Archived articles

Updated 14:58   17 January 2012

  (Thanks to John Boland)

(Published December 2011)

A Christmas message from Tom Farrell, IVVCC President

Dear Fellow Motoring Enthusiasts,

I’m writing to thank you for all your support during 2011 and to give you some insight into the level of work being performed by your club.

 We went on a membership drive from May onwards and managed to sign up some 124 new members and we have also introduced a new range of IVVCC regalia, which members are happy to buy and be seen wearing! The IVVCC Forum is up and running thanks to webmaster John Larkin’s hard work as is the ease of paying for entry to events/membership on line. The IVVCC is on Face Book and Twitter thanks to John and Denis O’Donovan.

 The 2011 IVVCC International Gordon Bennett Rally was an outstanding success with cars coming from as far away as Australia. Next year we will have 12 Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts attending from Australia, and if you’ve never been to it, I would encourage you to come along to this most enjoyable event. The Gordon Bennett Committee work hard to make it a success and my thanks to Chairman Denis Dowdall, Secretaries, Jeanne and John Wilkinson, Clerk of the Course, Ian McCulloch and the Committee and Marshals for their unstinting hard work on the Club’s behalf.

Affiliated Clubs Secretary, Shane Houlihan and Club PRO, John Boland, have been visiting Affiliated Clubs around the country and giving talks to fellow enthusiasts. Their efforts have been praised by those that have been visited and many more are planned for the New Year. The IVVCC is at present in negotiations with various insurance companies with the intention of providing a more accessible Public Liability insurance for our Affiliated Members, which for many is a crippling expense. John Boland has also been writing monthly news articles for the Irish Vintage Scene, sharing the events of the IVVCC with other enthusiasts.

 Tom on the London to Brighton Run driving club member Pat Hemphills' 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile.

 I had the pleasure of driving in this year's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run which is the longest running motoring event in the world, established in 1896. It caters for all motor vehicles manufactured up until the end of Dec 1904 and attracts some 500 vehicles from around the world. Members of the IVVCC have attended this event since the early sixties and this year the organisers honored our club with its own designated parking area in Brighton. There were 17 Irish entries; most if not all were IVVCC Members.

Following discussions with sporting enthusiasts and a subsequent board meeting, it was decided to reintroduce the Sports Section and there will be new exciting events next year. There are also plans to run an event for all vehicles from 1930 to perhaps 1950/55. We hope also to introduce an event for antique/veteran vehicles and perhaps another vintage event and a dedicated classic event. While all this is aspirational, it can happen with your help. If you would like to be involved, please let us know.

The Christmas Dinner Dance was an outstanding success. It was held in the Red Cow Conference Centre, which allowed us to have 7 of our member’s cars on display. There were ample prizes, free wine, great food, fabulous music and photos taken of everyone in front of Shane Houlihan’s 1939 Jaguar SS 100. We would like this to become an annual event and tables have already been booked for next year’s event! The Xmas quiz, with quizmaster Robin McCullough, was a free event, with the club providing free tea/coffee/biscuits and sweets. There were many prizes and a free raffle.

Tom and Trish Farrell at the Christmas Dinner Dance 

Membership Secretary Jean Morton and Club Vice President and Secretary, Bernadette Wyer are working on the renewals due in January and we would appreciate your help by renewing your membership as soon as you can. We hope to have a new membership card which will contain (among other info) a QR, or quick response logo, which if you’re lucky enough to have a smart phone, you can scan and you will go straight to the IVVCC website. These are all tools to put our club ‘out there’. We would like to be the first organisation people will come to in their search for anything to do with old motor preservation.

 We hope to make our events as cost effective as possible and the New Year's Run will be an inexpensive affair (check out ivvcc.ie/events), as will the St Valentine's Day Run. The Spring Rally will be an over night event and you will have the option to attend the entire run or either day. It will be out of Dublin and involve some of our Affiliated Clubs and all are invited to participate.

The Events Committee work hard to provide interesting routes and runs for the benefit of the Club, please show your support by attending these events if you can. After all it would not be a success if not supported by the members. The A team are another integral part of our events, these are the men and woman who work with the events committee to ensure the setting up and smooth running of so many events and deserve our thanks for all their help.

Peadar Ward has just returned from Washington where he represented the IVVCC and our affiliated clubs at the FIVA world congress. With so many restrictions being imposed on historic motoring throughout Europe, it is now more important than ever that we have a voice at the table to prevent our hobby being legislated off the road and Peadar has certainly lobbied well on our behalf.

There are many exciting events planned for our 50th Anniversary in 2013 and plans are at an advanced stage and it won’t be long about coming around. Keep an eye on the IVVCC Journal and website (ivvcc.ie) for details.

I would like to record my thanks to the board and various committees for their hard work and to you the members for your support. Finally may I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Good New Year.

 Tom

IVVCC Club News – December 2011

Recent Events

Annual Christmas Dinner Dance:   Friday November 18^th saw members travel from as far and near to attend the Club's Annual Dinner Dance which was held for the first time in the Red Cow Moran Hotel. This new venue proved to be an excellent location as it allowed a sample of the vast range of cars in the club to be displayed amongst the diners. We were very honoured to have seven great cars in the hall on the night which comprised a 1899 Sperry electric car and a 1904 Speedwell – both of which had just returned from the London to Brighton, a one owner early sixties Mini Cooper, a Wolseley 1500 and we were particularly honoured to have the late Chris Furlong's 1959 Maserati. To finish the display we had a 1933 Jaguar SS100 and the world famous IONA Special belonging to Ed Cassidy who is a member of the recently reformed Sports Section which had a great attendance of members on the night. Among the affiliated clubs represented we had members of the Tipperary Light Car & Motor Cycle Club, The Irish Jaguar and Daimler Club, Clonmel Vintage & Classic Car Club, The Veteran Car Club (Irish Section) and over twenty members of the Blessington club joined in our festivities!

