View Full Version : British hotrod association
farncombe pop
01-03-09, 07:13 PM
Just won a nice pin badge on flebay of the British hotrod association,
anyone fill me in with some of their history please?
langysrodshop
01-03-09, 07:16 PM
Maurice is the man for BHRA info Paul.
MisteR Tee
06-03-09, 08:35 PM
Just won a nice pin badge on flebay of the British hotrod association,
anyone fill me in with some of their history please?
Should have asked me, I have loads of them!!!
As for history, how long have you got???
Basically formed in 1960 from a nucleus of local car clubs (yes, there were such things even then) such as the Highwaymen & the Sprinters (all from North & West London). First chairman was Brian Coole, then my friend John Bennett who founded SPR with a group of others.
The primary area of interest was in drag racing but there were a few pioneering souls with rods (take a bow Mr Webster). The association had a newsletter called Kool Kams which was distributed to its members, produced by typing up the various articles & reports on a manual typewriter & then copied on a Gestetner printing machine, folded & stapled, all by hand!
Back then, there were various clubs dotted around the country & the association had area reps (although they had trouble finding some for certain areas where there were few enthuisiasts).
In 1968 the two associations (BHRA & the BDRA) merged & became the "British Drag Racing & Hot Rod Association", again focussing primarily on drag racing. Shortly after this (1975 I think - too new for me!), the NSRA was formed (from the Street Division of the previous clubs) & became the association you know & love today!!
One of the very first UK Drag Racing magazines called strangely, "Drag Racing" was published in March 1965 by a karting enthusiast based in Chislehurst in Kent. John Bennett bought the title from them in April 1966 & renamed it "Drag Racing & Hot Rod Magazine", which lasted until 1970 (not long after I joined the editorial team as photographic editor!!). It was then incorporated into Hot Rod & Custom UK magazine, a Link House published title, which in turn was swallowed up by Custom Car, also a Link House mag.
At around the same time, the British Drag Racing Association was also formed & had its own magazine, called "British Drag Racing", but only ran from Jan to Oct 1965.
Aside from Brian Webster's coupe, there were very few "proper" rods in existence, the main vehicles being big Yank machinery & a few early Pops & "special-based" creations. The main instigator of rodding & building at this time was Geoff Jago, down on the South Coast, who pioneered the GRP-bodied rods we enjoy(!) today, producing Model T & B bodies.
I joined the BHRA in 1963 after seeing the Spa Engineering custom pickup driving around my local area (Croydon/South Norwood) & became friends with John Bennett & eventually went to work for him. Regular visitors included the Phelps family, who were related to JB, Bernie Davey & a few of the local "rodders" who migrated to the South Norwood workshop for work etc on their cars, the most notable of these being Jeff Beck ( a local lad of some note!) with the then newly acquired "Boston Strangler" (yes, the very car I was to later own), a proper, all-out genuine American Street Rod. He visited us a couple of times, first for the photo shoot of the car for the magazine, then later when he'd had his little "incident" with it on the A3 & brought the bits in for us to repair!
One of the best memories of the time I have is the infamous "Beach Party" at Greatstones near Rye, Sussex in 1968. Imagine around 100 cars of various types including rods & all-out dragsters, camped right on the beach, a huge barbeque, a bonfire, a car show & a bikini contest, all held over a weekend & in fantastic weather. So good in fact that lots of people, myself included, slept on the sand (although I wimped out & had a sheet of polythene over me & my wife-to-be!. Well, it was the swinging 60s, after all!)
There is a book being published this year & to be launched at the Main Event at SPR in May called "Crazy Horses - a history of British Drag Racing" which chronicles all of the early years from 1960 to 1980. Obviously this will be focussed on drag racing but it does detail all the above, probably far more accurately than I have just noted down (without reference to my archive material which the author has used extensively), so will be well worth investing in.
