Note: This column first appeared in the inaugural edition of Hagerty Drivers Club UK magazine.
Even though this column is at the back, I will start at the beginning by welcoming you to the first UK edition of Hagerty Drivers Club (HDC) magazine.
You are going to love it. How do I know that? Because car lovers are the same everywhere. They want top-quality automotive journalism – and that is what the US version of HDC has delivered since way back in 2006. The magazine was small when it started, but today, with more than 850,000 subscribers and a total readership of about two million, it is the most widely distributed car magazine in the States.
And with good reason. We are known worldwide for our classic car expertise, and that expertise includes the UK. In fact, Hagerty has been covering and taking part in the British car scene since 2006, when we opened our first office in the Silverstone Innovation Centre, on site at the famous Formula 1 motor circuit. We later moved to Pury Hill Business Park, before finally settling in last year at Bicester Heritage, which we view as a new centre of classic car activity. If you’re in the area, please stop in. We would love to see you.
We are proud to support the car community here with our top-quality insurance, of course. But there is far more to us than that. This year, we launched Hagerty Drivers Club in the UK, which provides many exclusive benefits (including this magazine) and events to help keep you entertained and connected to other enthusiasts. We all want to belong, after all.
Since 2012, we have published the UK Hagerty Price Guide, which has become the gold standard for buyers and sellers. This year we proudly published our 37th edition, covering 2872 generations, each with four values – meaning we have updated nearly 300,000 values since the first one. Unlike any other price guide, the HPG is still manually compiled and edited so that we maintain an unbeatable quality.
Over the years we have come to know your favourite UK car events – because they are our favourites, too. We love the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, of course. Concours on Savile Row, too. This year, we took over Huntsman the tailor, where we enjoyed seeing many of our automotive friends. Then there’s Salon Privé. Hagerty ambassador Nigel Matthews serves as chief judge, with Hagerty Price Guide editor John Mayhead as well as Jakob Greisen and Caroline Cassini (both senior car specialists for Hagerty’s Broad Arrow Auctions) also judging.
Personally, I have participated several times in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The first time did not go as planned. The 1904 Rambler I was driving broke down outside Westminster Abbey, only a mile in. That was in 2007. Twelve years later, I finally finished the 54-mile route atop a 1903 Knox, which is on display at our Bicester headquarters. Even though the Knox travels at a top speed of 41km/h (if it is going downhill and has a stiff tailwind), it was an honour and thrill to finish the world’s longest-running motoring event.
In recent years, Hagerty has joined in the fun by operating our own popular UK events. The Hagerty Hill Climb challenges an eclectic mix of cars to tackle historic Shelsley Walsh course annually. This year, our Hagerty Hangout at Bicester for International Women’s Day was nominated in the International Historic Motoring Awards. Fans of 1980s and ’90s cars love the annual RADwood, which took place this year at Chatham Historic Dockyard. But the UK event for which Hagerty is probably best known is the Festival of the Unexceptional, now in its tenth year, which has become one of the most loved classic car shows in the country.
We are honoured and grateful for this chance to be an even bigger part of the UK car world. Until next time, keep on driving.
PS I would love to hear your thoughts on this first edition and what you want to see from the magazine going forward. Please drop me a line at mhagerty@hagerty.com.
