The 'old' Heinkel Owners club and associated bits

[adi]

In my truly boring campaign of hassling everyone and anyone until some info about YLP570 comes to light, I came across a strange fact by talking to the Heinkel archives person. This may be obvious to alot of the more established members here, but remember I was born in the late 80s, have been in the UK for a few years and didn't even know what a bubble car is until about 2 yrs ago, so there are some things which I just dont know about the bubble car scene here, that may seem obvious to others.

One of these things is that it seems the current Heinkel owners club, and the Heinkel owners club from back when they were current, are supposedly not related at all, and in fact the current owner's club doesn't know much about the old owners club.

If there was an owners club for Heinkels back then, there is a high chance that YLP570 would have been in it, which means somewhere in somebody's attic or in some dusty book somewhere there is a squiggle about it.

So, what happened to the 'old' owners club? Anyone know anything about it? Who ran it, where, etc etc. Any ex-members here? Or does anybody know any ex-members? I know you applied through your dealership to be a member, so all the adverts apparently don't have an address.

But somebody must know something,

Anybody happen to have any leaflets/adverts/brochures/any other material about the 'old' club?

It would be very interesting to see any info about the old club, perhaps it can lead to somebody who has some kind of scrap of paperwork or a personal memory about my car. Stranger things have happened.

[Big Al]

Briefly

 The HTOEC started thanks to the Burford Rallies of Tony Marshall when it was clear that there were more than a few people interested in Trienkels. I was one of the early members. It ran, not without problems, until it became clear that selling spares was leaving the members open to liability claims. It was therefore decided to take the Club into Limited Liability status at an AGM vote. To do this meant having directors. In effect to do this a club is a club no more but a small business as someone has to be in charge and democracy can go out the window. This debate as well as several other problems of a long and complicated sort meant that there was something of a split of interests in the active members on the committee. Quite why the Archive Trust felt it needed to go such a separate way I do not know but neither was a I a huge supporter of going Limited at the time myself. I still prefer a mutual club over a limited one by choice. Soon after I dropped off the committee. On doing so none of the original HTOEC people were serving committee members, though several repeared briefly from time to time.
 The Archive Trust was always separate from either club as the idea was to keep a sample, new or the best second hand, of every part used to make the cars. Also it has a collection of documentation. Clearly if the club folded this collection would be dispersed so it was placed in a deed of trust so it will remain for ever a resource to owners. This so if any part was made there would be a good one to copy. The HTOEC actually donated much of the Archive from its spares to the Archive Trust but as far as I know the HTC Ltd that replaced it has never treated to borrow a part to re manufacturer. Indeed I understand a new repository of reference parts is building up.
  What amazed me is that the Messerschmitt clubs failed and continue to fail to undertake this simple and sensible policy. Not sure about the other clubs out there. I would love to know why the Trienkel initiative has not born fruit however as it seems a pretty sterile idea at the moment. As it happens the Archive Trust are having their Trusties meeting in a few weekends time and two of them are on this site so maybe able to correct my understanding of the situation.
  As to any archive HTOEC files I do not know who would have those.

Trust that answers the general question if not the specific desire.

[adi]

I think maybe my question was misunderstood, I am talking about the OLD club, the one that was current when these cars were current. When you bought your shiny new Heinkel in the late 50s/early 60s, you could join the official manufacturer-endorsed owners club, right?

Somebody told me that that club was entirely different and has nothing to do with the current club, which is what you are talking about. Like, the old club stopped existing years and years ago, before the current club was even here.

[Stuart Cyphus]

Somebody told me that that club was entirely different and has nothing to do with the current club, which is what you are talking about. Like, the old club stopped existing years and years ago, before the current club was even here.

 This is correct. The old Heinkel Owners Club seems to have been solely for UK-import Heinkels during their actual production period of 1954-1962 (including Irish production) Chances are it would have been more of a late 1950s thing than early '50s. There are two possible end dates for this club, 1960-61 when German production ended, or 1962 when Irish production ended. I've not heard of anything similar for Trojan bubblecars back in the day done by the factory. The Trojan Owners Club was started independently in 1954 & does not really recognise the Trojan bubblecar.

