Sunday August 25th saw the 40th British Car Meeting take place at The Mollis Airfield in Switzerland. In good weather, members of the JEC Swiss Region came together for this nationally recognised event. Typically, around 1,300 vehicles are present but this year, the number of vehicles grew to be around 1600 – 1800.
During the day the airfield showcased a wide variety of nothing but British marques, both old and new. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the event Alvis and Bentley were represented as guest clubs on site. More than 20 Alvis sports cars and limousines were on display. The cars from Coventry were of course built from 1919 to 1967, and at the time were amongst the most advanced and fastest cars available at the time.
in addition to some pre-war vehicles and special cars, there were also the elegant coupes and convertibles of the post-war era, some with Graber and some with Park-Ward bodywork. A cabriolet from the year 1959 stood out, which had a special roof construction. The rear window can be sunk completely electrically in the boot, the roof disappeared under a flap. The owner explained that a representative of Aston Martin saw this construction at the 1959 Geneva Motor Show and suggested doing something similar for the James Bond DB5. So allegedly the bulletproof retractable plate for the Aston Martin DB5 has been invented.
Also celebrated was the 100th birthday of Bentley. The Bentley Club brought together a wide range of vehicles which included Pre and post-war sports cars and saloons. Thisprovided a broad view of the British automaker’s production before and after the merger with Rolls-Royce.
What unfortunately was rather negative, was the lack of younger classics such as the Austin Allegro, Morris Marina, Rover SD1, Vauxhalls or Ford models. In other years you could see more of these vehicles. It was really a pity that there were not many of these present at this year’s event.
Over all the 40th British Car Meeting in Mollis was again very well organised this year. It was noticeable that even younger lovers of English vehicles were present, which does give more hope that the British classics will continue to have their fans in Switzerland.
As a surprise, the car owners were given an umbrella by the organisers with a Union Jack. This umbrella will always now be in my Jaguar. In the coming year, numerous members of the JEC Swiss Region will certainly return to this exciting event and celebrate the all things British and in particular our family brands of the SS, Jaguar and Daimler.
Article submitted by Stefan I. Eggenberger
Regional Representative Switzerland
