Vintage Staffordshire

Blythe House Farm Open Day.

It’s all going on down at the farm this weekend! Blythe House Farm is a hive of activity and this Sunday (23^rd September) we will all be showing our talents. I will be displaying the hire cars as well as some of the current restoration project. I will be there swapping anecdotes about classic cars and I will be happy to show you the hire fleet or discuss your classic car requirements. There will also be a few cars for sale just in case you want to catch the promised late summer. Apart from Self Drive Classics there will displays from other businesses on site including Java VW – the classic VW specialist, S Smith engineers for your more modern car needs, Retro Refinishers for bodywork and paint there will also be the local brewer and a host of local crafts. There will be plenty of food and drink so it’s a great day out for the whole family.

See you there!

Vintage Lichfield

Saturday the 27^th October is the day to visit Lichfield. The George Hotel Darwin house and Bird Street will be packed with stalls and shows for all things nostalgic with displays from the 20’s to the 60’s. Step back in time with the clothing, accessories, food and drink and – of course – the classic cars.

So you want to make money with your classic?...

Almost weekly I get a call from someone who is looking to put their classic cars to work. When I set up Self Drive Classics in 2004 there were only a handful of classic car hire companies out there and there was no help available. So I ploughed on regardless and must have fallen into – and pulled myself out of – every bear pit going. In 8 years I would like to say I have seen it all, but there are still surprises to be had. Whilst I am always happy to chat generally about classic car hire I would not give away this hard won experience for free so I have decided to offer anyone who is looking for advice the chance to come on a 1 day course. The course is based in Lichfield, Staffordshire in an informal setting and is intended for small groups (3 to 6 maximum). I will be covering every aspect of classic car hire, the good, the bad and (be warned) the ugly, sharing the experiences that have made me laugh and cry over the past 8 years. The day will be both informative and fun and is intended to give you a very realistic account of the classic car hire business and help you decide if it is for you.

The day costs £250 and includes VAT  tea/coffee and lunch.

I am currently looking for a date mid November so if you are interested then please give me (Steve) a call on  07918715039.

Car Hire Sagas

Talking of ‘the ugly’ I have to ‘thank’ hirer Michael Boylan for driving my little Frogeye hard down the M6, not noticing a drop in oil pressure and carrying on until the engine seized. I even gave him a full refund as he told me he was on his way to his wedding (in fact he had got married and was on the way to the reception). The rescue company were on the scene quickly and little time was lost but the car was wrecked. Same goes for the BBC who had 3 of my cars via an outfit called wheel2reel for the TV series Antiques Road Trip – now showing on BBC2. They managed to damage all 3 but the little Beetle convertible you see was badly abused – if you have a classic then beware!