Bexhill - The Birthplace of British Motor Racing

Based in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, the Bexhill 100 Motor Club is privileged to celebrate Bexhill's unique heritage as the birthplace of British motoracing. In 1902 The Earl de la Warr organised a timed race along the seafront on land which he owned - the Town Council refusing to allow such an event to be held on local public roadway. In subsequent years, competitors were attracted from far afield, with Frenchman Leon Serpolet in a steam powered vehicle achieving an astonishing speed of 53 mph. This amazing machine had even reached an unprecedented speed of 77mph prior to the 1902 trials!

As if this were not enough to ensure Bexhill's position in motoring history, in the 1950's Frank Nicholl, an automobile engineer and designer established a small factory in Bexhill designing and manufacturing sports and racing cars under the Elva marque. Including many innovative design features, Elvas proved to be very successful cars outgrowing the small premises in Bexhill, relocating to Hastings and then to Rye a short distance away. A number of Elvas are still racing today and although examples are now hard to come by, in 2006 Bexhill Museum managed to acquire an Elva for restoration and members from The Bexhill 100 Club are actively involved in this project.

We have a friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic membership owning a wide range of classic and vintage vehicles attending many shows both local and some not so local! Owning a classic car is not a pre-requisite for joining us, the club is just as welcoming to those of all ages even with only a passing or nostalgic interest.

We also organise and run the annual Classic and Custom Car Show at the Polegrove Recreation Ground in Bexhill. As a fun day out for all the family, the Show has become increasingly successful raising many thousands of pounds for local charities.

The club meets for a informal social evening on the fourth Friday of every month at The Mermaid, adjacent to The Sackville, De La Warr Parade, Bexhill so please do come along and say hello.

Please feel free to explore the site which is intended to serve both as an introduction to the club and also as a one-stop information resource for members.

We hope that you find this site both useful and informative.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.