The much-loved Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC) has been celebrating its 90th anniversary this week with a host of social and driving activities in and around the Stratford-upon-Avon racecourse. The milestone festivities conclude with a ‘pop-up’ sprint at Chateau Impney on Friday and then a Gala Ball on Saturday evening. 

Originally conceived in October 1934, the VSCC’s mandate was to ‘provide competitive events for cars five years old or more and social events for members’. Now 90 years later, it is one of the largest and best regarded clubs in the world, providing a wonderful arena for around 5000 members to share their passions and enthusiasm for pre-war cars. 

While the emphasis remains on vehicles built before 1940, in more recent times the club has broadened its scope to include events for certain sports racing cars from the 1950s as well as single-seaters that fit the Formula 500, Formula Junior and Grand Prix classes from before 1961.  

In true VSCC style, this special anniversary week’s busy programme of celebrations has included a wealth of entertaining pursuits including a table top rally, driving tours, a vintage pub quiz and even a 20 over cricket match.  

Nine decades on from its birth, this is certainly a very busy year for the club but its focus is as much on the future as it is on the past. “We’ve been here for 90 years and we’re not planning on going away yet,” states Tania Brown, Club Secretary. 

To that end the VSCC has striven successfully to introduce increasing numbers of younger members – gone are the days when activities were reserved solely for grey-haired old men. Indeed, today more than 20 per cent of entrants are often aged under 30. 

Clearly getting the next generation involved is one vital element in ensuring the VSCC continues to go from strength-to-strength but another is addressing environmental concerns. To that end, the club is pro-actively working to encourage members to explore the use of drop-in, sustainable fuels. 

With a raft of new young members and a thirst for fossil-free fuels, the VSCC’s centenary in 2034 should be quite a party! 

To find out more about the VSCC click here.