Club news, September 1985

Amongst a full calendar published in Rev Counter, the bi-monthly magazine of the Austin Healey Club, are a Healey Weekend in Holland (details from Ron Van Der Neut, Landweer 20, 5932XD Tegelen, Holland) and advance warning of the Inter-Club 4-hour Relay race at Oulton Park on September 28th, as well as the dates of the various Club race series that the club organises. With separate Registers for Healeys from Sprite to 3,000, and room for rarer Healeys too, the club can be contacted in the person of Mrs C. Waters, The Laurels, Blind Lane, Tanworth-in-Arden, Solihull, West Midlands.

Following the disappointing news that the Ulster Automobile Club’s Dundrod Retrospective event has been postponed for a year, we have received the News Letter of the Thoroughbred Sportscar Club of Northern Ireland, which gathers together British sports cars of all makes, rather than concentrating on one as seems to be the prevailing pattern on this side of the water. They run a varied programme of racing, autotests, and of course social occasions, and the Hon. Sec. is David Penprage, 76 Millbay Road, Islandmagee, BT 40 3RT.

Now that the Matra Murena has been dropped from the Talbot / Chrysler line-up, owners of these very attractive three-seaters are going to be thrown on their own devices as regards long-term preservation, so it may be useful to know that there is a Club Matra for these and the previous Bagheera. The club are holding a rally on September 22nd at Pallington Lakes, Tincleton, Dorset, and the organiser is R. L. Davis, S Marlborough Road, West Cliff, Bournemouth, Dorset. Tel 0202 767509. Continuing the French connection, the Renault Owners Club will hold their AGM on September 29th at Pullexhill, Bedfordshire, Details from Mel Gent, 22 Diamond Drive, Pine Trees Village, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire NN9 5PT.

The town of Angouleme in western France is host to the Circuit des Remparts on September 21st and 22nd. This two-day gathering of “Vintage” cars (the term is rather looser on the Continent than over here) includes a rally, exhibitions and inter-club competitions, and the Circuit itself, following the one-time racing circuit around the ramparts of this important fortified town. Formula One cars of the Fifties will be represented, there will be a collection of Ferraris, and the highlight will be the Remy Martin European Challenge Concours, the winner receiving his weight in cognac! While entries have closed, it would make a splendid weekend’s viewing; full details from Martin Jobard, lnfoplan, 2 Rue de la Baume, 75008 Paris.

Over 100 Saabs turned up at the recent Saab Owners Club National event at Weston Park, including two Sonnetts and a Saab 91 aeroplane, and Anthony Reid and Maurizio Sala, the Saab Scan-Sport F3 drivers, brought one of the team cars and presented prizes. The club Secretary is K. Warner, 3a Broad Street, Eye, Suffolk.