In the 7 years that the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power has been held, the event has successfully managed to establish its own identity and unique ambience. Taking place at Cholmondeley Castle in the southern most part of rural Cheshire, to the west of Crewe and Nantwich, this Pageant enjoys a spectacular setting, overlooked by the eponymous Castle, with sizeable lawns for display purposes, a lake which plays a part in many of the displays and activities and a track which snakes for just over a mile around the grounds, with a number of obstacles including the famous hump-backed bridge crossing which many competitors get airborne. There is now quite a rivalry among some of the supporting manufacturers to bring along a car which can set fastest time – something which the micro-climate can make difficult if (or rather, when!) it rains, and there is a very active (though this year not at all visible on the day I attended) support from Autocar magazine. With a paddock of over 300 vehicles, lots of static displays from Car Clubs and local dealers, various demonstrations in the air on land and in the water, as well as a trade village and a wide variety of food available, there really is something for everyone. I’ve been every year since 2011, and although there has been rain at some point in the day every time (and 2014 was no exception!), have always thoroughly enjoyed it.
IN THE PADDOCK
As in previous years, there was a well ordered Paddock with a very varied array of machinery which could be inspected at close quarter. Every vehicle made a number of sorties out onto the tack during the day, but was returned to its individual space within minutes of leaving. After well known entrant Chris Williams had taken the famous 24 litre Napier-Bentley out on at least one occasion, he decided to use some of the heat generated by the engine to do a little cooking. No-one seemed terribly keen on eating the toast or the sausages, though!
ABARTH
This 1974 Abarth Osells is one of 5 such cars that were built. This one has been restored in the colours of the Team Montjuic, a Barcelona based operation. It is a regular sight at classic racing events and also where historic Abarths are on show.
ARIEL
The latest Ariel Atom 3.5 was one of the cars that came complete with factory mechanics to try to ensure it was running perfectly when out on track.
ASTON-MARTIN
DB2
AUDI
Few could mistake the distinctive sound of the legendary Sport Quattro when it was fired up and took to the circuit. This is a real favourite of mine.
BAC
Parked up right next to the Atom was its dread rival, the BAC Mono.
BENTLEY
As well as providing course cars, there was this very impressive Speed Eight from the victorious 2003 le Mans team.
Bringing things right up to date was this GT3 version of the latest Continental GT Coupe.
There were a number of classic Bentley from the 1920s and 1930s, including the 8 litre engined cars, and these were accompanied by some fabulous small scale replicas.
BMW
CATERHAM
Candidate for fastest car around the circuit was this 620R, latest version of the long running Caterham. In the end, it was pipped to the post by a Radical.
CHEVROLET
This early 1970s Camaro and a 1969 C3 model Corvette were among the noisier competitors.
Equally conspicuous was this 1964 Malibu.
COOPER
DATSUN
As well as taking on and beating the traditional British sports cars in the Sales Charts in America in the early 1970s, the 240Z was a very successful rally car, doing particularly well in rallies in Africa.
FERRARI
Without question, one of the most valuable cars present was this lovely 250 GT SWB.
Rarer still, though, was this fabulous 1951 212. First seen in the UK at last autumn’s rather wet Brooklands Autumn MotorSport meeting, now it is UK owned, it would appear to be brought out quite regularly. One of just two such 212 cars (the other is in the Schlumpf Collection), it is based on an F2 car but fitted with a 2.5-litre V12. This car made its debut in 1951 at the Siracusa Grand Prix, driven by Dorino Serafini and is thought to have also been driven by Villoresi, Marzotto and Gonzalez. Raced extensively during the 1950s, it was later discovered stored in Uruguay and eventually found its way into various UK, Italian and Japanese collections before being restored by DK Engineering in 2008, the car is currently owned by a UK collector.
Also taking part were a 458 Italia and both a 308 GTB and a 308 GTS.
FIAT
I was quite surprised to learn that this 500-based machine currently sports a BMC A Series engine. Be that as it may, it proved to be extremely rapid out on track.
FORD
This Ford is fully road legal. It was built to showcase the Ecoboost engine technology.
Predating it by 10 years was this GT, the car that Ford built as a tribute to the iconic GT40. This one is noticeably larger than its forebear, of course.
More recent than that is the S2000 Fiesta rally car.
Ford’s proposed Group B Rally car, the RS200 was also present.
HARDY SPECIAL
JAGUAR
XJ220 Le Mans. This thing makes quite a noise when it starts up.
