It’s all-too easy to get bogged down in the never-ending list of reasons that owning a car in the UK is a hellish endeavour. Whether it’s the soaring fuel prices or the mass emergence of potholes, I empathise. However, I am happy to report that, after attending a classic meet hosted by the newly started Cobham Car Club, an appreciation of car culture is very much back at the wheel.
Down in Surrey one April weekend, crammed into the car park of Leatherhead Golf Club, were more than 140 cars and dozens of motoring enthusiasts. Gathered together were a mix of old classics, such as a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 in a beautiful burnt almond or the 1981 Porsche 924 Turbo in a bright red. Yet Cobham Car Club doesn’t exclude itself from the modern supercars: displayed front and centre in a bright volcano orange was a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C and, opposite that, a 2017 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato.
For many readers (including myself) who don’t fully understand all these numbers and dates, fear not. The car world, as exhibited here, is still very accessible despite the jargon of car fanatics (just look at why Top Gear was so popular). It was easy to wander the aisles of classics, take dozens of photos and even chat with some of the owners. (For novices, the best chat-up line is usually just, ‘lovely car!’) Many classic car owners have incredible stories of great bargains, journeys or mechanical meltdowns and will never decline when you ask to take a seat behind the wheel.
Like many other car meets, Cobham Car Club does not charge for entry and keeps its events free, allowing the site to make revenue on food and drink from the footfall. What more incentive do young car enthusiasts need on a Saturday than free entry – and the opportunity to hear supercar engines roar down the road?
Speaking to the organisers Rebecca Lee and James Kijowski who are young car enthusiasts themselves, they were delighted with their record turnout. Rebecca explained to me what she thinks the appeal is and why she set this club up in 2024: ‘It’s about bringing like-minded people together to exchange knowledge and stories over a shared passion. In an ever-evolving technical world, I think people crave the analogue feel of a classic and the nostalgia of cars from their childhood. There’s nothing like a classic car in a bright colour, pootling around to put a smile on your face. Whether it’s a Morris Minor or an Aston Martin DB5, we welcome them all!’
Why schedule a viewing for a £380,000 one-bed house when you could buy a Triumph Spitfire for just £5,000 and watch the value tick up over the years?
Indeed, one look around the car park, and it’s abundantly clear. Some of the old classics from the 60s or 70s are quirky, colourful and charismatic – not always the most efficient. Then she pointed to the far side of the car park for the modern golf course visitors. Sadly, it was filled with a mix of boring black, silver and white daily drivers, compared to the technicolour dreamcoat palette on our side of the club.
One of the club’s main appeals since its creation is how it taps into collective fantasies about cars. Everyone dreams of owning their ‘wallpaper’ car; however, for most, that’s not obtainable. Then again, a classic car may seem even more accessible to young enthusiasts as they also attempt to get a toe on the housing ladder. Why schedule a viewing for a £380,000 one-bed house when you could buy a Triumph Spitfire for just £5,000 and watch the value tick up over the years?
After each of these meet-ups, the Cobham Car Club’s social media is filled with various accounts posting their photos from the day. The best pictures usually come from the many car photographers who browse the car park, testing angles, and competing for the winning shot. This is how they keep the interest going and attract new members, especially when Cobham Car Club competes with other events and exhibitions nearby, such as the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, which showcases classic vehicles and racing cars.
Car meets like this are hopefully going to become more common as we near summer. Amazing as the Cobham Club meetings are, for a more frequent, larger-scale experience, I would suggest driving down to a Caffeine & Machine location. It has three sites across the country in Bedfordshire, Warwickshire and Hampshire, which are quirkily code-named ‘The Bowl’, ‘The Hill’ and ‘The Hut’. It’s a mix of a car exhibition space, a coffee house and a restaurant, all packed together. This meet does cost to enter but it’s very affordable and it’s always putting on events with great attendance.
So, to like-minded readers who still appreciate cars and driving but are worried about their place in the UK, rest assured. No matter how many new speed limits your local council forces upon you, at least classic car gazing can still satisfy your need for speed. This summer, why not spend your weekend on a classic car meet – or even your life savings?
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