Classics on the golf course

From the fog of a winter’s day emerged a surprising haul of historic vehicles

Who’d have thought one London village concealed so many classic vehicles? When my neighbour Tony Covill organised a lunch for those of us Wimbledonians who keep old cars, I imagined a turnout of half a dozen. In fact the frontage of Royal Wimbledon Golf Club was packed, Alvis 4.3 nudging XK120, Rolls Phantom V towering over AC Ace, Volvo 544, 911RS, 3-litre Bentley, Alvis TD 21 and SL Mercs. I was impressed by the dedication of Nigel Batchelor, who having puttered through the fog in his 1904 Cadillac went back home to collect his supercharged Bentley 4½ with its skimpy two-seater body. Mark Finburgh couldn’t get the family GT40 MOTd in time, so contented himself with arriving in a handsome Ferrari 250GT.

There was no aim for all this except to natter about cars, but the fact that I rarely see these vehicles around Wimbledon did make me realise why the FBHV C Drive It Day (April 22 for 2012) is worth supporting: there are more old cars around than you think, and far from being just a handful of enthusiasts we add up to a significant element of the motoring market.