    After being welcomed at the door on arrival by the club's president Tom Farrell, guests then sat down to a wonderful dinner, and just as the speeches ended the great man himself appeared – Santa Claus driving Reg Plunkett's Sperry electric car with the entertainer for the evening, crooner Sean Boland, on board! After negotiating his way to the stage, Santa then gave a number of selection boxes to guests before announcing in true Late Late Show type tradition – that there was one for everybody in the audience! This was met with great approval by all and the silence of Sperry caught a lot of people off guard as they didn’t expect to see a car driving through the tables!

    A great night was had by all and the sight of people dancing the night away to a back drop of cars from the dawn of motoring up to the seventies will live in everybody’s memory for a long time to come. The Club would like to thank everybody who made this night into such a wonderful occasion and we look forward to seeing even more people at next year's event.

London to Brighton Run 2011: Fifteen cars from Ireland rolled over the start line on a very dry and mild November morning for this the longest running car event in the world. This is truly a unique event as just under 500 pre-1905 cars set off from Hyde Park for the sixty mile route to Brighton and what a spectacle they are – to see these cars arriving at the start in pitch darkness, coming from every lane, road and street was like witnessing London one hundred years ago! Then just as dawn was breaking, the first car set off on this wonderful trip which sees the cars passing Buckingham Palace, down past Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge before making their way through the suburbs towards the official coffee break in Crawley. Of the fifteen Irish starters, twelve made it to the finish line at Madeira Drive on the Brighton seafront where this year the RAC had given the IVVCC a special reserved Irish zone for our cars – this proved to be a wonderful opportunity for us to promote the old car movement in Ireland and we spent a large part of the day handing out leaflets and talking to people from as far as Australia about motoring at home. We feel that we should see an increase in the number of early cars coming to Ireland for the Gordon Bennett and indeed the 2013 FIVA World rally which is in advanced planning as we speak.

    Great credit is due to all the Irish participants who promote the Irish scene on this worldwide stage by making this annual pilgrimage to England and the IVVCC would like to thank them for their dedication in preserving our motoring history.

Affiliated Club Visit: On the first Friday in December, board members Shane Houlihan (affiliated clubs secretary) and John Boland (club pro) were invited by the Munster Vintage Motorcycle and Car Club Ltd to give a presentation on the IVVCC and some of the international rallies that they have attended. This was very well received by the members who took a particular interest in the Mille Miglia which the two lads completed in 2010 and the Munster club could not have made Shane and John more welcome on the night. One of the items discussed on the night is that we have on our website an Affiliated Clubs News section which we will post any news, views or event reports and we encourage all of our affiliated clubs to submit information for inclusion – this can be sent to pro@ivvcc.ie

FIVA: Peadar Ward has just returned from Washington where he attended the FIVA world congress on behalf of the IVVCC and our affiliated clubs. It is now more important than ever that we are represented as with so many changes being made throughout Europe in regards to historic motoring that we need to have a voice in Europe. The event took place over a number of days of very intensive discussion about preventing our hobby being legislated off the road. A report for our affiliated clubs is now being prepared and we will give updates in future club news items.

Club President Tom Farrell: On behalf of the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club, Tom has asked that the clubs best wishes be extended to all motoring enthusiasts throughout Ireland and indeed worldwide that you may have a Peaceful Christmas and many, many miles of happy motoring in the new year – we look forward to seeing you all at great events in 2012 and if there is anything you feel that the club should be doing but isn’t, please let us know. You will find details of all club contacts here 

IVVCC Club News – November 2011

Recent Events:   Just as surely as the clock goes back to signify the onset of winter, the annual IVVCC Auto jumble in Toughers draws our motoring season to a close for another year. Now celebrating its twenty seventh year, the autojumble under the guidance of Mick and Maura Jones has grown into the premier event of its type in Ireland. With an attendance of 26 stalls with no fewer than five being from Northern Ireland and the U.K, this event has taken on a truly International flavour and the range of items on sale is amazingly varied – from headlights to tail lights and every conceivable part in between and that’s not mentioning the range of books, models and the vast selection of  bric a brac to be unearthed!

Toughers really lends itself to the event with the spacious area and availability of refreshments being one of the reasons this much enjoyed outing has become such a social occasion – it’s great to see the number of people who after having a good rummage, then sit down to discuss their wonderful discoveries with friends from all over the country. It’s also great to see how many new friendships are formed as haggling goes on for that elusive piece and it’s this air of friendliness that brings so many exhibitors back year after year – supporters like John and Esther Fox who travel down from Newry on a regular basis to join up with local members such as Paul Noctor and Myles O’Reilly. Our own club stand was in attendance so ably manned by Michael Duff who’s main seller of the day were Golf Umbrellas – these represent super value at the moment as we have managed to secure a better price from our suppliers and are currently selling at an incredible €20 – but only while current stocks last – Don’t miss out!  We were also delighted to have Thomas Heavey and crew in attendance with the Irish Vintage Scene stand and hope he was well supported by all there.

The club would like to congratulate the Jones’s for all their hard work which, as ever was reflected in the amazing quality of this event and all credit must be paid to everybody who put in such an effort – from Tommy Tougher who provided the hall to all the exhibitors and a special mention must go to Conor Noctor who helped man the door on the day – it’s wonderful to see such young people getting involved as these are the future custodians of our hobby and must be encouraged at every possible opportunity!

Sports Section: At the board meeting on October 18^th it was decided to reinstate the Sports section back into the club – this is a wonderful development as it’s opens the club back up to these pre 1955 racing cars and their owners and we look forward to seeing them perform at a number of events next year under the IVVCC flag. It will also stir the interest of a large number of younger people who will hopefully become enthusiasts.

London to Brighton Run 2011:  Sixteen cars were entered from Ireland for this the longest running car event in the world which had Jutta Benz performing a ceremonial start just before the official sunrise start of 07.02, Jutta drove a replica of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen created by her great grandfather Carl Benz, which heralded the invention of the motor car 125 years ago. As a replica, the car is not eligible to participate in the entire Run and so Jutta drove to south of Westminster Bridge where the car was loaded and transported to north of Madeira Drive where she drove the last mile to the finish line. (A full report will follow.)

