Motoring/Car clubs and events are an important part of car culture here in the UK.
However not many of them get enough recognition outside of their own circles which is a real shame. A lot of clubs do great things for their local communities, help raise money for charity and also help keep niche sectors of motoring alive.
This page put together by Intelligent Car Leasing looks to give coverage and credit to some of the top Motoring and Car Clubs across Scotland. We chose these clubs based on a number of factors including prevalence, scale of events, interaction with other clubs, recommendations, interest factors etc.
1. Monklands Sporting Car Club
Founded back in 1991 the Monklands Sporting Car Club (commonly abbreviated to MSCC) operates in Lanarkshire and organises a number of events at the Forrestburn Speed Hill Climb. The jewel in the club’s crown is the Scottish Hill Climb Championship which runs over 4 individual days spaced out in two weekends. In addition to this the club undertakes autotests, production car trials and member car track nights so there’s a lot of variety in this club. For more information on all their activities the club secretary recommends looking at their website mscc.org.uk.
2. Mull Car Club
Described as ‘Scotland’s Premier Motorsport Club’ the Mull Car Club is one of the leaders in marshalling both in Scotland and the United Kingdom. Supporting large events such as the Scottish Rally Championship. With a wealth of experience Mull offers experienced timekeepers, radio controllers, clerks of the course and rescue, recovery and medical support. A friendly bunch and always great to have around!
3. MG Caledonian Car Club
The MG Car Club Caledonian Centre is the section of the MG Car Club responsible for organising events and looking after members north of the border. Members are welcome to join in MG Car Club events nationally and internationally.
The club organises a wide variety of events throughout the year including touring rallies, technical sessions, attendance at shows and visits to places of interest. Members are also active participants in various types of motorsport ranging from production car trials to racing. Within the Centre members have a wide variety of cars ranging from the early 1930s to current production models, some are concours, some are every day cars and some will return to the road one day.
4. Knockhill Club
Probably one of the most heard of circuits in Scotland Knockhill has its own club too. Officially named the ‘Knockhill Motor Sports Club’ it hosts regular events both for cars and bikes of all shapes and sizes. A good one to note when researching the Scottish car scene as it has a large profile and the ability to easily draw in competitors to its ‘Super Lap Scotland’ events.
5. Isle of Skye Rally Club
An up and coming player in the Scottish motor scene the Isle of Skye rally club has impressive ambitions and admirable goals. Currently partaking in a number of events this club is putting itself on the map and the long term goal is to host a full scale rally on Skye itself. However to get to that point there will be a build up of many smaller events throughout the year. Keep an eye on the Isle of Skye rally club as they’re going places fast and are highly spoken of by others in the motoring community!
6. Scottish Land Rover Owners Club
Definitely one of the most active clubs on the scene the Scottish Land Rover club allows members to enjoy activities almost every weekend of the year. In the yearly calendar of the SLROC you will find 30 competitive events hosted by them, 12 non-competitive events and in the true spirit of club motoring they operate joint days with many other organisations. You’ll find them at such inter-club events such as the 3 day long National Rally. With a strong social side to runnings this is an all round great club that we’re very proud to list in this post.
7. Highland Car Club
With the simple goal of promoting and encouraging motorsport in the north of the country the Highland Car Club is a good all rounder and one that has a lot of fun. With a wide array of events hosted and organised by the club they regularly put dates on the calendar and keep things interesting.
One of their most notable events is the above pictured ‘Snowman Rally’ which is well received by other clubs and the wider motoring community. From marshalling to rally organisation this club is keeping the heart of motoring beating up north, keep up the good work HCC!
8. The Scottish Hill Rally Club
As you might have guessed from the image above the Scottish Hill Rally Club is dedicated to people interested in hill rallying. Put simply if you want to organise, run or compete in a hill rally this bunch are knowledgeable and can help you out. They support the Scottish Competitive Safari Scene, promote rallying at both a regional grass roots and national level and attend the occasional motor show too.
9. Berwick Motor Club
The Berwick Motor Club has a rich history with it’s most recent big milestone being reaching 75 years old in 2010. From its founding in 1935 it has grown considerably and now hosts some major events that are a success with both participants and spectators being healthy in numbers. The flagship rally on their calendar is the ‘Jim Clarke Rally’ being the only closed roads rally in the mainland of Britain and a round in the BRC since 1999. As a real player in the British rally scene the Berwick Motor Club had to be included in the top 10.
10. Solway Car Club
The Solway Car Club was founded in 1957 when a group of enthusiasts first met in the Royal Hotel in Castle Douglas and established the common aim of enjoying their shared interest in motor sport and in competing against each other. Throughout the year the Club organises autotests (tar and loose surface), navigational rallies and a Production Car Trial. Solway also organise 2 stage rallies (usedcarparts.co.uk Solway Coast Rally and the Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally)
The usedcarparts.co.uk Solway coast rally has been a a mix over the years started with being a road rally, a stage rally on a mixture of Tarmac & farm tracks, Private forest rally and now solely on sealed surfaces at the local MOD ranges. This rally has went from strength to strength and now boasts hosting all the UK junior championships too.
Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally Again this has a long history with the club having just had it 40th anniversary last October .The event has been using some of the best forest stages in Scotland and now has a super special spectator stage built with the help of the sponsors the Armstrong family who to have had a long relationship with this event and the club.
11. Scottish Motor Racing Club
The Scottish Motor Racing Club in it’s current structure has been going since 1963. It is now able to claim some big names in motor racing amongst their connections; with Sir Jackie Stewart as patron and Allan McNish as honourary president. The club’s main activities are hosted at the Knockhill track and the club manages to get a fair amount of media coverage putting them in the spotlight.
You’ll also find members representing the club racing at venues such as Croft, Oulton Park, Cadwell Park, and Anglesey as well.
12. Grampian Automobile Club
Formed almost 20 years ago in 1995 the Grampian Automobile club was an effort to keep the Hill Climb course at Fintray House operating. Thankfully they have kept their opening objective going and there is more vibrant and exciting hill climb racing in the North East because of the GAC. The Fintry House Hill climbs runs annually each may with 4 separate events taking place over 2 weekends.
13. 63 Car Club Elgin
The 63 Car Club in Elgin organises a range of motoring events in the north of Scotland and is a good all rounder. The flagship event on their calender is probably the Speyside Stages, but there are a host of events dotted throughout the year including road rallies, auto testing, event marshalling and their own social events too.
14. MX-5 Owners Club of Scotland
The MX-5 Scotland club is a real enthusiast group through and through. Put simply it’s for owners and lovers of Mazda MX-5s. The group has regular ‘runs’ where members meet up for scenic drives on routes that are set and published in advance. You’ll find a strong community amongst members both online and offline, if you want to know anything about an MX-5 or be amongst people who are truly passionate about them this is the group to go to!
15. Edinburgh University Motor Sports Club
It would be a real shame if we didn’t include the young up and coming motoring enthusiasts now wouldn’t it? The Edinburgh University motor sport club in our opinion is the best amongst the student groups out there. They are active, passionate and not afraid to get out and mix with other groups in the Scottish motoring community. Regularly taking part in road rallies, auto testing and karting the EUMSC offer students the chance to get involved in a number of different activities and we’re sure you’ll see a lot of the faces in the club around the Scottish motoring scene for a long time to come!
16. Glenrothes Motor Sport Club
The GMSC is an active and varied club with members representing them at events all across the UK. Taking part in rallies, auto tests and more this isn’t a club that only focuses on one type of motor sport so members can really feel free to focus on what interests them.
17. East Ayrshire Car Club
The East Ayrshire Car Club owns and operates the Kames Motorsport Complex in Muirkirk which has an 800m sprint track and also contains areas for auto testing too. The organisation has members all across Scotland and really pulls in the numbers from far and wide. Organising sprints, grass autotests and rallies allows the EACC to appeal to a wide range of motoring groups and individuals which is exactly what forward thinking clubs these days need to do to continue thriving.
In recent years EACC have twice won prestige awards in the MSA Motorsport Club of the Year competition.
18. Dunfermline Car Club
Similar to some of the other local clubs we’ve covered in this top 21 list Dunfermline Car Club can be found competing at many ‘stages’ across the country. With an active base of members representing the club throughout the year Dunfermline definitely deserves a mention here.
19. Lothian Car Club (Doune Hill Climb)
Founded in 1948 the Lothian Car Club ( Edinburgh ) Ltd was formed with the aim of promoting and furthering the reach of motorsport in Scotland. It now runs the Doune HIll Climb which is a dedicated course that was built across 1967/8. It is a great place to race and is recognised as one of the better courses out there being a “King of the Hill” course hosting two rounds of the British Speed HIll Climb Championships and four rounds of the Scottish Hill Climb Championships.
The Club has won the Hillclimb and Sprint Associations Award for the best organised Event of the Year on a number of occasions.
20. Lothian Volkswagen Club
Lothian’s Volkswagen Club has been keeping members with a common interest in Volkswagens, old or new, in touch with each other since 1968. A great way for VW enthusiasts in the area to meet up and discuss anything car related or otherwise.
21. Caledonian Mini Club
The Caledonian Mini Club is a small enthusiasts club for the classic Mini they have a club meeting on the last thursday of each month at the Broxden Manor, Broxden Services. A good place for those who love this iconic British car to meet up and socialise over everything and anything.
As car clubs are a vibrant and chatty community several people have been in touch to make the case for clubs that were not included first time round. See a list below of additional entries that have been added after the original list was published:
Scottish Off Road Club
The Scottish Off Road Club is a fun loving association that hosts a number of events that span a range of different disciplines. Unlike some of the specialist clubs in the list the SORC takes part in a wide range of activities; the only real criteria is that events are enjoyable!
Central Scotland Autograss
Celebrating the fast paced motorsport that is Autograss in Central Scotland this club is for those who are looking for something fun and different in the motoring scene. It’s a very open and friendly affair which sits well with families both as participants and spectators. If you want to see real community motorsport in action autograss is a great place to start.
If a club you know is not included and you would like to nominate them email us and let us know!
This entry was posted in Fun Car Stuff on by Marc Murphy
Categories : Fun Car Stuff, Reports & Research
