The Club was founded in 1897 and is the second oldest automobile Club after the Automobile Club de France (ACF). It has occupied its magnificent Clubhouse in Pall Mall, London since 1911 and visitors are always greeted with a splendid motor car in the rotunda. The Club is hugely active and during a normal year The Club runs over 80 events including 25 alone during early November’s London Motor Week, with a huge attendance at the free Regent Street Motor Show. The latter showcases over a century of motoring from the pre-1905 London to Brighton veteran motor cars, through to past and present competition cars, classics and future-focused electric vehicles.
In 2021, Cussons participated in the London to Brighton Veteran car run in the RAC 1901 Mors 10 H.P. 4 cylinder. With a body created by Parisian carrosserie, Henri Binder, it is both one of the more magnificent and technologically advanced cars of its era, featuring a 4 speed gearbox powered by a 4 cylinder engine. He shared the driving with the British scientist and Chair of the Science Museum, Baroness Archer of Weston-super-Mare DBE and on arrival they were welcomed with a hot toddy from courtesy of Aberfeldy single malt whisky after an untroubled journey in good weather.
But it is not just motoring activities that keep Cussons busy, in the run up to the election of the new head of the FIA in December 2021, he held a hustings at the RAC to hear what the two presidential candidates would say. One was Mohammed Ben Sulayem and other Graham Stoker. Each were given 2-hour slot in which they could present their manifestos. The chair of Motorsport UK, David Richards CBE was also present, as were members of both boards
“It was an enlightening experience to see the process of election, “Cussons said,” which was also made available to our members. It gave an opportunity to probe deeply into manifestos and what they could bring to the table if they were elected.” Mohammed Ben Sulayem was later elected FIA President.