In 1990, JB & I formed the BHRA Pioneers, initially to mark the 30th anniversary of the forming of the BHRA, to which end we organised a reunion at the site of the first national meeting. Following the success of this, I started producing a newsletter called "Kool Kams", in honour of the original one. This was mainly to keep in touch with all the old, original people who were instrumental in getting hot rodding & drag racing off the ground in the UK in the 1960s, sadly after long periods of inactivity, I had to stop doing the newsletter (how I ever found the time to do it in the first place, I'll never know!), but have vowed to one day resurrect it.
Those with long memories will recall that I put on a display of my memorabilia & archive material at one of the Nostalgia Drag race meetings at SCR, together with one of my fellow pioneers & past drag racer, Cliff Watts, who at the time was living in Northern California & had come over for a family visit & was "persuaded" by me to come along. His altered, "Uncle Scrumble" was a regular competitor at SPR & other tracks.
There's loads more that I've probably forgotten & some that I've undoubtedly got wrong, but I'm sure you'll forgive an old man his memory!!!
Hey, age is an attitude. to coin a phrase!!!
E & O E.
farncombe pop
06-03-09, 08:59 PM
Blimey Maurice what a reply :) thank you very much, so it looks like the badge is pre 68 before the two merged, I'll keep that one safe then :D i only bid because i liked it but it's great to have the history that go's with it, makes you wounder who may of worn it in the past?
Southern Roadsters came from the BDR&HRA Roadster ( Street? ) division in 1969.
The Chelmsford Hot Rod and Drag Racing club formed about the same time as well.
lowflyer
06-03-09, 09:08 PM
more stories please mister t
lowflyer
06-03-09, 09:12 PM
do you have any photos of the beach party
Very good story MisteR Tee, i can see this running for a while. Hope so.As a member of the CD&H{S}RC the club was 40 years old last year. Was hot rod change to street rod because it did not want to got confused with hot rod circuit racing. That was in the 70s.
Battersea Boys
07-03-09, 09:06 AM
Mo, was that the Brian Coole from the breakers in west drayton
great story btw you dirty stop out late...............
The NSRA was formed in Feb `72 by breakaway members of the old NDRC Roadster Register, Chris & Pat Church, Micky Bray, Barry Treacy etc. Because they didn't want a club under the NDRC umbrella.
Was hot rod change to street rod because it did not want to got confused with hot rod circuit racing. That was in the 70s.
No Ken, it was nothing to do with the Spedeworth `Hot Rods!!`, it was an American term.
The term "Street Rod" was in use in the US, though not mainstream, in the `40s/`50s, and back then `Hot Rod` and `Street Rod` were just different names for the same thing :eek:.
It really came to the fore in the very early `70s when `Rod & Custom` magazine held their 1st `Street Rod` nationals (Memphis, if I remember right). It has since been used to help give a better, cleaner `image` to Rodding, and has become a Rod `build style` in it`s own right.
A Hot Rod being a more balls out, stripped down car, built for as much speed as possible. Whereas a Street Rod tends to be a more comfortable, drivable (some may say `poofy`:rolleyes:) version of a Hot Rod with a bit more emphasis on the creature comforts such as a nicer, more plush interior, radio/CD, A/C, ETC.
Mo, was that the Brian Coole from the breakers in west drayton
One and the same;)...
farncombe pop
07-03-09, 01:44 PM
people mone about this forum but is'nt it great you can get so much info and history from a post about a pin badge :):)
timetravel
07-03-09, 02:24 PM
early flyer......... http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m149/timetraveldvds/97037.jpg
Sorry Brizey, just reread my bit. I really meant the Chelmsford Club changing its title from CD&HRC to CD&SRC. Thanks for what you wrote any way good info. Sent my £1 Nick.
History such as this is also very important for the future of rodding. All great stuff :)
MisteR Tee
07-03-09, 03:25 PM
do you have any photos of the beach party
I posted some on here a while ago re early car shows, not sure where though.
Dave Lowe
07-03-09, 03:48 PM
And they even had there own headed paper !
