Can you imagine struggling with this PA Vauxhall Cresta on the tight and twisting roads, complete with its unassisted steering, column gearchange, and umbrella handbrake buried under the dash?Rather easier to conceive on those snowy alpine roads is the Mini Cooper, such as these ones.ABARTHThis was the only stand which appeared to be backed by the manufacturer, and hence had brand new cars on it as well as some classic models.

There were three classic Abarths: a 1000TC, an Abarth-Simca 2 litre and an Abarth 750 Zagato. This last one will be featured in the April 2011 issue of Classic and Sports Car and has a particular pedigree, as it was once owned by Tony Crook (he of Bristol Cars fame) and competed in the 1957 Mille Miglia, where it did rather well. It is currently for sale, but at £85,000, is rather beyond my budget. Very lovely, though!

Representing the current range, were examples of the 500, 500C and Punto Evo, and these were joined by one of the Celebrity Race cars from last year.Elsewhere was this splendid replica of the X1/9 based Abarth of 1974. ACCobra ALFA ROMEOSurely one of the most beautiful vehicles on display was this gorgeous 8C 2900.

AUSTINThis 1929 Seven represents one end of the motor sport spectrum and was one of three cars on the stand.

AUSTIN HEALEYThis is the car in which Pat Moss competed so successfully in the early 1960s.

There were a number of other Big Healeys on show, too.BENTLEYResiding on the Brooklands Museum stand was this very splendid 1929 4.5 litre Bentley. It is massive, even by today’s standards. No wonder Ettore Bugatti called these cars “the fastest lorries in the world”.

BMWBarely in evidence at the event, this was the only car I photographed, and I think the only BMW on show.

CHEVROLETA somewhat modified 1940 Chevrolet.

CorvetteDODGETwo very contrasting vehicles to see. One was very contemporary, a 2010 model Challenger in all its top spec 6.1 Hemi-engined splendour. Yours for £32,000, and perfect for those with an oil well nearby to fuel it.

Even thirstier, though, would be this absolutely splendid restoration. Based on a 1940 3.5 ton truck, which first saw service as an RAF Crew Bus, this vehicle serviced as the race transporter for Dennis Poores, transporting his race cars all over the country in the 1950s. The very proud owner told us that he has owned it for 15 years during which time he has undertaken a meticulous restoration, having got the historical information he needed to find out how to get it back to the exact appearance it had when new. The work was finished literally the day before the show, though he did say that there are still some mechanical things to be done, so it had been trailered to the show. That said, given that it does 5mpg, and so costs £1 per mile in fuel alone, he noted that it would be cheaper to trailer it long distances than to drive it anyway! He is hoping it will make appearance at a number of events during 2011, so be sure to look out for it, as it is truly splendid.ELVAFERRARIThere were just 2 Ferraris at the event. One was a 458 Italia, adorned with some extraneous carbon fibre down the sides and a personalised plate.

The other was this rather nice F50. It was for sale, priced in the “if you have to ask…….” category.,FORDFar fewer Fords than usual, but there were a few Escorts on show.

Outside we found this Sierra Cosworth which clearly did not go anywhere dirty at all, all weekend!MustangJAGUARIn honour of the 50th anniversary of the “E” Type, Jaguar was the “featured marque”, and there were a good number of these cars scattered throughout the show. Two cars were on display in the foyer of the exhibition halls. The red car was driven by Jackie Stewart, and was also used by him and his wife on their honeymoon.

There was a large Jaguar stand, populated with cars from the Jaguar Heritage Trust, with some wonderful vehicles on show. I noted that the famous test driver of the 1950s and 60s, who played such a key part in the development of the C, D and E Types, Norman Dewis was on hand virtually all day. This very spritely 90 year old, a doyen of events like this, seemed to be enjoying himself, whether it was sitting in the 13th E Type ever made, being filmed, or just chatting to whomever was around and about. This is that 13th “E” type.Lined up in a row alongside it were an XK120, an XK140, and both an original “C” and “D” Type. This is the 1988 le Mans winning XJR9The very rare XJR15, one of only about 20 or so such cars that were made. These are just some of the other “E” Types to be found throughout the Show.The Midlands Automobile club had a “C” Type on their stand, as well.LANCIALancia was the featured rally car, and first evidence of this was a line of the iconic Stratos cars parked up outside the main entrance to the exhibition complex. Not all of these cars were actually originals. A couple were well done recreations. Can you spot which?

