The North Bay British Car Club was formed in 2001 for owners of classic British cars to get together for regular group drives through the scenic north bay countryside. The club is a loose-knit organization with no dues or officers, just enthusiastic volunteers. It's located in the Santa Rosa/Sonoma County area but has members from all over Northern California.
The NoBBC is dedicated to keeping classic British sports and touring cars not just up and running, but out on the road where they belong, and can best be enjoyed by both the drivers and everyone they encounter along the route. Owners of all British marques are welcome and encouraged to join the club and participate in club drives.
The NoBBC is not about club presidents, officers, committees, elections, or any of the politics that tend to go along with these things. The club has no meetings, no newsletter, no treasury, and no bylaws. The NoBBC is solely about driving our classic British cars along some of the best back roads in the state, and of course enjoying the social aspects of meeting and driving with other British car enthusiasts.
You can learn more about the NoBBC from the photos, notices, and event calendar here on this website. You can learn more about NoBBC drives here. The club also has a Facebook Group (NOBBC) if you're so inclined. We hope you'll like what the NoBBC has to offer, and hope to see you and your British car out on an NoBBC drive soon.
How often are group drives held?
The NoBBC meets twice a month on the second and fourth Saturdays, except during the winter when we meet only on the second Saturday. This can be modified occasionally to accomodate other club events. Click the Events tab above for exact dates.
Where do you meet?
We tend to start all drives from the same location. This is currently Sonoma Valley Bagel, 350 Rohnert Park Expressway W, Rohnert Park, California 94928.
What time do the drives start?
Drivers get together around 10:00 a.m. and depart around 10:30. Roughly. Certainly never earlier.
How long are the drives?
The route is generally agreed upon at the start, along with a lunch venue, and typically ends up around 50-100 miles long. In any case it's perfectly okay to start with the group and depart early.
Do I need to be an NoBBC member to drive?
No, all British car owners are welcome along on any of our drives. The main reason for signing up is to receive email notices about upcoming drives. You also need to sign up if you want to post pictures or messages on this website.
Should I bring a lunch?
Not usually necessary. Most drives end at a reasonably-priced deli, drive-in, or restaurant. If this isn't possible, the drive notice email will include a reminder to pack a lunch, and the group will stop to eat at a scenic outdoor spot along the route.
What about the pace?
The NoBBC accommodates all types of drivers, from spirited to leisurely. The group stays together for the most part, but if it does get stretched out, it will stop to regroup within a few miles.
What about rain?
The NoBBC drives are fair weather events only. If the forecast is dicey, a few drivers will likely show up, but if it's pouring down rain when you look out the window, probably not.
What if I break down?
It turns out this is very rare. The group will come to a stop, and sometimes the tools, expertise, and/or parts will be available to effect repairs on the spot. No guarantees, but in any case the group won't voluntarily leave a fellow driver stranded alongside the road alone.
Who's in charge?
You are, as much as anyone. Or actually, everyone and no one. On any given drive, the route and destination are open for discussion, and the lead driver tends to default to whomever is willing and able. You are free to join in for any or all of it.
Why NoBBC and not NBBCC?
Not really a question about drives, but the NoBBC name was coined when the club was first formed, and no one today is concerned enough to do anything about it. It's close enough.
Can I bring a newer model British car?
You'll find mostly classic British cars on NoBBC drives, but if your car was made in England (or at least by a traditionally British car company), we'd love to see it, and you're more than welcome.
My car isn’t in great shape, is that okay?
Most of our cars are drivers, not show cars. We all take a great deal of pride in our cars, but condition isn't a requirement of membership. If your British car runs and you think it'll go the distance, we want you here.
The NoBBC got its start on Yahoo Groups, but we no longer maintain the club roster there. Sign up here to get drive notifications and to post pictures, messages, and items for sale. The NoBBC has no officers, bylaws, newsletter, treasury, or other club-related expenses, so there are no dues and memberships never expire, although you can opt out at any time. The NoBBC currently has 209 active members.
We also have a Facebook Group (called 'NOBBC') where pictures and notices can be posted for members to share. Not everyone is on Facebook, but anyone can visit this website, and members are encouraged to post pictures and notices here. For more details about this website, select 'This website' in the 'About' drop-down list in the upper left corner of this page.
