April 2025

The fine weather really arrived in the first week in March, so it was out with the mower followed swiftly by the 3000! Don't forget all those checks which I mentioned last month; tyres; pressures; oil; water and a good clean before you venture out on your first trip of the year.

Turning to insurance, the Club has gained favourable terms with a mainstream supplier and we will be introducing the new scheme from the beginning of June, which will be known as the Austin Healey Club insurance scheme.

Everyone's insurance requirements are different, based on their personal situation such as number of people insured in your family, and their ages. However, we believe we have found an insurer who will be able to look on these differences in a favourable way, whilst driving and/or owning one of our Austin Healeys.

From Robin's dissection of the FBHVC reports, you will all remember the talk earlier was of cameras picking up on drivers not wearing seatbelts and the use of mobile phones. Whilst the latter cannot be argued about, the seatbelt issue could, In certain circumstances our (HV) class cars are not required to fit them and you could be issued with a NiP [Notice of intended prosecution.] Nevertheless, in this day and age, it would seem irresponsible not to have them fitted to a car which you are going to use on the public road on a relatively regular basis.

The current exemption for an MoT on historic vehicles over 40 years old has been accepted as broadly satisfactory given the few cars on the road in this category, but mention has been made of altering this regime. Clearly, we all love our cars and look after them to the best of our ability, but if we have any doubts, taking the car to a third party qualified engineer on a yearly basis is always best for peace of mind. (See my note below.)

The current FBHVC survey needs mentioning again as it is important that as many of us as possible fill it in to ensure (the FBHVC) have as many replies as possible to show the DVLA that we are a large, active movement, dedicated to driving our historic cars on today’s roads for as long as possible in a responsible way.

Interestingly, also by the FBHVC it was noted that in 97% of accidents the cause is logged as human error not the condition of the vehicle. It is still incumbent on the owner to ensure that their vehicle is in a safe and roadworthy condition, whether by their own efforts or by employing the services of a competent garage.

You will note that from this month the annual subscriptions are due and I would encourage you to rejoin the Club and support us in all the events we run with the help of all our volunteers, both in the Regional Centres and at National.

Our international event is being held up north this year, near Crewe, and some exciting events are planned for July 20th – 23rd . Hope to see you there.

May I welcome the new members who have joined the club this month. Please make contact with whichever Centre you choose or is convenient. You will find us a friendly bunch and can enjoy many days or evenings out with us or if you wish just technical support for your cars.

Keep Overtaking! - - - carefully!