VAC Brno

Founding members after participating in the 1st historic vehicle race in Pardubice in 1960.

Praga Mignon at full speed at a race in 1960 in Pardubice.

The start of the cars at the BVV in 1963. In front is an L&K Voitureta vehicle, on the left is Turicum, on the right is Windhof, in the back is L&K.

Meeting in Prague at the Rudolfinum

The Pardubice driver Zavřel closed with the Lancia Lambda in a hot race at the 1963 BVV.

Oldřich Šanda and Miroslav Greif took a sharp turn at the Brno Exhibition Center in a 1920 Walter WZ car in 1963.

Motorcycle start at the BVV in 1963. No. 59, Mr. Rychtera, had bad luck during the sharp start – his belt fell off.

Mr. Rychtera with a Laurin & Klement motorcycle.

The Veteran Club in Brno was founded by a remark made by Mr. Havránek, an announcer at the Brno Grand Prix. In 1959, during a break, he announced that the first historic vehicle race in the post-war Czechoslovakia was being prepared in Pardubice for 1960. This relatively small piece of information set off a chain reaction that has not stopped even now, forty years later.

Five enthusiasts from Brno – Husovice went to see the Brno Grand Prix at that time and immediately agreed that they had to take part in such a race. They managed to obtain a Laurin & Klement car from 1923. Its original owner was a blacksmith in Viničné Šumice, who was no longer alive and the unused car was standing in a barn. After clearing away the old junk under which the Laurin was located, it was enough to drip a little petrol under the spark plugs, turn the crank three times and off we went. Ten days of feverish preparations followed and on September 12, 1960, the five brave men set off to Pardubice to test their strength. The car had no roof and Messrs. Báňa, Fuller, Greif, Skoták and Šanda got pretty wet during the journey and, on top of that, upon arriving in Pardubice, they searched in vain for any mention of historic vehicles. Not one of them thought to check the date of the race in advance, which was not held until a whole month later. So they turned to the return journey and devoted the saved month to more thorough preparation for the race. In October, they took 3rd place on the five-kilometer Pardubice circuit.
Praga Mignon at full speed at a race in 1960 in Pardubice.
The race was an important meeting of people with similar interests and prompted the establishment of several associations in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The Department of Historic Vehicles was founded in Brno at the AMK Svazarm Královopolské strojírna in Brno. Membership fees were set at 10 CZK per month and another car – a Walter from 1920 – became the club’s common property. In 1963, a long-term cooperation began with the Brno Exhibition Centre, where a demonstration drive of historic vehicles was regularly organised on the occasion of the International Engineering Fair. Over 100 historic vehicles took part and over 40,000 spectators came to watch. The following year, another edition of this successful race was organised.
The third car in the club's collection, after the L&K and Walter, was the Fiat 509 from 1923. The general relaxation of the atmosphere in the sixties was also reflected in the environment of historic vehicles. There were more and more races and various shows, the number of members increased and contacts were established with foreign clubs. In 1964, the club members took advantage of an invitation to the Veteran Rallye in Dresden, where they went with the Benz Parcifal 1902, Walter 1920, Peugeot 1923. In 1965, the club was renamed the Veteran Automoto Club Brno with 23 members, 9 cars and 5 motorcycles. The following year, participation in the races in Dresden was repeated (Walter and the Czech motorcycle). Five Brno crews went to Italy at the invitation of the Italian Veteran Club. They brought home several prizes from the Milano – Torino star race and the Rallye Aqui Therme race. Both mentioned trips were undertaken on their own axis with Walter, Praga Picolo 1924 and Praga Picolo 1934 cars, which in the case of the Italian race meant traveling over 3,600 km.
Most vintage car enthusiasts do not limit their interest to vehicles, but love old things in general. That is why the historic weapons and curiosities club became a logical part of the Brno club. In 1968, the club had 65 members with 18 cars and 16 motorcycles. The most important sporting event was undoubtedly the International Veteran Car Rallye Brno-Macocha-Brno. 66 crews from all over Europe took part in it. The race was started by Mrs. Eliška Junková and there was also a runner with a red flag - exactly according to the flag law. A big event was the participation of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost from 1909. The rally was included in the European Cup. Many prominent collectors from all over Europe and overseas came. After this meeting, the club received many invitations to many foreign races. Mr. Langer participated in the Vienna-Baden race in a Mercedes 500K, Mr. Dvořák in a Chrysler, and Mr. Severa in a Praga Alfa.
