Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs

Latest News

May 6th

FBHVC CHANGES ADDRESS

As part of the on-going transfer of secretarial responsibilities from Jim Whyman to Rosy Pugh, the FBHVC's registered office changes today to

Stonewold
Berrick Salome
Wallingford
Oxfordshire
OX10 6JR

Telephone and fax: 01865 400845

e-mail: secretary@fbhvc.co.uk

Rosy is now dealing with all routine correspondence and will take over as Company Secretary at the end of May (the end of FBHVC's financial year). The 2008-9 subscription renewal forms will be mailed shortly and should be returned to Rosy at the new address.

April 21st

DRIVE IT DAY®

Reports and photographs from 2008 Drive It Day had started to come in even before DID was over. A new page illustrating just some of the activities can be found HERE.

For those who missed it on the day, there is a link to a PDF file that can be downloaded to create the Drive It Day leaflet on the same page.

Drive It Day® in 2009 will be on Sunday, 26 April.

We did our bit on DID.

Here is Kirstie age 19 driving our 1929 Vintage Austin 16/6. 52 miles driven never stalled once!

Thanks to RH Insurance for covering her for DID.

Garry & Kirstie Hellings

Members of Vintage Austin Register and Austin Ten Drivers Club

April 17th

DVLA V765/1 list review delayed

The forthcoming review of the list of clubs and organisations registered to authenticate claims for the recovery of lost registrations (the V765/1 list) has been delayed. FBHVC's April newsletter suggested that clubs would be receiving forms to enable them to apply for listing in mid-April, but it seems some of the proposed wording has given DVLA's legal team pause for thought. No new estimate of a distribution date has been received.

Clubs can check their current listing HERE. Applications to renew will go automatically to all clubs currently listed, and to others on request. It is suggested FBHVC subscriber clubs that are not on the current list but who wish to apply for inclusion in future should contact the secretary. Listing is only appropriate if the following three conditions are met:-

1. The club concerned caters for vehicles made before new registrations were computerised [say pre-1976]. There is no point in a club that caters exclusively for later vehicles registering as their numbers cannot have been lost as a result of the computerisation.
2. The club has specialist expertise for a make of vehicle, for a model of vehicle or for a specific type of vehicle and has records or archives to support that expertise.
3. The club understands that the V765 scheme is a public service and is willing to handle applications from anyone, whether a member of not. Fees may be discounted for members (i.e. non-members may be asked to pay more). Because it is a public service, clubs must be willing to have their contact details published.

April 11th

Are thefts of historic vehicles on the increase?

A couple of years ago, there was a sense that thefts of old vehicles, particularly of higher performance cars of the 1960s, was on the increase. We set up a system to enable victims to report their losses to see if there was any pattern. Over a period of about a year, we heard of fewer than 10 instances of theft, there was no pattern and we heard nothing more. Then this week, two reports: first, a 1965 Austin Healey 3000 (red over black, blue seats - leather in front, vinyl in back) stolen in West London in March and then a full collection of early motorcycles stolen in Gloucestershire early in April.
Click HERE for details.

If similar thefts occur within one police region, it is likely the police will notice a pattern and investigate accordingly. If similar thefts occur in different areas, it is unlikely that the pattern will emerge for some considerable time - and that is why FBHVC asks to be informed of historic vehicle thefts: we can't do anything with any one individual case, but we might spot a pattern before the police are able to do so.

April 7th

DRIVE IT DAY ^®
FBHVC is pleased to announce that the words Drive It Day are now a Trade Mark registered in the category relating to the organisation of events, exhibitions, shows, competitions and conferences. Notification of the registration was received today, 7 April, and it means that the name Drive It Day cannot be used as a title or slogan for any event other than FBHVC's annual Drive It Day which occurs on the Sunday nearest 23 April.

25 January 2008

FBHVC getting tough on mis-use of logo

FBHVC member clubs and collections may use FBHVC's "Member" logo

Trade supporters have the right to use the "Trade Supporter" logo

No-one other than FBHVC itself has the right to use the main FBHVC logo without specific permission, which is usually only granted for a purpose where FBHVC has an active involvement. Some of our member clubs may have missed our entreaties over the years to use the correct logo, but we will be chasing them up in the next few months.

The message is that if you see our logo in use on business stationery or publication or in an advert or on a website it is almost certainly unauthorised and we would like to hear about it so we can take appropriate action.

22 January 2008

Private Hire Vehicles

Section 53 of the Road Safety Act of 2006 comes into force at the end of January 2008. The notice from the Department for Transport giving those involved in the private hire business advance warning of this measure (which is intended to close a loophole) suggests that the only exemptions from PHV licensing requirements are in respect of cars used for weddings and funerals. This has implications for those who might offer chauffeured rides in older cars to tourists. FBHVC is looking at the details, but meanwhile the secretary would be pleased to hear from anyone who feels they may be disadvantaged.

The DfT letter can be seen at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/taxis/changestaxiandphv

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