After the disappointment of the inclement weather in both 2007 and 2008, expectations were very high when the weather forecasters predicted a weekend of sunshine for the 2009 “La Vie en Bleu” event at Prescott, home of the Bugatti Owners Club. With a varied program of events, ranging from a large display of Bugattis and other French cars, two days of hill climb activity, and a lunchtime air display on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as a large gathering of Forummers, it all looked to be good to be true. Whilst it did cloud over completely during Saturday morning, clearing only in mid afternoon, this might have been a blessing in disguise, as we all bore evidence of a day in the sun by the time we gathered at the “Royal Oak” for a convivial evening of food and drink. Sunday started cloudless, and stayed that way all day, meaning plenty of Factor Lots needed to be liberally applied to avoid sunburn. I can tell you all that Prescott in such conditions is even more glorious than in the more typical miserable weather, and the whole weekend must rank as one of the best Forum events we have enjoyed.

FORUM FLEETAssembly point was “The Shutters” Inn in Gotherington, although it nearly ended up being on the main road through the village outside my parents’ house, as the first to arrive at the venue, Simon, found no-one there and returned the couple of hundred of yards to where he had seen my car parked up, and whilst we were talking, several more of the Forummers arrived. In what was must be a first, everyone arrived within 2 minutes of the agreed time, on both days! There was a chance to admire some of the recent Forum fleet arrivals, such as Dan’s new M3 before we set off.

We had arranged for our own reserved parking area, and were a bit surprised to find on the Saturday that it was occupied by the SAAB Owners Club. With rather bad grace, the lady who thought that the space was theirs went off to go and get it sorted, which allowed us to arrange the cars in a more artistic manner. With slightly different attendees on the 2 days, there was some variety in the group of cars on both days, with particular interest being generated by Jonny’s Z1, unsurprisingly.  Those remaining on Saturday evening moved their cars to a part of the meadow for some more photos, such as these. Attempts to get a picture of all the attendees in one photo proved futile – hurding cats would be easier – but most proud owners did go and stand by their prized possessions for just long enough to do the rounds of the fleet. BUGATTIThe Veyrons

It was always going to be hard to top the appearance in 2008 of 6 Veyrons over the course of the weekend, and indeed, that total was not reached this year. Not only that, but the factory car, and factory test driver, Pierre-Henri Rafanel, was described as “on duty elsewhere”. On the Saturday, two cars staged an appearance: a “regular” model and a “Pur Sang” (one of only 5 built) in the sort of dazzling aluminium finish that would show every single fingermark, as well as all the dirt. The security minders did their best to ensure that no-one got to touching it! On the Sunday, a further two cars arrived. So, a total of 4 Veyrons in one place, which is not a sight you will see anywhere outside the Middle East all that often.

  All 4 cars made a number of demo runs up the hill, to the delight of the crowds. The hill is not long, but when the cars returned to the Paddock, the amount of heat being generated out of them was staggering – enough to cook a three course meal, I would guess! The EB110SNo such car had been in attendance at the previous two events. The EB110 has a 60 valve, quad turbo V12, powering all four wheels through a siz speed gearbox. the 3.5 litre engine develops 542 bhp at 8000 rpm. This car, the first chassis built, is now privately owned by a man who lives in Chepstow, and who apparently has a collection of “Italian Stallions”, was once the property of the Sultan of Brunei. On the Saturday, it did make a couple of runs up the hill, but on the Sunday, it remained a static exhibit, and seemed to be attracting surprisingly little attention compared to its more modern relatives.

 The Classic BugattisThe target was to assemble more than 100 of these wonderful machines. I did not count them, but there were an awful lot, some fully approved for racing up the hill, and some retained for static display purposes.

   Originally owned by Earl Howe, this Type 57 Atalante was recently “discovered” in a garage in the North East, having owned by a Doctor for 50 years. It was sold earlier this year for just over £3 million.This 57C lives at Prescott and always brings appreciation for its elegant lines This is a 1939 Type 59S Bugatti and was owned by King Leopold of Belgium.

