Monday 21st July 2003

Classic Car Club

Simon Rockman reveals the secret of how he made his fantasy garage a reality

---

Last week I did a thousand miles in a BMW ZM Coupe. The week before that I pottered round in fantastically sweet 1968 Lancia Fulvia. Before that it was an M3, and before that a Rolls Royce Mulliner Park Ward. The list goes on from the flash to the regal. When I wanted to go on a family outing in style there was a Mercedes S class.

Some of my neighbours think I’ve a secret stash of cars, but   most neighbours know my secret.  Anyone who stands still for 90 seconds is told about my new addiction - the Classic Car Club.

For around £2,500 a year I have access to a collection of cars that would more rightly be called ‘interesting’ than classic. Some, like the 911 Cabrio have proved to be a bit of a disappointment.  Some like the Alfa Sprint an unexpected pleasure.  A lot of miles in two BMW M cars has shed me of my German-Sierra Cosworth preconceptions.

I joined the club because I wanted an NSX. I’d done my homework and it was the right car for the mix of interesting roads and motorways that are my regular driving. Unfortunately I’d also done enough homework to know that the NSX is something not many people know about and I’d face massive depreciation if I had to sell it in a hurry.  Since emigrating to the US is on the cards I, for once, let my sensible head rule my heart and I didn’t buy Honda’s Ferrari.

In the same way as my wife buys two pairs of half price shoes in a sale to save money I joined the Classic Car Club on the basis that a year’s membership of the club was less than a year’s depreciation on an NSX.  On reflection it's actually saved me more since the club membership includes insurance, tax, maintenance, indeed everything other than fuel. Cars even get washed and vacuumed before each booking, saving me the trouble of car cleaning too!

I’m also living my childhood fantasies through my children. I loved it when I was given a lift in a friend’s father’s Fulvia (and driving it was just as I remembered it). Being collected from school by my uncle in his E-type was serious kudos. I always wanted to be taken to school in a Ferrari. My sons will be.

Reality Check

You do however have to have the right mindset to be a member. This isn’t bulk-buying supercar rental. If you pay £500 a day for a 355 you expect it to be new and there when you want it.  With the Classic Car Club there is a real co-operative element, that’s what ‘club’ means. So you won’t always get what you want when you want it, but you usually will get something interesting when you want it and this is what leads to unexpected pleasures.

I would never have asked for the BMW M3, but when my first few choices (Mitsubishi GTO, 996 and Mondial) were all unavailable I ‘settled’ for the BMW. And loved it which is why I chose the ZM Coupe for a longer stint.

One other thing to realise with this timeshare system on cars is that many are not mint. If you owned an old  car you’d know that there was a long list of things that needed doing and had not got around to. It’s the same with the club and some of the more exotic cars, the Astons and Ferraris, are a little down at heel.

I’m more interested in the driving dynamics but if it’s something you want to pass off as yours at the school reunion then pick carefully.

The car which has the busiest appointment diary is the E-type convertible, and the club has just bought one which looks to be in fine shape.

Your membership isn’t just a timeshare on the stable of 20 or so cars, there are three full-time mechanics to look after the fleet. The cars have a hard life and rack up mileages which eclipse most cocooned classics but they are all fastidiously maintained. There is a feeling that everyone at the club treasures their cars.

The Scheme

Obviously you can’t have an Aston Martin Virage for a year for two grand. There is a system. Your membership buys you 750 points. These are spent on a multiplier.

Cars range from Band 1 (Frog-Eyed sprite)  to Band 6 (308GTS), at 1 to 6 points respectively.

Different times of the year attract different multipliers and weekends are four times as expensive as weekdays. So a the Morris Oxford (Band 1) for a week (1 point a day) in January (2 points) will cost 1 x 5  x 1 x 2, or 10 points.

The Mercedes E55 (Band 6) for a weekend (4 points a day) in June (times 4 again) will cost 6   (band) x 2 (days)  x 4 (weekend days) x 4 (June) or 192 points.

You need to balance your cars, time of year and weekends. Worst case you get four weekends, as I tend to take the car on weekdays I think I’ll get about 50 days this year. That’s still £50 a day but next year will be cheaper. The first year includes a £500 joining fee.

On Reflection

Joining the club started as an indulgence. I'd sold my business and taken up a good new job and I decided that I could afford to treat myself. Now it's something I regret not having done years ago!

I enjoy the anticipation of what I'll get next almost as much as the thrill of picking up the car. My next booking? I've got the lightweight

911 RS 2.7 lined up, and I'm grinning already!

Link : www.classiccarclub.co.uk

[kevinday]

I think this club idea is really good, and have been considering it myself for my frequent trips back to the UK. Budget restraints mean it is a non-starter at present, but maybe in a couple of years....

[kevinday]

For me, as an occasional visitor to the UK nowadays, it would give me a car of interest to use each time I visited. It is not economically, or logistically sensible for me to keep a car in the UK, but a 'rental' of something is of interest.

Edited to add: If I owned a 365BB I would not hesitate, and would indeed keep it however unsensible that was.

>> Edited by kevinday on Monday 21st July 15:40