Gordon Bennett International Rally: Next year’s Gordon Bennett to be held on 8^th-10^th of June has truly earned it’s ‘International’ status as we have just received an advance entry from a number of Rolls Royce enthusiasts – these drivers and their cars are organising a motoring tour of Ireland centred on our event – we’ve been honoured to have two Australian Rolls Royce’s on the rally previously but next year will break the record – we are going to have twelve of RR’s finest  Silver Ghosts which will be getting shipped all the way from Oz!! These will compliment the amazing selection of other overseas competitors that travel to the event every year.

Christmas Gifts:  Don’t forget the club shop now carries a wide selection of club apparel from Polo Shirts to Umbrellas to Jackets – something for everybody. We also have gift vouchers available for your 2012 membership so now is the time to drop the hint and get a present that you really want this Christmas! Details available from pro@ivvcc.ie

IVVCC Journal: The latest issue of the IVVCC Journal has been posted out to our members and as usual is packed full of interesting features, event reports and cars for sale amongst loads of other interesting items. The cover of this issue celebrates the 50^th anniversary of one of the greatest cats of them all – The ‘E’ Type and features Gerry Larkin’s Irish registered car which was the 9^th ‘E’ Type onto our shores – to finish on another ‘International’ note, this Journal will grace coffee tables as far away as the UK, France, America and even Barbados, where we have members.

IVVCC Club News – October 2011 by John Boland

 Recent Events:   Sunday 2^nd October and after a week of unseasonably warm weather, our members were subjected to a day of torrential rain for our Autumn Run, but never deterred, out of 36 cars entered, only a few withdrew. Starting in the Stepaside Golf Centre where club member and great supporter Rosa Roe laid on some very welcome hot beverages and snacks, 75 members and their friends departed on a great route chosen by event organiser Barry Burke, taking in Stepaside, Rathfarnham, Saggart and Kilteel before finishing in D’Arcy McGee’s in the Spawell complex. Here a wonderful lunch organised by manager Pat Buckley was followed by the prize giving with the quiz supplying the closest competition – Peter Ging and Kevin Herron both identifying 19 of the 20 car logos shown – Marcos and Bristol being the stumbling blocks respectively. The cars were divided into three classes with Kevin Halloran in his 1927 Austin 12/4 Clifton tourer taking the Leslie Thorne Presidents Cup, Donal Begley in his Bentley Mk VI taking the Murtagh Trophy and lastly taking the Oliver Cosgrave Deerpark trophy was Jim Fitzpatrick in his Morris Minor. The high spirits of all attending are again proof that come hail, rain or sunshine it’s impossible to beat a good days motoring on a club run!

One of the most actively supported groups in the club is the ARM – Active Retired Members section and on the last Thursday of September a group of 75 met up for a trip to Slane Castle. This is a very informal gathering where members drive both their modern and old cars on an always interesting outing. After a guided tour of the castle, everybody was treated to a sampling of the recently launched and very palatable ‘Slane Castle Irish Whiskey’ which was found to be so good that several bottles were purchased to keep any impending flu at bay!  Lunch and conversation then flowed in the Snail Box restaurant until the late evening. Previous trips have taken place to the Tractor museum in Cooley, The Fry museum in Malahide and the wax museum in Dublin.  The next outing is to Kilkenny city in November.

The bad weather of the first weekend in October also took its toll on the ‘In the Mood’ swing session organised by Age Action Ireland - The original plan was to have an escort of 50s cars leading a charity walk down to Trinity College for an afternoon tea dance. Unfortunately the walk had to be cancelled, but the ‘Bugle Babes’ swing trio supplied wonderful entertainment for all our members in the magnificent environs of Trinity. 

One of Ireland's most recognisable television stars, Miriam O’Callaghan was the official starter at our affiliate Triumph Classic Owners Club’s charity run Four Provinces in a Classic. We were represented by our web master John Larkin who completed the c1000km event without any hitches in his 1967 Lotus Elan. All credit must go to event organiser Alan Quinn who dedicated nine months of his life to make the event the success it was. A total of just over €41,000 was raised for this wonderful organisation the Children’s Sunshine Home/ Laura Lynne Foundation who operate Ireland’s only children’s hospice. 

 FIVA Matters:  The Worldwide FIVA General Assembly is being held from November 17^th to 19^th and will be attended by our FIVA representative Peadar Ward. In recent years, the work of FIVA has become essential in keeping our historic motors on the road and as part of the clubs commitment to our hobby, we are ensuring that Ireland’s voice will be heard at this very important convention. A full report on the event will be forwarded on Peadar’s return to all our affiliated clubs and will be summarised in a future club news update.

 London to Brighton Run 2011: Only a few weeks to go and everybody is making the final adjustments to their cars for this historic event which will see Derek Wilson from Cork who is a third generation enthusiast competing in his recently restored 1902 Bolide and club President Tom Farrell driving a Curved Dash Oldsmobile – Our best wishes to all the IVVCC flag bearers taking part and we look forward to seeing you in the specially reserved Irish section at the finish.

Members Website Forum:  Our Forum is now up and fully operational with lots of different topics being addressed by members – if you haven’t accessed it yet – waste no more time and login at www.ivvcc.ie/forum

 The Auto jumble:  Don’t forget that the date for this years auto jumble has been changed to Sunday 30^th October – this great event, so well organised by Mick Jones is the ideal place to find that elusive piece and has also become the perfect place for members to catch up on all that’s happening in the historic motoring scene.

 Christmas Dinner Dance:  The place to be on Friday 18^th November is the Pavilion in the Red Cow Moran Hotel – The night will comprise a four course meal followed by some great music in a Frank Sinatra / Rat Pack style. We are also planning a number of surprises on the evening and are inviting both members from the IVVCC and our affiliate clubs to attend. It really will be a fun night and one that shouldn’t be missed – details on ticket purchase can be found on the home page of our web site www.ivvcc.ie.

