The Oxford Section of the Bristol Owners' Club was set up following their inaugural meeting on June 12th. It now meets on the Second Thursday of most months at the Merry Miller pub at Cothill, near Abingdon. It was decided to have close ties with the Oxford Classic Motor Club, an umbrella group supporting Daimler and Jaguar owners as well as many other classic cards.
Scope
We are trying to provide a service which is of real benefit to the local community who are interested in classic vehicles, inevitably mostly cars. However, we do not exclude people with bikes, boats, planes or trains if they wish to be involved! Our main focus is on vehicles which are renowned for their performance or luxury, or perhaps for their rarity or extreme age.
We know that some people are just interested; some want to buy something; and some already have a collection. Equally there are those who drive a modern classic, those who are only interested in very old vehicles, or those who want to understand the intricacies of particular engines.
Motors have been around for hundreds of years, powered first by wind & water and then by coal, oil & electricity. (No nuclear bikes yet!) Most of us have some level of curiosity about them all. OxCMC is not terribly troubled by definitions of Veteran, Vintage, Post-Vintage or Classic. Some of our members have vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s, but inevitably more recent ones are more numerous, accessible and perhaps affordable.
Our activities have evolved into two types: meetings and events. Meetings are very informal get-togethers, but we usually have a visiting speaker to give the evening a focus. Topics have varied from Racing to Dent Removal. We have lots of nattering, a short talk and then more nattering. We encourage people to attend in a classic if possible.
We also attend outside events, mostly in the local area. These have included planes at Abingdon & Turweston and lots of cars at Hambleden, Blenheim & Churchill. We would like to respond to all of your interests, but our ability to do so depends on your telling us what those interests are!
Past and Present
OxCMC has its origins in the lack of an Oxford group for five of the clubs catering for Jaguars and Daimlers. We are therefore providing a home for these club members. We thus set up an Oxford Region for the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club and an Oxford Branch for the Daimler & Lanchester Owners' Club. We also support the local group of the Bristol Owners' Club.
However, it was quickly decided to be open and welcoming to people interested in other makes, hence the OxCMC club and its title. We are not, of course, trying to replicate any existing local activities catering, for example, for Motor Sport, or those one-make groups which are already well represented in the area.
Wide publicity and multiple attractions brought 100 or so to our initial celebratory event on 19th January 2006. Our inaugural club evening on 15th March 2006 attracted around three dozen - a very respectable figure for a first club evening.
One thing that happens is that we bring together local owners of similar cars; for example 1950s XKs or Daimler Darts. These owners might just enjoy chatting, but on the other hand can also exchange valuable information about local suppliers of goods or services.
We have been at some pains to avoid being men only. We are pleased to note that a large proportion of those attending our activities are ladies!
Future
We plan future activities to include:
- Regular meetings with talks either on related matters or of general interest.
- Attendance at local or not-so-local shows and rallies.
- Forums for exchange of information, whether face-to-face, by phone or via the Internet.
- Photo opportunities, with events at Oxford Colleges or local stately homes.
Please let us know what would interest you!
