Bringing the passion and enthusiasm of British Automotive Sport to the Las Vegas Valley since 1990.
The Club promotes information and networking and revels in the social elements of British car ownership.
Club members, prospective members, and British car enthusiasts are encouraged to attend our meetings and events.
A little about British Auto Club of Las Vegas
The club's member-elected Board meets monthly to discuss club business; they ensure the club is humming along without a hitch. Monthly membership meetings are designed to bring news and information to the members. Club business is presented to the membership, past events are relived, future events pitched, and a lively open forum ensues. The open forum gives the membership an opportunity to talk about project cars, what is going on around the valley, and other car news.
The Club has a few committees hard at work for its membership. The Event’s Committee conjures up events that entice the membership to get out, in either their British Cars or their daily drivers. The events reflect the membership’s enthusiasm and love of British Cars, good food and fun. The Newsletter and website are an integral part of the club and communicate information to its membership in print and online. The club boasts a tech editor, historian, and many members steeped in the maintenance and restoration of their LBC - Little British Cars. These members often share their wisdom and experience with the membership through articles written for the newsletter and website.
Membership
Club Membership
Our organization is comprised of many people from various backgrounds. The strength of the club lies in its enthusiasm for British Cars, the dedication of the membership, and our monthly events. Please join us at one of our General Membership Meetings and find out what our club is all about.
Becoming a member of the British Auto Club of Las Vegas is easy. Simply complete the online application, submit your dues, and your membership is complete.
Included in your membership is a subscription to our monthly newsletter the SPANNER.
Membership Registration
President's Message
Michael MJ Johnson - July 2021
Auto vs. Manual? This is a hot topic in the modern car fan circles that I pay attention to. I remember when an automatic transmission was an option and a fairly expensive one. An even fonder recollection is sitting in the back seat of a 1978 Dodge Omni while my Dad tried to re-teach my Mom how to drive a manual. It did not end well, the car went back with a lot less life in the clutch. Fast forward to 2021, all but a few super cars are only available with hyper fast shifting automatics. If you want a daily driver from say Toyota or Ford, you will have to special order a manual transmission and guess what! It is an up charge option now. So what was the beginning of the end for manual transmissions? Driving a car for me and I suspect many of the members of this club, is one of my greatest simple pleasures. Going through all the motions to drive; The warm-up, pushing the throttle, tapping the brake pedal, steering the car around a corner and yes operating the clutch and shifter are what make the experience visceral. Stirring your mind, hands and feet into synergy. So why doesn’t my Mom, or my Wife or two of my three children know how to drive a manual transmission car? Do they not know what they are missing? Or am I just a crazy car dude? I won’t answer that question yet! Driving a car has become a passive event that is done to get ourselves or things from one place to another. The idea of enjoying the experience of the journey rather than the destination has been lost to technology and faster, sooner, better, immediate response required. Until a few weeks ago, I owned a car that actually drove itself from A to B and had a video screen that was larger than most home computers and the shifter was a button. The act of driving is becoming a secondary thought for our brains while behind the wheel. Driving the car no longer requires top of mind presence to accomplish. Thinking about shifting or using a turn signal are merely distractions that we do not have time to think about or do. So what are we using our brains for while driving now? Hmm. We are lucky to have an NHP officer in the family and he will share stories of his day on the job on occasion. He speaks about a ticket that he writes more than speeding tickets, Distracted Driving. What the heck is that? That ticket is usually written when at a crash scene by the way. Suppose if we all had to shift our cars, no free hand to hold a phone. Would we actually be safer drivers? Or was shifting a car the distraction that drove car makers to improve automatic transmissions so we could all pay attention to steering and braking? Either way, technology has and is changing how we interface with the cars we drive, good or bad. As the next wave of transportation arrives in our lives, plug in all electric vehicles, the notion of shifting will be gone. There was one gear on our Tesla, one merely decided to push the forward or reverse button, this car does not even have a transmission. Progress I guess, safer and more efficient transportation is/was the catalyst for the demise of the manually shifter car. Or perhaps our car buying behaviors over the past ten years made the decision easy for car makers. I do not know the answer to why manuals are becoming extinct. I am glad I have a few in the garage to drive. I am excited about driving all the time, which brings me back to the question, do they not know what they are missing? Or am I just a crazy car dude? The answer likely lies in the latter. The passion to drive, regardless of auto or manual, is in the emotions that come from the driver’s senses, not how the car changes gears. I encourage you to make driving an active rather than passive experience. It’s ok to go from A to B, why not make it fun? I am not suggesting that all of you go trade in your autos for a manual car tomorrow before they are all gone, but take a minute next time you are behind the wheel and think about all the motions and senses that you have at hand, make it fun.
Contact
Please join us at our
General Membership Meeting
the last Sunday of the month
from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (approx.)
Wildhorse Golf Club
2100 W. Warm Springs Road
Henderson, Nevada 89014
BACLV
P. O. Box 90973
Henderson, NV 89009
Wildhorse Golf Club 702-434-9000