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.

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.

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.

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.