A Historic Future – HCVA Heritage Matters Day
Earlier this week, we attended the HCVA Heritage Matters Day at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works. For those of you who are not familiar, the HCVA (Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring the survival of classic cars and the industries that support them. The HCVA, of which we are a founding partner, represents our interests in matters including DVLA registration issues, the future of viable liquid fuels, and unsuitable environmental legislation.
This was the third such event held, bringing together trade members from across the country to network, discuss the pressing issues that matter to us as an industry, and hear from a range of interesting speakers. This time around, the event was very much focused on the future of the industry and was titled “A Historic Future”. There were a variety of discussion panels and presentations, ranging from market analysis to the issues surrounding insuring classic cars that have been converted to electric. Of particular interest to me were an update on sustainable liquid fuels from Guy Lachlan and Ralph Hosier's presentation on “Avoiding the Electronics Cliff-Edge of Disaster! Keeping Modern Classics on the Road.”
I (Harry Rochez) was flattered to be invited to take part in a panel on sustainability in the classic car sector, along with Mark Dibben from the Schumacher Foundation and Oliver Winbolt of the Splined Hub. Sustainability is a subject I am very passionate about, both in my personal and professional life, so it was a pleasure to be able to share this with the assembled HCVA members. Twyford Moors has made significant efforts to become a more sustainable company focused on the future, and we were able to share some of the experiences we have had as we work our way along this long road. From major initiatives such as installing solar panels, improving heating and insulation, to smaller day-to-day changes such as waste management and supply chain improvements, we have made great progress in the last few years and are always looking for other ways to improve.
It was a real pleasure to be hosted at JLR Classic Works, and what an interesting place it was. From seeing some very rare early XKs in their collection to casting my eye over a continuation C-Type, there were some fascinating machines on show. A standout project on site was an XF saloon in the process of being painted by the wonderful Pop Bang Colour for Mission Motorsport.
Many thanks to the HCVA team, including Shan Stoke, Mark Roper, and Guy Lachlan, for putting on such a wonderful event; to Tony Jardine, who did a marvellous job as Master of Ceremonies; to Greg Smith MP for delivering the keynote speech; to Gunhill Studio for these wonderful photos; and to everyone else who worked so hard to make it such a fantastic day. If you are not yet a member of the HCVA, do click here and visit their website to learn more about the wonderful work they do and consider signing up.
