Good show,many thanks to the owners of the cars on the stand,tommy(multipla) steve (smith special,topolino) gavin(coupe)tim(abarth coupe 1000)val,(stand personel/clubshop) stiggy, (130 leader) visitors liked the various cars, great to see various members of the club call in, thanks to neil clark for organising the stand,and the good humour on the three days,even the X1/9 Next door to us liked us! I think having the show open till 7pm was only because of the MPH show, a long day, and having our evening meal at 8.30 was pushing the night a bit,heard of owners who are restoring their fiats,plus some finds as well!

Membership Number: yes

Good show/weekend. Still waiting to hear from the Topo van owner......will I get a new project?
Steve.

Membership Number: 6610

you could get a new interesting soon, will be rare in this country,and how rusty it is,

Membership Number: yes

Recently bought a new 500. Have always been a sneaky admirer of various Fiats over my 44 years, but have never been brave enough to shell out for one before now. Inspite of having lived in Italy for two years, surrounded by constantly used and abused Fiats, I never quite trusted them in our damp climate.....
Anyway, disappointed there was not a single standard Fiat 500 on any stand at the NEC. I was also a bit disappointed by the Fiat club magazines I picked up, if I'm brutally honest. A bit thin, a bit lacking compared to the 2CV club magazine I am used to. I would really like to get into Fiats in a bigger way, especially now I have a new one. Not sure what I would be getting for my subscription though.
Sorry if this sounds negative. I hope some input from a prospective member may be of use? I absolutely loved the Multipla on the stand, by the way.

Cue Small Rant ...........

How can you judge a club by seeing us at the NEC, an environment that is somewhat alien to us, how about seeing us out at events that organisers within the club arrange.
The club is purely voluntary including the magazine there are no paid staff, we all have full time jobs etc. and very limited funds as we are a membership of around 400. The magazine (that I edit) is a labour of love every other month whcih I rely on members to contribute to to fill the pages, and although it may not have the feel and thickness of classic and sportscar magazine the content is in my opinion quite interesting and informative to members, and club funds only allow a 15 page glossy magazine, we simply cannot stretch to any more been put towards it, we'd rather spend funds on club shows and enabling members to get out and use their cars rather than festering at home reading a magazine.
As for your subscription, you would have got a whopping discount on any new fiat (too late now eh!?) 6 club magazines, discounted entry to club attended shows, insurance discounts - add all that up and the £25 we ask seems minimal. ooooh and for that you get a free associate membership, buy one get one free so to speak. Did you take the time to speak to anyone on the stand about club benefits?
Im sorry if my response seems a little negative, but it gets me really mad when people pick holes without seeing the full picture. The membership is very small which we are currently trying to change, the club has gone through some massive changes in the past twelve months, we are tring our hardest to improve things but it will simply not happen over night.
Ohhh and we didnt have a 500 as we had one on not long ago and we like to rotate which models we have each year - it would surely be slightly dull if the stand was the same every year ? We like to appeal to everyone and like to show that we cover all cars under the fiat marque, 500 seems the obvious choice - perhaps we think a little outside the box, if thats wrong sorry.

Membership Number: 11782

Very Well put Jeni. I can't get to most of the events but it does not mean that I do not appreciate all the work put into the running of the club and the events plus the hidden extras. I think the criticism was most unfair. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you and your families (for putting up with it!) Also a thank you for the work done on the website. Look forward to the year ahead.
The mad one.

Membership Number: Up to date. Honest.

In response to Mattom "there was no Fiat 500 on the stand" was my 1938 red Fiat 500 invisable to you?

Steve

Membership Number: 6610

The 2CV club is also run on a totally voluntary basis. Admittedly its membership is greater.

If a stand at the NEC is not a showcase designed to publicise a club and help increase membership then I am not entirely sure of the full point of it. People will make judgements based on it. I did not say the stand was poor nor the quality of the cars on show.

My points were there to show what the average punter walking past might think. Even if the thoughts are unpalatable (or wrong) perhaps it means the club is not getting its point across.

I don't doubt even for a second the hard work that goes into the club on every level.

My comment was that there was not a 500 (and I should perhaps have specified I meant the Nuova 500) on *any* stand at the show. In my opinion it is Fiat's most iconic car. Many new people (such as myself) have come to Fiat as a result of it and the modern one. Perhaps it *should* always be on the stand as a crowd-puller (and membership-increaser)? Imagine the classic car show without a Mini or a Morris Minor.

I had no idea the membership of the Fiat Motor Club was so small, especially as it has been so long established and covers such a wide range of models old and new. Perhaps there is a reason for this...