This is part of a letter mid 60s from George Barrow north London rep.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/devonrod/img023.jpg
farncombe pop
07-03-09, 03:56 PM
And my pin badge is the one on the letter above,
And they even had there own headed paper !
This is part of a letter mid 60s from George Barrow north London rep.
Dave
George Barrow sadly died last August.
Dave Lowe
07-03-09, 06:44 PM
Dave
George Barrow sadly died last August.
Thanks Al, I didnt know that, how sad, I have not seen Terry, his son, for ages, the funny thing is I had known Terry for years and one day he mentioned that his dad was in the BHRA and the penny dropped! I dug out the letter and next time I saw him he read it and was amazed, I will make a copy for him as a keepsake.
Sorry Brizey, just reread my bit. I really meant the Chelmsford Club changing its title from CD&HRC to CD&SRC. Thanks for what you wrote any way good info. Sent my £1 Nick.
Sorry, point understood:). The Chelmsford guys probably changed the name because Street Rod was the current `in` word in the `70s...:D
...the funny thing is I had known Terry for years and one day he mentioned that his dad was in the BHRA and the penny dropped!
Didn't George & a mate of his run a [blown?] Zephyr six powered rail, remember Terry telling me it ran mid 14s, they used old lorry tyres as they couldn't get proper slicks, perhaps TimeTravel Nick will know more or better still, have some photos of it.
I posted some on here a while ago re early car shows, not sure where though.
In here Mo, post 72...:)
http://www.nsra.org.uk/newforum/showthread.php?t=17692&highlight=BHRA+BEACH+PARTY&page=4
MisteR Tee
08-03-09, 12:51 AM
In here Mo, post 72...:)
http://www.nsra.org.uk/newforum/showthread.php?t=17692&highlight=BHRA+BEACH+PARTY&page=4
Ah thanks Brian, knew it was around somewhere. I have an album of pics taken at the beach party, I'll get them out soon & scan them as soon as I beat my scanner into submission! Damn new pc can't recognise it & can't find the disc for it.
Got this sticker off e bay tother week...
jim rutter
08-03-09, 05:26 PM
got the badge to match that sticker.
MisteR Tee
08-03-09, 10:41 PM
Here's one I've posted before, the line-up at an AGM of the BHRA in the early 60s.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/mistertee/BHRA/BHRA%20AGM%20pic.jpg
Here's a placque I have in my collection.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/mistertee/BHRA/img082.jpg
Jago 1 in the Hyde Park underground car park show in 1964.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/mistertee/BHRA/img083.jpg
This is one of the pics I took at the Greatstones beach party, showing the 2 Spa Engineering 105E vans (that's HR & C UK editor, Ian Penberthy, leaning on the wing of the "Hot" van - 3 litre Vauxhall-engined) & a custom Austin.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/mistertee/BHRA/img112.jpg
When I get some more time, I'll dig out & post up some more.
MisteR Tee
10-03-09, 11:57 AM
watta "street sleeper"
Bit of an animal to drive though as it had a huge wide centre tunnel to accomodate the set back engine & manual trans., so the pedal area was very cramped & the gear change was cranked over several times to get it in a useable position. Great fun though & used to cruise at some speed on the motorway at ridiculously low rpm as it had so much torque, knew it's own way to SPR & back as it it did so many times!!
hershambob
10-03-09, 12:58 PM
did jago 1 get finnished???
mikeyboy
10-03-09, 03:21 PM
Love the top pic....jackets,shirts and ties.
Love the top pic....jackets,shirts and ties.
Slim Jim ties and Windsor knots order of the day. Mikey And the odd flyaway collar on the shirts.
KimLeonard
10-03-09, 04:26 PM
Love the top pic....jackets,shirts and ties.
As it should be !!!......friggin' standards amongst rodders has gone way down hill since then......t-shirts and shorts maybe OK for the beach but thats all. And dont even get me going on tattoo's, they cant all have been in the Navy at some point !!