Strong showing of 2CV vehicles as you might expect. The earliest car, the cream one, is a Belgian model, and we were amused to learn that no fuel gauge is supplied. The owner is supplied with a leather dip stick with which they can assess the level in the tank. Is a 2CV really worth £11,000? Someone clearly hoped so.This pickup creation provided some amusement and bemusement. Clearly based on a 2CV, the quality of the welding at the back was perhaps more GCSE Grade “not good”, and when we found the tow bar on it, the idea that it could haul anything was worrying, but definitely interesting to see.This Mehari had been restored to better than factory condition and was absolutely immaculate.Believed to the sole surviving Ami 6 Estate in the UK, I had seen this car at Haynes last autumn, so it was nice to see in sunshine rather the grey and rain that afflicted that event.Several of the iconic DS/ID cars to be seen, and these still appeal to almost everyone. There were also a couple of SMs to enjoy No display of Citroen would be complete without the Traction Avant models, and this was no exception. There was just one CX in the main display, but we found a CX Safari in the car parkPEUGEOTClearly, not much was expected, as a very small area was cordoned off for the Peugeot Owners Club. On Saturday, there was just one car on show, this very tatty 205.

On Sunday, a rather nice 504 Cabrio was augmented by a 306. And that was it.I did find this 304 Cabrio and this rather nice 205 GTi lurking in the car park, though. Parked up in the Paddock was a Bebe Peugeot from about 1913. This car wins the prize for the most primitive instrument collection, with just a clock. Nothing else!Even earlier was this Lion Peugeot from about 1905. It did not attempt a hill run this year, but the engine was started up. What a commotion!RENAULT

A large area for Renault, though with rather fewer cars than last year. There were a couple of early models, one of which was called a KJ, and the other of which has to remain unidentified unless someone can enlighten me. This Caravelle from the mid 1960s brought universal praise for its appealing lines. A couple of early R5 Gordini cars made their appearance. There were a couple of the “full fat” Turbo cars, too.A recent “from buried in the bushes” find was this R11 Turbo. Now a rare car, I am not sure whether the new owner intends to restore it, or whether some of the modifications are a portent of further treatment to come. The R21 Turbo is also a rare car these days, and there was just one example at the event.There were a handful of the commercially unsuccessful Spiders to see, several of which took to the hill during the event. Another commercial failure was the Avantime, and there were three of these cars on show, including one in an unusual dark green metallic. Clios were more in evidence, as you might expect, with a sole Williams car and plenty of the extrovert V6 cars. The “modern” area had just a couple of recent cars in it. RENAULT-ALPINETwo separate display areas for what are clearly two separate clubs (don’t ask!) contained an array of these coupes. Most of them were the A610/GTA models, with a few A110s. No A310s in sight

MATRA

A motley collection of three seater sports cars – with more Murena than Bagheera this year. There was one of the few surviving Rancho cars here, the same one as last year. Definitely a car before its time, I have an indefensible soft spot for these. SIMCADiscounting the tatty Samba and the Simca 1000 Rallye racing car, both of which eluded my camera (for good reason!), the only example of this marque was this Simca 1000 in the lower car park.

VENTURIFour of these cars were at the event on both days.

A fifth turned up on Sunday afternoon. I’ve not seen this car before, and frankly, with all the plastic addenda, I’m not sure that I want to see it again. However, it did sound absolutely glorious!And now to the lesser known marquesAMILCAR

DELAGEOne of a handful of these rather luxurious 20s tourers that was parked up in an area that completely defeated the photographer!

DELAHAYE

Before making its way up the hill, there was a rather necessary mopping up operation called for. Petrol was filling a drip tray to one side of the engine, and kitchen paper seemed to be the solution to getting rid of it! Exciting! FACEL VEGAOne of the Facellia cars – not a success, with hugely unreliable engines largely the cause.

