750 Motor Club

The 750 Motor Club was formed in 1939 as a means for 'the impecunious Austin Seven enthusiast' to meet like-minded individuals and talk about things Seven-ish and motoring related. It wasn't long before such discussions led to the notion of competition, but for the financially-challenged membership these proposed 'races' naturally had to involve an extremely small outlay. Such competition therefore took the form of road rallies and trials, although the 'specials' builder was already in evidence at circuit meetings, with both mildly and heavily modified Austin Sevens.

Early Race Days

The first of these was that a consortium of the lesser motoring clubs should group together to organise a race meeting at Silverstone, which up until then was the sole preserve of the bigger and longer established clubs. Thus was born the 'Eight Clubs Meeting'. Secondly, Holly came up with the proposal of a 750 Formula, a two seater sports-racing car powered by the 750cc Austin Seven engine and based around the Seven chassis. This provided an outlet for the skills of the home constructor and special builder, and a number of members who are now well known figures in international motorsport started life as 750 Motor Club members in this golden era of ingenuity.

The Relay Races

Holly's third idea was for a six-hour relay race. Now in its 68th year of running still titled as the 'Birkett Six-Hour Relay Race', Holly's masterstroke was the handicap format that allowed every team to have a chance of winning. Whilst there is still a 'scratch' winner overall, the handicap element ensures that teams can be as varied as possible and enter any closed-wheel car. Often described as the last bastion of British motorsport, typical Birkett race photos have included everything from an Austin A30 going wheel-to-wheel with a TCR Touring car, teams of Smart cars battling Caterhams, or a Jaguar XJS trying to hunt down a Mini.