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Car & Classic have created an excellent video about the future of fuels:

There is a lot of talk today about the future of internal combustion, and that talk normally centres around its demise. But that doesn't need to be the case. 

Companies like Coryton in partnership with the HCVA (Historic Classic Vehicle Alliance) are making huge, huge strides in synthetic fuel technology. How huge? Well, it's a physical, usable product for one. So usable in fact, that we took one of our modern classic cars from our personal fleet and filled it to the brim with the synthetic stuff. The results, as you'll find out, were pleasing.

This really is the future of internal combustion. No drilling, no oil, just good, solid tech that pulls second-generation carbon from the atmosphere and turns it into a fuel any petrol car can use. Brilliant. 

HCVA Feature in The House magazine

The HCVA are quoted and featured in an article in this month's The House - a weekly political magazine relating to the British Houses of Parliament. Discussing the important role that sustainable fuels can play in the future energy mix, the article by Richard Gotch offers insight into the advantages of pursuing this as a route to a carbon-friendly future.

You can read the article as a PDF download here.

Autumn Budget Statement

We are very disappointed that the government intends to go ahead with the full 23% increase in fuel duty in March at a time of record fuel prices. This will vastly increase costs for business across the sector and impact owners. The decision to impose duty on electric cars will slow their take up and shows how important it is for the government to invest in developing sustainable fuels as a zero-carbon alternative to petrol and diesel.

The HCVA have put down questions in Parliament on this subject.

The Historic Motoring Awards 2022 - Congratulations to HCVA member winners!

  • Rising Star Award - Georgina Wood of Trade Member P&A Wood

  • Industry Supporter of the Year - Hagerty - Founding Partner of The Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance

  • Specialist of the Year - CKL Developments - Founding Partner of the HCVA

  • Classic Car Ambassador - Julian Barratt CEO of Founding Partner SNG Barratt and HCVA Chairman

  • Apprentice of the Year - Callum Staff (Callum is a StarterMotor Ambassador and personal HCVA Member)

Our HCVA sponsored award for Manufacturer Contribution was won by Jaguar Land Rover

The Historic Motoring Awards 2022

The finalists for The Historic Motoring Awards 2022 presented by Octane have been announced and the following HCVA members (and the HCVA itself) have been nominated in the following categories:

Apprentice of the Year - Callum Staff (Callum is a StarterMotor Ambassador and personal HCVA Member) - WINNER

Classic Car Ambassador - Julian Barratt CEO of Founding Partner SNG Barratt and HCVA Chairman - WINNER

Industry Supporter of the Year -  Hagerty - Founding Partner of the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance - WINNER

Motoring Event of the Year - Bicester Scramble curated by Founding Partner Bicester Heritage

Rising Star Event - Footman James Coffee & Chrome Collective - by Founding Partner Footman James

Rising Star Person - Georgina Wood of Trade Member P&A Wood - WINNER

Specialist of the Year - CKL Developments - Founding Partner - WINNER

Team of the Year - HERO-ERA - Founding Partner

Jaguar Centenary Celebration sponsored by HCVA members Twyford Moors and SNG Barratt - Motoring Event of the Year

You can see all the nominations for the awards here

A very constructive Historic Vehicle User Group meeting at the DVLA in Swansea on the 11th October.

  • The Past And The Spurious - new by Paul Griffin

    A historic car is both a precious asset and a piece of rolling history. Its value draws on its origins and its ownership is a responsibility, albeit often an exciting one. Yet how can you know that any important machine is what it seems?

    Paul Griffin, HCVA member and leading lawyer has just had this important work published and you can get your own copy here.

    Read More

  • HCVA in Classic Car Buyer

    Our campaign around synthetic fuels makes the headlines in the 13th July 2022 issue of Classic Car Buyer, highlighting the excellent work by CKL Developments and Coryton.

