ABARTH
There was one lone modern Abarth in the car park, very near my own car (though I was Audi driver for the day).
AC
As ever, not an original Cobra, but still impressive nonetheless.
ALFA ROMEO
This second series 33 Estate car arrived soon after we did, and was parked up in an area all by itself, looking as if the rest of the Club had failed to materialise! This is the same car as we saw at Brooklands a month ago, and is a lovely example of what is now very rare indeed.
The car park yielded a few more Alfas including a 116 series Giulietta which did not really pass muster from close up, a 155 Silverstone and a 145 Green Cloverleaf hatch as well as this splendid 1600 Giulia Spider.
AUBURN
I’m still not clear whether this is a genuine 1935 Speedster or not. It looked very convincing apart from the seats and the steering wheel which looked like that used in 1970s Fords. Visually very impressive whatever its true provenance.
AUDI
Sole Audi at the event (apart form my own car, of course!) was this urQuattro.
AUSTIN
This splendid Austin 16 was attached to period caravan, which had been subject to a fastidious restoration. Normally caravans just irritate me, but this one had a certain charm to it.
In complete contrast was this diminutive Seven.
This A40 Devon is an example of the sort of model built by Austin in the 1940s, the vast majority of which were exported.
There were a number of the A30 and A35 based models including the Countryman and the Van.
Slightly later than these was the A40, a car widely credited with being the “first” hatchback when in Countryman guise as is this late car.
This A60 Cambridge was a reminder of the sort of popular family car of the early 1960s. Rather large and heavy, no wonder the fleeter of foot and nearly as roomy Cortina had such appeal.
Among the ADO16 cars, the 1100/1300 model were an impressive display of all the different marques under which the model was sold, including a Mark 2 1100, an Austin 1300GT and a Mark 3 1100 Panda car version.
Replacement for ADO 16 was the Allegro and there were a few of these at the event. Of course!
This Police livery Metro was in the main event, whereas the blue model was parked up in the car park, clearly still very much a working car. A 1.0L was also to be found in the unaffiliated display area.
Literally right next to the blue Metro was a Maestro, again showing all the signs that is also a workaday vehicle.
BEDFORD
Once a common sight, the CA Bedford formed the basis of not just a lot of light commercial vans, but motor homes as well, and there were several different examples on show.
BENTLEY
BMW
A varied display by the BMW Car Club, with the oldest car on display a 2000 “Neue Klasse” from the late 1960s and the slightly smaller 2002.
Centre stage was granted to this lovely M635CSi, a splendid car indeed and my favourite of the BMW stand, an E28 model M5.
There were plenty of newer machines, too, with an E30 Touring, an E39 5 series, an Alpina B3 based on the E46, as well as representatives from the Z range with both a Z3 and a Z4 on display and an 850CSi completing the showing.
This splendid E30 M3 was in the main car park.
BOND
The charismatic Bug.
BORGWARD
Almost completely forgotten, apart, perhaps, from in its native Germany, the Borgward was a medium price car which was designed to appeal to those who wanted something that bit “better” than a VW Beetle, but who could not afford a Mercedes. There were a couple of the Isabella Coupes on display.
BRISTOL
Found in the car park was this mid 1960s model, Even the cognoscenti have trouble telling the different models apart, and Bristol never felt the need to put a model designation on the car, so I am guessing – but it is a guess, and I am happy to be corrected – that this is a 409 or 410.
BUICK
We first came across this 1956 Buick Special on the M25, and guessed it was headed for Enfield, and so it proved. What a fabulous machine!
Even in the 1930s, Buick produced some very imposing cars, as these examples evidence.
CADILLAC
There were some spectacular Cadillacs on display, showing how the chrome and fins reached their peak in 1959, but were present on models both preceding and following that year.
CHEVROLET
The 57 Chevys are among the most prized of all Chevrolets and this Bel Air is an example from that year’s production.
Quite a contrast was made by the new for 1958 styling, as this Impala Convertible evidences.
This Corvair Corsa Coupe was in the public car park.
