It is best-known for establishing the roadside assistance service RAC Limited, though this is no longer owned by the club.

In the face of considerable opposition a speed limit of 20 mph was retained in addition to the creation of the offence of driving recklessly, dangerously or negligently.

It cost over a quarter of a million pounds and is described in the Survey of London as "a polished essay in the late French Renaissance manner".

[5] In September 1914, a further group of RAC members put themselves and their cars at the disposal of the British Red Cross, to help transport war casualties.

Mounted on Matchless motorbikes with sidecars containing a tool kit, fanbelts, engine hoses, and metal cans of spare petrol they were usually located on standby at laybys and major road junctions.

In 1912, following the lead of the competitor organisation The Automobile Association (AA), the RAC installed roadside telephones on laybys and junctions of the main trunk roads in the UK for members to summon help.

To give members an indication of the quality of each establishment the RAC was one of the first organisations to provide an easily recognisable grading system.

If the patrolman was not able to complete the repair at the roadside, arrangements were made for an RAC approved garage to tow the vehicle and repair it at the owner's cost, with the owners being responsible for making their own arrangements for travel by public transport or hired vehicle.

This changed in the 1970s with the first of the low-loading vehicle transporter fleet and the introduction of a higher membership tier of the Recovery service.

[9] The country clubhouse near Epsom also has accommodation, restaurants, and sports facilities including two 18-hole golf courses.