GN SIMA VIOLET

This little car was taken up the hill, and just about made it, setting the slowest time of the day VOISINTHE CAR PARKSWe took a few turns of the various car parks, as there is always all manner of interesting stuff just parked up among the more common vehicles. This year was no exception, with all manner of treats and rarities hidden away.

Ford Sierra Cosworth

Bristol This is a very rare Zagato model. Although I recognised the styling house, from the distinctive double bumps in the roof, I did not get the marque correct.

An early 400 saloon.Austin Healey 3000Radford Mini, complete with hatchback
Lamborghini Muira SV AC AceAustin SevenJaguar “E” TypeSinger le MansBond EquipeAlvisA post war TC model

A pre war modelFrazer-NashAudi 100 – when did you last see one of these?VW Kharman GhiaMarcos 3 litre Reliant ScimitarMazda RX7 CabrioDaimler Conquest Roadster – named because the initial price was £1066!Mercedes 280 SL “Pagoda”Triumph TR4Ford Mustang Convertible Clan Clover – a 1980s attempt to revive the Crusader model, this time based on Alfa 33 parts. It was not a successMorganThere is a lot more to come from the maker from Malvern Link as this is their centenary year. We spotted a couple of very different cars here.

Aston MartinThere was a special cavalcade of these cars up the hill at lunchtime on the Saturday. We had found many of the cars during the day:

DB7 Zagato

There were a few DB5s on show V8Virage VolanteDB4 GT – we worked out that this was indeed a rare model GT from the clues such as the perspex windows and absence of rear seat, completely missing the shorter wheelbase. The owner then turned up and told us it was indeed a GT, and an ex-works car at that.DB2/4 There were a few early Astons there, too, including this rather nice touring model.Alfa Romeo

An 8C

DuettoLanciaThe Aurelia GT

Flavia BerlinaFulvia Coupe StratosLotusAnother appearance for the Expose – a one off, with see-through body panels

There was also a more regular 340R, which had somehow made it up the hill. I know not how, as ground clearance looked to be zero. ElanExigeExcelMark VIWestfield These fooled us all, as they turned out to be Westfields and not Lotus as I had confidently asserted the first time I saw them

MGA TD

An MG A A MG MetroFerrari

MondialThis absolutely stunning Testa Rossa was hidden behind the museum, and I suspect that surprisingly few people ever found it. They missed something absolutely glorious! Rolls RoyceAn absolutely splendid 20/25.

BentleyA “T” Type Convertible – this is the earlier model than the Corniche that was launched in 1971

An “R” Type – these cars are rare now, as they (breathe this quietly) had a tendency to rust!More modern Brooklands4.5 litre cars – memorably called “les camions les plus vites du monde” by Ettore Bugatti, after their success at le Mans. Certainly they prove quite a contrast to the philosophy of Bugatti at the time. CLIMBING THE HILLNot as easy as it looks, I am sure, we did enjoy watching a wide range of cars and drivers try to make up the hill as fast as possible, and a few of them are shown here.

    These cars were pictured resting in the sun, waiting their turn. OTHER DEMOSAt precisely 2pm on the Saturday, we were treated to a flying display from a Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster, and everyone stopped and gazed skywards to see these historic planes in action.

Ayrton Senna’s Lotus 98R was rather easier to see, as it was in the paddock area, and made frequent trips up the hill. It sounded like nothing else there, but then I guess that is because really it is like nothing else that was at the event. There was bit more evidence of the Frenchness of the theme this year. An Accordionist provided the sound, the mime artists and can-can girls were there, there was a Creperie (which looked tempting, but I don’t think anyone road tested their products), and there was this Parisian Renault bus. So, a little sun burnt, and exhausted, the Forummers said their farewell and headed off to all parts, from whence they had come, having enjoyed an awesome weekend. I’d like to thank everyone that came. It was great to see some new faces, and to spend 2 days in the company of such a bunch of enthusiasts. It’s going to be hard to top this in 2010, but I’m sure it will be a great experience when it comes around. I’m looking forward to it already.2009-10-31 10:16:40