Dating from roughly the same time was this Nova SS.
There were a number of Corvettes on show, all of them C2 models, it seemed.
Among the Camaro were some showing how the second generation car lost the plot during its long life span. Initially quite a stylish and spirited machine, it was gradually emasculated during its lifetime, and the changes to meet the requirements for impact-proof bumpers did not help either, leading to the rather anaemic Berlinetta. There was a third generation car, too, in a recreation of the livery worn when the model was used as Pace Car at Indianapolis.
Chevrolet pickups of various ages were also on show.
CHRYSLER
This 1957 Windsor was yet another example of Americana in the fin era.
CITROEN
There were a couple of Traction Avant cars. A nice 15CV in the main event, and the far rarer 11 Commerciale in the car park. The latter clearly needs lots of love and restoration, as the inside was even more tatty than the outside.
We found this GSA in the public car park and there was also a DS3 Racing.
There was also a 2CV and a 5CV from the early 1920s.
CRAYFORD
Surrey based Crayford Engineering made a name for themselves over a 30 year period producing those niche versions of a wide variety of models that the manufacturer would now produce themselves. The majority of the cars they made were convertibles, and there was a very impressive collection of these assembled, with not just the Cortina and Corsair models which you do see from time to time, but the very rare ADO16 Morris 1100 and the Vauxhall Cavalier Centaur.
DAF
This was a 46, a slightly modified version of the long running 44, offered from 1975 for a few months until the Volvo takeover saw the end of production of all bar the top spec 66 model.
DAIMLER
The V8250 was based on the Jaguar Mark 2 saloon but sported Daimler’s small capacity V8 engine, as developed for the Dart sports car. Most of the production was sold with an automatic gearbox, though late in the model’s life, a manual did become available.
DODGE
This Charger is a faithful recreation of the car which starred in the 1968 film Bullitt, and it was presented alongside the Mustang which also featured in that film. There was another regular car as well.
This US Army Staff car dates from around 1941.
Dating from 1957, this Lancer Custom Royal sported the period fashionable multiple different pastel shades and was a three-toned car.
FERRARI
There were a couple of 348s in the main display area, and this one was in the public car park.
We also found this Testarossa. It did not bear up to close scrutiny, needing a lot of TLC to make it truly perfect again, with no door cards, a tatty interior and some evident lack of care outside, too.
FIAT
The only Fiats in the event were a couple of Nuova 500 models.
FORD
Numerically, I would guess that there were probably more classic Ford on show than anything else, which is hardly a surprise given both the long term popularity of the marque and the fact that we were not that far away from Dagenham, for long the home of Ford of Great Britain. Oldest models were a V8 car and a nice display of the pre-war Model C and Model Y cars. They were joined by a German Ford Eifel of the period.
The first post war cars looked similar to those made before the commencement of hostilities, and there were examples of the Prefect, Popular and Anglia on show.
A completely new model appeared in 1953, and there were several of these on display, including the Squire estate car and Thames van.
The 105E Anglia appeared in 1959 and was quite a radical shift in design. Now looking implausibly basic, these cars were popular for the commercial traveller as well as families. There were a couple of the rare Van models beautifully restored, as well.
Dating from the same period was this Thames 400E, a model which saw service as a van, motor caravan, and countless other uses. It was replaced by the Transit in 1965 and when you compare the two, you can see why the Transit was so well received as this Thames is extremely basic.
Among Ford’s large car offerings, there was a representative selection of models offered from the late 1940s through to the late 1990s. There were several of the V8 Pilot cars, machines built by Ford in the late 1940s.
In 1950, a brand new range was presented, the Consul and Zephyr, and these car sat at the top of the range for the next 22 years. There were not many Mark 1 models on show, though, but I did come across this one, complete with the continental touring kit which was designed to free more space in the boot by mounting the spare wheel behind the rear bumper.
There were a lot of Mark 2 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiacs parked up across the event, with several Convertibles as well as the Saloon model.
