Our AGM
Our AGM saw some big changes for our club. Having given 12 months’ notice, two of our key officers retired after many years of service.
Jim Smart had been Treasurer since the club’s early days, completing an amazing 23 years. Julian Smith had been Chairman for 10 years. Both plan to remain active members.
Over this time the club has grown in membership numbers and prestige, being voted one of the Top Ten local classic car clubs by readers of Practical Classics in 2019. Despite its larger size, TOWC remains friendly and welcoming to new faces.
Many of our more recent friends made up the 75-strong team who ran our Riviera Classic Car Show in July. It was a successful return after missing 2 years because of the pandemic and will be back on Paignton Green in July 2023.
With no immediate replacements coming forward, a caretaker group has taken up the reins and will guide the club through this next stage in its development.
In gratitude for their service, Jim & Julian were awarded Honorary Life Membership by a unanimous vote.
Queen Elizabeth II Has Died
the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.
Her family gathered at her Scottish estate after concerns grew about her health earlier on Thursday.
The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change.
With her death, her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales......
will lead the country in mourning as the new King and head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
"The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
All the Queen's children travelled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, after doctors placed the Queen under medical supervision.
Her grandson, Prince William, is also there, with his brother, Prince Harry, on his way.
Towc - Cheque Presentation
Our club meeting last night was one of the highlights of our year.
A month after the return of our hugely successful Riviera Classic Car Show on Paignton Green we were proud to present our donation of £7,000 to Mike Bailey, chairman of the Paignton Festival.
The Festival supports so many worthy local charities and causes, and it’s an honour for our club to be able to make this donation.
Apart from the hard work of so many of our members and the Festival team, it wouldn’t be possible without all those who exhibited their vehicles, and especially everyone who came along as spectators to enjoy our seaside spectacular. Thank you all.
Report by Julian Smith
Chagford village Show
A few of us met at Bovey Tracy and after the usual banter ventured on to Chagford for a village show that turned out for me as a newbie... a wonderful show for all age groups, Craft tents and stalls, 3 arena's - one for the horse trials and the other for Falconry on Horseback, Dog trials, Horse Carts and much more and the 3rd for Cattle. The show visually must have been a huge success as it was full of spectators of all ages. A Huge Thanks to the organisers.
For a Gallery of Chagford Show photographs please click the image above or HERE
Report by Phil Haste
Riviera Classic Car Show
This is the biggest event in our Club year and is held on Paignton Green. It’s part of the Paignton Festival and we’ve been doing this since 1994, in which time we’ve raised around £60,000 for Festival funds which support local charities. On 24th July we were able to resurrect the show after losing 2 years due to Covid.
Click photo to view album or Here
A huge amount of planning came together really well, the weather behaved, and our own team of over 70 helpers greeted 400 vehicles and spectators in their thousands at a hugely successful event.
Sadly, many of our 2019 team are no longer with us or too infirm to play their part, but we have many recently joined members. They blended in really well with our old hands and together we were able to enjoy the compliments of so many exhibitors and visitors on a brilliant day at the seaside.
We’ll be holding our debrief soon and then relaxing, enjoying our own old vehicles in the company of good friends until we start planning the next show in January.
Next year’s show will be on 23rd July 2023 and entries will be open around March.
We hope to see you there, or sooner if you’d like to join us as a TOWC member. Report by Julian Smith
Platinum Jubilee The Den Teignmouth
In spite of the dire weather forecast (strong winds and rain) it turned out rather well during the show at the Den in Teignmouth. Just one shower early in the day. A very good turnout by TOWC members joining in with the Crashbox Club initially at Teignmouth railway station before doing the short drive to the Den.
A few members also took advantage of the vintage shuttle bus rides to Dawlish to see the classic vehicles displayed there. Whilst at Teignmouth we even saw the Lancaster bomber and a Chinook helicopter flying past us towards Torbay.
Report by Harry Kuehling "Click photo for link to images"
Riviera Classic Car Show - entries fully booked.