LAMBORGHINI
Sole Lamborghini in the Paddock was this rather nice Diablo VT.
LANCIA
I was really pleased to see a Lancia S4, as this manic Group B is one of my favourites from the great era of rallying.
There were a couple of other splendid Lancia models, as well, the iconic Delta Integrale and the earlier Fulvia HF Coupe, one of the last of the generation of rallying machines that was a barely adapted road car as opposed to the purpose designed specialist machines which came in with the Stratos and other cars in the mid 1970s. There was a proper Stratos there, too.
LOTUS
With a rich heritage of sports and race cars, it must be hard to know which models should represent Lotus at an event like this. This lovely Type 11 was parked up next to the Type 18.
From the current range was this Exige V6S, a deeply impressive machine indeed, by all accounts.
MARCOS
MASERATI
There were a whole line of Maserati assembled, in honour of the marque’s centenary.
At one end of the line in the paddock were a duo of 250F cars, one of which is the property of Nick Mason.
One of my favourite cars of the day, this is the first of the famous “Birdcage” cars to be imported to America in 1957, chassis No. 2543. It has won more races in Europe than any other, at Spa, the Nurburgring, Silverstone and Donnington amongst others. It’s owned and driven by stalwart British racing driver Alan Minshaw.
I was also delighted to see this 300S again. Magnifico!
The 5 litre Maserati-engined Cooper Monaco is the only one of its kind ever built. Badged as the T61P, the chassis was developed to take the 500bhp engine and it was raced by Roy Salvadori, winning the 1964 Whitsun Trophy at Goodwood. It later spent 26 years in a collection, but it is now racing again and I last saw it when, for the first time in 50 years, it won the Maserati Centenary race at Donington Park. It was driven at CPOP by owner, Michael O’Shea.
Maserati’s latest road cars were also taking part, with petrol versions of both the Quattroporte and the Ghibli in action.
McLAREN
The latest McLaren 650S was there to represent the Woking based firm. I understand that Autocar’s Matt Saunders had been driving it on the Friday, but he was nowhere to be seen by Sunday.
MERCEDES-BENZ
This is a Black Series SLS AMG GT, one of the last cars to be produced before the dramatic gullwing model reaches the end of its production run in a few weeks time.
PORSCHE
With the latest 911 GT3 models still in dock whilst Porsche sorts out the engine issues, it fell to the 911 Turbo S to represent Porsche’s latest offerings out on the circuit.
Also on display was an example of the legendary Carrera GT.
VAUXHALL
The new VXR8 GTS was present here. as well as one the dealer stand.
BIKES
Cholmondeley is almost as much about Bikes as it is Cars. I’m no expert on matter two wheeled, but even I could appreciate the wide variety of machines on show and in action, which ranged from a couple of Indian bikes from the mid 1920s through an array of Ducati, Honda and Suzuki, among others.
GO-KARTS
There were a vast number of go-karts housed in the Paddock, and at lunchtime a group of kids from nearby Tarporley School took them out for a lap of the circuit. It turned out that there is an enthusiastic karting club at this school, and that the children compete nationwide in various races. This is just what we need to try to develop talent early and produce the next generation of potential race and rally drivers.
AA DISPLAY
One of the old Mini Vans was on show along with the latest in patrol Fiestas.
WALES RALLY GB CARS
A trio of Ford rally cars comprised this small display. with first and second generation Focus models joined by the latest Fiesta based machine.
HELICOPTER DISPLAY
Mid morning, this helicopter came into land, and was then available for everyone to inspect. Later in the day, there was a live demo of rescuing someone (a real person) from the lake by helicopter – a tricky operation given the low cloud, and the wind.
CHESHIRE FIRE ENGINES
CAR CLUB DISPLAYS
Over 50 Car Clubs, some very local and regional, and others representing a single marque or model, provided quite a display of cars in an area adjoining the outside of the track, and there was lots of interest in this area which could be viewed before entering the main event.
ABARTH
For the second consecutive gathering of Abarthisti, red 500 models dominated, though as is always the case, each car on show was indeed different. My own entry level car was joined by Charlie Gage’s 500C, Zoe Harrison’s Esseesse and a duo of 595 models, one with a number of modifications including Angel Tuning mechanical changes and some very solid black looking rear lights. To ensure that people understand that Abarths are available in colours other than red, there were also a Bossa Nova White 500 and a Record Grey 595 present.
There was just one of the latest Punto models, a SuperSport belonging to Shaun and Bev Yates, and this was joined by a much loved Punto HGT Abarth which, in its bright yellow, made for a colourful addition to the display.