There were Mark 3s, too. These were a large car in their day, though the track seems improbably narrow, with the wheels looking lost in the wheel arches.
There was an even more impressive array of the none too well-regarded Mark IV cars, including a rare Abott Estate car and a Coleman Milne limousine.
Successor to the Mark IV were the Consul and Granada and there were examples of the range that debuted in 1972 as well as the successor 1977 model.
Cortina was well represented, too. There was no Club Display for the Mark 1, but there were a few in the parking area for unaffiliated cars, including a rare estate cars.
The Mark 2 Owners Club did have their own display, which was biased towards the high end models, with Lotus and 1600E cars dominating their display.
A couple of Mark 3s were also on show.
The Consul Classic and Capri were well represented with a variety of cars, including a couple of neatly executed convertible conversions.
2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the Corsair. Not perhaps the best loved Ford model ever, this upper-medium sized car has a steady following these days and there were a number of models on show, including an unrestored version of the Abbots of Farnham-converted Estate car and a couple of the Crayford Convertibles. Among the saloons was one of the last of the line 2000E cars from late 1970.
The Capri was also well represented, with examples of all three generations on show. It was particularly nice to see a couple of Mark 2 cars, as these models tend to be very overshadowed by the early and late cars.
Most of the Escorts on show were the most sporting models, with RS2000 and Mexico cars from the first generation in a Club Display and we found a Mark 2 RS2000 and mark 3 RS Turbo and XR3i in the car park.
We did, however, come across a couple of regular Mark 2s, a 1.6 Ghia and a 1.3 Estate.
Along with a SuperSport Fiesta were some of the popular XR models – Fiesta, Escort and Sierra cars.
More recent Performance Fords included a Focus RS and the Sierra Cosworth.
There was a most impressive collection of Mustang presented across the event. Indeed, it showed just how many of these cars, of all generations, there are in the Uk, despite the fact that the car has not been officially sold here since the early days, 49 years ago. With the exception of the little loved Mark 2 cars, there were examples of the many different models produced over the years, including a couple of very nice Mach 1 cars.
There were several Thunderbirds. A couple of them were the iconic first generation cars, and there was a third generation car from the mid 1960s, as well as a couple of far more recent (and less meritorious, if truth be told) cars as well
This duo of Galaxie 500 Convertible were rather splendid.
Ranchero is the name that Ford used for its car-derived pickups from the early 1960s, when the base was the compact Falcon, until the name disappeared in the 1990s. This is a 1970s model.
This is the larger F100 Pickup from the early 1960s.
GINETTA
This splendid G21 was parked literally a couple of cars from mine on arrival, but had disappeared when we returned to the car at lunchtime. The G21 was based on Hillman Hunter components and is far rarer than the G15 which was produced at the same time, and which sold in greater numbers. “Greater” being a relative term, of course.
HILLMAN
I was expecting to seem more Imps than I did. Indeed, I think this late model car was the only one there.
This Hunter estate bring back memories as we had one in the family for over 10 years. This one was rather tattty, sadly, both inside and out, and was quite non standard, with the reversing lights on the boot reminding one of the posh Sceptre estate.
HUMBER
Probably the oldest vehicle of the day was this 1904 Humber.
There were a surprising number of the Hawk and Super Snipe cars dating from the late 1950s and early 1960s. This is one of those luxury models which tends to be very much overshadowed by rivals such as the Rover P5, so it was nice to see quite so many present.
JAGUAR
No surprise to find a number of E Types on show, though you might actually have expected than were included in the displays.
There was also a lovely XK150 Coupe.
The XJ-S is gradually gaining full-blown membership of the Classic Car scene, as the old nail versions disappear and the nicely preserved models predominate.
Among the Jaguar saloons were a couple of nice Mark 2s, and a Series XJ.
JENSEN
A nice display of Interceptor models from the Jensen Owners Club included a couple of the late Convertible and Coupe cars as well as the more familiar hatch models.
There were also a couple of 541s in the event.