Yours,
Disgusted, Epping
mikeyboy
10-03-09, 05:08 PM
As it should be !!!......friggin' standards amongst rodders has gone way down hill since then......t-shirts and shorts maybe OK for the beach but thats all. And dont even get me going on tattoo's, they cant all have been in the Navy at some point !!
Yours,
Disgusted, Epping
Ah yes,the days when gentleman looked SMART !
hershambob
10-03-09, 06:58 PM
ah but i feel smart in a tee and like im going to work in an office in a suit
MisteR Tee
10-03-09, 08:30 PM
did jago 1 get finnished???
Dunno Bob, Geoff's son Stewart was doing it so I may see if I can get hold of Geoff to find out.
Dr.Diesel
10-03-09, 09:37 PM
The NSRA was formed in Feb `72 by breakaway members of the old NDRC Roadster Register, Chris & Pat Church, Micky Bray, Barry Treacy etc. Because they didn't want a club under the NDRC umbrella.
No Ken, it was nothing to do with the Spedeworth `Hot Rods!!`, it was an American term.
The term "Street Rod" was in use in the US, though not mainstream, in the `40s/`50s, and back then `Hot Rod` and `Street Rod` were just different names for the same thing :eek:.
It really came to the fore in the very early `70s when `Rod & Custom` magazine held their 1st `Street Rod` nationals (Memphis, if I remember right). It has since been used to help give a better, cleaner `image` to Rodding, and has become a Rod `build style` in it`s own right.
A Hot Rod being a more balls out, stripped down car, built for as much speed as possible. Whereas a Street Rod tends to be a more comfortable, drivable (some may say `poofy`:rolleyes:) version of a Hot Rod with a bit more emphasis on the creature comforts such as a nicer, more plush interior, radio/CD, A/C, ETC.
One and the same;)...
think it was Peoria,Iowa?....i'll put the anorak away..............
40Stude
11-03-09, 11:59 AM
think it was Peoria,Iowa?....i'll put the anorak away..............
Peoria, Illinois.
Have you got room in your wardrobe for my anorak too Gary? ;)
MisteR Tee
12-03-09, 10:03 AM
Peoria, Illinois.
Have you got room in your wardrobe for my anorak too Gary? ;)
Look out, here's my parka(!) as well. I thought it was Street Rodder magazine that was instrumental in organising the Nats, Tom McMullen being the force behind it. Of course, I could be talking complete....oh, what's the word.....I know...nuts!!!:)
KimLeonard
12-03-09, 02:08 PM
without going too much off thread, here is the link to the 1st Street Rod Nats in the USA.
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/eventcoverage/0710rc_1st_street_rod_nationals/index.html
MisteR Tee
12-03-09, 06:11 PM
without going too much off thread, here is the link to the 1st Street Rod Nats in the USA.
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/eventcoverage/0710rc_1st_street_rod_nationals/index.html
There ya go, knew someone would be on the ball! I hereby retract all my previous statements & am now going to sit on the naughty chair in the corner!:o
Captain Scarlet
12-03-09, 07:30 PM
Here's one I've posted before, the line-up at an AGM of the BHRA in the early 60s.
http://usera.ImageCave.com/mistertee/BHRA/BHRA%20AGM%20pic.jpg
.
Can't resist putting these two pics together Maurice,as you said in the Bingley hall thread,this Model Y must be a contender for the oldest surviving rod,but does it still survive??,the reg # is shown as being on a Land Rover Discovery now:(
Pictured here at Bingley Hall B'ham early 1980's,under the ownership of Ray Hill who rebuilt it with V6 power.
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa202/ijarm/scan0017-9.jpg
40Stude
13-03-09, 10:19 AM
Ian, when Ray sold the Y, it was to a guy from Leicestershire I think, named Connie, can't remember a surname. He chopped it (heavily) and painted it bright orange and that was the last I saw of it, probably around 80/81 latest.
Captain Scarlet
13-03-09, 06:52 PM
Al, now you have said the name ,i think i may have talked to him in the past,wonder where it is ,and who sold the reg #.
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