There's not really much more to explain about the British Car Meeting, which took place for the 41st time on August 28, 2022. For decades, drivers of British (and associated) cars have been meeting at the end of August in Mollis at the airport. The participants, who have also attended the Seedamm-Zentrum in Pfäffikon, are now becoming fewer and fewer.
The rules have not changed and yet some things have changed after the Corona break.
For the first time on the runway
Previously, around half of the cars had to be parked on the meadows around the access runways to the landing strip, but this was no longer permitted for the first time in 2022. There were fears of water contamination from dripping oil. As a result, only tarred and concreted areas were permitted as parking spaces. The lower part of the runway, which had previously been off-limits due to possible emergency landings, was also allowed to be used as a parking area for the first time, creating a different atmosphere.
This allowed the cars to be presented in a much more attractive way, but visitors also had to or were allowed to walk much further. Those who wanted to avoid missing a car and therefore walked around the grounds several times quickly covered more than 6000 steps or more than five kilometers. But it was worth it.
Guest of honor Land Rover
The Land Rover Club of Switzerland was the guest of honor. Founded in 1987, the club is already celebrating its 35th anniversary. Around 800 fans of the Land Rover brand are members of the club and they brought to Mollis a magnificent variety of vehicles that have been created in Great Britain over the past 60 years.
However, the relatively high proportion of younger vehicles was striking. But age is not a problem in Mollis.
No age limit
Traditionally, the BCM is open to all British cars, regardless of whether they are ancient or practically new. There is no danger of the event drifting into a new car show, as British automotive history is simply too rich for that and the importance of the UK car industry today is too small.
Accordingly, you could see cars from almost every decade since the 1920s, from pre-war Rolls-Royces to the almost-new Aston Martin Rapide.
Rich in color
Once again, there was no shortage of colors in Mollis. The Lotus brand vehicles in particular provided a colorful picture, as they are still often a splash of color in the gray everyday car traffic.
Once again, Elise and co. stood out in Mollis with their bright paintwork, but even older Lotus models were hardly ever seen in gray.
The almost exclusively plastic-bodied Lotus sports cars were complemented by representatives of other "plastic" car brands such as Marcos, Ginetta and TVR. The proportion of plastic bodies in the visitor vehicles in Mollis was clearly higher than in modern or even former road traffic.
Rich in tradition
Of course, there was no lack of tradition in Mollis.
The Austin Seven, which celebrates its 100th birthday in 2022, could be admired in various versions.
A few steps further on, you came across a Morris Minor, the British equivalent of the VW Beetle.
Almost forgotten in this country are the once popular vehicles of the Vauxhall brand, which were quite independent until a good 50 years ago and had nothing to do with Opel models. In Mollis, however, a surprising variety of cars from three decades were on display.
Also long forgotten are the cars from the manufacturer Hillman. However, the Minx Cabriolet that drove past us made a dewy impression and left us wanting more.
Of course, the still well-known brands Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce were also well represented in Mollis. Because they still build cars, the range of vintages was naturally much wider here.
And, of course, the popular sports cars from Austin-Healey, MG and Triumph were not conspicuous by their absence, on the contrary. They are disproportionately well represented every year.
Many trouvailles
With around 1500 cars, it is not easy to spot rarities among the many familiar ones. But they were there in Mollis. For example, we spotted a Ginetta G4 from the early sixties in a long row of cars.
The extremely compact sports car, based on a tubular frame with round tubes, also made a big impression on young visitors.
Very few people are probably familiar with the Sunbeam Venezia. It was created in the 1960s in collaboration with Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera between 1963 and 1966. The coupé was reminiscent of the Lancia Flaminia from Touring in terms of its shape, the technology came from the Humber Sceptre and only around 200 vehicles were produced in total. Of these, only a small number are likely to have survived. But one vehicle did arrive in Mollis!
There were also some pre-war Riley cars on display at the BCM, some of which were equipped with six-cylinder engines. The author of these lines was particularly pleased to see that limousines were also present, as these variants in particular often had to make way for a Special.
The Jaguar Mark IV is also rarely seen and there was also an example of this vehicle in Mollis.
And this would only be the beginning of a longer list ...
Comprehensive range of exhibitors
For the visitors there were not only cars to see and a catering offer with sometimes somewhat long queues. The stands of professional exhibitors, from restorers to spare parts suppliers, from insurers to new car sellers, also invited visitors to talk to them and show what they had to offer. The range of stands has probably never been as extensive as in 2022.
Optimal conditions
The weather was sunny and dry all day, and a little wind helped to make the temperatures more bearable, especially as there were few places in the shade. Despite around 1400 to 1600 vehicles on the course, there were hardly any traffic jams at the entrance, which the engines, some of which were sensitive to the temperature, certainly appreciated.
Once again, it was a peaceful festival where the Rolls-Royce driver could have a beer with the Austin owner and where the focus was almost exclusively on one topic, namely combustion engines!
The future is just around the corner
The 42nd BCM will take place on August 27, 2023, and the guests of honor will be Lotus and Super Seven.
However, the 43rd BCM in 2024 will also be an exciting event, as the cars of the Rootes Group, i.e. cars from Sunbeam, Hillman, Talbot and Humber (among others), will take center stage.