Inside the show, the Lancia Motor Club had a stand representing some of the other famous models which had enjoyed much success in rallying over the years. Oldest of these was the Aurelia GT A second, rather more battle scarred Aurelia GT was to be found elsewhere in the show.Wackiest, by far was this recreation of a Delta S4. The front end of this car contains literally nothing!A couple of more conventional looking Delta Integrale, a Fulvia HF Coupe and a Stratos completed the display.There was a special display of Deltas parked up in the area where last year the Alfa Owners Club had rows of cars. All the cars were from the first series, and whilst most were Integrales, there were couple of the HF 4WD cars that presaged the Integrale, and there was one HF Turbo. Just as I was taking a picture of this car (it’s the burgundy one), the owner came over to tell me that it was his. He has had the car for 9 months, and loves it. He told me that there is a surprisingly good network of Lancia specialists in the country and thanks to the popularity of the Integrale, parts are not too hard to come by. I did ask him what the view in the Lancia Club was about the latest Chrysler-Lancia’s. and he said that opinions varied. Not all were as against the move as you might think, as it could be a way of reintroducing the brand to the UK (albeit on cars which come with a Chrysler badge), as the marque is not well known and those who do know it generally have a rather low opinion still, thanks to the Beta Rust saga of 1980. MARCOSA rather brightly hued example of the Mini Marcos

MASERATIProbably one of the most valuable cars at the event was this, which was to be found on the Octane stand, the Tipo 61, often known as the “Birdcage”. Late on in the day, we discovered that Octane were giving out free copies of the magazine, making their stand well worth a return visit!

MERCEDES-BENZMichael Schumacher’s 1991 SauberMGThe less than pretty, but certainly very purposeful Metro 6R4

Rather prettier, but arguably less capable was this, an MGC.MINIThere were a few other examples of the rally winning Mini Coopers from the 1960s as well.

MORGANFor the well-heeled, a replica of the famous three wheeler is available in children’s size at present. The adult sized car will be premiered at the forthcoming Geneva Show.

There were examples of the four wheeled Morgan also on show.MORRISHemmed in a period recreation setting was this “J” Type Commercial.

NISSANThis 1989 car is simply huge.

PEUGEOT205 CTiPORSCHEVarious 911’s
Two very lovely rare racing cars from the 1960s featured on separate stands, a 904/6 and a 908.Rather more recent was this 962 model. Gigantic in comparison with just about anything (apart from the Nissan!)There were also a number of 356 and replica 356s throughout the show.RILEYTALBOTThe Sunbeam Lotus, always a popular rally car to see.

TIGATVRVAUXHALLSomething of a beast, this is “Big Bertha” as driven by the late Gerry Marshall in the mid 1970s.

VOLVOThe 544 from the 1950s was a surprisingly successful rally car

OTHER STUFFAC BristolChevron1930 Hispano AmilcarThis has an 11,760cc engine and 500 lb ft of torque!EllipseDrag racerSpice SE89. This was raced in 1990 by Paul Newman.Auto Grass racing cars: most of the dash was still in tact in the Micra, but the Fiat 126 was completely stripped to little more than a shell, a seat and an engine.BIKESThere was a huge showing of classic and race bikesFORMULA 1 CARSA number of former Formula 1 cars were on show.

This one would be good trivia question. Which “new” Formula 1 team won with a brand new car on their first outing? Answer, the 1977 Wolf. The next time it happened was in 2009 when Jenson Button won for the Brawn team.Jody Scheckter’s 1979 Ferrari T4. Looking at this car, you can see how far Formula 1 cars have come in, oh, ah, well actually 32 years!The entire Simtek team was for sale, including both Domenico Schiattarella and Jos Verstappen’s chassis’ from 1995.Satoru Nakajima’s late ’80’s Lotus.1977 Hesketh 308E as driven by Eddie CheeverJaguar F1And a Penske Indy carRALLY CARS

As in previous years, a number of well known rally cars from the 1970s and 80s were lined up outside, with a special stage on which they could be shown in action, with the distinctive voice of Tony Mason sometimes audible in the background providing commentary. We were able to see the cars as they prepared for action. Despite the rather soggy conditions, we managed to find a good vantage point with no significant risk of getting splattered in mud (unlike many of the reflective jacket wearing people with “media” passes!), and saw three laps from each car. All of them would have needed a jolly good wash after the end of proceedings! Jimmy McRae was at the wheel of the Subaru Legacy. IN THE CAR PARKSThanks for a lot of rain in the days leading up to the event, the organisers had sensibly taken the view that they would not use the fields and so cars were scattered on hard-standing all over the campus. This, coupled with the rather inclement weather meant that we did not spend much time looking to see what interesting things were parked up outside. But we did spot a few things:

This pair of Abarths were very near the exhibition hall entrance, and were doubtless Abarth UK cars.

Auto Union 1000S SaxomatThe imperious, and rather ostentatious 1955 Cadillac looked like complete anathema to anyone responsible for pedestrian safety legislation! Dan’s eye lit up when he spotted this Dodge Ram.A late model Porsche 928 GTSOne of the most special vehicles of the day was this: Silver Bullet. This is literally a one of a kind car, made in 1974, and which belonged to Wayne Cherry (GM design director) for a number of years before it finally left the clutches of Vauxhall in 1985. A small number of Firenza Sports Hatch cars were subsequently made, all in black. Although conceptually similar to this, there were a number of differences between this car and those, of which the change from 6 to 4 headlights in the droop snoot nose is the most obvious sign. A great day out, despite the weather. Indeed, of the 5 Race Retro events I have been to, this was probably the best yet. Definitely one for the diary for 2012.2011-02-28 09:16:05