”The membership fees all go back into the club, and the members get massive benefits... I think that's right. How it should be.
How to ensure that members get the most out of their classic car club membership is an age-old question. Particularly in an era when so much is available for online for free.
The key lies in keeping members interested with fantastic opportunities to attend events, chances to get out and use their cars outside of the realms of a static show, and by creating a community and providing access to some of the best suppliers and discounts. So, as a classic VW insurance specialist, ClassicLine Insurance is excited to begin a new partnership with a classic car club that is taking the classic VW scene by storm.
Let us introduce the Classic Volkswagen Owners Club
Formed in 2019, the Classic VW Owners Club may not have been on the scene for long, but they have already gained a huge following for their laid back, proactive, and welcoming approach.
We caught up with Lee Walmsley, Group Owner, to find out more.
Lee, please tell us about the club
The Classic VW Owners Club operates as a subscription-based club, with an annual membership fee of £20. We may only have been around since 2019, but the club already has over 800 fully paid up members and is continuously growing. Online, the club has over 30,000 followers on social media and is a thriving community of classic Volkswagen enthusiasts. We have members right across the UK and even overseas as far as the Netherlands. Every year it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger!
When members join, they get a welcome gift bag with the years membership sticker and a few other goodies. They get a host of classic VW supplier discounts and access to all the shows and events that we attend.
Everything we do is for the members; we are a not-for-profit club. The membership fees all go back into the club, and the members get massive benefits. It covers the e-commerce, website fees, and anything else needed to actually run the club. We give members opportunities to go to other shows as part of their subscription fee; even their entrance fees are covered when they join us at an event. I think that’s right. How it should be.
What inspired you to set up the club?
It all formed off the back of me and a couple of mates getting together to drive to a classic car show in Harrogate. We put the word out, and we all went in our cars. People said to me, “You’re good at this,” and before I knew it, I’d set up a club page. It’s amazing; it’s just gone mad and really taken off.
Please introduce the team who run the club
It’s mainly myself and my wife Lauren running the club day-to-day, and there is someone looking after the website updates etc too. We’ve got about four or five people who help run things on event days, like the indoor shows and stands. I’m so grateful for their help, thank you.
For those that might not know, tell us a bit about the vehicles that are covered by the club
So, the club caters to all pre-1997 classic VWs, right up to the MKIII era. Everything air cooled, Brazilians, Split Screen Campers, square backs, and then you’ve got the MKI-II’s, Corrados, Polos. The club caters to a huge range of pre ’97 VW models.
Because we mainly attend VW related car shows, most members do have qualifying cars. Members with post-‘97 VWs are still welcome to get involved, and we do always say that everyone’s welcome in their daily cars. If you just want to tag along for a day out, you don’t have to bring your classic out.
What benefits or discounts are there for being part of the club?
Members get discounts from over 60 car-related companies. There’s everything from car parts and spares, valeting, insurance, to motorsport and tuning companies, and merchandise. Theres all sorts on the list. Members get access to our club stands, early access to new deals and merch, and even competitions!
Every member is automatically added to a free draw to win a toolset worth over £200. We give away a 52 piece tool set each year, which is bought with the club funds and I physically drop it off to the winner. I did a 200-mile round trip one year just to drop it off!
Classic Volkswagen Owners Club members receive a 15% discount on their classic VW insurance premium with ClassicLine Insurance. Be sure to mention that you are a member of the Classic VW Owners Club when requesting a quote.
Do you run club drive outs or meets?
Not specifically. We mainly concentrate on the main club show and the stands at other events. Running regular meets and drives is really time consuming, we both have full time jobs and a family as well as running the club, so we just can’t do monthly meets. But we attend so many events throughout the year as a club, like the Tatton Park VW Festival and the Retro Rides Weekender at Goodwood. The season is about to get started, so we’re really looking forward to it.
Our first shows this year is Ultimate Dubs. Its an indoor show, so members get a chance to come to an indoor show for free. We have different cars each year, so everyone’s always got a chance to be indoors.
Do you plan to organise an annual club rally?
Yes, so we’ve organised our own AGM annual gathering since the club started; we’ve had some really good events, actually. We used to camp out, but since Covid, the venue that we were using stopped events, so it’s now mainly just one-day events.
This year we’re heading to The Motorist in Leeds for a one day gathering on Sunday 13th July 2025. It’s a Show and Shine; there’ll be gift bags, sponsors, all VWs welcome! Find out more here.
Any moments that stand out for you over the years?
As a club, one of the best events so far has been the VW Festival in 2024 because we sponsored it. It will always stick in my head, and we’ve become friends with the key people who run it.
That’s probably one of our favourite shows, but we’re always trying to get to other VW events, up and down the country.
What do you feel most proud of?
Probably that members appreciate what we do. We have such a great team involved in running the club, and I’d like to say a big, big thank you to them. I’m honoured that people always want me to be at the shows too. If I’m not there, they ask for me. It means a lot!
What’s your view on the future of the classic car scene in the UK?
I think there’s a definite trend emerging for more cars being trailered to events, and also events becoming more camping orientated rather than being about the cars. As cars get older, we may in time consider moving the goalpost with the pre ’97 cut off, up to the 2000s maybe to bring more people into the club.
What’s in the pipeline for 2025?
We’ll, we are working on a very exciting charity project in partnership with JMR racing and Pipercam and the details will be announced very soon! CL: Sounds great! Do keep us post when you have more information…
So, these are the people behind one of our newest partner car clubs. Classic VW Owners Club, thank you for being our club of the month! You can find out more about the Classic VW Owners Club here.
ClassicLine Insurance offers a range of car club insurance schemes that can provide revenue for your club as well as benefits and discounts for your members. To find out more about this and our specialist club liability insurance, visit our car clubs page.
All photos kindly provided by the Classic Volkswagen Owners Club
