The Showbiz Car Club - Anyone Know More ?

[neutral 3]

Anyone recall this car club or know anything about it ?

[Astacus]

no doubt you have this already, but google gives the company address as

Showbiz Car Club Of Great Britain Limited(The)
10 London Mews
London
W2 1HY
United Kingdom

it is was registered company, registered Jan 84, but now dissolved.

It MAY have been something to do with MENCAP

see this link

http://www.zintro.com/expert/Charlotte-Langley

Looks like it might have been some kind of charity/fund raising organisation

Edited by Astacus on Saturday 6th September 10:35

Edited by Astacus on Saturday 6th September 10:37

[24 Ecclestone Street SW1]

Little reference is made to the Showbiz Car Club charity organisation online (sadly) but was really a subsidiary to MENCAP as too was the BACCHUS club (a dating/wine drinking club!) which was run too in tandem from the Fund Raising/Appeals Department in Eccleston Street Belgravia.

For my sins I was charged with organising the annual Bruce Forsythe Pro Am Golf Tournament! A pale imitation of the then ultra famous Bob Hope Classic!

I seem to remember Stirling Moss was honorary Chair of the Showbiz Car Club and another great patron and regular event attendee was Shaw Taylor. Also the bunch shown in the publicity event pic + Floella Benjamin.

- caption reads:

Daily Mail Sponsored showbiz car club shell super sunbeam charity race for the Daily Mail trophy - 1981 L-R Paula Wilcox, Karen Diprose, Gareth Hunt, Fina Curzon and Sophie Batchelor



Their annual big bash was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel where a raffle was launched to win a car... sadly it was realised some time later that this had been running illegally for years! That then spelled the slow death of the club and its B and C listers patrons...

It was hived off from MENCAP around 1984 after a severe management shakeup within the charity and run independently by ex head of Appeals, Edward Howe and some his chums. It ended up being a rather sorry beano for those who had no other life than to pontificate over old times...!

Edited by 24 Ecclestone Street SW1 on Sunday 17th May 21:01

Edited by 24 Ecclestone Street SW1 on Sunday 17th May 21:08

[Ladydriver19]

I have just seen the enquiry regarding the Showbiz Car Club. It was set up several years before l became Activities Secretary in 1979 and was a charitable arm for MENCAP.
Regular raffle evenings hosted celebrities who gave generously. We took part in the Beaujolais Runs to France and l put together a Race Day at Brands Hatch around 1980/81 with celebrities of the time. Edward Howe of the Curzon family and Alan Treweeke were main contacts.
A lot of funds were raised for Mencap. I do not know when the SBCC finally closed.

Ladydriver19

[goodwoodweirdo]

I have a large Beaujolais Run door sticker, un-used given to me by a friend years ago....

He participated in a Golf GTI and Esprit back in the day,

Cheers
Matt

[lowdrag]

24 Ecclestone Street SW1 said:

For my sins I was charged with organising the annual Bruce Forsythe Pro Am Golf Tournament! A pale imitation of the then ultra famous Bob Hope Classic!

i tried to enter a team in the Bob Hope event in, IIRC, about 1993. Just to enter as a single person at the peasant level was £4,000! If you added the team and the gala dinner (£500 each) you needed a mortgage to enter.