Community Highlights | Charterhouse School

OC Motor Club

We are excited to share a new opportunity for car enthusiasts. The OC Motor Club has been re‑established after a lapse of some years, bringing together OCs, current and past parents, as a friendly place for fellow petrol heads to connect and share enthusiasm and knowledge.

The club will provide a platform to interact with the School – specifically the Design Engineering department – giving pupils the benefit of our expertise through support with technical queries, restoration projects and talks on a range of automotive subjects.

The School has a rich automotive history with several OC racing and rally drivers. The most famous was “Bentley Boy” Captain Woolf Barnato (G1911), Le Mans winner and former Chairman of Bentley. His daughter, Diana, famously flew 260 Spitfires to squadrons in WW2. Other notable OCs include Formula E driver Sam Bird (W03); Noel Mavrogordato (V1922), a Brooklands 100 mph Gold Star winner; J. M. Henderson (D1921); Charles Turner (L1919), a Brooklands 120 mph Badge winner; Sir George Burton (G1922), a Ferrari and Alvis connoisseur who raced at Brooklands and in the RAC Rally; and Group Captain Stafford Coulson (W33), a Brooklands Gold Star recipient and head of the RAF Motor Sports Association.

Our first event will be a car show on Carthusian Day. Charterhouse has kindly allowed the club to invite owners of Classic and Sports cars to bring theirs along. This will help us gauge interest and see the range of cars within the community. Other events under discussion include rallies, pub meets and visits to local automotive sites.

The club will be run by representatives from OCs, parents, and Beaks. The initial committee comprises:

Stephen Carter (OC, S71) – Mechanical Engineering graduate, member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club and the High Performance Club; owner of a Lotus Elan Sprint and Alfa Romeo 6C replica.

John Skipper (OC, B82) – Former fan of the School’s Motor Club; Engineering graduate from Cambridge; former Competitions Secretary of both the University Motor Club and the London Car Club; runs a Daimler V8‑250 and is restoring a Triumph Spitfire Mk IV.

Jim Miller (OC, P85) – Engineering graduate from Cambridge and one of the last apprentices trained at Brooklands; former chief patent attorney overseeing IP for around 50 cars; worked on hypercars and F1, LMP1 and Formula E projects; runs a Morgan +8, Aston Martin V8 (1974) and a Lagonda LC 2‑litre Speed Model.

Tim Miller (OC, P83) – Automotive Engineering graduate from Loughborough; former Jaguar Graduate Engineer during the XJR‑9 and XJR‑12 Le Mans era; restorer of multiple Jaguars and MGs; currently rebuilding the engine and clutch on his 1934 3‑litre Lagonda.

Tim Smith (Parent) – Long‑time collector with cars including a Jaguar XK 120, E‑Type, Willys Jeep, Mini Cooper S, Austin Healey 3000 and a 1926 Bentley Red Label; currently assisting the Engineering Department with their WW2 Willys Jeep restoration.

Andy Thomson, Head of Design Engineering, shared his enthusiasm for the club’s return, highlighting the powerful link it creates between design engineering and real‑world application, and the impact hands‑on automotive projects can have on pupils.

You don’t need to own a Classic or Sports car to join – all enthusiasts are welcome. We hope to see a strong turnout on Carthusian Day to give momentum to these plans.

Join the OC Motor Club