The Foothills British Car Club is group of passionate car enthusiasts in the upstate of South Carolina who focus on the automobiles of Great Britain. In 2024 we enjoyed our 30th year of activity under formal bylaws, with a strong organization anticipating a great future. We have over 150 members and over 200 vehicles in our registry.

     In the early 1990’s David and Elaine Galloway placed an ad in the Anderson newspaper to gather folks who were interested in British cars.  They didn’t know what to expect, but there were indeed like-minded people in the area who owned, drove, raced and repaired cars from England.  For a few years they met informally at a furniture store in Anderson for social meetings and casual car events.  They established a formal organization with bylaws, a board and officers in 1994.  Jim Harbison was the first president followed by Butch White in 1995.  Initially the dues were only a roll of first-class stamps in order to receive the printed copy of the newsletter.

     Harbison and White, along with 2001 President Ed Seagrave, and Carey Jones, initiated the EURO auto show on the grounds of the BMW Zentrum visitor center to provide the upstate a venue for exhibiting all European automobiles in addition to those of England.  BMW provided their facility for this show, and the event quickly grew until it became a separate organization dedicated to conducting the event.  It also grew too large physically, and remodeling at the BMW grounds required a venue change.  The show moved to the Embassy Suites golf course in 2015 and then to Hotel Hartness in 2025.

     Carey Jones served as president in 1996, followed by Elaine Galloway in 1997.  Mike Barefield stepped up to be president in 1998, and Tim Strickland in 1999, and they both continue to be active in our club today.  Other early members who contributed to the club’s growth were 2002 President Bill Manning, and Ray Campbell.  Candace Philips, Billy and Connie Pickens, Marty and Patti Shane, and Tom and Connie Buto who were also early members who continue to be part of FBCC today. In 2008 the Ed Seagrave award winner Jean Ashworth, 2005 President Steve Poteet, and 2007 President Ed Leese also made valuable contributions to the continued prosperity of the club, and we can only wonder where we would be without the service of Eddie Saunders who served as president in both 2004 and 2011.

     Monthly meetings were held at various restaurants including Circle K BBQ and Capri’s in Anderson which no longer exist. Attempts were made to try different venues and to also rotate them until a fixed location and date were selected as the second Tuesday of the month at Fatz restaurant in Easley.  This was calculated as the geographical center of our membership in the upstate.  Presentations became a regular part of the meeting highlighting mechanical topics, recent drives and area car shows.  Some unique driving events came about such as the “looking for snow” run, which was pretty much what it sounds like.  Members would bundle up in the winter, drive up into North Carolina until they found the white stuff.  A “Lucas Madness Run” took place in the upstate as a night driving event to see who could make it home while they still had working headlights.   

     Racing was an early part of the appeal of the club as drivers and their families would travel the southeast competing in large and small venues, acquiring experience and some really interesting stories in the process. Mike Barefield, Mike Blair, Pat Harris, Jim Dunkel, Tom and Connie Buto, Bob Moore, Roy Scharwachter, Chuck Gee, Robert Zatz and Eddie Saunders are all current members who were involved in competitive motorsports in one way or another over the years.  This passion for driving, repairing and upgrading British cars was an important foundation for FBCC to evolve as a club with a strong technical orientation that continues today.  Valve cover races and spirited games of cornhole also periodically pop up in the spirit of competition.

     2010 President Jack Donegan provided an immeasurable boost to car maintenance on his passing in 2015.  He gifted his hydraulic lift, hand tools, and equipment to the club as a legacy for all the members to be able to work on their cars and learn together in a dedicated setting.  Thanks to member Kirk Fisher’s generosity this was established in 2017 as Jack’s Legacy Garage in Kirk’s building on Poinsett Highway in Greenville.  Monthly technical sessions are now part of the club schedule of events and afford the opportunity for everything from performing simple tasks to onsite tutorials on engine functions and repairs.  

     The close of 2018 completed 25 years of formal existence for the Foothills British Car Club., and several steps were taken in the ensuing years to strengthen and formalize our club.  Our logo was trademarked, and the club was incorporated as a limited liability corporation with improved officer and director insurance coverage. Thanks to Scott and Karen McCombe we continue to enjoy a very comprehensive monthly newsletter that is the envy of many other regional car clubs.

     In 2020 Covid interrupted the club’s regular schedule for a year and meetings were conducted online over the Zoom app. After a trial of several area restaurants the regular monthly business meetings returned to the same location in Easley although it was now a Willy Taco franchise. We found that Zoom was a very useful communication tool and board meetings continue in this manner. We continue to rotate venues for our monthly in-person business meeting, trying new places in the Greenville Anderson area.

      In addition to regular monthly business and tech meetings, there are formal and casual events throughout the year. We have frequent drives and relish our proximity to wonderful mountain roads in the Blue Ridge. We attend car shows both locally and, in the region, and frequently conduct group activities at automobile related venues. We have a summer picnic and an annual holiday party in addition to many informal gatherings during the year. Each year the President’s Overnighter gathers the club for a destination drive, usually to a recreational area or regional car show for an extended weekend together. We enjoy each other’s company as much as the cars that we drive.

     We are a diverse group with members from many career backgrounds and different areas of the country, all coming together to share our interest in cars and make new friends in the process. We are looking forward to the next 30 years from a position of strength and optimism.