The HSCC and Authenticity

Sir,

I write to comment on your Deputy Editor’s article in your December edition on Historic Racing.

It is nice to see, at last, that Motor Sport is taking an interest in the time span between VSCC events and modern racing. The HSCC, of course, covers the period from 1945 to 1968, and the Lloyds and Scottish Championship is registered with the RAC by the Club. The Club has also run national championships for sports and GT cars in the 1960 to 1968 period for five years.

The Club had its beginnings in 1965 in the Frazer-Nash CC and became recognised as the HSCC in 1969. Hardly fledgling!

The article did offer a curt nod in the direction of the popularity of the Lloyds and Scottish Series with both competitors and spectators. Perhaps it would have been more fruitful to concentrate on this aspect rather than lapse into a car by car critique on authenticity.

The important question on the authenticity of vehicles in the period under question was tackled by the HSCC in 1978. The club now requires registration of vehicle identity, and the Lloyds and Scottish Series requires a stamped FIA registration form. Clearly there are judgements necessary, as I am sure the VSCC also have to make. Parts do wear out, cars have accidents and certainly safety cannot be ignored in Historic Racing. These, and other factors, all serve to make the humble registrar’s job near impossible. He does his best. He can take the 100% purist line C.R. is advocating. Even on C.R.’ count, some specifics of which are arguable, about 60% of the Lloyds and Scottish field would disappear. This would certainly please C.R., but I suggest he would be in a very small minority. It would be foolish, of course, to pretend everything was perfect. It is not and mistakes have, and will be, made on authenticity. However, I suggest the temperature we try to take, as a Club, is feedback from the competitors. At the moment, anyway, the majority are more than happy to continue racing their appreciating investments for their own and our pleasure. The HSCC will do its level bet to continue to see they, the competitors, wish to do so.

Beaulieu, D. A. Pratley, Public Relations Officer – HSCC