Lord Steel of Aikwood has been appointed as president of the FBHVC. He follows in the footsteps of the late Edward, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, who had been a director and president since the Federation was created in 1988.
David Steel is a great motoring enthusiast and a member of the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group. He won the Roxburgh by-election in 1965, went on to become leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 to 1988 and then presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2003.
His first car was a 50% share with a school chum, a 1932 Morris Eight, with a centre throttle, in which he learnt to drive. He describes his best car as a Daimler Barker Special Sports – a three-seater that he sold for £100 “on the arrival of our second child”. A new Jaguar F-Pace replaced his Jaguar XJS convertible and his classic is now a Morris Minor. In the 1990s, he competed and marshalled on several long distance rallies. One of the highlights was in ’97 when he tackled the Hero ERO London to Cape Town Rally driving an Austin Gypsy, achieving a bronze medallion.