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  • Our Eclectic Future presented at British Motorsport Day in the Palace of Westminster

    Motorsport UK and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Motorsport presented Our Eclectic Future at British Motorsport Day in the Palace of Westminster to showcase the vision of a world powered by a range of use-appropriate systems and fuels. The HCVA were able to support Motorsport UK and the House of Commons Motorsport APPG along with Founding Partner member CKL Developments.

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  • Progress on synthetic fuels

    Tuesday saw the achievement of a significant milestone in the progress towards future fuels for the Historic and Classic vehicles sector. CKL Developments, Jaguar racing specialists, a Founding Partner member of the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance (HCVA) ran a customer’s racing E-Type Jaguar at Goodwood using specialist fuel from Sustain by Coryton.

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  • ULEZ Expansion Consultation

    Garry Wilson today (08/06/22) submitted an input to the Transport for London ULEZ expansion consultation. This came on the back of a meeting he had last week with a senior leader at TfL and he has requested that TfL review their age cut off for Historic Vehicles for not only the extended ULEZ but for the current areas as well. This should as a minimum be for vehicles over 30 years old which is in line with global views of what constitutes a classic vehicle. He also suggested that as many modern classics (which are cars between 15 and 30 years old) are used as both hobby and leisure vehicles and as such help their wellbeing.

    There should be consideration that such vehicles, if unmodified in terms of emissions systems, be allowed to be used in the ULEZ and if not generally certainly in the evenings and weekends to enable users to go to shows and events.

  • HCVA’s response to the Queen’s Speech

    The government has announced its new legislative programme for the next parliamentary session and there are a few things that will be of interest to the Historic Vehicle Sector. The first one to look out for will be the Transport Bill which will join up all the pieces of the railway industry into a new body called Great British Railways and implement some of the ‘Future of Transport’ programme that the government has been consulting on for some time.

    Read More

  • Vehicle Tampering Offences Debate

    After the petition opposing this aspect of the Future of Transport programme gained over 115,000 signatures it was scheduled for debate. James Sunderland MP quoted the HCVA on the size of the classic sector and the concerns we that have before proposing that, should the government go ahead with the bill, specific exemptions are made for the historic and classic sector.

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The 11th Donington Historic Festival

              
30th April – 1 May 2022
The spectators were back out at last weekend's Donington Historic Festival and what a fabulous weekend of racing was had by all!

The HCVA team were on site to meet existing members and welcome new ones. Cars racing at the event spanned seven decades from 1920’s & 30’s sports cars in races from the ‘Mad Jack’ to 1980’s touring cars. HCVA Founding Partners Motor Racing Legends put together a series of impressive grids which also saw original factory group C1 cars taking to the track.  

It was great to see so many HCVA members racing, preparing cars and visiting the event.  Congratulations to all who took part and especially to those members who earned a place on the podium. The HCVA will be at further events throughout the year and we look forward to seeing you!

It was great to be back at the wonderful Donington Historic! All credit to Duncan Wiltshire and his team, great grids and fantastic to see Group C cars racing as hard and fast as they did in period. We enjoyed ourselves in the Pall Mall Cup and had a 3 hour battle in the pre 63 Class, which was nip and tuck right to the end, just as good racing should be! 

I was very proud to see the historic car community represented by Shân and the team from the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance stand. It was fantastic to see not only competitors on track but for the first time in a very long time, lots of the public enjoying the racing as well as the cars in the paddock. The classic car community is a force for good, it has such a positive spirit and something Great Britain should be very proud of. 

Well done HCVA for representing all of us!

GREGOR FISKEN - HCVA FOUNDING PARTNER

Tony Brooks

It is with great sadness that we hear of the passing of motor racing legend Tony Brooks on 3rd May.  Tony is pictured here talking to HCVA Director Paul Griffin at Brooklands in September 2021, driving the Connaught ALSR which Tony campaigned in the 1950’s.