 Christmas Gifts:  Don’t forget the club shop now carries a wide selection of club apparel from Polo Shirts to Umbrellas to Jackets – something for everybody. We also have gift vouchers available for your 2012 membership so now is the time to drop the hint and get a present that you really want this Christmas! Details available from pro@ivvcc.ie

IVVCC Club News – September 2011 by John Boland

Recent Events: Our annual Powerscourt Picnic took place on Sunday 21^st of August and we had an entry of just under one hundred and fifty cars which included a number of participants from six of our affiliated clubs. The weather was kind on the day and between the superb location and a Jazz band providing a perfect backdrop for a picnic we had a great turn out of families. We would especially like to thank the Slazenger family for their support of this event over the years.  

The club presented a large number of awards on the day including amongst others, best pre and post war tourers going to Thomas O’Sullivan in his 1937 MG VA Tickford and Eddie Connally in his 1968 Mercedes Benz 280SL respectively. The Bill Pegum Trophy for the most colorful/enthusiastic club member of the year – as chosen by the President went to club treasurer Ray McElroy who works incredibly hard behind the scenes for the club. 

Frank Kelly and IVVCC President Tom Farrell

We also had the club shop on site which had a busy day between selling club merchandise and signing up some more new members which has increased our membership by over 80 since June. An unexpected visitor to the picnic was acclaimed actor Frank Kelly best known for his work in Halls Pictorial weekly, Father Ted and most recently Emmerdale, but not so well known for one of his earlier rolls which was in the original ‘Italian Job’ with Michael Caine! Frank and his wife Bairbre both have a particular interest in DS Citroëns and they had several stories to tell about their ownership of same including one where they were towing a boat trailer down a country lane. Due to the hydro pneumatic suspension on their Citroen they were oblivious to just how rough the road was until launching the craft they noticed that the supports on the trailer had punched holes in the boat! 

Courtmacsherry in County Cork was the setting for the VCC Irish sections main event which had a total of 29 entries (all pre 1918) of which no fewer than seven came from overseas. The run took place over five days of gentle driving which consisted of a number of interesting stops at local tourist spots including a chocolate factory and a model village. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all IVVCC members in attendance which included three of our overseas members Johnny Thomas in his 1903 Clement, Lawrie Smith and the president of the VCC Stewart Skilbeck. Winner of the overall award was Keith Pearson in his 1913 KRIT and a special spirit of the event award went to Christopher Berridge who tackled all the steep hills admirably in his little single cylinder 1905 Rover. The club would like to congratulate clerk of the course Derek Wilson for all his hard work and the warm welcome extended to all our members.

Another event well attended by our members was the 75^th anniversary of the 1936 Limerick Grand Prix which not only attracted two Bugattis but also the winning Supercharged MG from that year. The celebrations were based in Pery square where our members were treated to a wonderful exhibition of related material as well as the opportunity to drive three laps of the original circuit which had a great turnout of spectators. Club member John Wilkinson had a unique cargo on the day – two brothers who had attended the Grand Prix as young boys and had some great memories of the day which they shared with all in attendance.  

Club's Appreciation: The A Team and the Events Committee are two of the hardest working groups in they club, these are the men and women who organise and then set up events so that members simply only have to turn up and enjoy – On Tuesday 30^th August, they were invited to view Jim Bolands collection and have some refreshments where President, Tom Farrell spoke of the hard work performed by these members and thanked them on behalf of the club for their commitment. 

Members Website Forum: Our Web master John Larkin has been hard at work and the clubs new forum, where you can post questions and request help from other members is now live – the forum is available to fully paid up members of the IVVCC and our affiliated clubs – it can be accessed at www.ivvcc.ie/forum

 Upcoming Events: The Clubs Autumn Run will take place on Sunday 2^nd October and entry forms can be found here on the Events page, also please note that the date for the IVVCC Autojumble has been amended to 30^th October. The club is also delighted to announce the return of an annual end of year Dinner which will take place on Friday night, November 18^th  in The Red Cow Hotel at 8pm – Tickets will go on sale at the October first Monday meeting –

Numbers are limited so make sure you get yours as this promises to be a great night where we will all have the chance to enjoy the company of friends old and new.

London to Brighton Run 2011: Irish participation in this historic event continues to grow with two of the latest accepted entries being club members Andrew Bailey in his little 1904 Bebe Peugeot and Mark & Olive Wilkinson in their 1903 Renault.

See for previous monthly news articles.

IVVCC Club News – August 2011 by John Boland

Recent Events:   This is always such a busy time of year with so many great events around the country and although the weather tried its best to upset our day trip to Trim, our members turned out in good numbers to support this well organised show with a range of 27 cars dating from 1913 to 1982.On Sunday morning two convoys departed from Dublin and this proved to be a great success as no one would be left behind in the event of a breakdown and indeed many members commented on the fun aspect of travelling together. The club was honoured that its members received 3 of the prizes on offer that day and we all look forward to returning next year in larger numbers.

Among the many other events our members took part in during the month was a vintage car show in Clondalkin – not a venue that is normally associated with historic motoring but in this case the local Chamber of Commerce pulled out all the stops to celebrate their first vintage week. The quality of the 28 cars in attendance ranged from no less than 3 Brighton cars, 2 Silver Ghosts, 2 pre war Bentleys and a 1932 Alfa 8C – a great turn out which was well supported by members of both the IVVCC and our great friends in the Blessington Car Club.

London to Brighton Run 2011:   Entries are now closing for the historic London to Brighton run which will have over 500 pre 1905 cars competing from all over the globe with as many as possibly 20 Irish participants – this year the IVVCC has been granted a unique honour insofar as the RAC have given us a special Irish zone at the finish in Medeira Drive – this is in recognition of the number of Irish cars which participate on this unique run every year and our thanks go to the organisers for this wonderful honour which will allow us to fly the IVVCC flag at one of the worlds greatest events. This year the club is looking at organising a dinner in London on Saturday night for our members and details will be posted on the web site soon.