Membership Number: no

I can see this from both sides having done my bit . Big Society was not a Cameron invention it was something that has and still does keep many car clubs going & it is major commitment. Most car clubs have yearly election of officers so if anybody wants to put their effort where their mouth is then it is quicker than replacing the government. By their very nature many long established car clubs seem to slip into some sort of twilight zone , drifting and kept afloat by "the old gang"
The heart of any club is enthusiasm & communication so an internet based model is the way to go. To be honest when I visit this forum I seem to see the same half dozen people trying to have a chat. The fiat500club forum is just a tad better. Interesting that they refused to acknowledge the 126 , Cinquecento & Seicento but have let in the new 500, hoping for a new gravey train I guess but judging by the posts has not worked. Strangely the internet based Club126uk also welcome 500s and all the variants or anything close. The 126 site rocks but do not take my word , have a look. I have no vested interest and am a member of a number of car clubs , some of which frustrate the s**t out of me.
The Fiat Forum -- Well that's another storey

by the way,mattom did you chat to any members on the stand? we do talk! could have told you what you were wanting to know, the 500 is not the "be all" and "end all" of the fiat motor club,have you asked the 500 club why they didn`t show at the N.E.C,?

Membership Number: yes

As someone who has been on the Club stand for a number of years, I'd just like to point out that we can't win with the selection of cars! If you have a 4 car stand (which was all we could get) and a manufacturer making such a wide range of interesting cars, where do you start?

We have a classic 500 on the stand and receive a chorus of why haven't you got a Multipla, 127, 131, Panda, etc, etc. You put a Multipla there (which by the way got loads of attention all weekend, as did all the cars), and we get moans that there's not a 500 (or 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132, 133......... you get the idea!).

With all due respect someone like the 2CV or Allegro club have it easy - what shall we put on the stand? Er ,well, give me a minute & I'll organise a display for them...... We could actually arrange a display of previous Car of the Year winners, but would need a 10 car stand just for that - and there still wouldn't be a classic 500 there (124, 128, 127, Uno, Tipo, Punto, Bravo & Brava, Panda, 500)!

As regards the magazine, spot on Jeni & keep up the good work!

This Forum was one of the first on the Internet and used to get a lot more traffic. As other car forums came along folk have used those too, and our usage dropped - well why not use a 126 forum if you want to talk about 126s all day? Most of our members actually do something (like driving or restoring the cars, going to shows & generally having fun) rather than sitting around talking about it. Is that a bad thing? Most of the technical help is given direct by our registrars over the phone, and won't go anywhere near the Forum.

Members do get free access to technical help, discounts on parts, discounts on insurance, large discounts on new cars, £5m of insurance cover for Club events and displays, insurance valuations, dating of vehicles for DVLA purposes (the ONLY Fiat club in the UK which can do it - the 500 club come to us for this!), as well as a professional magazine written by the members (so they know how to change it if they don't like it!). Sounds pretty good for less than 50p a week to me.



Regards, Gavin.

Membership Number: 5260

A up Mattom thy as really touched a nerve there lad !

Membership Number: 10521 yes that is a membership number!

1. Quite. 2CVGB is a one-model (well, plus derivatives) club. The club was set up much later than the Fiat Motor Club (1978 to be exact) and the last 2CV was made 20 years ago. Quite a narrow audience you might think. Yet it has a membership of 2500. It is vibrant and has a cracking monthly magazine. I would say the majority of members of any car club are 'armchair members' who are content to just sit back and read the mag. Nothing wrong in that. Perhaps your mag could have regular sections by registrars? Reprints of old road tests etc etc? Some colour? A glossier bi-monthly might be a better bet. Otherwise your potential member's needs might be better met by purchasing AutoItalia and sidestepping the club completely.

I think the Citroen Car Club would perhaps be a fair comparison with the Fiat Motor Club, though I can't remember exactly when it was set up I know it is long-established and covers all Citroens to date. Their membership is about 2500 I believe. A meaty monthly magazine with sections for each model. And that considering many Citroenistes belong to other clubs instead (Traction Owners Club, 2CVGB).
Considering the number of Puntos, Pandas and 500s I see on the road every single day, surely there is enormous scope there? If only to join to get a discount on a new car.

2. I don't doubt the benefits of joining the club and the value for money in some respects. But again, if this is all so fantastic why is your membership as low as it is? Perhaps you are not getting your message across, as I said before. Fiat has had a big resurgence in recent years. Has your club membership? Perhaps you like to keep it as it is. Fine. But every club will die unless it attracts new members. This is very much on the minds of people within 2CVGB.

Membership Number: no