How MG Car Club Insurance with Peter James is investing in the next generation
Hamish McNaught is an MG Car Club member and owner of an MGA. However, as a young driver, he struggled for years to get affordable insurance. Here, we discover how his MG Car Club membership helped him realise his dreams and ambitions of enjoying driving classic vehicles – and not exclusively MGs either.
Kenneth McNaught, Hamish’s father, bought his first MG in the 1990s whilst living in Worcester. Like so many classics of that era, it was used daily and eventually the ravages of time and winter use saw its demise.
Kenneth later moved to Paris for work and, while there, was fortunate enough to visit the Geneva Motor Show and witness the launch of the MGF. He loved the car from the very beginning and indeed owned one of the early production MGFs.
When his girlfriend became his wife, they were married in a 1930 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Open Tourer, a very handsome car featuring torpedo tourer coachwork by Rock, Thorpe and Watson Limited. This is the car that their son, Hamish, now owns, having been gifted it from his grandad at the age of 16.
You see, the MGF was sold when Hamish was born, so his earliest memories were of riding around in Grandad’s Rolls-Royce or one of his dad’s many subsequent classics. It was through this family bonding that Hamish caught the historic vehicle motoring bug in a big way.
Owning a 1930 Rolls-Royce at 16 presented a couple of challenges – firstly, how to look after this vintage vehicle, and secondly, once he had learned to drive, how to insure it. Initially, Hamish was a named driver, gaining experience with the car and, crucially, learning how to maintain it.
One day, while heading back from an event in Bicester, the Rolls-Royce blew a head gasket. Dad Kenneth fixed it but discovered that a complete engine rebuild was necessary.
As you might imagine, several specialists were eager to take on the job, but they were also asking a whopping £25,000 to complete it. This is not a sum of money that a teenager can lay their hands on. The car was undrivable; selling it was not an option. So, there was only one thing for it… Keen to get stuck in and learn the hard way, Hamish picked up the spanners and set about completing the engine rebuild himself.
Although he was studying electrical and electronic engineering at Northumbria University at the time, Hamish had little experience in hands-on motor engineering. Fortunately, a local MG specialist in Wantage had a similar model in their garage, which proved to be a useful reference throughout the process. Not only was the cylinder block re-machined and engineered, but all the ancillaries were overhauled as well while Hamish was at it, including the clutch and other components. This was starting to give him a detailed insight into the workings of the car.
Hamish had taken his first steps into historic vehicle maintenance; not only had he enjoyed the experience, but he had done a cracking job on the rebuild, and the Rolls-Royce was running better than it ever had.
During the Rolls-Royce rebuild, Hamish acquired numerous new skills and was recognised by the National Transport Trust as the recipient of their ‘Young Preservationist of the Year’ award in 2023. When he received the award, he made a point of acknowledging the assistance and advice he received from the historic vehicle community during what turned out to be a 600-hour, over 14-month project. However, at 22, Hamish still needed that insurance cover, which remained elusive.
Hamish attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst for officer training and, after a year, emerged as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. This was the culmination of a six-year journey within the Defence Technical Officer and Engineer Entry Scheme. However, as a ‘side hustle’, he also runs, with oversight from his dad Kenneth, an engineering business that now specialises in the restoration and preservation of Rolls-Royce motor cars. You may have heard of them – Goshawk Engineering.
In September 2023, Dad Ken successfully acquired an MGA and Hamish was keen to get involved. However, despite numerous attempts to both insure Hamish as a named driver on his dad’s policy for the MGs and insure the Rolls-Royce under his own policy, he found it difficult; either cover was not available at all due to his age, or it was prohibitively expensive.
Dad Kenneth remarked, “It’s not that young people need insurance to be somehow cheaper than anyone else, but for exceptional cases where the individual has a deep understanding, family experience or demonstrable passion for classic cars, exceptions must be made to ensure it is affordable, at least within the realms of achievable possibility.”
The classic car community waxes lyrical constantly about the need to encourage young people into the sector but seems to continually stumble at the final hurdle of providing the legal requirement of motor insurance at a reasonable rate – until now.
For Hamish McNaught, the significant milestone arrived when the MG Car Club announced the launch of MG Car Club Insurance, provided by Peter James, at the NEC in November 2024. This was a game-changer for him.
On his initial enquiry, the answer was “yes” from the MG Car Club Insurance scheme, who took the time to consider his membership of the MG Car Club and his evident passion and expertise for classic cars, not just MGs.
Member-to-member cover and being featured as a named driver allows him to drive Dad’s MGB GT V8 and MGA, as well as covering his own Rolls-Royce under his own policy. Furthermore, not only was it affordable, but it also included a range of extra benefits. If Hamish happens to have an accident, he can repair the car himself – an ideal feature for an enthusiast with his skills. Plus, if he fancies venturing abroad in either the MGs or the Rolls, he is covered for that, too, with full breakdown service included. Now, because his insurance is intrinsically tied to his MG Car Club membership, he derives value from his annual membership subscription even while living a busy life across the world, serving in the Forces. So now he can realise those dreams and get his labour of love – the Rolls-Royce – out on the open road with total peace of mind, as well as enjoy his dad’s MGs. Win-win all around, thanks to MG Car Club Insurance.
The only downside to all of this is that his parents have been forced to move home to create more garage space!
Hamish’s father summed it all up perfectly: “We were tired of hearing all the excuses from other insurers. I am passionate about getting youngsters involved in engineering at all levels, and so we must not put barriers in their way. Insuring with the MG Car Club Insurance just made sense!” The scheme also saved Dad, Kenneth McNaught, a packet on his MG insurance as well, so all the family cars have since been moved over to the Club’s tailored scheme.
Dave Youngs, Partnerships Director at Peter James Insurance, said, “It was our pleasure to insure both Hamish and his dad, Kenneth. We understand that while we are creating insurance packages tailored to the ‘typical’ MG Car Club member, we must also ensure that we invest in future generations who, ultimately, will be the custodians of our historic vehicles. As an insurance company, we would like to be their partner in insurance for life, so we are keen to get started on that journey with our young customers early on.”
Lorraine Noble-Thompson MG Car Clubs Chairman, said “Hamish’s story is a wonderful one with a happy ending, but this is only all too common for the younger generation. We have a few young members that were finding it hard to drive the classic car of their dreams, because the insurance was just too far out of their reach. This is an excellent way to encourage that young member to become the next custodian on their families MG and not only carry on the family tradition of MG ownership, but also carry the MG Car Club, into the next millennium.”
Perhaps you’ll give MG Car Club Insurance a try as well and support the next generation….
MG Car Club members can now benefit from:
- Exclusive rates for MG Car Club members
- Additional discounts based on length of membership
- Free and simple agreed value
- Cover available for classic and modern MGs
- Free salvage retention – in the event of a total loss, we will pay the full agreed value for the vehicle, and you may retain the salvage free of charge
- Free member-to-member cover – drive another Club member’s MG with fully comprehensive cover regardless of who they are insured with
- Multi-vehicle cover
- A range of options for young MG enthusiasts
- UK and European breakdown cover included
- Tools and Spare Parts cover (up to £3000)
- Self-repair option
- Legal expenses cover
- Laid up cover
- Limited mileage discounts
- Cover for ‘MGs on Track’ events
The insurance world for MG Car Club members is changing for the better. To protect your MG motor car of any age, call 0121 506 6026 or visit www.peterjamesinsurance.co.uk/mgcc for more information.