Among the many other events that our members will be taking part in are the Veteran Car Club's Irish section rally in Courtmacsherry, Co.Cork and the Limerick Classic and Vintage Car Club event for pre 1940 sports cars to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1936 Limerick Grand Prix. To the organizers of these and all the other great events through out the country we send our best wishes.

Social Media: The IVVCC has just got more social! Thanks to club member Denis O’Donovan who has taken on the job of communicating our messages and news via Twitter and Face Book – although alien to some members, these two communication methods really compliment our web site (www.ivvcc.ie)  and well worth having a look at, so don’t delay and look up the IVVCC on these sites.

Web Site:  Our webmaster John Larkin is really playing a blinder as far as development of our site is concerned and it is updated almost daily – if you haven’t been on line recently, log in and have a look as it now has lots of new material, affiliate club news page, photos and video links. Also recently launched is a members' forum where even the most technical of questions will find a reply - And all this on top of our wonderful quarterly IVVCC Journal!

20^th Irish Classic and Vintage Motor Show:  Another wonderful day for everybody involved with this long running and amazing show and club member Jim Boland had the honour of collecting Dublin’s Lord Mayor Andrew Montague from the Mansion house and transporting him to Terenure in his magnificent 1913 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost – The Club stand had a turn out of 84 cars with a massive diversity ranging from an 1898 Sperry electric car, through a 1904 Speedwell, 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, 1925 Vauxhall 14/40, 1928 Bentley six and a half litre, last years winner of ‘Best Car In Show’ a 1929 Desoto, 1937 Austin Ascot, 1953 Somerset, 1970 Jaguar E Type,1970 Morris Traveller and VW Beetle, a rare beast on these shores a 1971 Holden GTS Monaro and all the way up to a 1980 Fiat 131 Mirafiori – a example of how the club caters for all ages from the dawn of motoring all the way up to the 1980’s. Tommy Sheridan’s little 1904 Speedwell took home the overall award for best car in its class and the club used the show to start the roll out of it’s new line of club wear including Baseball Caps, Beanies, Jackets and coats– a range that will be growing in the next few months and well worth checking out. A very welcome visitor to the stand was Paddy Cole who dropped by to say hello and wish the club well – last seen leaving the stand sporting an IVVCC Baseball cap!

ROAD TRAFFIC (NATIONAL CAR TEST) REGULATIONS 2009 (SI 567, 2009) 

The Minister for Transport legislated that from the 4th of January 2010 privately taxed vehicles first registered prior to the 1st of January 1980 shall remain exempt from the NCT.  Vehicles first registered after the 1st of January 1980 shall not benefit from NCT exemption and shall continue to be included in the class of vehicles required to undergo the NCT --- in other words the rolling thirty year exemption no longer applies (refer to paragraphs 3(2)(b)(i) and 5(a) of SI 567, 2009).  The NCT will be required annually from the 1st of June 2011 for vehicles over ten years old.  Vehicles first registered prior to the 1st of January 1980 and which are taxed and licensed for use as public service vehicles (wedding cars, taxis, buses, etc,) shall continue to be required to have a valid NCT or DoE Test (as applicable to the category of vehicle).  This piece of legislation has not altered the rule concerning road tax and so the VinVet category of taxation continues to be available on a thirty year rolling basis under present legislation.  You can download the legislation by clicking on either button below --- one gives a zipped file (about 400kB).  The other button gives a .pdf file that is large (14MB), and will take a long time to download unless you have broadband.

Note amended 08 July 2011:  Webmaster's comments: My everyday car has shown an overall increase of 3% in fuel consumption since E5 petrol (4.16% ethanol added) became the only type available in Ireland.  I have calculated that the CO2 emitted by my car has increased by 1.4% overall.  I burn 1.2% less petrol per mile but I am now burning an extra 4.166% ethanol that was not previously part of the fuel. I am becoming very sceptical about the environmental benefits of ethanol. Carbon dioxide emissions -- some facts... = x 24      = x 1.2 One cow belching and farting produces as much global warming effect as twenty four historic cars do in a year, or a Ford Mondeo 2L petrol over 26,651 km, or a Rolls Royce Phantom over 13,369 km. One historic car = 210 kg/year of CO2.   One cow: 213B kg methane/year = 5037C kg of CO2 /year  (the equivalent of two month’s heating for an average house)  (updated 20 January 2010) There are 6,700,000A cattle in Ireland.  They produce up to 500B litres of methane per day per animal --- that’s 1,467,300 tonnes of methane per year.  Methane has a global warming effect 23C times greater than carbon dioxide, so the CO2 equivalent to this amount of methane is 33,747,900 tonnes.  A Rolls Royce Phantom produces 377 g/km of CO2, so for an average of 16,000 km driving per annum this comes to 6.03 tonnes. If all owners of private motor vehicles --- a total of 1,963,690D cars and motorcycles ---- each drove a leviathan of a car such as a Rolls Royce Phantom (377E g/km CO2) then we would produce 11,844,978 tonnes of CO2 per year.  That is just over a THIRD of the global warming effect of the belching and farting of the nation’s cattle.   One cow =   13,369 km in a RR Phantom OR 26,651 km in a Ford Mondeo 2L petrol (189E g/km of CO2)  Sources:-  A: CSO;   B: Journal of Animal Science, 1995, Aug, 73(8):248393, KA Johnson, DE Johnson, Washington State University.     C: Irish Times Motoring Supplement 4th November 2009, referencing Walsh et al (University of Limerick), Climate Care, carbonica.org    D: 2008 DoE Bulletin    E: www.energy.eu

Take a look at the table below --- it shows that cars are not as polluting as some groups like to have us think.  For example, an average person emits 2190 kg of CO₂ per annum.  A Ford Focus emits this amount over a distance of 14000 kilometres. Furthermore, the Ford Focus could drive 32,000 kilometres (about two years driving) before it equalled the methane produced by one cow in a year.

Note the emissions of the Luas --- an electric propulsion system.  Electric propulsion is not as clean as many imagine it to be.