Other vehicles that club members had at their disposal at this time were a Mercedes 500K from 1933, a Tatra 12 from 1926, another from 1927, a Chrysler Plymouth from 1926, and motorcycles Orion from 1907 and Guzzi from 1935. One of the most successful cars was still the Walter, in which Mr. Šanda won 1st place in a race organized for the 70th anniversary of the Kopřivnice Tatra. Another addition to the club was a group of enthusiasts from Rosice near Brno with a 1926 Packard fire truck. In 1969, Mr. Vitoul with a 1927 Indian Scout motorcycle, Mr. Rozmarýn with a 1926 Indian Prince, Mr. Coufal with a Sunbeam and Mr. Zemánek with a 1925 Gräf and Stift car began to appear at club events. At the Veteran Car Rally in Ostrava in 1970, the club was newly represented by Mr. Kozelek with a 1911 L&K, Mr. Konfršt with a 1928 Škoda R6 and Mr. Staňa with a 1927 Z 18. VAC Brno provided road control at the renewed popular pre-war 1000 Czechoslovak miles race and some club members began to regularly perform organizing duties at the Grand Prix in Brno. In 1971, VAC Brno had only 46 members who participated in regularly organized domestic events, foreign invitations were politely declined. A 1940 Phönomen bus was purchased with money raised from a voluntary collection among members.
Years of quiet work followed. Thousands of part-time hours were worked by club members on the construction of the club workshops on Cacovická Street. A person lives not only by work, and so they regularly participate in the International Veteran Car Rally in Ostrava, České Budějovice, Pardubice, the Zbraslav-Jíloviště races and many other exhibitions and meetings. Among the foreign events, these are mainly the races in Sopron, Szeged and Berlin. Since 1978, the Spring Meeting of Historical Vehicles of the Vysočina Region has been regularly organized. Club members continue to cooperate with the Brno Technical Museum, the BVV and the Grand Prix. Until 1987, the club organized the Brno-Soběšice race, the tradition of which has been renewed again and was last run in 1999. Among the foreign successes, one can include the absolute victory of Mr. Sedlář in a 1931 Tatra 52 in the Veteran Rally in Csongrad, Hungary, in 1979. Two years later, his success was repeated by Dr. Kinc na Tatra 87 from 1947. In the 1980s, regular activities were supplemented by the renovation of fire engines Praga – Aero 150, model year 1948 and Praga Alfa 1925, as well as work on new club premises on Francouzská Street, which offered greater comfort than the original workshop. In 1985, the Veteran Automoto Club had 96 members, 55 tested, 78 untested cars, 40 tested and 53 untested motorcycles. A significant event in 1988 was a trip to the Riga race organized by the Antiq Automobil klubs Riga. Jiří Hořice took 1st place there in strong global competition. After the revolution in 1989, many members stopped renovating and devoted themselves to other activities; on the contrary, many began to professionally devote themselves to activities directly related to the renovation of historic vehicles. For example, the company of Mr. Jiří Hořice deals with the production of replicas, whose quality products are also used on the demanding English market. The excellent body shop of Eda and Martin Treschl is also making a name for itself in the world, where, in addition to minor repairs, they also produce complete bodies for historical gems such as the Talbot T23 Cabriolet from 1938.
Several club events and trips took place in the 1990s. VAC became the organizer of veteran car exchanges – spring and autumn – which gradually became the best events of this kind in the country. Currently, the club has 95 members who regularly participate in events at home and abroad. Some of the most active members are: Vítězslav Zezula, who owns a unique collection of trucks and passenger cars, Petr Eliáš with a 1938 Talbot Lago, Miroslav Eliáš with a 1938 Mercedes Faeton, Jan Hrubý with a 1936 BMW 316, Petr Uhlíř with a 1929 Morgan Aero tricycle, Vojtěch Kinc with a 1946 Tatra 87, Stanislav Baláš with his Tatras, Bedřich Nechvátal with Praga and Willis, Stanislav Mikeš with Praga and motorcyclists Milan and Jiří Křeček, Miroslav Rychlík, Milan Vlček, Boris Krepl and others. The club actively participates in events of its Slovak colleagues – 500 km Slovak, Trnava-Nitra, Budapest-Bratislava… It regularly organizes trips to foreign exhibitions Retromobile in Paris and Oldtimer Messe in Tulln, Austria, large Oldtimermarkt exchanges in Manheim, Munich, Ludwigshafen and Beaulieu. For the 40th anniversary of the founding of VAC Brno, the club is preparing an exhibition together with the Brno Automotodrom, combined with a promotional ride around the Masaryk Circuit. A publication about the club’s history is also being prepared. Members regularly meet every first Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. in their clubhouse in the AMK Královo Pole complex at Francouzská ul. 97.

Written by Jiří Mewald (Motor Journal No. 1/2000)