Torque of the North - May 2026
Austin Healey Club Northern Centre's Newsletter
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Hi ,
News from around the North
They say “a little knowledge is dangerous” but one of the finest ways of building confidence in your Healey is getting your hands (& fingernails) dirty. What’s really clear is that if you do have a problem there are plenty of us out there who can help - on WhatsApp, noggins etc. Healey’s are very simple, as long as there is a spark and some fuel they seem to run!
Don’t forget our technical expert, Dave Sinclair, who really should go on Mastermind with his Healey knowledge - and if the general knowledge was just as good he would be on to a winner!
Drive It Day across The Northern Centre
Well, we were blessed with weather for Drive It Day this year, all that fettling and repairing was worthwhile after all, truth be told, I was still at it at 9am... In Cheshire we had our biggest attendance ever, with folks joining just days before. Cracking weather across the North drove the scale of the turnout - 45 cars plus, including a few esteemed interlopers.
Massive THANK YOU to the many organisers who made these runs happen it’s a lot of work & wonderful when everything works.
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Grampian
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Cheshire
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Yorkshire
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Lakes and Dales
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Membership Renewal
It’s coming into May and if you’ve not renewed your membership yet this could be your last TOTN and last RevCounter. So don’t wait for that sinking feeling at the start of June, renew now with our quick and easy on-line renewal (follow the notes at the end of this newsletter).
Coming Up
Sat & Sun 6th / 7th June - TATTON
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This is the Premier Cheshire Car Show that gets the Full Monty and always draws the crowds. Limited places on the club stand so get your request for tickets to Mike Stonier, see below, early to secure your place on the Saturday, Sunday or both.
Sat & Sun 6th/7th June - HealeySport Hill Climb at Harewood Hill
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Great opportunity to see the Healeys and our own Local Heros Murray Shand and Rob Owen do their stuff on the hill climb at Harewood Hill. Always excitement as the team battle for points on rounds 7 & 8 of the Speed Championship. Contact Murray below, for more details.
Weekends 26th-29th and June 2nd-5th July - Bolesworth International 2026
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If you haven’t attended a Horse Jumping Event before and want to mix it & enjoy the excitement and glamour of a major competition, this could be for you. Last year, the club were invited to attend & display our cars on the classic car pitch closeby the main riding competition area. Free entry to the show and access to the drivers' hospitality spectator area made this an experience to savour. Details for 2026 are still emerging, but there are a number of days over the whole event that you can choose from, so saddle up and contact steve.higginson@ahc-northern.org.uk to register your interest.
Sat/Sun 4th/5th July - Llangollen Transport Weekend
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Llangollen Transport Weekend is scheduled for 4th & 5th July. You can now enter online with a link from: Classic Transport Weekend - Llangollen Railway. The North Wales team have been attending this excellent weekend for some years now and thoroughly recommend it. Bookings for this show often close early so don’t delay. Please let John or Jill Bowman, see below, know if you intend to join us at the event.
Wednesday 8th July - Churnet Valley Railway Breakfast Steam Train
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Join us on the Churnet Valley Railway Breakfast Steam Train starting with a pre-ordered breakfast served in heritage carriages as we meander alongside the Caldon Canal to Cheddleton and out into the Staffordshire Moorlands for a 22 mile round trip lasting 2 hours. We meet in the main Car Park at Froghall station ST10 2HQ by 10.00am ready to board our steam train departing at 10.30am prompt. Cost per head including a Round Trip Ticket and full Breakfast is £28.50 per passenger. All tickets and menu choices must be pre-booked online direct with Churnet Valley Railway at www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk/breakfast-train
After booking please notify Jonathan Pilkington asap by email - jonathan.pilkington@ahc-northern.org.uk that you are attending quoting your names and booking reference number. This is important so that seats can be allocated together as we do not have any reserved seating. Seats sell quickly and Churnet Valley Railway cannot guarantee we will all sit together the nearer to the event that tickets are booked. On our return to Froghall Station at 1230 we depart for an hour of driving over the Peak District’s southern reaches passing through Ipstones, Onecote, Gradbach and Allgreave arriving at The Swettenham Arms CW12 2LF for a late lunch/early supper. BOOK NOW it’s a lovely day out!
Glamis- 11th/12th July
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Entries for the club stand at Glamis have now been submitted. This is the 50th anniversary of the show so you can expect something truly spectacular. More details will follow closer to the time but to join the reserve list for the Club Stand send your name, car details and Reg No to Ian Walker ASAP on 07740 148881, scotland@ahc-northern.org.uk or on WhatsApp.
Yorkshire Elegance - 15th/16th July
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Returning for the 3rd year at Grantley Hall, this coming show celebrates a number of special anniversaries in the automotive history including: 100 yrs of Mercedes Benz, Bugatti Type 35, Maserati Tipo & 25 years of the Aston Martin Vanquish. Goto www.yorkshireelegance.com for full details.
This event is likely to be very popular this year as it “ups it’s game” to compete to be the Northern Salon Privé. Entry details have changed, so standard Day Guest entry cost is £99 pp each day (£129 from 1 Apr) including a Buffet lunch by Grantley Hall Kitchen.
