About the Guild
The Guild of Motoring Writers is the largest and most prestigious organisation of automotive editorial professionals in the world with well over 500 members in the UK and overseas.
Members of the Guild are not just new car road testers, but a wide range of professionals involved in automotive editorial in many different roles and across all media:
- national and regional newspaper correspondents
- writers, editors, sub-editors and designers working for print magazines and online publications
- book authors and publishers
- automotive photographers and artists
- broadcasters working in radio and television
Guild members work on all sorts of automotive topics, including new cars, classic and historic cars, commercial vehicles, motor cycles, motor sport, the motor industry, modified and custom cars, automotive design and technology, and many more.
The Guild is recognised as the leading association for automotive journalists, authors, photographers and broadcasters, and its views carry a great deal of weight within the motor industry. There is much co-operation between Guild members and motor industry press offices, particularly through MICA, the Motor Industry Communicators Association.
Who’s Who in the Motor Industry, the Guild’s yearbook, is an essential tool for all those professionally involved in automotive media. A copy of this book is one of the many benefits of Guild Membership.
The Guild also runs a Benevolent Fund, which is there to help members who may fall on hard times.
Full membership of the Guild is open to media professionals working in an automotive editorial role. There is also an associate membership class for those who work partly in automotive media or have less experience. For more about membership categories, fees and benefits see Joining the Guild.
The history of the Guild
In October 1944, several motoring correspondents met at the Press Club, off Fleet Street in London, to form the Motoring Correspondents’ Circle. Laurie Cade was chair and Dudley Noble was secretary and Treasurer. An annual subscription was 5s.
Originally a dining club, the organisation quickly became bigger and broader. At the AGM in December 1946, it was agreed the name would change to the Guild of Motoring Writers. Read more on the history of the Guild
Our president: Nick Mason
Guild president Nick Mason is best known as the drummer in Pink Floyd, but is a man of many parts: musician, record producer, businessman, car enthusiast, racing driver and motoring writer.
He is an incurable enthusiast of all things automotive. “My passion for cars and motor racing predates any involvement with music,” he says in the introduction to his 1998 book Into the Red, co-written with Guild member Mark Hales. Read more on president Nick Mason
Guild chair
Our founding chair was Laurence Cade, who later became a vice president of the Guild. The current chair is Simon Harris. See all the Guild chairs through the years
Guild officers
The Guild is run by an energetic committee, which is overseen by president Nick Mason and five vice presidents. See all the Guild officers – and key email addresses
Guild rules
No organisation will run smoothly without a strict set of rules for its officers and members. Ours are regularly updated, with all changes only being made after a majority vote by members in our AGM. Read the latest Guild rules