Car Shows, CBCF - Champagne British Car Festival, Newsletter - The British Marque

Celebrating 100 Years of MG at The Mansion

Celebrating 100 Years of MG at The Mansion

By Angie Davis

The 2023 Champagne British Car Festival (CBCF) held June 2nd – 4th is now one for the books!  Sponsoring club, the Illinois Flat Land British Car Club (IFLBCC), hosted a fun-filled and action-packed weekend complete with  Friday evening Welcome Reception, Saturday drive and cruise-in on historic Route 66, Saturday evening banquet and a Sunday Car Show that attracted nearly 150 beautiful British vehicles to the remarkable David Davis Mansion in Bloomington, Illinois.

Dozens and dozens of pre-registered drivers and guests kicked off their Festival weekend Friday evening at a Welcome Reception held at the Chateau Hotel and Conference Center. Everyone had a chance to pick up their name badges and registration packets, get reacquainted and catch  up with old friends and meet new LBC enthusiasts over tasty food and beverages.

After a drivers’ meeting Saturday morning, motorists took off – driving instructions in-hand – on a rally style drive and cruise-in around Lake Bloomington and up Historic Route 66 to Pontiac, Illinois. Drivers and passengers of the 40 cars that participated in the adventure were met by members of the Pontiac tourism bureau and treated to welcome bags with VIP buttons, information about the city of Pontiac, access to museums, walking tours, discounts to local shops and restaurants and terrific photo opportunities at wall murals around town.

Several folks took advantage of two “Behind the Scenes” tours conducted by Tim Dye, owner of the Pontiac-Oakland Museum.  The automobile museum offers rotating exhibits to ensure a new and exciting experience.  The only Pontiac-Oakland Museum in the world, they display hundreds of pieces of memorabilia alongside the ever-changing selection of cars. 

But the day was far from over! The Saturday evening banquet afforded an opportunity to socialize during a great dinner and delicious desserts decorated with the CBCF rondel and logos celebrating 100 years of MG Motors, this year’s featured marque. Guest speaker, John Twist, regaled the 100 banquet guests with his entertaining presentation “MG Was my Destiny.” He left attendees looking forward to viewing his famous “Rolling Tech Sessions” scheduled during the Sunday car show.  

Dave Fitch’s MG TD takes its turn at John Twist’s “Rolling Tech Session” under the watchful eye of Gerald Lofthouse of the Chicagoland’s British Car Union.

Registered participants and hundreds of spectators were treated to a brilliant, sunny and warm Sunday for the Car Show at David Davis Mansion. The Midwest was well-represented with British car owners traveling from seven states – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin – to participate in the Festival.

The shady, welcoming David Davis Mansion grounds were resplendent with a spectacular Union Jack as a backdrop and flags of the various British marques gently fluttering in the afternoon breeze. Food vendors and music added to the lively atmosphere throughout the day as car owners shared stories about their beloved cars and curious spectators posed questions to learn as much as they could about the vehicles on display.

This year’s MG Featured Marque included the pictured MGBs and MG Midgets

Registered participants voted for their peers to name 1st, 2nd and 3rd place  winners in 21 designated classes and Car of Show. Spectators who attended the Show cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award.   

Congratulations to Simon Griffin of Edwardsville, Illinois who took top honors this year in a clean sweep!  Simon, who at past CBCFs has shown his lovely Austin-Healey 100, left his Healey in the garage and drove to the Show in his recently-acquired 1930 MG 18/80 MKII. His stunning pre-war automobile took 1st in the MG Other class, was awarded Car of Show and claimed the People’s Choice Award. If you are fortunate to see this beauty at a future show, be certain to check out its rich history.

First in Class, Car of Show and People’s Choice Winner – Simon Griffin’s 1930 MG 18/80 MKII

First place winners in the five remaining MG Classes – MG T-Series, MGA, MGB Chrome, MGB Rubber and Midget / Sprite – are Steven Runyan, Alan Kleinschmidt, Doug Eppich, Nigel Keen, and Stephen Sparks.  

A list of all CBCF winners can be found at CBCF-Bloomington.com under Recent Posts – Congratulations to ALL 2023 Champagne British Car Festival Car Show Winners!