ALFA-ROMEO
The North West section of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club had an array of models, most of them relatively recent. Annoyingly, I failed to get a photo of the SZ that was present, but I did record some of the other cars which encompassed an Alfetta GTV, a number of GTV and Spider cars and a 159 Berlina in the relative rare colour (for this model) of Alfa Red.
Elsewhere there were a couple of racing 147s.
AUSTIN-HEALEY
This club had a nice mix of Big Healeys and Sprites on show.
FERRARI
These were parked up in the Car Club area, but did not seem to be associated with any particular club.
FIAT
The local Fiat Coupe owners brought along a quartet of these striking cars. The basic design is now 20 years old, but it really does not look it. One car that Chris Bangle definitely got right.
FORD
There were a number of sporting Fords, ranging from what I suspect was a recreated Mark 1 Escort Twin Cam through later generations of Escort to Sierra Cosworth and Focus RS
HONDA
Parked up in among the S2000 sports cars was a little gem, an S800 Coupe. This really does appear to be a tiny car when compared with more modern machinery.
JAGUAR
There were a number of Jaguar models, ranging from E Type to XK8 cars.
JOWETT
Among the more unusual cars on show were a duo of Jowett Jupiter, the sports convertible version of the Javelin, an ill-fated saloon with engineering that was a little too advanced (and unreliable) for its own good.
LAMBORGHINI
This very conspicuous Gallardo was parked up next to the Ferraris in the Car Club area.
LANCIA
Most numerous car on the Lancia Owners Club stand was the ever popular Delta Integrale, with several examples present.
Also included were a couple of Stratos replicas, a Montecarlo and a very nice Flavia Coupe.
LOTUS
A very small selection of Lotus models included an Elan Sprint and Plus 2S, and later in the day an Esprit.
MAZDA
The ever enthusiastic MX5 Owners Club had a large number of examples of the world’s best selling sports car on show, with models from all three generations on display.
MG
A small collection of MGF/TF sports cars comprised the main element of one of the MG displays.
However, backing them off were some very recent MGs, both MG6 and MG3. These cars, although not common at all on our roads, do seem to have found some enthusiastic owners, which is great to see.
Elsewhere were a number of older MG models, with MGB and MGC joined by a lovely TC.
MINI
There were a couple of nice examples of the original Mini Cooper. from the 1960s along with the 1990s recreation
MORGAN
The Morgan Owners Club had an impressive array of cars, most of which were 4/4 or Plus 8 cars, but with an example of the very latest (much wider) Plus 8 and a much earlier car in among the mix, along with a 4 Seater model.
NISSAN
The Skyline/GT-R Owners Club had an array of cars, comprising a mix of the current GT-R and earlier Skyline models.
NOBLE
OPEL
This was one of the standout cars for me, as it is rare. A Commodore GS/E Coupe, less than 3000 of which were built between 1969 and 1972, this one is especially rare as it was assembled in Biel (Bienne) in Switzerland, rather than at Bochum in Germany. It is not known how many cars were assembled there.
PORSCHE
Scattered around the displays were an early 911 Turbo and a later 993 based car.
RELIANT
This lone Scimitar GTC was parked up with a bunch of other cars
SPARTAN
And those other cars were all Spartans, an MG based kit car which was quite popular in the 1970s. I was surprised to see quite so many gathered together in one place.
SUBARU
A small collection of Subaru models show-cased some of the different Impreza variants offered in the first two model generations.
TRIUMPH
The Stag Owners Club had a quartet of cars on show.
The TR Register had quite a few cars, most of which were TR6s, but there were also some older TR3 models among the display.
Elsewhere was a Mark 3 GT6.
TVR
There were only a handful of TVR cars here, with an S, a Chimaera, a couple of Cerbera as well as a Tuscan all represented.
ULTIMA
VAUXHALL
This has always proved to be the show to attend if you want to see Mark 1 Cavaliers, with several in attendance every year. The bright yellow car is significant, as it is the oldest known survivor and the original press car. Joining it were other examples of this very competent car, including the only known 1600 LS model that still exists.
The China Blue car that was parked with them is a recent discovery, and is the typical low mileage one owner car that needed no restoration having been garaged by an elderly owner and simply not used for most of its life.
From the more sporting end of the range were a series of HP (“DroopSnoot”) Firenza and HS and HSR Chevettes.
