Production saloon racing in the United Kingdom was nothing new, even when the British Saloon Car Championship was created in 1958.
The very first saloon-based race was in 1952, but the cars were regularly seen as a lower class in sports and GT races. The machines proved popular with the public, but it wasn't until the British Racing and Sports Car Club got involved that an official championship was first formed.
The organising club's secretary Ken Gregory was the driving force behind the concept. A trial event was held at the end of 1957, on Boxing Day at Brands Hatch. It was won by Tommy Sopwith driving an Equipe Endeavour 3.4-litre Jaguar. The championship regulations were announced in the second week of January '58 and the first points-paying race took place at Brands Hatch in April. The category was split into two classes, with Sopwith (Jaguar) claiming the top class and Jack Sears (Austin A105) winning the smaller-capacity category.