As with most car shows, it’s the local car club volunteer’s time and efforts that make the CBCF Weekend possible.  The IFLBCC Team is already planning next year’s event with special attention to participant’s Post-Weekend Survey comments and suggestions.

Remember to mark your 2024 calendars and plan to join us in Bloomington, Illinois for next year’s Champagne British Car Festival May 31 – June 2, 2024, when the Featured Marques will be Aston Martin and Austin Healey.

Car Shows

Kilts and Kars – The 2023 Highland Games British Car Show

Over the past two decades, the Springfield Area Highland Games and Celtic Festival has had the pleasure of presenting to the Illinois public a proud picture of what it means to be of Celtic decent.  The Highland Games are a unique mix of sports, culture and community: the whirl of the kilt during a Highland Fling, the unforgettable sound of pipers and drummers and the display of power and skill of the Celtic athletes. 

The IFLBCC was invited again to attend this year’s Springfield Highland Games British Car Show in New Berlin, IL on May 20th.  Our group has attended this event twice in the past and it has always been a fun day out and this year was no exception. 

It was beautiful Saturday morning as our group headed out from Bloomington, IL around 9:00 am for a leisurely cruise down historic Route 66.  There are many attractions along this route like the Paul Bunyan statue in Atlanta, the World’s Largest Railsplitter Covered Wagon in Lincoln and the Williamsville “Old Station” with its vintage gas pumps and classic memorabilia from the 1930’s. Traffic was light and we easily made our scheduled arrival at the Sangamon County Fairgrounds in New Berlin.

Our group was anxiously greeted by dozens of Highland Games visitors.  The car show is adjacent to the Children’s Area which is always a treat as the kids and their parents thoroughly enjoy seeing and sitting in our “little” cars.  Not long after our arrival a group of bagpipers and drummers marched by setting the tone for the rest of the day.

As we began the typical “Car Show Protocol” of emptying the boots of lawn chairs, coolers and polishing gear many of our group were drawn to the all the Highland Games has to offer –  Clan Row, Highland Dance Competition, Whisky Tasting, Celtic Vendors, Food, Live Entertainment, Children’s Area, Bagpipes, Highland Cows, Clydesdales, Springfield Celts Rugby, Historical European Martial Arts, Jurassic Scotland and, of course, the British Car Show!

There was so much interest in our cars that we were initially obligated to stick close to the collection of MGBs, Minis, Triumphs and Aston Martin. What is this? Who made it? I had one of those.  My Mum had one when I was growing up in Scotland.  So many interesting stories and chances to educate the public about our cars and hobby.

Besides meeting new folks attending the show, we’re able to rekindle our connection with car-friends that come from throughout Central IL.  We were pleased to meet a brand-new member to the LBC community and his “Survivor” 1976 Triumph TR6.  He’d only owned it two weeks after seeing it alongside the road with a For Sale sign.  It was the same color as one he owned 45 years ago so naturally, he HAD to buy it.  He was re-learning about TR’s so our “Tech Team” jumped into action, helping him adjust his hood latch mechanism and offer up answers to his many questions.

What would a gathering of British car owners be without a wee’ bit ‘o natter and noggin?   The Highland Games had plenty of opportunity for both.  We gathered at the nearby pavilion where food and beverage vendors were happy to provide refreshments as a collection of entertainers serenaded us with traditional and popular Celtic songs.

The final leg of our outing was a visit to the iconic Route 66 Motorheads Bar, Grill and Museum just 20 minutes from the Highland Games.  For some in our group, this was their first chance to experience the nostalgic atmosphere, cars, motorcycles, and more. The building was originally built as a Stuckey’s gas station in 1971. It’s called Motorheads because the restaurant is closely tied to the world’s fastest dirt mile-track, located in Springfield, IL. 

With hugs and laughs we parted ways to our separate points of the compass knowing that we’d all be back together at the Champagne British Car Festival in Bloomington, IL in just two weeks!  

CBCF - Champagne British Car Festival, Drives, Special Events

Celebrate British Car Week with the IFLBCC!

