The SAHB Spring Seminar held a highly successful spring seminar at the W O Bentley Memorial Foundation in Oxfordshire on 11 May 2025.
There were four presentations:
- Guy Loveridge: “Dear Family… Peter and Louise Collins” – Guy used wonderful colour photos from his new book to tell the story of the romance and very happy marriage of Peter Collins and the American actress Louise King – a marriage tragically cut short after only 18 months with Collins’s death at the Nürburgring.
- Dr Jon Murden: “Japanese Car Culture” – Jon, the Chief Executive of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, gave an insightful and encouraging presentation of what the museum is doing to respond to the increasing move of younger people’s interests to newer cars and, particularly, the remarkably diverse and sometimes zany aspects of the love in the UK for the Japanese car.
- John Bradshaw: “The 1939 International Six Day Trial” – John gave a thoroughly entertaining talk about the trial held in Austria, telling the astounding story of the British teams, including ones from the British Army, that engaged in tough but friendly competition with the Austrians and Germans – and, because this was in late August 1939, how the teams had to leave suddenly, for obvious reasons.
- Peter Moss: “The Type 59 Bugatti” – Peter has been part of the team that has just written and launched the Magnum Opus on the Type 59 Bugatti. He presented just a tiny part of the story of this beautiful pre-war racing car, including its remarkably ingenious design and how its initial lack of success was turned into a considerable number of victories.
The day ended with a feature that has become a regular at our seminars: a panel discussion on a subject of current importance. This time, the topic was “Presenting Motoring History – 21st century challenges!” Amy Foster-Smith of the British Motor Museum, Dr Craig Horner of the Richard Roberts Archive and Dr Jon Murden of the National Motor Museum were hosted by Guy Loveridge in a fascinating discussion of the challenges of staying relevant to a changing audience and their changing automotive interests.
Our thanks are due to all the speakers, and the organisers and staff from the SAHB and the W O Bentley Memorial Foundation.
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