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The `Droop Snoot Group` was born from an open letter in `The
Motor` magazine in 1980, in which our founder Kit Spackman asked if there were
any more owners of High Performance Firenza's, Sportshatch`s and HS/HSR
Chevettes who may be interested in meeting up. A simple letter but one which
has changed many lives in the last 23 years. In Kit`s words " the phone
didn`t stop".
"....increased
the scope...."
We now have a core membership of around 300 members which,
when you consider the number of cars built, is very good. We also increased the
scope of the group by the addition of the flat fronted Firenza and Magnum
models.
"Old Nail" Replica
Like most clubs we have a variety of events
happening throughout the year
such as static displays, track days, active events indoor
shows etc.
"...born
through the Dealer Team Vauxhall..."
Motorsport has always played a large part in the
DSG, as most of the cars were born through the Dealer Team Vauxhall (DTV) Competition
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Department. Droop Snoots were
added to cars for
better aerodynamics and styling for the road, but just as important, more speed
on the race track. Any enthusiast of 1970`s racing will remember names such as
Old Nail, Big Bertha and Baby Bertha.
The drivers were household names as well, Gerry Marshall
being the most well loved. When DTV went rallying, the Magnum and then the
Chevette were the chosen cars, the Chevette having a particularly good career
with drivers like Penti Airikkala, Tony Pond and Russell Brooks.
"Chevette"
Replica
"...keep
the cars in the limelight..."
Through the DSG we keep the cars in the limelight and hope
visitors to our club events enjoy these rare and unusual cars being
polished, rallied, raced, sprinted and auto tested. In the past 23 years we
have become a regular feature of most classic car shows and have earned the
respect of the more mainstream clubs.
"...cars
with characters..."
The DSG is a success story, a club
with its own Limited
company that re-manufactures parts, produces an
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award- winning magazine, and
has cars with characters all their own.
We have a dedicated parts scheme with many contacts and a
remanufacturing
programme. As the cars are of limited production, we are also the main source
of information and parts supply.
"Firenza"
model
"...Droop
Snoot Noos..."
The groups magazine the "Droop Snoot Noos" is issued quarterly and
contains event listings, technical information, sales and points of interest.
However the DSG is run by volunteers and is
non-profit making. A new member has their subscription split with a proportion
going to the spares scheme to try to keep the rarest post war Vauxhalls alive, and
the remainder goes towards admin and to further our range of merchandise,
archive material, registers and of course the "Droop Snoot Noos".
"...on
the road and flying the flag..."
As stated earlier, we have a membership of
approximately 300
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and, although our club is relatively
small, we have been very
successful in our efforts to keep these cars on the road and flying the flag for
70's performance Vauxhalls.
"...a
founder member..."
The DSG is a known voice in larger circles, as a founder
member of the Vauxhall Bedford Opel Association and The Association of Historic
Motorsport Clubs. We are also members of the Federation of British Historic
Vehicle Clubs and are RAC affiliated.
We hope this has been an informative insight into the
DSG. If you have
any questions or are interested in joining our club, please contact, Denise
Lindsay Tel 01494 525948 or our Web address is www.droopsnootgroup.org.uk
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IMPORTANT CLUB EVENT
Look
out for the next profile - VAUXHALL OWNERS CLUB 1903-1957 coming soon . . .
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