“Drive ‘Em, Don’t Hide ‘Em” is the mantra of the British Car Week organization (https://www.britishcarweek.org/) British Car Week is an annual awareness week intended for owners of Classic British Cars to get their cars out of the garage and drive them.

Want to drive your car and need some ideas for places to go?  Plan on joining the IFLBCC for our CBCF Pontiac, IL Rally/Cruise-in on June 3rd. Drives, pop-up car show, car collections and more!   It doesn’t matter whether your car is in better than new condition, or perhaps it’s a less than perfect unrestored gem, we love them all! As long as it can be safely driven down the road, this is a great opportunity to show off your favorite car and take advantage of what British car motoring is all about. We’re calling all owners of classic British cars to get together with other car owners in the central Illinois area and [gently] kick tires, share stories, answer questions, and have a good time.

Did you know the British Car Week culminates with the IFLBCC sponsored Champagne British Car Festival’s car show on June 4, 2023? (CBCF-Bloomington.com)   We’ll be hosting John Twist’s Rolling Tech Sessions during the Sunday car show and best of all, you’ll have the chance to show your car off to the general public who rarely, or in many cases never, have the opportunity to get a real-life, close-up glimpse of these exquisite, entertaining British automobiles of days gone by. 

For Sale - Cars & Parts, Special Events

Flatlander’s Attend the Chicagoland’s 26th Annual All Sports Car Swap Meet and Autojumble

Nigel Keen and John Twist at the 2023 Chicagoland Autojumble in Wheaton, IL

The Chicagoland MG Club again sponsored their popular swap meet and autojumble at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.   The Illinois Flat Land British Car Club (IFLBCC) members have made the pilgrimage north for many years, searching for those rare and parts and accessories to complete their project cars and to promote the club.  This year, members departed the central Illinois area around 6:00 am insuring that we would arrive when the doors opened to the public around 8:00.   Many notable celebrities in the British car community, like John Twist, author Burt Levy and MGA Guru, Barney Gaylord were present.  As a club, our goal was to promote the June 4th, Champagne British Car Festival’s Car Show and weekend activities to all of the Chicagoland car clubs and attract possible vendors.  We were able to reconnect with several members of the Austin Healey Club and subsequently agreed to create a co-promotion of their British Car Union car show and our CBCF weekend.  

Nigel Keen and David Fitch loaded down with Autojumble bargains!

This year the entire show was packed into a single building which made navigating the stacks, tables and boxes a little challenging but always worth the effort!  So many of the vendors are experts in their marque so even if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you’ll certainly learn a few things along the way.  Each of the Flatlander’s were looking for a few specific items so as a team we were able to spread out and “bird-dog” for each other.  Need a TR3 gauge, a shop manual, some British wiring?   If it’s there . . . we’ll find it!  After a half-dozen trips up and down the aisles and loaded down with bargains, we packed up the car to head home but not before a stop for some natter and noggin at The Seven Dwarfs.

Uncategorized

Remembering CBCF 2022

Highlights for 2023? IFLBCC sponsored Friday Night Welcome, Saturday rally to historic Pontiac, IL, Sat. Banquet with John Twist as Honorary Chairman, Sunday Car Show with John Twist’s Rolling Tech Sessions!

Take a peek at last year’s CBCF Weekend. Then try to imagine even MORE fun in 2023!

Music: The Intro we have been waiting for

Artist: Kevin Shrout

URL: http://unminus.com

Licence: Unminus License

Uncategorized

NEW All-British Car Show Page

Looking for other All-British car show venues to visit this year? Check out IFLBCC’s newest page – Other British Car Shows!

Chuck Ladwig, of the British Car Union Board of Directors, contacted us with a proposition for a mutual partnership in advertising each others’ British Car Festivals. This was a FANTASTIC idea!

We’ve agreed to cross-post our events through social media, websites, and direct email. Our events will also provide flyers that can be included in our welcome packet and in their direct-mailed news letter.

If you plan on attending any of of these events, let the organizers know that you “Saw It HERE” – IFLBCC Other British Car Shows

Newsletter - The British Marque

How to Subscribe to IFLBCC’s Monthly Newsletter in British Marque.

