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ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM
Lawrence All British Car Club spreads automotive enthusiasm
AARON GROENE/KANSAN
Members of the Lawrence All British Car Club park their cars outside of Conroy's Pub during their monthly meeting. British cars of all different makes and models show up there on the first Tuesday of every month.
An Austin-Healey 3000 grins, sitting in the parking lot of Conroy's Pub. This British sports car gets to hang out with other cars from across the pond during the Lawrence All British Car Club meetings.
AARON GROENE/KANSAN
KATE MILLER
@_Kate_Miller_
The Conroy's Pub parking lot looks a bit different every first Tuesday of the month. Rather than the common fare of modern cars, the parking lot is transported back in time as droves of Austin-Healeys, MGs, Triumphs, Jaguars and Minis settle in for the evening.
One wouldn't expect a town in the middle of the Midwest to have much of any culture besides homegrown American, but the British automobile culture is alive and thriving through Lawrence's All British Car Club. With 33 members and an average of at least one British car per member, the sight of so many foreign cars lined up draws crowds at meetings.
"They're beautiful to look at and beautiful objects in their own right," said Charles Linn, president of LBACC, owner of a 1960 "Bugyee" Sprite, and communications director at the School of Architecture, Art and Design.
The culture of British cars in the U.S. dates back to WWII. The automobiles were first imported to the U.S. after the war because of its stronger economy. GIs returning from Europe brought with them an admiration for the cars, and the automobiles have kept a solid footing in American automobile culture ever since even in Lawrence.
Seth Lewin, a graduate student from Portland, Ore., and a member of the club, had recently purchased a 1974 MGB when he spotted the club's cars parked along Massachusetts Street one evening. A group member waved him over to park with the rest of the cars along the street, and the rest is history.
Owners of the older British cars must have an advanced skill set for maintaining and repairing the cars, due to the vehicles' foreign nature and outdated parts. Lewin said without the club, his car might not be as complete
SEE CAR CLUB PAGE 13
AARON GROENE/KANSAN
Seth Lewin, a University of Kansas graduate student, is the proud owner of a 1974 MGB that he brings by the Lawrence All British Car Club every month. Lewin credits the community of the British car enthusiasts for helping maintain his car.
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