However, we’ve secured entry for 10 cars (20 people) on each day at the reduced cost of £69 pp, including lunch (valued at £50) - fill your boots! Contact Jeff Hollinshead below to book your place noting your preferred day, this deal is on a first come first served basis, so get in quick. Latest: 10/11 cars booked for both days but Jeff has amazingly been able to negotiate additional discounted places for club members. Contact Jeff Hollinshead below to book your place noting your preferred day, this deal is on a first come first served basis, so get in quick.
Newby Hall Historic Vehicle Rally - Sun 19th July
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Organised by NECPWA. The largest one day show in the North of England. Booking via the necpwa.org website. When you have confirmation of your booking please let Jeff Hollinshead, below, know so that he can liaise with the organisers to arrange for a group pitch.
Hebden Bridge Vintage Weekend - Sun 2nd August
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2026 Hebden Bridge Vintage Weekend is ON. Registration is open and expected to be fully booked rather quickly. Our cars are suited for the Group P: post-war cars 1943-1968 category on Sunday 2nd August. Book in at: https://www.hebdenbridge-vintageweekend.org.uk/vehicle-registration and let Jeff Hollinshead know you’ve booked!
Sunday 9th August - Grange-over-Sands
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Back again in lovely Grange-over-Sands on Sunday 9th August, as usual, great weather has been booked, now - we are already 75% booked, if you want to attend be quick and go to classicsoversands.org, entries cost £8 per car, after costs all proceeds go to charity. Contact Phil on: classicsoversands.org@gmail.com
Oulton Park Gold Cup - 29th-31st August
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Trevor Gammage has successfully applied to MSV for us to have a stand at Oulton Park Gold Cup - applications to display have now opened.
The application process starts with https://displaymyvehicle.msv.com where you can find their Austin Healey Club booking page and reserve a space. You will need a four digit AHC code which is 1483. MSV then need to approve your application and email the approval, you revisit the website and pay. Relatively "Simples"...
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Full listing at AHCN - Coming Events Calendar
SCOTLAND (CENTRAL) - 2nd Wednesday of the month (Apr-Nov) AHC club joins in with “Coffee and Classics” at various locations to be announced, meeting at 10:30am. Watch TOTN for latest venues or check details on Coffee & Classics Facebook Group or from Richard Spalding on 07598 194394
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| Wed, 13-May-26 |
Coffee & Classics Knockhill |
| Wed, 10-Jun-26 |
Coffee & Classics Peebles Hydro |
| Wed, 08-Jul-26 |
Coffee & Classics Archerfield |
| Wed, 12-Aug-26 |
Coffee & Classics Crieff Hydro |
| Wed, 09-Sep-26 |
Coffee & Classics Melville Castle |
| Wed, 14-Oct-26 |
Coffee & Classics venue TBA |
| Wed, 11-Nov-26 |
Coffee & Classics Mortonhall |
- ***STOP PRESS*** Yorkshire May Noggin moves to: The Windmill, Linton, Wetherby from 7pm on Wednesday 20th May. Jeff sends his apologies; he’s off on a well earnt holiday.
- Great British Car Show various shows throughout the year with discounts for Club members in their classics. See AHCN home page for more details.
- 6th/7th June - Tatton Park Classics and Performance cars. Contact Mike Stonier below nice and early to reserve your ticket.
- ***NEW*** 6th/7th June - Healey Sport Hill Climb at Harewood Hill. Keep Healeys racing. More details from Murray Shand, below.
- ***NEW*** 4th/5th July - Llangollan Transport Weekend. Buy your tickets at Classic Transport Weekend - Llangollen Railway Contact John or Jill Bowman to let them know you are coming.
- 8th July - Churnet Valley Railway Breakfast Steam Train. Tickets need booked early from the venue website.
- ***NEW*** 19th July - Newby Hall.
- 11th/12th July - Glamis Castle - Entry form is in but cancellations may make spaces available. Contact Ian Walker below for more details.
- 15th/16th July - Yorkshire Elegance. See main panel above or contact Jeff Hollinshead below for more details.
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See the Northern Centre Website or National Club Website for all events.
Other events are being organised at local area level at short notice via WhatsApp groups. Get yourself on the groups and intothe action by getting in touch with your local rep below.
CENTRE CONTACTS
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Membership Renewal
Membership renewal season is upon us once more. We have a One-Click Renewal process available from the My Membership page. Simply select My Membership from the Members Area menu, sign into your Members' Area account if required, then you will be able to see the status of your membership.
If you pay by Direct Debit, there is nothing to do, other than check that your details are up to to date. If you normally pay online, you will see a button asking you to renew at the current renewal rate for your membership. If you wish to add or remove a joint member, click on the box above the button to see the other renewal options.
If you don't currently have a Members' Area account, you can register for one here or by clicking Register from the login page. In additon to seeing the status of your membership, a Members' Area account gives exclusive access to technical articles, discount codes, the members map and back issues of RevCounter.
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