Let's try to keep a fair view of emissions.  We must not accept the demonizing of transport, and we must resist the targeting of private cars in particular.  Note the carbon dioxide emitted by air transport---it emits four to seven times more CO₂ per passenger kilometre than driving.

Let’s get our priorities right --- this how the world’s fossil fuels are used:-

Industry: 32%    Residential: 27%      All transport: 25%     Commercial & public services: 8%     Agriculture: 3%    Other: 5%

(Source:  IEA, http://earthtrends.wri.org/datatables/index.php?theme=6)

ANTIFREEZE WARNING!  

Please be aware of the risks associated with antifreeze ---  over the last few years manufacturers have changed from inorganic additive technology (IAT) to organic acid technology (OAT).

 DO NOT use OAT antifreeze in old engines, as it corrodes aluminium and damages gaskets and seals.

  Always use IAT antifreeze that has been labelled as suitable for classic cars.  Ideally the antifreeze should comply with BS 3150 Type A. (Modified 25 May 2011.)

Derek Harris in the UK (www.derekharris.com) has researched this matter and has very kindly given the IVVCC permission to reproduce an article that he has written on this subject.  The article is excellent, and I strongly advise you to read it.  You can find the article here: 

Propylene glycol antifreeze, which is safe for our cars AND for the environment AND which has far fewer health hazards associated with it will be available in the Spring of 2010.  If you are interested in purchasing some in bulk you can learn more at this link:  www.classiccoolant.com   (NOTE: The IVVCC is not endorsing the products you find on this link.)     (Started 6th January 2010)

Our historic cars have a tiny carbon footprint

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE82FZpq0qM      (16 Nov 2009)