Charles Anthony Standish Brooks (25 February 1932 – 3 May 2022) was a British racing driver also known as the "racing dentist". He participated in 39 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 14 July 1956, achieving six wins, 10 podium finishes and 75 career points. He was third in the World Drivers' Championship in 1958 with Vanwall and second in 1959 with Ferrari. He also scored the first win by a British driver in a British car in a Grand Prix since 1923, driving a Connaught at Syracuse in 1955 in a non-championship race.

Brooks was the last surviving Grand Prix winner from the 1950s.

Discover more about Tony

A classic car tour in aid of the ACE Project

On Saturday July 2nd 2022, supporters will assemble at the HERO-ERA HQ at Bicester Heritage; the first business campus dedicated to historic motoring based at the UK’s best-preserved WW2 RAF bomber station. Participants will set-off in their vintage and classic cars for a stunning summertime driving tour of Oxfordshire, all in support of A.C.E for SMA - The official charity of HERO-ERA for 2022. A hospitality stop mid-route will give participants a private viewing of the treasure trove F1 collection at Williams Heritage. Back at the HERO-ERA HQ, lunch will be served on the rooftop terrace above the classic car gallery, giving crews a chance to share experiences and refuel ahead of an afternoon of twists and turns on the famous airfield test track at Bicester Heritage.

HERO-ERA have made their entire Arrive & Drive fleet available for this event, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to drive a new or favourite classic car.

Funds raised through the ACE in Motion Tour 2022 will go directly to the ACE research project in collaboration with Oxford University’s neuromuscular department. This project will fund a two-year trial of intensive physiotherapy alongside disease modifying drugs for 20 children currently living with SMA.

Read More Here

The 79th Goodwood Members' Meeting

9th-10th April 2022

It was fantastic to see so many HCVA members at the 79th Members' Meeting which was, as you might expect, a wonderful celebration of historic and classic racing cars and bikes with cars ranging from Ford Escorts through to V10-era F1 cars and much more. Highlights amongst a range of thrilling events and races from across the eras included a demonstration from the world's largest gathering of Porsche Group C cars, some spirited 1964-70 era 1litre "screamer" F3 racing and of course the reveal of the Gordon Murray Automotive T.33. The GMA T.50 also undertook a demonstration run at significant pace, proving what an exciting car this is turning out to be.

This event always brings out a significant crowd of enthusiasts and participants, proving once more how vibrant, enjoyable and important the world of classic and historic vehicles is. The racing pushed drivers and cars to the limit and the appreciative crowd added to a really enjoyable weekend for all, aided by some great weather.

HCVA members from auctioneers, car sales and publishers had impressive stalls and many other members both trade and owners were present to enjoy this brilliant event. The HCVA will be at further events throughout the year and we look forward to seeing our current members and welcoming new ones to the fold.

HCVA Board Member and Founding Partner Guy Lachlan represented the HCVA at the Transport Select Committee meeting held on 2nd March 2022, chaired by Huw Merriman MP.

Having been asked by the Committee to submit a report on the need for the future availability of fuels (from fossil to synthetic), the HCVA responded quickly and Guy agreed to represent our interests in the discussion. As the owner of Classic Oils, Guy has extensive technical knowledge and also crucially key experience in dealing with the workings of Select Committees.

Garry Wilson, HCVA CEO adds "Guy did an outstanding job of representing the HCVA and therefore the whole historic and classic vehicles sector. Several of the MPs attending the meeting spoke with Guy afterwards and all are supportive of ensuring the ongoing supply of fuels for historic and classic vehicles into the future"

In this video Harry Metcalf looks at the different impacts on CO2 emission levels when driving a BMW i4 full electric car, a Range Rover P400e PHEV, or a classic car fueled by sustainable fuel.

Our unbelievable prowess in overland transport, stands on the foundation of over 130 years of automotive development and discovery. What I have learned in historic motorsport has amazed and educated me. We have an incredible opportunity to protect, enjoy and be informed by these treasured vehicles, while proving their value to an ever new generation of enthusiasts.

Alex Brundle, British endurance racing star, historic racer and broadcaster