Pre-dating all these was an FD Series VX4/90. This was a sporting version of the everyday Victor, and would have been bought by the sort of person who nowadays probably goes for a mid spec 3 or 5 Series BMW or Audi/Mercedes rival.
At the other end of the field were some more sporting Vauxhalls including quite a lot of current Astra GTC and VXR cars. I did also spot this well presented Nova.
VOLVO
An eclectic mix of Volvo included some of those boxy estates from the 1990s and early 2000s which so transformed the image of this Swedish manufacturer, as well as the earlier P1800 Coupe.
A 221 Estate was to be found elsewhere in the Car Club area.
NEW CARS
There were far fewer stands showing new cars than in previous years, and all those present were dealer cars rather than from the manufacturer or importer, but even from the reduced selection, there were some things worthy of note.
BMW
In the past, BMW have used this event to showcase some brand new models which are poised to go on sale, so I was rather expecting to see the M3 and M4 just as I had done at Canary Wharf earlier in the week, but they were not there. Instead, centre of attention was focused on the i3. This distinctive car certainly dares to be different, and I have seen a few out on the roads now, but with its limited range (unless you go for the Range Extended option) and relatively high purchase price, it is likely to remain a car you will see occasionally rather than every day.
Commercially far more significant were the 1, 2, 3 and 4 Series cars on show. I could not live with the truly awful graphics and trim features on the 3 Series on show, but I guess some will think it is one way to distinguish their 3 from the tens of thousands of similar cars.
Also present were a 6 and a Z4.
FERRARI
HR Owen had an example of the F12 Berlinetta. I clearly missed something, as one photographer spent at least 15 minutes taking what appeared to be the same picture, repeatedly, of the badge on the rear rump. For reasons that were not obvious to me, though photographing the rest of the car certainly seemed worthwhile, as this is a supreme motor car.
FORD
A small showing of Fords included the Focus ST.
LAMBORGHINI
As well as the Ferrari, HR Owen also had a duo of Lamborghini Aventador, one Coupe and one Spider. Apart from the photographer besotted with the Ferrari rear badge, there were more consistently crowds around the Aventadors, which is not entirely surprising as these really are Lambo’s in the truest tradition of being somewhat over-exuberant in their form.
LOTUS
Some secondhand Lotus cars were on show by local dealer
MASERATI
I was surprised to see that the 2 cars on the Maserati stand were the “old school” models, namely a GranTurismo and Gran Cabrio and not the more recent saloons. The carbon fibre bonnet is certainly not to my taste, but the rest of the car definitely is.
MINI
A trio of MINI included the latest third generation Cooper as well as the more familiar Countryman and Roadster.
MORGAN
Examples of the current Morgan range included the very popular Three Wheeler as well as the long running four wheel cars.
PORSCHE
A number of secondhand Porsche models were mixed in with the Morgan display.
VAUXHALL
Vauxhall focused on the VXR models in their range, with pride of place going to the VXR8 GTS, a car which received rave reviews from the UK press, even though sales are going to be limited to less than 100 units.
The rather brash Astra VXR Extreme concept that was shown at Geneva was making an appearance here, too.
Other models included the recently facelifted Insignia VXR
IN THE CAR PARK
ALFA ROMEO
1750 GTV
AUDI
R8 and a duo of RS4s
BENTLEY
Latest Continental GT
BMW
A very nice E9 model 3.0 CS
The Coupe version of the Z4 never sold in significant quantity, so it qualifies as a sort of minor classic even now, I think.
This is a rare colour for the latest M5.
CHEVROLET
C3 model Corvette Stingray
FIAT
124 Spider
FORD
Focus RS
HOLDEN
Specially for one Dan Grazier, I present this Maloo!
LOTUS
The Eclat is a car you rarely see. This was a Coupe version of the mid 1970s Elite and sold in small quantities until a significant facelift transformed it into the Excel in late 1982. This one is particularly rare as it is the limited edition Riviera model which featured a glass sunroof as standard.
PEUGEOT
205 GTi
PORSCHE
944 Turbo and early 911 Turbo
TRIUMPH
Herald Convertible
TVR
Chimaera
ULTIMA
Public car parking is spread around three separate car parks around the outside of the event, and I did not have the time to inspect what was parked up in all three of them, so what follows is just what was in the one nearest the Car Club displays by mid-afternoon.
Despite the early morning rain, which was both unwelcome and unforecast, this was an excellent event. Over the three days there was a record attendance of 67,000 people, which is testament to the variety of content and activity which the organisers had included.