To sign up, click the Members tab at the top of the page and create a login. Your login can be anything you want, but if you'd like to receive emails about upcoming events from this website, your login should be a valid email address. No other information on the sign-up page is required, other than a password. Once you're signed up, you can always go back to the Members page to update your profile.
After your information has been entered on the sign-up page, your membership will be activated, usually within 24 hours, and an email will be sent to notify you. You will then start receiving email notifications of upcoming drives on the Monday and Friday before each drive. The drive notification emails will have a button to click if you think you might be interested in attending, but this is entirely optional.
Please note that emails sent from a generic website like this may be identified by your email client as spam. If you don't receive an email from nobbc within 24 hours of signing up, check your spam folder. If you find the email there, open it, and indicate to your email client that anything from nobbc@thenobbc.com is NOT spam. After that, subsequent event reminders should show up in your regular inbox.
Another note regarding emails sent by the NoBBC: The sign-up page has two radio buttons. The first button is selected by default, and if you leave it like that you will receive only drive notification emails. If you wish to receive emails for all website content posted by members, select the second radio button.
Choosing a password is always an issue on seldom-visited sites, so make it something simple, or click the "remember password" checkbox, which will allow you to login without a password. Alternately, you can opt to have the browser remember your password.
A breakdown on the number and type of British cars owned by NoBBC members. Mouse over a car to see its history.
Aston-Martin
Austin-Healey
Bentley
Jaguar
Jensen
Land Rover
Lotus
M.G.
Mini
Morgan
Morris
Rover
Sunbeam
Triumph
Other
Total cars
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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The main purpose of the NoBBC website is to provide a place where non-members can be directed to learn about the club. The website is also a resource for members to check on upcoming drives, and to share photos and notes with other members. A Facebook Group page has been set up for that, but not everyone is interested in being on Facebook.
The date of the next NoBBC club drive is always displayed on the home page, in case you ever need that information. To find out more about the event, such as time or location, click the notice. This is probably the most useful feature of the website, and you don't need to be signed in to use it.
The content displayed on each page is visible to everyone, but only signed-in members can add new content, or edit content they added previously. You can sign in on the home page, or click the Members tab and sign in there. You will remain signed in for 72 hours after you last visited the site, so if you visit the site every day or two you shouldn't ever need to sign in.
Add content (events, notices, photos, etc.) by clicking the blue "+" button in the upper left corner of the appropriate page. Enter the information requested and then click the Add button at the bottom of the page. If you don't see a blue "+" button in the upper left corner of the page, you are not signed in.
Change content that you added previously by clicking the Edit button next to the content. Make any necessary changes, and then click the Save Changes button. Note that you will only see Edit buttons next to content that you created.
Delete content that you added previously by clicking the "X" button in the upper right-hand corner of the content box. Click the OK button when asked to confirm. Note that you will only see "X" buttons next to content that you created.
Note also that when deleting an event, rather than an "X" you will see a button labeled "Cancel Event". This is appropriate wording for deleting an event, but it's also the wording on the button in the delete confirmation window that you want to click when you decide not to cancel the event after all. This can be confusing. Unfortunately the wording is standard in all major browsers. The message in the delete confirmation window should explain which button to click.
Please use appropriate discretion when adding content, keeping in mind our targeted G or PG audience. Add non-NoBBC events to the calendar only if they're at least peripherally related to British cars and are open to the public. Vintage races, events from other British marque clubs, or classic car shows, for example, would all qualify.
There is no mobile version of the website, and actually mobile versions are hardly needed anymore on modern phones. Use the site on your mobile device as you would on your regular computer or notebook, but note that individual login information is maintained on each device, so if you're signed in on your notebook, you won't necessarily be signed in on your phone, and vice versa.
We are always happy to entertain ideas for new features or changes to the NoBBC website. Bring it up at a club drive, send an email to admin@thenobbc.com, or post your idea on the notices board. Note that not all changes can be accommodated. Our resources are limited to a single part-time developer who only works two nights a week except when there's a game on.