A very long time ago, vast numbers of able bodied young Americans returned from the wars in Europe. With them came many sporty products of our car industry in the form of low cost two seaters and runabouts. Thus began the American love affair with the affordable British sports car industry that lasts to this day. Locally it is epitomized in models lovingly cared for by the British Car Club of Charleston (BCCC). The last Saturday in October was their annual bash, aptly located at Memorial Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant.
The weather was beautiful, the location easily reached, the BCCC organization thorough, and the ambiance just fantastic. By European standards, South Carolina is a big place with a long distance between population centers but not withstanding, visitors came from as far away as Atlanta, Savannah, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh and Greenville – each driving their own particular favorite make and model. No trailers for these folk, they drive their passions.
Remember your first car? Moving to college in a TR4 and packing a year’s belongings into the passenger seat? Seeing just how fast you could drive that bug-eyed Sprite (probably not very fast really) then taking the roof down to make it seem faster. Remember how they broke down, the lights went out when you needed them most, and they leaked when it rained and oh, how they could rust? They did not seem so small at the time but age, and the weight that comes with it, somehow now makes it such a squeeze to get in.
This hobby can be expensive if you want it to be, or as affordable as any other. MG’s were not expensive when made, and remain affordable 40 year later, same goes for Triumphs. Morgans and Jaguars creep up the expense scale and as the production runs get smaller so do the repair costs get larger. In any event, Charleston has small “Mar and Par ” car shows most weekends from Spring through Fall. From Car and Coffee on Kiawah or Mount Pleasant, Wednesday at Bessinger’s on Hwy17 to Muscle Cars in Summerville, there is something for every taste. A good place to show off a little, and a great place to meet friends. Everyone wins a little and if you are lucky you may even win a prize or two for the mantle piece – as we did this year! So if you are thinking of moving to Charleston, SC there’s no better time than now – and there’s a vibrant classic car community waiting to welcome you and your vintage showpiece.
P.S. I tried remembering the vintage car makes and so far recall, Alvis, Austin and Aston, Bentley, Caterham, Rolls Royce, Sunbeam, Morgan, Mini (BMW?), Morris & MG (lots of those), Triumph, Jaguar. Era spanned the 1930’s through to 2015 though they mostly settled on the 40’s through the 70’s. Probably missed a few along the way.
Note: Our passion for restoration goes beyond historic homes. See for yourself and stop by our offices at 95 Broad Street where you just may see the 1930’s Bentley parked out front … or the ’33 Monza … or the ’27 Bugatti …
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