02 July 2009

PAINT FOR HISTORIC CARS The following information has been transcribed from the Official Journal of the European Union dated 30th April 2004, pages L 143/88 and 89 as a public information service to all old car enthusiasts:- DIRECTIVE 2004/42/CE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 April 2004 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products and amending Directive 1999/13/EC. Recital (11): Member States should be able to grant individual licences for the sale and purchase for specific purposes of products in strictly limited quantities which do not comply with the solvent limit values established by this Directive. and Article 3.3: For the purposes of restoration and maintenance of buildings and vintage vehicles designated by competent authorities as being of particular historical and cultural value, Member States may grant individual licences for the sale and purchase in strictly limited quantities of products which do not meet the VOC limit values laid down in Annex II.
	In late 2006 FIVA published a Guide for Users of Historic Vehicles as a contribution to the European Commission's Road Safety Charter.  By following the spirit of these guidelines, drivers of historic vehicles will be welcomed as considerate motorists on the busy roads of Europe that we all share.  Click on the link at the left to download a copy of the guide in .pdf format.  The file is large and may take some time to download if you do not have a high-speed internet connection. The IVVCC supports the work done by FIVA and appreciates their permission to provide this download on our website.  (20 Mar 2007).
February 2007 Does anybody know if this problem applies in Europe?  This is a long article but it is well worth reading.  The implications are worrying. OIL IS KILLING OUR CARS!!!!! By: Keith Ansell, Foreign Parts Positively, Inc.    (Thanks to Keith for permission to reproduce this article.) About a year ago I read about the reduction of zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) in the oils supplied with API approval that could affect sliding and high pressure (EP) friction in our cars. The reduction of these chemicals in supplied oils was based on the fact that phosphates reduce the effectiveness and eventually damage catalytic converters and introduce minute amounts of pollutants into our atmosphere. A couple of months ago I had a member of the Columbia Gorge MG Club bring a totally failed camshaft and lifters back to me that had only 900 miles on them!! I immediately contacted the camshaft re-grinder (Delta Cam) and asked how this could happen. They were well aware of this problem as they were starting to have many failures of this type. In the past, the lack of a molybdenum disulfide camshaft assembly lubricant, at assembly, was about the only thing that could create this type of problem. My customer has assembled many engines and had lubricated the camshaft properly. Then the bad news came out: It’s today’s “modern” API (American Petroleum Industry) approved oils that are killing our engines: Meaning all flat tappet (cam follower) equipped engines, as used in all BMC products, all British Leyland products, most pushrod engines prior to 1980, early Volvos, American high-performance engines and many others. Next call: To a major camshaft supplier, both stock and performance (Crane). They now have an additive for whatever oil you are using during break-in so that the camshaft and lifters won’t fail in an unreasonably short period of time. They also suggest using a diesel rated oil on flat tappet engines. Next call: To a racing oil manufacturer that we use for the race cars (Red Line Oil). Their response: “We are well aware of the problem and we still use the correct amounts of those additives in our products”. They continued to tell me they are not producing API approved oils so they don’t have to test and comply. Their oils were NOT the “new, improved and approved” ones that destroy flat tappet engines! “We just build the best lubricants possible”. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it, New-Approved but inferior products, but it seems to be true for our cars. To top this off: Our representative from a major supplier of performance and street engine parts (EPWI) stopped by to “warn us” of the problem of the NEW oils on flat tappet  engines. This was a call that the representative was making only because of this problem to warn their engine builders! “The reduction of the zinc, manganese and phosphates are causing very early destruction of cams and followers”. They are recommending that, for now at least, there must be a proper oil additive put in the first oil used on new engines, beyond the liberal use of molydisulfide assembly lube. They have been told that the first oil needs the additive but remain skeptical that the first oil is all that is necessary. Their suggestion: Use diesel rated oils such as Delo or Rotella that are usually available at auto stores and gas stations. This problem is BIG! American Engine Rebuilder's Association (AERA) Bulletin #TB2333 directly addresses this problem.  I had a short discussion with their engineer and he agreed with all that I had been finding. Next phone call was to a retired engineer from Clevite, a major bearing and component manufacturer. First surprise was that he restored older British Motor bikes. The second surprise was that he was “VERY” aware of this problem because many of the old bikes had rectangular tappets that couldn’t rotate and are having a very large problem with the new oils. He has written an article for the British Bike community that verify all the “bad news” we have been finding. Comp Cams put out “#225 Tech Bulletin: Flat Tappet Camshafts”. They have both an assembly lube  and an oil additive. The telling sentence in the bulletin was “While this additive was originally developed specifically for break-in protection, subsequent testing has proven the durability benefits of its long term use. This special blend of additives promotes proper break-in and protects against premature cam and lifter failure by replacing some of the beneficial ingredients that the oil companies have been required to remove from the “off-the–shelf oil”. Next question: Now what do we do? From the camshaft re-grinders (DeltaCam) “Use oils rated for diesel use”, Delo (Standard Oil product) was named. About the same price as other quality petroleum based oils. They have the ZDDP we need in weights we are familiar with. From one camshaft manufacturer (Crane): “use our additive” for the first 500 miles. From General Motors (Chevrolet): add EOS, their oil fortifier, to your oil, it’s only an 8-ounce can (This problem seems to be something GM has known about for some time!).  The additive says for break-in only, some dealers add it to every oil change. From Redline Oil: Use our street formulated synthetics. They have what we need! Early in 2007 they will be supplying a “break-in oil” specifically for our cars. From Castrol: We are beginning to see a pattern emerging on older cars. It may be advantageous to use a non-approved lubricant, such as oils that are Diesel rated, 4 Cycle Motorcycle oils and other specified diesel oils. They will be supplying “new oils” specifically for our cars in early 2007. For you science buffs: ZDDP is a single polar molecule that is attracted to Iron based metals. The one polar end tends to “Stand” the molecule up on the metal surface that it is bonded to by heat and friction. This forms a sacrificial layer to protect the base metals of the cam and tappet from contacting each other. Only at very high pressures on a flat tappet cam is this necessary because the oil is squeezed/wiped from the surface. This high pressure is also present on the gudgeon pin (wrist pin) in diesel engines, therefore the need for ZDDP in all diesel engines. Second part of the equation is Molybdenum disulfide (Moly). The moly bonds to the zinc adding an additional, very slippery, sacrificial layer to the metal. I found out that too much of the moly will create problems; lack of this material reduces the effectiveness of the ZDDP. The percentage, by weight is from .01 to .02%, not much, but necessary according to the chemists. Now there is no denying that there is a problem, lack of ZDDP (Zinc Dialkyl DithioPhosphate) in modern oils kills at least our cams and tappets. There seems to be no known alternative. Our cars are a small percentage of the total market and BIG Corporate, the American Petroleum Institute and possibly government have made decisions that are detrimental to our cars. This problem isn’t going away. The trend today is to lighter weight oils to decrease drag, which increases mileage. Most of these seem to be the “Energy Conservation” oils that we cannot use. Redline oil and others are suggesting a 3,000-mile break-in for new engines! Proper seating of rings with today’s lubricants is taking that long to properly seal. Shifting to  synthetics before that time will just burn a lot of oil and not run as well as hoped. The “Energy Conservation“ trend was first led by automakers to increase mileage numbers and secondly because the ZDDP and other chemicals degrade the catalytic converter after extended miles, increasing pollution. Most of us don’t have catalytic converters and the mileage gains are not that significant. Many oil companies may have products that will continue to function well in our cars. Castrol, Redline, Valvoline, Mobil, Shell, Amsoil and others have now commented on my original article and are making suggestions. Some companies are offering short lists of “acceptable” oils, others just one. One company has responded without any substantive information in a two-page “bulletin”. By their account all their oils are superior and