Did you know that Illinois Flat Land British Car Club (IFLBCC) is a Participating Club with the British Marque Car Club News?

Each month , the British Marque is published eleven times a year in a 40-page, tabloid newspaper format, in both Print and On-line Editions. They have subscribers and correspondents from Ontario to Texas and from Maine to California, plus a number in the United Kingdom.

As a Participating Club, the Illinois Flat Land British Car Club has been contributing articles to be published in the Marque for the past year. Along with our articles, notifications of our events are added to the Marque’s monthly calendar in the paper and on their website. This gives our club national and international publicity, helping build
the events and our club at the same time. In December alone, the Marque website boasted over 26,500 unique visitors!

You can download a free sample copy of the Marque from their website, www.britishmarque.com, if you’re not familiar with the paper. We have been publishing articles in the Marque since June 2022.  Reprints of our articles have been published on Facebook and in the What’s New section of the IFLBCC website.   A copy of their subscription form is available for download below.  

Each member of a Participating Club who resides in the USA is entitled to a reduced subscription rate of $18.00 per year for the Print Edition. A subscription to the On-line Edition for Participating Club members is $12.00. Subscribers to the Print Edition can get the On-line Edition at no additional cost – all they have to do is sign up for it on their website. 

Need a Classified Ad? Subscribers from Participating Clubs have the privilege of one free classified per issue, up to 20 words. At their option, they can continue running their ads in subsequent issues until their items are sold (the “for sale” ads) or purchased (the “wanted” ads). This is a $7.50 value per issue that is offered for non-commercial ads only

How To Subscribe!

British Marque is in the process of redoing their checkout process page – https://britishmarque.com/britishmarque/subscribe.cfm

To checkout, please call them at (401) 766-6920 or e-mail them at [email protected] and Faith Lamprey will send you a link to pay online by credit card. Of course, you can always print out the Subscription Form and mail your check for $18.00 for an annual subscription.

Faith Lamprey
Business Manager
British Marque Car Club News
5 Old Nasonville Road
Harrisville, RI 02830-1905
(401) 766-6920
[email protected]
www.britishmarque.com

British-Marque-Subscription-FormDownload
CBCF - Champagne British Car Festival

Book Your Room for the CBCF Weekend!

As Central Illinois’ longest running all-British car show, The Champagne British Car Festival (CBCF) Weekend attracts British car fans from throughout the upper mid-west. But we aren’t the only event that will be in town over the June 2-4 weekend! During the week of June 2-4 Bloomington-Normal will also be hosting the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show and Cogs & Corsets.

With that in mind, the CBCF Planning Committee has arranged for blocks of rooms at TWO Bloomington hotels. BOOK TODAY!

The Double Tree Hotel by Hilton

The CBCF Committee is excited to announce the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel will again be our Host Hotel for the 2023 Champagne British Car Festival.  The Double Tree Hotel is the closest hotel to the David Davis Mansion and has ample parking for your auto transport trailers.

It’s simple to receive your special group rate!  Reserve your room as guests of the Champagne British Car Festival (CBCF) on-line by using this dedicated group reservation link: Click Here   

The room block at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington is for June 2, 2023 through June 4, 2023.   Your Special CBCF Rate of $125/night includes a hot breakfast and in-room Wi-Fi.  Room rates are per room, per night, and are subject to applicable taxes.  

We have ALSO arranged for a block of rooms at the newly renovated Chateau Hotel and Conference Center.

The Chateau Hotel and Conference Center

Saturday evening’s CBCF sit-down banquet will be held in the newly renovated* Chateau Hotel and Conference Center’s ballroom and will also be the location of our Friday night Welcome Reception and launching point for Saturday’s cruise-in to Pontiac, IL. For these reasons, the Chateau Hotel may be the better choice for your stay. * Some renovations may not be completed by June 2nd.

The room block for Friday and Saturday nights are for single king or double queens at a rate of $129 + 12% state and city taxes. When calling them at 309 662-2020, please notify them that you are requesting the discounted rate for the Champagne British Car Festival

Join in the FUN! Dinners, Drives and Events