JOWETT
Jupiter
LAGONDA
A 3 litre Convertible, dating from around 1950.
LANCIA
A gorgeous Fulvia Coupe did a lap of most of the car parking field before parking up not far from the entrance to the Pageant.
LAND-ROVER
LINCOLN
Some examples of Lincoln’s output from the last 20 years were on show – all Continental models, and a graphic illustration of how this once proud marque has rather lost its way.
LONDON TAXI
An interesting display of London Taxi ranged from several of the familiar FX4 models, to some less commonly seen former machines such as the Beardsmore and the Austin FX3.
LOTUS
There were not many Lotus on display, but I did like this Plus 2 in the unaffiliated display and there was another example in the public car park..
MERCEDES-BENZ
The Mercedes Club had a decent sized stand area, and it was absolutely packed, with quite a variety of cars. Oldest duo were a 170H and a 170SD from the pre-war or 1940s.
There were two of these W108 280SE cars – not luxurious by modern standards, but built with impeccable standards of engineering.
From more recent production was a W123 Estate, in entry level 200 guise, a couple of the R107 SL, a W124 E Class Saloon and Coupe and the bulky W140 S600 model.
This regular W201 190E was in the unaffiliated display area and the W113 280SL “Pagoda”, W123 saloon and 500SEC were in the public car park.
MERCURY
Grand Marquis
METROPOLITAN
A colourful collection of these small cars that were built from 1953 until 1962, and aimed primarily at the American market. Not fast. even with the later 1489cc B Series engine, they still have a charm all of their own.
MG
Oldest MGs were a couple of TC models.
I am unsure whether the rather bright paintwork of this Y series MG was original or not.
There were a couple of the MGA sports car.
Also from the mid 1950s were the ZA and ZB Magnettes and a couple of these were also on show.
As you might expect, there were plenty of MGBs in both open and GT guise and a Midget.
The MG 1100 and 1300 were quite popular as affordable sports saloons based on the popular family car. This is an late model 1100.
The ZT cars have become more or less an instant classic, and there were a couple of these on display, one of which sported the 4.6 litre V8 engine.
MINI
There were plenty of the classic Issigonis designed Mini, ranging from a couple of early saloons through plenty of the 1960s Cooper models, a rare PickUp, an early 1970s saloon to some late cars from the last few years of production.
MORGAN
MORRIS
Among an array of historic Morris vehicles were a late 1930s Model 8 Saloon and a Tourer, and the much more costly 16, as well as a Series Z van in period Post Office Telephones livery, and some earlier Commercial models.
There were, of course, plenty of Morris Minors, that most ubiquitous of classics.
There was one Series VI Oxford, in Trafalgar Blue. This one was an automatic, but otherwise my parents had a car like this when I was born, although as they sold it when I was 2, even with the fondness for cars which started at a very early age, I do not quite remember it.
Among the ADO16 cars was this Mark 1 1100 saloon.
This Marina pickup is a rare survivor from a range more commonly seen in Saloon, Coupe, Estate and Van guises.
NISSAN/DATSUN
This second generation 160J SSS Violet Coupe caught my eye, parked up a couple of rows from my own car when we returned for some lunchtime snacks. It was in excellent condition, and would seem recently to have changed hands when its long time owner died. Among the information presented on a sheet pinned to the aerial was the fact that the car has a dog leg gearbox. This is doubtless due to the fact that these cars were the basis for successful rally cars, competing and doing well in many of the tougher events of the day.
Also rare, but rather less pristine was this mid 1980s Laurel. Again, when did you last see one?
The Cedric and Gloria Owners Club may have a relatively small number of members, but they would also seem to be getting more omni-present, and they had a display area with a trio of mid 1980s 300C models on show.
OLDSMOBILE
Among the splendid Oldsmobile on show were this duo of Ninety Eight and Eighty Eight models.
OPEL
The Bahn Stormers had a nice display of Opel Monza on show, along with the cars immediate predecessor, the GS/E Commodore Coupe, and the modern successor, the Monaro.
