Redefining vintage sportscars
I had a dream. Rather a dubious one. I am told that it is good to discuss what you dreamt about, so here goes. I saw first the letters VSCC, which enlarged into Vintage Sports-Car Club. Not Vintage Car Club or Old Cars Club, but Sports-Car Club.
I must have dined with someone who felt this admirable organisation should revert to the less complicated form that he (or was it a she?) knew years ago. In this hazy state I was reminded that Cecil Clutton once defined a sportscar as one which you couldn’t enter wearing a top hat. That ruled out a mass of saloons and coupés, and other cars with hoods up. So it seemed possible to draw up a list of pre-1931 sportscars, as the word ‘vintage’ was once intended to imply.
I dreamt that we then considered the position of the cars we had excluded. There are an incredible number of Austin 7s, which the 750 MC and the Pre-War A7 Club could look after; Ulsters pre-1931 fit the VSCC. So these little mites seemed to be catered for. Up-to-1941 PVTs, taken in originally to ensure sufficient post-WWII membership (it caused Michael May and others to resign) now have one-make clubs, from AC to STD, to care for them. And I remembered that the VCC had poached the Edwardians from the VSCC. So plenty of well-run events for these fine cars.
The Light Car Section of the VSCC would be a sad loss, so would remain a part of the existing Club, with less severe events for less performance-endowed cars; perhaps one of the A7 clubs would put on occasional fixtures for all under-31bhp small cars, and the active Morgan Three-Wheeler Club might let other cyclecars join in some of its activities (racing Morgans being eligible for the VSCC). Historic racing cars made after 1930 and lovely Classic sportscars have enough races, rallies and socials provided by specialist clubs to keep them occupied.
As I turned over, that seemed to cover everything needed to return the VSCC to proper sportscars, as it once was. But dreams are not reality, and this surely ranks as utterly ridiculous…