New Chairman for Standard Motor Club
Paul Newsome has been elected Chairman of the STANDARD MOTOR CLUB at the AGM held last Sunday. The Club is delighted with his appointment. Paul has a very long connection with Standard and a family connection as well. Paul was educated at Oundle School where he was able to follow a number of illustrious motoring men many of who had a major influence on the 20th century history of motoring. To name just a few, Raymond Mays founder of the ERA and BRM, Amherst Villiers who designed the Blower Bentley, A.G. B. Owen who bought the BRM and developed it to win the World Championship. In 1955 he joined Leyland Motors as an engineering Student at Wellington House, only a few years before John Lyons, who was a close friend of Paul’s at school had completed the same training after Oundle School. Son of Sir William Lyons, John was killed on the way over to Le Mans a few years later. In 1959 Paul joined The Standard Motor Company as a Trainee, at the same time Standard was bringing the Herald in to production and selling the Banner Lane Tractor plant to Massey Harris. 1n 1960 he joined S. H. Newsome & Company Limited the Coventry Standard Distributors as Service Manger and later Director. The Company had held a Standard Franchise since 1926. The company was founded by his father in 1924 and was later merged with The Coventry Hippodrome Company owned by the Newsome family and other Coventry business men. During his early career he also spent a few months, during the Championship year, working as personal assistant to Raymond Mays who was then Racing Director of BRM, this was a wonderful experience. The Standard Motor Company had helped the BRM develop the V16 car before BRM had their own full machining facilities. Standard cars have been in Paul's blood since he was born. Paul even remembers being driven to North Wales in a Standard 12 the day after the Coventry Blitz as an evacuee, until he could return to Warwick with safely. In 1959 Paul first met John Davy who was spares controller at Standard, at that time he was getting together the Standard Register of pre 1930 cars still in existence from which the Standard Motor Club was formed. In 1962 an apprentice at Standard was using a 1926 Charlecote Coupé as an everyday car, John Davy suggested that as S.H.Newsome had first held the Standard Dealership in 1926 this would be an ideal car to buy. The rest is history and a picture is attached of Paul driving the car in 2009. In 1969 the family decided to sell the various businesses owned by the family. Paul left the company and joined the then Rootes Group to manage the division running the wholly owned dealerships. During this period his "Standard Blood" had to take a back seat, but on retirement he was able to take up the "Standard Banner" with great enthusiasm. Paul drives his 1926 car to many events and rallies during the year. The maintenance of an 80 year old car is always a challenge, but Paul's engineering knowledge enables him to make or have made any parts needed, and this has encouraged him to help to develop the Standard Motor Club spares service. Since Paul has been a member of the Standard Motor Club committee he has helped the club develop a very active spares service for members to help keep the surviving cars on the Road. The Club now has approaching 1000 members After the AGM Paul commented that to follow Peter Lockley as Chairman will be a very hard job. Peter has been Chairman for 18 years and has helped develop the club to the very excellent organisation it is today.