Lord Montagu (1926-2015)
For those of us who own pre-war Rolls-Royce cars, we will remember Edward, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, and salute him for his outstanding contribution to the world of veteran and vintage motor vehicles. At every turn he championed their use and sought to defend them from detrimental EU and UK legislation. He was a great supporter and an inspired innovator. His legacy speaks for itself.
In 1952 he established the first motor museum in the country, now the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. In 1956 he launched the Veteran & Vintage magazine (now Classic Cars). In 1962, he co-founded Vintage Tyre Supplies which remains the world's largest supplier of original equipment tyres for veteran, vintage and classic cars. In 1967, the now world-famous Beaulieu Autojumble was held for the first time. The inspiration came from the automobile swap meets which Montagu saw in the United States and he was proud that the name he devised, Autojumble, was later given a place in the Oxford English Dictionary. An enlarged Motor Museum was opened at Beaulieu in 1972 inaugurated by the Duke of Kent. Then in 1989 the National Motor Museum Collections Centre opened to provide an administrative centre for the Charitable Trust and to house the ever-expanding motoring libraries and archives. The reference library is one of the largest of its kind and, together with the photograph and film libraries, is used by commercial and private researchers from all over the world.
But, it didn’t stop there, he was also instrumental in setting up an advisory group that became the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, of which he was President. Using his seat as an ‘elected’ hereditary peer in the House of Lords, he argued against attempts to introduce restrictive legislation on old cars, for example the introduction of seat belts into cars built before seat belts came into use. He helped ensure that vehicles built before 1975 are now exempt from vehicle tax. In 2012 Lord Montagu received the accolade of a lifetime achievement award for his dedication to preserving automotive history over many decades.
Edward Montagu showed a great interest in the use of old cars and was a frequent participant in car rallies and tours in Europe and beyond. I joined him on six of those tours, where companionship, a sense of fun and mutual technical advice and assistance were reciprocated. On one tour, the 1992 Rallye Monte-Carlo des Voitures Anciennes, the overdrive on my 20/25 came loose from its fixing; Edward and Doug Hill, the Beaulieu Museum’s Manager and Chief Engineer, provided the nuts and bolts to secure it and get me going again. On another tour, the 1997 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Roy O’Sullivan and I stopped to provide first aid to his 1914 Prince Henry Vauxhall which sadly could not complete the 10,000 mile journey due to a damaged radiator. He was always an enjoyable dinner companion and the source of a wealth of anecdotes and amusing stories.
We were pleased to be ‘waved off’ by Lord Montagu at Buckler’s Hard at the start of the 20-Ghost Club’s Centenary Tour of France in 2004 and we were delighted that he became an Honorary Member of our Club.
Sir John Stuttard
