April and May. The workshops will feature a variety of cars and some famous Brooklands locations as backdrops. The courses are held over one day and will be limited to eight photographers. No specialised equipment is required, just a digital SLR and the fee of £120. For more information Tel: 01227 719385 or 07732 106192, or www.jasondoddphotography.com

MSA PETITION TO FACILITATE ‘CLOSED ROAD’ EVENTS

MSA report that they are making good progress with the request for a change in the law to allow closed road motor sport on the UK mainland and are sufficiently encouraged by the noises emanating from within Westminster to continue to move forward with the campaign.

The next stage is to compile a database of potential events that could be held on public roads if we were able to secure the necessary legislation. They would like any club that feels it has a serious and robust proposal for a suitable event to contact them (www.msauk.org) to enable them to understand the various stages of discussion and planning that some clubs have already achieved with their local authorities and communities. This will also demonstrate the level of support that exists across the country for this campaign.

The petition can be found at www.petition.co.uk/msa

MEMBER ORGANISATIONS

Welcome to the Phase 1 and 2 Standard Vanguard Club and the following trade supporters who have all recently joined us:

Buckingham Car Storage

Greenfield Service Station (leaded fuel)

Marshalls of Knebworth (leaded fuel)

Minster Garage Ltd

Nostalgic Motoring

Smithy View Service Station (leaded fuel)

Zodiac Motor Services

The full list of member organisations (clubs, museums and traders) is on our website along with the Events pages which list members’ activities, particularly for Drive It Day. It is up to each member club to update the directory and events list using the ID number and password provided to the nominated contact. This is a completely separate list from the database held at the FBHVC office.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions for clubs, museums and individual supporters will be due on 31 May and reminders will be sent out at the beginning of May. There will be no increase in the cost of subscribing (normally pegged to the Retail Price Index for the previous year) above the 1p rise due to the change in VAT in January this year. This rate will apply to new applicants immediately and to renewals for the 2011-12 financial year. The £25.00 minimum rate remains, and applies to clubs with 65 or fewer members. Trade supporter subscriptions do not fall due until the end of the year.

The renewal forms will also ask for the information we hold on our database to be checked. Please do let us know if there are any changes, particularly if this is to the nominated contact details. Changes to the information held on the club directory on our website need to be made by clubs themselves using the ID number and password we sent out at the end of 2009.

DRIVE IT DAY – RIDE IT DAY

DID, or RID for the motorcycle clubs is on Sunday, 17 April to avoid Easter Sunday. For all the information about vast number of events taking place that day go to FBHVC’s own site, www.fbhvc.co.uk where there is a page dedicated to this day’s events. Many of our member museums are offering special parking areas and reduced entrance charges for FBHVC members.

FBHVC’s own activity will be to repeat what we have done for the last few years and go the Royal Oak at Bishopstone. The secretary and one or two FBHVC directors will there from breakfast to mid-afternoon.

The Royal Oak is not on a main route, and the approach roads are narrow in places (so, sadly, it’s not really suitable for large commercials) but it is within five miles of the A420 Oxford to Swindon road (due south of Shrivenham), and similarly close to the A345/A419/M4 interchange. Map reference: SU 245837 (OS 1:50 000 sheet 174). Post code (for those using vintage satnav) is SN6 8PP. Light refreshments will be served throughout the day and lunches from 1200 to 1500 (pre-booking for a sit-down lunch is essential – Tel: 01793 790481). Clubs wishing to make the Royal Oak their focus for the day, or to include a stop there as part of an informal road run, are welcome to do so.

To include a club event on the website DID events page simply go to the members section of the website and add your event using the club’s ID number and password.

EVOLUTION OF A NEWSLETTER

The first News Sheet, as it was then called, was a modest publication on one sheet of A4 folded in half to A5. It remained this shape until issue 32/33, a double issue of 24 pages all black and white and dealing primarily with legislation issues. August 1998 saw a change to A4 size, a new name (Newsletter), a new committee, notice that leaded fuel was to be withdrawn and the establishment of three sub-committees: Steering, Legislation and Fuels, and Events.

Glossy paper and a temporary move to rather hard-to-read green ink came in at the end of 2001, when a list of all our member clubs was published – it would be hard to find room for such a list these days. A more corporate design arrived in 2003 with the front page looking similar to the new headed paper. Legislation was still the prominent topic, along with DVLA news.

Advances in printing technology along with changes in postal rates prompted a change to full colour and a return to an A5 format in the middle of 2006. The first cover photo was a prototype 1976 Land Rover 101 Forward Control Ambulance driving down a leafy lane. Since then we have endeavoured to represent all types of vehicles both on the cover and on the inside pages but we do rely on members sending good quality pictures to us. The development of email during this time also meant that all members who give us an email address can receive an electronic copy of each issue.

We have now turned full circle and are back with the A4 format albeit folded to keep down postage costs. We hope that this will give us more room for news, articles and photos and make it an enjoyable, as well as necessary, reading. Please do send in your photos to us.

All clubs are encouraged to reproduce any of the text in their own publications – we just ask that the Federation is given an acknowledgement. Archived newsletters are available on our website in both pdf and rtf format if anyone requires a back issue.