Smoke in the Wires Oct 2015

This Month’s The British Line submission for The Marque by Richard Lewis
Fall in northwest Florida is perhaps
its best time of the year. Normally, it is
when the air takes on a sharper edge, the
few trees that have leaves that will turn are
roused enough to get about their work, the
sun shines briskly, and the anticipation of
the multiple holidays just around the
corner makes its happy presence known.
Not so much thus far in our little
slice of paradise. Thus far, gloomy days,
intermittent rain, and scudding clouds have
wrestled their way, with their sharp elbows,
to the forefront for all too many days. It
won’t be that way forever, but the weather
might be a little more vigorous in doing its
proper job, before it’s too late to enjoy the
glorious driving weather we normally have
about now.
However, inclement weather does
cause one to be more introspective
sometimes, and since Your Loyal
Correspondent (YLC) is possessed with a
morose, inward-turning nature on a par
with E. A. Poe and Bram Stoker, he has
been reflecting on a question that might
have crossed your mind, to wit, what
should a sports car club have as its
ultimate goals? Ruminate with him as we
probe this question.
Ever since YLC returned to his home
town a few years ago, he has been active in
the British car club arena. He has seen the
Panhandle British Car Club grow in
membership and activity, making several
changes, mainly for its improvement. Still,
he wonders if the members have examined
the question of where they are going and
what do they want the club to be. Therefore,
we boldly leap into space and examine some
things YLC believes any car club might
want to accomplish. You might have an
entirely different view. That’s what makes
horse races.
First among them might be the
recognition that we are preservationists, a
noble calling. We are happy to see the
marques that manufacture British cars
continue to manufacture British cars, but
perhaps we have a keener interest in those
marques that have gone on to the big board
room in the sky. We should, and we do, try
to see that they are cherished, maintained,
and refurbished. This sense of preservation
comes from a notion that they represent in
some cases simply history, and in some
cases, art. While a marque like the Mini
may fail in the aesthetic sense, it succeeds
admirably in the sense of a car that
changed motoring history in the British
Isles, carving out its niche as both fun and
practical. A car like the Austin Healey
succeeds admirably in the fun category, not
so much in the practical, but wonderfully
well in the aesthetic dimension. These, and
many others, occupy a warm place in public
history, cultural history, and memory for
countless people on all sides of the Atlantic.
They merit our tender care.
Another goal for any, including our
own, car club might be to help owners and
enthusiasts find new ways to enjoy their
cars. Although a case can be made for
simply garaging a beautiful car just for the
purpose of admiring it, in the way one
might admire another piece of sculpture by
Rodin or Giacometti, actively engaging with
it by driving it in competitive or noncompetitive
events, sharing with others
one’s feelings and knowledge about the car,
or simply being with others who share one’s
enthusiasm adds dimensions absent in the
passive admiration alone.
Another goal might be to provide a
wide enough array of club events that some,
if not all, of them will capture the
imagination of most of the members. Not
everyone is satisfied to simply go to car
show after car show, viewing mainly the
same marques over again, perhaps rarely
discovering one unseen before. Certainly for
those for whom the accumulation of
trophies is their main interest, this is not
Smoke in the Wires October 2015 Page 11