Classic car fans aim to drive forward nostalgia

For vintage car loving sisters Susan and Maureen Shields it all started with the Mini.

They inherited the classic car bug from their father who was "Mini-mad".

He bought a 1967 Cooper S model and it sat at home for 30 years before the hippie blue motor’s restoration during the Covid-19 pandemic.

That long labour of love kicked into gear a new project for the County Down siblings – the establishment of the Comber Classic Car Club.

Maureen said it was set up “so we could get our cars out and not have them under wraps in the garage”.

Founded in 2021, the club has gone from having a handful of members to more than 60.

Those members have embarked on car runs – where they take their restored prized possessions out for a spin in convoy – everywhere from Glenarm Castle to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and Hillsborough Castle.

“I remember before our first run we were really tense if anyone would turn up - then over twenty cars were lined up with owners behind the wheel revving with excitement,” Maureen recalled.

There is no universal rule for vehicles to qualify as classic, but generally one that is at least 40 years old is considered classic, which means it is road tax and MOT exempt in the UK.

There are almost 400,000 registered vehicles in that category across the UK and Ireland according to the DVLA and the Irish Department of Transport.

The Comber women told BBC News NI they hoped to inspire more women to take up the hobby.

“Our female members have been very enthusiastic from the get-go,” said Maureen.

“Classics are about the nostalgia and women can relate to that through cars just as much as men.”

Maureen and Susan’s club is a recent addition to the roster of classic car organisations and events, with one veteran scene member saying there is evidence of growing popularity.

Trevor Mitchell, the chairman of the Association of Old Vehicle Clubs in Northern Ireland for the past 36 years, said there are more clubs being formed and larger crowds for events.

The association represents 25 clubs, ranging from car groups to those focused on tractors, lorries and motorcycles.

Trevor said the process of forming a club is now “so much easier with social media rather than paying for expensive advertising”.

However, there are challenges, particularly when it comes to encouraging younger people to commit to the structure of a club, such as being on a committee and attending regular meetings.

“It’s a generational issue that clubs are encountering now,” he said.

“There are young people who have the interest but many of them like the spontaneity of social media where meet-ups are organised at short notice.”

Raymond Walls, who owns a museum dedicated to car memorabilia in Ballygowan, County Down, also said interest remains high.

“If you take the Kilbroney Vintage Show in June as an example," he continued, "the demand for entries was so great that they sold out within a day.”

Added to that, Raymond said, is “the fact Ireland has always had a proud motoring history, being one of the first countries to host a motor race, the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1903”.

“I have no doubt the future of our scene is in good hands.”

One of the flagship events this year was the Capri Car Club Ford Show held at Bangor Marina in April.

Now in its tenth year, organiser Alan Gourley is proud of its continuing success.

Good weather coupled with an idyllic seafront location “brings out the cars and the public”, he said.

After a long winter, it was the first opportunity many classic car owners had to finally take the covers off their prized possessions and get them road ready.

Most of the cars on display were Fords, from pre-war Prefects to the Escorts and Capris of the 1970s and 1980s.

Alan's club also helped to organise the Causeway Coast Ford Fair, which is in its 19th year and in June saw a record 540 entrants.

It is this glimpse into the past that unites both car owners and spectators.

“You constantly hear people saying my dad used to have one of those or I wish I never sold this or that," Alan said.

"It’s all about the nostalgia."

Maureen and Susan Shields said they hoped their club would go from strength-to-strength and there are "many more happy miles for the club".

"It’s all for the love of the cars.”