Many of our friends jet off each year to destinations such as the Caribbean, Florida or Thailand in search of sun, sea and sand. My wife and I on the other hand prefer to travel to places that are within range of our classic cars. Whether Sweden or Italy, France or Spain, all of these countries harbour destinations that appeal to us. But there are many more. Extending the reach of Classic Index Europe-wide will serve our personal aspirations very well indeed, giving us key information about all of favourite holiday spots! But many other classic car owners also enjoy the freedom of touring with their "little treasures". Classic Index is now well established in the Netherlands, in addition to the German speaking countries of central Europe. But what of Great Britain, the homeland of many Classic vehicles?

The British Isles, their natives and are well worth a visit. Even the food (especially the cooked breakfast and roast lunches!) is well worth a try. Lately the exchange rate has meant that a holiday in England has become very affordable. Last year we had a trip along the southern English country roads in our MG TD. We visited Bath and Stonehenge, passed Amesbury and visited Abingdon, the town where our little jewel was built!

We journeyed through Oxford, Bedford and Cambridge and eventually reached the ferry port of Harwich, completely avoiding motorways and trunk roads, especially the M25 - Europe's biggest car park! We did not need a workshop on the trip, but we did also not see any. This year we did things slightly differently. Our aim was to spend a few days in the county of Sussex. A friend of mine (also a Classic Car enthusiast) gave me a few addresses of Bed and Breakfasts (* see below) You can already find some of these hostelries in the "50 km radius" search tool on the website. However with a lot of luck (and some insider information) you might be able to find such accommodation without using Classic Index.

For example, I only managed to find Terry Bone, a specialist in pre- and post-war MGs, because the owner of the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed knew him personally and he lived in the village. Terry wants to keep his address private, but you will now be able to locate him if you need his assistance using the "50 km radius" tool. The only firm that was really easy to locate was the SC Parts Group Ltd. This is a British outlet of the German firm Limora and is situated on a main road in Crawley, not far from Gatwick Airport. You will find solutions to almost every parts-related problem in this extremely well stocked warehouse. They are even able to source complete engines for their British customers. I was only able to locate the other locations with the help of my SATNAV and tips from the locals. Many firms were occupying old farm buildings, where the addresses were lovely house names but had no house number! Driving onto the grounds, sometimes past ponds and pets, I was not ready for some of the wonders that I found. There was always help to be found, such as at Rosehill Farm, home of „Classic Cars of Kent Ltd".

Alongside BMW race and sports cars stood many British classic cars. Most you will know the history of "Triton Bikes" But I myself had never seen the small racing bike variant with a Norton-Manx engine. Many of you will also be aware of the last Mr Bean, made in 2009. In the movie a scene was shot at the Goodwood racing circuit, where Rowan Atkinson displayed his racing skills in his famous Mini. Mr Bean's Mini is part of the CCK collection. But there are much more interesting things to uncover there. Technical assistance for just about every problem was provided by CCK.
The same level assistance was on offer at "West Sussex Restorations", "Simply Classics" und „Robin Lackford". These firms specialise in the restoration, maintenance and servicing of classic cars. The Morris Minor specialist „ESM" is located in an old industrial unit. Because the Brits started using a standardised automotive spare parts system early on, not only Morris Minor owners are able to find suitable spare parts here. In fact it is often cheaper to find suitable spare parts much more cheaply somewhere like ESM rather than from a specialist supplier (for example Jaguar headlight units)

Although this region of England between London and Brighton gave a very postivie impression, we at Classic Index still need to work hard to convince other Classic Car related companies that publishing their details on ClassicIndex.eu is worthwhile. All of the firms we visited were very supportive of the website's aim and we believe that everyone is a winner. In most cases publishing advertising information is also completely free. If you are interested in having your firm's details on the website please do get in touch. It is a pleasure for us to help.

The Bed and Breakfast run by Sue Coppard in called Red Ghyll. It is in the village of Newick, not far from Brighton and costs £35 per person/night. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Phone +44 7939711831. Details here: Red Ghyll. Other interesting and worthwhile locations to visit in the United Kingdom can be found in "Travelling & Event". A 10% reduction in ferry fares is offered to registered members of "Travelling Britain".