The history of the Royal Automobile Club is the history of motoring in society, which is charted through the Clubs heritage collections. Established by Frederick Simms in 1897 as the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, the club is the oldest motoring institution in the United Kingdom and the second oldest in the world. In the 1907 the Club received a Royal Charter from the King Edward Vll.
The club promoted the first pre-war British Grand Prix in Brooklands 1926. The club continued to campaign for the rights of the motorist, including introducing the first license.