Exhibitor entries opened in March and we’re now fully booked. We’ll be welcoming nearly 400 vehicles to Paignton Green on 24th July. There’ll be something for everyone. Cars from the 1920s right through to modern classics will be joined by the large and small, buses and lorries down to bikes and scooters.
And there’ll be a sprinkling of the exotic added to the mix. There’s free live stage entertainment and lots to eat and drink.
The show is very popular with visitors. Note the date and pop down to see us. No booking needed. It’s right alongside the award-winning beach and pier, and next door is a huge funfair and the free GeoPlay park for the little ones. At just £2.50 entry donation for adults, with children free, it’s a great day out and raises much-needed funds for local charities. With the help of our exhibitors and visitors we’re hoping to beat our record £7,600 raised the last time we were able to stage the event in 2019.
FBHVC Drive-it Day 24 April 2022
Around 35 of our cars met up early in the day at Teignmouth. The showers had just cleared and we were promised that the sun would appear soon. So it was that we set off together in eager anticipation for the short drive to Dawlish.
We parked up together on the Lawn, joining others for the vehicle display arranged by our friends at the Crashbox & Classic Car Club.
Dawlish Lawn is a delightful setting in the middle of the attractive small town famous for its black swans.
As hoped, the clouds melted away and we greeted the warm sunny weather which attracted the crowds of spectators, locals and visitors alike.
Armed with NSPCC collecting tins, we did our best to raise funds for Childline, the nominated partner charity of the Federation which arranges this national old car event (www.fbhvc.co.uk).
Later in the day we were safely marshalled back to the main road and drove out to Dartmoor where we enjoyed a cream tea together at Ullacombe Farm near Haytor.
This was our first show of the season and was a welcome return of the pre-pandemic atmosphere. It was the first time some of our newer members were able to experience the pleasure of a normal day out which our “old hands” have missed so much in the last couple of years.
We show some of our photos here.
Show Entries Now Open
Entry packs for our Riviera Classic Car Show are now available to download here.
The level of interest from exhibitors has been extremely high and we expect to be fully booked very quickly. Early booking is recommended.
Torbay Old Wheels Club
Riviera Classic Car Show 24th July
We’re delighted to announce that our special guest will be David Sheppard of BBC South West. Shep was with us in 2019 and it’s a pleasure to welcome him back this year.
He’s hoping to have at least one of his old buses back in running condition to grace the entry gate, so maybe expect an oily handshake.
Torbay Old Wheels Club
Breakfast meet at Occombe Farm
Another excellent turnout for this morning's Breakfast Meet at Occombe Farm with a lot of new faces (and cars) joining us again. As we could not have our usual New Year's Day Get-Together lunch or our usual Annual Dinner in the Redcliffe Hotel this was a happy alternative. The weather was kind to us with no rain but a little chilly. No doubt all our classic cars have excellent heaters!?
The Occombe Farm cafe staff looked after us very well and everyone enjoyed their breakfasts and chats catching up on Christmas and the New Year. The feedback I've received is to continue with our monthly Breakfast Meets at Occombe Farm & I suggest our next one will be on Sunday 13th February at 9.30am. Chris Headon suggested a short run afterwards and, as he volunteered (!), will organise one for our February Breakfast Meet. Thanks Chris. For more photos click HERE
Happy 30th Birthday TOWC
Torbay Old Wheels Club was born in the early months of 1992. A few friends interested in old cars, scooters and motorcycles met at the Old Smokey pub at Marldon in January where it was decided to form a club. This was followed by the inaugural meeting in February at the Seafield Hotel on Dartmouth Road.
The club grew steadily and was invited by Torbay Carnival in the autumn of 1993 to take on the running of the Riviera Classic Car Show from the following year. Since 1994 the show has raised nearly £60,000 for local charities
In 2019 the club enjoyed the accolade of being voted one the UK’s Top Ten classic car clubs by readers of Practical Classics magazine.
Despite the recent pandemic, TOWC is still in good health and regularly gains new members. Although membership is now well over 200 the club remains very friendly and welcoming.