PLYMOUTH
The Roadrunner was a close relative of the late 1960s Dodge Charger, and an important machine in the Muscle Car era.
PONTIAC
A 1952 Silver Streak, a model dating from an era when every year the cars got more brash, and more confident, and used bold names redolent of the jet and space era.
This 1959 Bonneville Convertible was both enormous and really rather splendid. Of all the old American cars on show, this was one of my favourites.
This is a 1962 model, still a very large car.
There were a couple of Firebird models on display.
PORSCHE
There was no single display of Porsche cars, but there were various examples of the marque in the main displays, with 911, 928 and 944 cars in evidence.
In the car park we came across a recreation of the 911 RS, a 993, a 944, the latest Boxster and this very nice VW-Porsche 914.
RELIANT
The Scimitar GTE remains a popular classic, with its rot proof body and Ford mechanicals.
RENAULT
Whilst we were having lunch, we saw a late model R16 pass throught the car park. Sadly, it appeared that it was leaving the event, as we could not find despite scouring the entire field. An equally rare R12 saloon seems to have eluded the camera, but I did manage to capture this Caravelle Convertible.
A series of R5 models proved to be a disappointment. For sure the Turbo 2 was nice, and there were a couple of original GT Turbo cars, but the rest of a long line of cars had been modified, and in my opinion, somewhat spoiled.
RILEY
Riley made a bewildering array of different models in the 1930s. This is one such, a 9 based Tourer.
There were a couple of the popular RM family cars, including a Tourer as well as a saloon.
Elf was the Riley verison of the booted Mini and there were a few of these on show.
ROLLS-ROYCE
This splendid 20/25 looked particularly imposing.
Several Silver Shadow were present.
ROVER
A strong showing from the Rover Owners Club, comprising a significant number of 1930s models. Variously badged 10, 12, 14 and 16, you would need to be an expert to tell them apart!
There were lots of P4, P5 and P6 cars, too, all stalwarts of an event like this.
Rather more unusual was this much more recent Rover, a 216 Vanden Plas. These were well thought of when new, though I do recall that they were not especially roomy.
Also sporting Rover badges was this Metro Convertible.
Final Rover was an example of the ever popular SD1, in historic Police livery. When we spotted this out on the M25, there was black tape covering the word “Police” on the doors, but surely anyone seeing it would just see how small it now appears and that alone would convince them it could not be a modern and active Force car.
SIMCA
One of the rarer cars of the day, this is a Versailles, the larger of two body styles offered by Simca in the 1950s. The smaller Aronde based cars are the far better known models of the era.
SINGER
The Singer Owners Club had an interesting display of cars ranging from some pre-war machines to some of the last cars to bear the Singer badge, by which time they were little more than rebadged Hillmans with slightly plusher trim. The early cars included an 11hp and a couple of 9 Sports cars from pre-war as well as the post war Sports model.
Later models included a couple of the Super Minx-derived Vogue cars as well as the “Audax” Minx-based Gazelle
STANDARD
The Vignale designed Phase 3 Vanguard was the only Standard car that I recall seeing during the day.
SUNBEAM
One of my favourite 1960s sports is the Tiger and there was a nice Royal Blue example here.
The coupe version of the mundane Hunter saloons and estates were badged Alpine and Rapier, and they were intended to compete with the Capri, though in reality I suspect that anyone who bought the Ford would not have considered the Sunbeam and vice versa. Rust claimed most of these cars, but it was good to see this Rapier H120, which looked to be in excellent condition.
TOYOTA
It’s not often that you see a display of “classic” Toyota at an event in the UK, but there was one here. Most obvious contender was the Celica, and there were a trio of these, from both a first and a second generation ST Coupe to a convertible conversion of the third generation car.
Far rarer was this Crown Coupe, a car which only sold in very small numbers in the early 1970s.
This Corolla GT Coupe is widely acknowledged to be the inspiration for the current and much lauded GT86 sports coupe.