applicable. This is typical of many companies. Some oil manufacturers are pointing to metallurgy, blaming poorly built cams and followers. This may have some validity but the bottom line is that there has been a big increase in failures with products that have been on the market for many years but are now having greatly increased failures. To me the bottom line is, if the lubricants are working there is no contact between surfaces, it shouldn’t matter what the materials used in the products are, within reason. On “modern” production cars, stay with the manufacturers’ suggestions. For any car produced before about 1990 the owner needs to be aware that the factory suggested lubricant may have changed and may not be applicable. Flat tappet, stock, performance or modified may be affected. MGBs from 1975 to 1980 must choose to sacrifice the cam or the catalytic converter as an example of how difficult the decisions are becoming! Yes, there is more! Castrol does understand our dilemma and is actively looking into what it can do to support our cars. We can soon expect to see products from them with specific application to classic cars. Red Line will be offering a “break-in” oil soon after the first of the year. Shell’s Rotella will be good until about June or July of 2007 with possibly nothing after that date. Delo (Chevron) will also be questionable after the new “CJ-4” standards come in the middle of 2007. Now the important information: Oils that may be correct for our cars today: (As reported by manufacturers by 31st December 2006, NOTE: many have changed their recommendations over the last three months!  Castrol: Syntec 5W-40, Syntec 20W-50, Grand Prix 4-Stroke Motorcycle oil in 10W-40 and 20W-50, TWS Motorsport 10W-60*, BMW Long Life 5W-30*             *= full synthetic, available only at BMW dealerships Red Line: 10W-30, 10W-40 (Synthetic oils) Valvoline: VR-1 20W-50 (Conventional oil) Amsoil: 20W-50(TRO), 10W-40(AMO), 15W-40(AME) & 20W-50(ARO) Mobil: Mobil 1 5W-30 and 20W-50 (Synthetic) Chevron: Delo 400 Shell: Rotella What we are doing at Foreign Parts Positively has been difficult to determine but with few options left, the following is what we are forced to do. Some of our choices have been based on the manufacturer’s willingness to help and specific reports. This list will change in the next months with Castrol and Red Line adding products just for our cars.             Break in: Delo 400 30W (A break-in oil will be available from Redline soon!)             Conventional oil: Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 Synthetic: Red Line 10W-30 in newer engines, 10W-40 on older engines.             Break-in is now 3,000 miles (using Delo 400 30W) before changing to running oil.             Oil change interval: 1 year or 18,000 miles with Red Line synthetic                                              1 year or 2,500 miles with conventional oil (Valvoline VR-1                                                                     20W-50). Thank you to Castrol, Redline, Christiansen Oil, Valvoline, Mobil, Shell, Standard Oil and Amsoil for input. We’re sure this subject will continue: Please forward any new information on this subject you may encounter. We have received some very interesting material from “Mr Moly” that may be putting molybdenum disulfide (MoS) into this discussion. It seems that ZDDP plus MoS is the best from the oil companies’ opinion but MoS by itself may be beneficial. Some racers swear by it. The literature seems to support “Mr. Moly’s” position. Update 20th February 2007:  In North America Castrol will have a "Classic" 20w-50 Syntec on the market in April for us. Meantime Red Line Oil for synthetic and Valvoline VP-1 20w-50 for conventional seems our only choices. 19th February 2007:  In North America Castrol will have a "Classic" 20w-50 Syntec on the market in April; meantime Red Line Oil for synthetic and Valvoline VP-1 20w-50 for conventional seem to be the only choices.   Keith M. Ansell,  Foreign Parts Positively, Inc.   www.ForeignPartsPositively.com    Kma4285@msn.com 360-882-3596 Castrol UK (Andy Griffin, Castrol Technical Support) said in am email dated 21st February 2007: We are currently looking at whether there is a need for a specific formulation for the US market for their older engines - in the UK we are fairly well covered by the Classic grades ( and GTX High Mileage as a basic 15W-40 mineral ), and I have had no reports of problems here with premature wear of older engines.
February 2007   The following facts relating to the old car movement in Ireland have been summarised by John Larkin from the FIVA report courtesy of Peadar Ward:-     Almost €21 million was spent by Irish club members in 2005.  (As club members account for 52% of all historic cars it is clear that the value of expenditure is probably twice that captured by the FIVA survey.  John Larkin.)   €14 million of this figure was on private sales of historic cars.   Irish historic vehicle clubs spent €50,000 on the printing and distribution of club publications, with a further €230,000 on other expenditure. There are almost 6000 historic vehicles owned by club members resident in Ireland, of which about 5300 are roadworthy and legal.  A further 6300 historic vehicles are owned by enthusiasts who are not members of clubs, resulting in 11620 historic vehicles that are roadworthy and legal (Irish Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics 2005 published by DoE).  At the 31st of December 2005 there were 2,138,700 road vehicles registered in Ireland, of which 0.54% were historic vehicles. Modern vehicles travelled 40,000,000,000 kilometres, and historic vehicles travelled  16,000,000 kilometres or 0.04% of the total. Irish clubs raised over €250,000 for charities in 2005. 88% of historic vehicles are used less than three times per week, and 78% travelled no more than 2000 km in 2005. 27% of owners of historical vehicles have an income not exceeding €30,000 per annum, and 80% of historic cars are worth less than €15,000 each.  This clearly shows that preserving and running an old car is not the preserve of the affluent but that it is an inclusive hobby that transcends social boundaries.    ------------------------------------------------------------------       Here are some of the facts elicited by the FIVA survey;  these figures apply to the EU:-   The historic vehicle movement generates an annual turnover of €16 billion.  This clearly shows its economic importance.   37,500 people are employed full-time in industries serving our hobby.  A further 17,500 work part-time.   There are 1,500,000 roadworthy historic vehicles, and a further 500,000 in storage or under restoration.   Club membership totals 786,000.   Club members spent 2.6 million nights away from home attending events.   There are 265,000 historic vehicle events per year.   55% of club members are under 45 years of age; 20% are 45-55; and the balance are over 55.   Historic vehicle magazines have an annual circulation of 20 million.   There are 255,000,000 modern vehicles registered in the EU, and they travel 2,200,000,000,000 km per year.  The total distance travelled by 1,500,000 historic vehicles (0.6% of all registered vehicles) is 1,400,000,000 km, or just under 0.07% of the distance travelled by modern cars.   By working in conjunction with the EU, FIVA’s work has resulted in some clear recognition for the historic vehicle movement, and not always in respect of road usage. Recent examples include: • Acknowledgement by the European Commission that historic vehicles need to be exempted from any future laws requiring the general use of daytime running lights as continuous use of lights would be impossible for many historic vehicles. • A derogation in the Directive imposing a general ban on paints high in Volatile Organic Compounds to allow the continued sale of small volumes of correct paints to ensure visual authenticity of vehicles even after repair and re-spraying. • Recognition by the European Commission that enforced retrofitting of blind-spot mirrors to historic buses and trucks would impair the authenticity of preserved historic commercial vehicles. Across Europe there are hundreds of thousands of individual enthusiasts who benefit from FIVA’s work, thousands of people working in businesses that depend upon historic vehicles remaining in use, and millions of members of the general public would be the poorer if they were deprived of the pleasure of seeing historic vehicles being driven on the road or at events and shows. The motor vehicle has become an integral part of European culture. We have a responsibility to protect all aspects of our heritage, and in this case that means ensuring the future of the historic vehicle movement by preserving the right to use old vehicles on the roads of Europe. The IVVCC appreciates the work done by FIVA in carrying out this survey, and is grateful for their permission to quote from their report.
The Denis Lucey cars achieved the following prices at auction at  Bonhams on the 30th of April 2007 1902 Wolseley 10hp Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau, sold for £145,000 1905 Germain 5.7 litre, 32.2hp Royal Tonneau, sold for £145,000 1909 Silver Stream 18/24hp 3.1 litre Roi-de-Belges Tourer, sold for £130,000 1900 Argyll 5hp Spindle Seat Rear Entrance Tonneau, sold for £102,000 The Gore-Booth 1910 Wolseley-Siddeley 16/20hp Rotonde Phaeton, sold for £34,000 1909 Wolseley-Siddeley 14hp Four Seat Tourer, sold for £24,000 1910 Wolseley-Siddeley 16/20hp Tourer, sold for £14,000 1923 Ford Model T Four Seat Tourer, sold for £12,000 1910 Wolseley-Siddeley 16/20hp Two Seater, sold for £5,500 Bonhams' premium and taxes are not included in the hammer prices above.

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