About the Club

About the Club....

In 1994 Clyde and Karen Hollar, then living in Statesville, NC, were members of the North Carolina MG Car Club and routinely drove to their meetings and other events in Raleigh. Finding that the long trips made it impossible to routinely enjoy all the club’s events, they decided to start a club for area British car enthusiasts centered around the town of Statesville, North Carolina. Statesville is a small town geographically located in a part of North Carolina known as the Piedmont, a large area of the state centrally located between the coastal and mountain regions. Major interstates, I-40 and I-77 intersect near Statesville which is roughly centered in a triangle bordered by Charlotte, the Winston-Salem/Greensboro metro area and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

With the helpful advice of some members from the Raleigh-based club, Karen and Clyde talked to a mutual friend, Wes Truesdale, who agreed to join them in their effort to form another North Carolina British car club. Wes, who became the only charter member, wisely said, “feed them and they will come.” So, the trio of friends held a cookout, flipping hamburgers and roasting hot dogs for 40 or more interested British car enthusiasts who showed up to see what was going on.

Most of the people at first were well known friends of the Hollars, but Bob Thompson, who owned a small foreign car garage on Opal Street in Statesville, added to the growing list with many of his favorite customers. Because so many “great friends” with all types of British cars showed up, the new club had one caveat from the beginning: it would be for all British marques. The Club established 5 officers including a president, vice president, club secretary, treasurer, and historian.

In 2007 the club president and vice president are Esther Stoner and Karen Hollar, respectively. Eventually the club developed its own newsletter, affectionately known as “the Lugnut.” The Lugnut provides timely news about club events, tech articles, fun stuff and more importantly, it records the personal experiences of club members with their cars. Published monthly, the Lugnut was mailed to club members from Raleigh to Charlotte but now it is sent electronically to members so mostly everyone gets a high quality color newsletter to keep up with club news.

Currently the Piedmont British Motor Club has about 45 dues paying members. It meets monthly at Wise Guys Restaurant in Statesville for dining and lively discussions about the maintenance and driving of British sports cars. The club schedules a large number of sponsored events throughout the year which usually involves getting the cars and drivers together for trips along the beautiful North Carolina back roads and into the nearby mountains.

The diversity of the club, members from throughout the Piedmont, people from many walks of life, locals and new comers to the area, with all types of British cars is what makes the Piedmont British Motor Club so special. “We feel like a family,” Club vice president, Karen Hollar says.