This has been hinted at before on the forum, but it is time to make this real and start the serious planning. 2026 will be the 25th anniversary of the Club's founding and the Board would like to mark the occasion with an old fashioned, national Invasion! We considered several locations but quickly settled on returning to Dayton, Ohio, the site of some of our most legendary past Invasions. We selected Dayton for a couple of reasons. To start with, it is probably as close as we can come to the location of the Club's founding and where many of our charter members and officers still live. It is also the location of a terrific British car show, held every year on the first Saturday in August. (August 1st in 2026.) And, its central location makes it an idea spot for many members to travel to. (Still far for some, myself included, but more doable than most places we could select.)
Plans and details still need to be ironed out, but we have already been in touch with the British Transportation Museum (https://www.britishtransportationmuseum.org/), home to multiple Rootes Group vehicles and Sunbeams and they are enthusiastic about playing a key role in our Invasion. And, those who were at the 2008 Dayton Invasion will remember our time at the US Air Force Museum (https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/). We are hoping to include that museum in our itinerary, as well. Add in the Dayton British Car Day (https://britishcardaydayton.com/) and we will have a very full weekend.
The Board is committed to making this a gathering for the ages. There is just one thing we will need: YOU! We don't need formal commitments yet, but do need to come up with an educated guess on a potential headcount. I will create a simple survey to try to gauge interest and keep the membership abreast of our plans as they develop and crystallize. In addition to responding to my survey, please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts here.
I hope to see many (most?) of you this August!
p.s. This event does not impact the annual Columbia, SC gathering in the spring. 2026 will be an embarrassment of riches of Sunbeam enthusiasts!
Plans and details still need to be ironed out, but we have already been in touch with the British Transportation Museum (https://www.britishtransportationmuseum.org/), home to multiple Rootes Group vehicles and Sunbeams and they are enthusiastic about playing a key role in our Invasion. And, those who were at the 2008 Dayton Invasion will remember our time at the US Air Force Museum (https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/). We are hoping to include that museum in our itinerary, as well. Add in the Dayton British Car Day (https://britishcardaydayton.com/) and we will have a very full weekend.
The Board is committed to making this a gathering for the ages. There is just one thing we will need: YOU! We don't need formal commitments yet, but do need to come up with an educated guess on a potential headcount. I will create a simple survey to try to gauge interest and keep the membership abreast of our plans as they develop and crystallize. In addition to responding to my survey, please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts here.
I hope to see many (most?) of you this August!
p.s. This event does not impact the annual Columbia, SC gathering in the spring. 2026 will be an embarrassment of riches of Sunbeam enthusiasts!