 Then we enter the barren period of the 60s when the bubblecar in general was rapidly fading from view by the end of the decade and into the early 1970s, when as stated, various entirely new clubs were being founded all over the place, most of which with no links at all to any club present in production days.

 About the only clubs around today with links to the production era is the Bond Owners Club and the Messerschmitt Owners Club, both with their direct roots in the 1950s.

[g-o-g-g-o]

Hi Adi
          Your on a lost cause tring to find the "records" of the original heinkel club - It was just a group of owners down the local pub that owned Heinkel cars - There was no special joining up ceremony when you bought your car there was no more than 100 persons in the club and that is why it's so difficult to find a badge - I have an old copy of a scooter mag that contains three lines on "the club" - I think you are wasting your time in assuming all of the new owners joined the club.
  My Aunt had a heinkel in the 50's and she was never a member of the club - these cars were quite popular with lady drivers - so I suggest you look at lady drivers clubs - my Aunt has just turned 90 and that is the approximate age you are lookiing at to try and get a responce.
  Good luck with your search - but I'm sure it will fail - you worst enemy is the Government department who ordrerd all af the old recorde to be destroyed in the 80's.

                                                                                                                                                                          Mike

[richard]

i have never read anything at all about the original Heinkel Owners Club , of the 1950's . i did once have a badge on my badge bar which ended up with g-o-g-g-o . we were on the committee , with big al , of the HTOEC and later the Heinkel Trojan Club Ltd but no reference was ever made to the much earlier club . as said earlier i am not sure that this was a well supported club.

[Axiam]

Can some one explain what the Heinkel Trojan archive trust is ?.  I don't think I have heard of this one before and have had a Trojan for a very long time now.  Can't find them on google and looked in Crusier News and dont see them mentioned. 

[Rob Dobie]

Can some one explain what the Heinkel Trojan archive trust is ?

Here they are.... http://www.trojanmuseumtrust.org/index.html

[richard]

right where do we start with this one then?
unfortunately Rob is incorrect - that website is of the totally separate , and very different, Trojan museum Trust - clue is in the different name Rob
firstly there are two separate topics on the forum at the moment, both with similar queries - it would have helped to keep them together
secondly sloppy detail and sloppy spelling ( i know , my pet subject ) It was the Heinkel/Trojan Enthusiasts Club, the HTOEC that became the Heinkel Trojan Club Ltd. not the HTEOC !
Alan covered , i think very well , why and how it was formed ( see above ) basically some members of the HTOEC committee were against, on several principles, the idea of a Ltd company being formed . so to safekeep all the original archive materials ( from any possible bankruptcy or selling off for profit by any possible future  group of directors ) The Heinkel Trojan Archive Trust was formed and were given all the materials by the HTOEC when it became the company .
Since then the three Trustees David Hambleton ,Mike Shepherd and myself endeavour to preserve what we inherited but also beg and buy new materials for the benefit of future generations. we hold regular committee meetings and attend various shows as we can with the very limited funds available .
David Hambleton is a very long time enthusiast of anything Trojan , pots and pans, campbeds, trobikes , trotents, trokarts as well as the bubbles and 4 wheel cars that preceded them. he quite separately runs the Trojan Archive Trust -- it all sounds very complicated and incestuous but works fine . Next question please   
 
 

[Rob Dobie]

Woops! I stand corrected. I'll keep my mouth shut. 

[richard]

sorree  appreciate you were trying to help

[Big Al]

I believe Dave found some HOC newsletters when clearing out one of the donations to the Trojan Museum Trust. Might have been Marc the Shark. I suggest you ask him in a few weekend. I can remember laughing about the names and some of the events. It was a pretty South East based activity from the few things we saw. If a set of these magazines could be found it would be a marvellous snapshot into owning a Trienkel on the cusp of the '60's.
Both Trusts continue to collect stuff, I have donated parts to it myself as it is a safe, non business orientated place to keep things. Dave has a longterm plan to run a museum and is way ahead in this area of protecting a collection by law while other think about it. Well worth consulting as while being barking mad he is also rather wise. This was why he was suggested as a safe haven for RUMcar archives etc.

[adi]

Well, thanks for all the info folks!