The local dealer had a display of brand new Toyota for us to have a look at. I have to say that the RAV4 left me particularly unimpressed, and the Auris was not much better. The Prius+ does at least have lots of space on its side. The Yaris appeared surprisingly roomy for a car of its dimensions, too. Needless to say, the GT86 was all very different, and fits me very well. Not sure that I would condone one with an automatic gearbox, though.
TRIUMPH
After seeing hundreds of Triumphs the weekend before, you might think that I would pass over those present, but no. Much to my delight, many of them were different from the individual cars that had participated at Gaydon, too. There were plenty of Heralds and Vitesse models, most of them convertible cars, which seemed appropriate given the weather.
There were a good number of Stags as well.
The TR family was also well represented, with examples of each model type from TR2 to TR7.
The Sptifire was also in evidence, thus ensuring that all the different sports car were represented.
Other Triumphs included a Toledo and several Dolomites as well as couple of the large 2000/2500 cars.
VANDEN PLAS
Looking very imposing indeed was this splendid Landaulette Limousine dating from the mid 1950s, based on the Austin A135 Princess.
The Princess R combined a 4 litre Rolls Royce engine with a body loosely based on the Westminster/Wolseley 6/99. Never selling in anything like the volumes that were hoped for, these cars are quite rare now.
The 1100 took the luxury treatment to a far smaller car, and although these models were expensive when new, they sold quite well. This is the later 1300 car.
VAUXHALL
Oldest Vauxhall on show was this Velox from the early 1950s.
There were plenty of PA Cresta, in the very colourful two tone paintwork which was popular on this car in the late 1950s. There was also a Friary Estate model, which was in unusual two door format.
There was also an example of the later PB Cresta, again in Estate format. These cars were converted by Martin Walter, and the result was a neat design, to my eyes.
The FA Victor does not have a big survival rate, thanks to particularly rot prone bodies, so it was good to see quite a few of these cars on display.
There was also an FB model.
I also liked the pair of the sporting VX4/90 models, respectively an FB and a FC car. The former is rare, the latter very rare.
Final Victor was an FE series car in rare Estate format.
A duo of Viva comprised an HB model in the rare GT trim and an HC car and there was also a Magnum Estate car, representing how Vauxhall tried to differentiate the more costly models from the humble Viva in 1973.
Among the Cavaliers were a couple of SRi models from the first front wheel drive range to bear the name. These were the object of many people’s desire when new, representing a step up from the humble 1300L and 1600L re-mobile versions which sold in far greater quantities. They were joined by an example of the Convertible.
Hard to think that the Astra now has a history of 33 years, and the Mark 1 cars are particularly rare. One of the GTEs, a model only produced for a year before the Mark 2 was released was on display as was an example of the limited edition Celebrity hatchback.
VOLKSWAGEN
There were a number of Beetles of all ages, with Cabrio models among their number.
There was also a Karmann Ghia.
VOLVO
The Volvo Owners Club had a couple of the 850/V70 models on show, both with the 5 cylinder Turbo engine which propelled the car from its boxy country landowner image into something rather more “cool”. One of them was the R AWD model.
Elsewhere in the unaffiliated display were a number of the Amazon based cars and a 164.
This P1800 was in the car park.
WILLYS
Sadly not original, but this 8 wheeled Jeep was an absolute hoot.
WOLSELEY
This 15/60 was a plusher version of the prosaic Austin Cambridge and Morris Oxford, and was parked next to an example of the latter so the comparison of their respective interiors could easily be made.
There were plenty of the Hornet models, a booted posh version of the Mini produced from 1961 to 1969.
This 1100 was a posher version of the early Morris, and was the most luxurious version offered until the arrival of the far more costly Vanden Plas in late 1964.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
There were all manner of commercial vehicles, too, ranging from Traction Engines from 100 years ago, to a simply gigantic Peterbilt Big Rig.
This turned out to be an excellent day, well worth the 130 mile trip in each direction. I await the 2014 schedule of events to see whether it will once again clash with La Vie en Bleu or not. If it does not, it will get my vote to attend again.
