The RAC

I was just clearing a few drawers and came across this key.
Its very old and was given to me in the 1960s when I joined the RAC.
The key fitted the RAC boxes and once inside you would find a telephone to enable you to call for assistance, I don't think I ever had to use it, must have been very lucky when I think of all the old bangers I owned.
These boxes were quite a common site at one time, now all gone.

In 1897, Charles Harrington Moore and Richard Simms organized the Royal Automobile Club (RAC). At the time, the group was known as the Automobile Club of Great Britain, and its founders were guided by the constitution of the Automobile Club de France in establishing its regulations. Within four years, the RAC began employing the first uniformed patrolmen in the United Kingdom, and in 1907, they received royal approval, adopting its present name at that time.
How the RAC grew and evolved

In 1926, the group began the British Grand Prix, which was held at Brooklands, and six years latter it sponsored the first RAC Rally. At the time, the event covered more than 1,000 miles, and while the drivers started from different locations, they all headed for the finish line on the southern coast of the UK at Torquay. While 367 drivers began the race, 259 contestants completed it, and their average speed was 25 mph.

By 1960, Blackpool had become the starting point for the British Grand Prix, and the race, which ended at Brands Hatch, covered more than 2,000 miles. The forestry stages were introduced a year later, high speeds could be reached as a result, and rallies were won or lost on that basis. More recently, the Network Q Rally has covered the entire UK in conjunction with the World Series.

In 1978, the group was incorporated with the name RAC Motoring Services Ltd., and in 1999, the members sold it to Lex Service plc. Since 2005, it has been owned by Aviva.

Now, many classic car enthusiasts and others collect memorabilia from the RAC?s early days, and it is not uncommon to see an antique car with the original RAC emblem on the grill. Others prefer to collect motorcycles and telephone boxes from the RAC?s early days, when they were essential to breakdown cover, and neither engineering nor technology were as advanced as they are now.