1st May was Supercar Sunday at the Goodwood Racing Circuit. The first Breakfast Club of 2022.
Here are a few snaps that I took on my phone.
Goodwood Breakfast Club
Category: Automotive
Hang Your Heads In Shame
I have lifted the following from a post on Facebook. It reflects everything I have been saying for a few days now, but with a bit more substance.
My belief is that the media, both TV and Press, are largely to blame for the chaos we are experiencing on our forecourts.
Petrol tanker drivers have an ADR qualification as well as a HGV licence. They need this for them to drive fuel tanker lorries.
There is a shortage of HGV drivers. That’s a true fact. However, HGV drivers can’t drive a petrol tanker lorry without having an ADR qualification.
The UK had ADR drivers last week. Nothing changed much in a week. Maybe some holiday or some sickness but not, I doubt a dramatic change.
The ADR drivers that were driving last week are probably driving this week delivering fuel so nothing changed much.
The petrol panic we are now experiencing is all down to media hype.
It’s not because of Brexit, because all the EU drivers went back to Europe which is some of the reasons being banded about. These EU HGV drivers left months ago, and yet the country was still getting fuel without problems up until today.
So what’s changed? NOTHING !!
Apart from the disgraceful media hype and scaremongering to make news to sensationalise the fact that a couple of petrol stations were getting a late delivery so they closed temporarily.
The result of the media scaremongering!!
Massive panic and chaos by everyone which is now causing a shortage of fuel until the ADR drivers, that we already had delivering fuel a few days ago, can deliver again.
The media should be fined and penalised, severely for publicising false news and creating the crazy situation that has been going on all today. Disgusting.
They should hold their heads in shame.
(Copied and re-posted for general info.)
Shannon’s Classic Car Show
Shannons are an insurance company, in Australia, providing Car Insurance, Motorcycle Insurance, and Home Insurance products for motoring enthusiasts who drive imported, modified, classic, veteran or vintage cars.
Each year they host a classic car show. Somehow, despite numerous visits to Perth over the years, I have failed to hear anything about the show. Until now, that is.
Which is how I came to spend around three and a half hours of this past Sunday, being totally surrounded by some of the most amazing classic, veteran and vintage vehicles.
Well OK, I did take a break during that time. One does have to keep body and soul together and a fabulous Brisket Burger, courtesy of “Up In Smoke”, helped with that task.
The show presented a vast array of vehicles. As soon as I had paid my $10 entry fee I found myself surrounded by several Lamborghinis
…. I still think the Miura P400 is the best looking Lambo. No sign of one at this show.
Lamborghini Countach 5000 
Lamborghini Countach 5000 
Lamborghini Countach 5000 
Lamborghini Gallardo
But who wants to waste time looking at high tech super cars …
… when there are classic Volvos. Who remembers The Saint, starring Roger Moore as Simon Templar in his white P1800.
Volvo P1800 
Volvo – Amazon I think?
… or Fiats … My wife and I used to own a dark blue Fiat 128. It took us, with two daughters, all the way from Portsmouth in the UK, down to Port Grimaud in the south of France where we toured around Cannes, Nice, St Tropez and Frejus. A glorious two weeks.
Fiat 128 Rally 
Fiat 500 
Fiat 500 
Fiat 500 
Fiat 500 
Fiat 128 Rally
… and VWs … Note the strange protuberance on the side of the Herbie lookalike. It’s not a rocket booster but a retro-fit air conditioner. Working in much the same way as the evaporative air conditioners used on many Australian homes.
Volkswagen – Beetle 
Volkswagen – Beetle 
Volkswagen – Beetle 
Volkswagen 
Volkswagen
… no Classic Car Show would be complete without Citroen, responsible for some of the most innovative, technologically advanced cars. And, at the same time producing some of the, mechanically, simplistic vehicles that became iconic in their own right.
Citroën Traction Avant 
Citroën Traction Avant 
Citroën 2CV – “deux chevaux” 
Citroën 2CV – “deux chevaux” 
Citroen SM
… 3 Wheelers like the Messerschmitt, with its aircraft cockpit bubble and even an aircraft style yoke to steer by. The Isetta could be driven in the UK on a motorcycle license, because it was classified as a three wheel motorcycle. I did note the absence of Rodney and Del Boys vehicle of choice, the Reliant. I guess WA is a little too far from Peckham for Trotters Independent Trading Co.
Messerschmitt 
Messerschmitt 
Messerschmitt 
Messerschmitt 
Isetta – “Bubble Car” 
Isetta – “Bubble Car” 
Isetta – “Bubble Car” 
Moto Guzzi Power 
Moto Guzzi Power
… a few Rileys with their gorgeous curves.
Riley RMA 
Riley RMA
… a few fabulous Austin Healeys. As a school boy I used to lust after a 3000 that I would see regularly in Battle High Street. It was aubergine in colour and had a roll cage, wide wheels and leather straps to hold the bonnet down. The typical “Frog Eye” Sprite was a bit girly by comparison.
Austin Healey 3000 
Austin Healey Sprite
… there were a few Fords … what is there to say. Cars for every man. Although not everyman wanted to have the same as everyone else. Hence the many uprated, sporty customisations. I have to say I never thought I would see a Mustang towing a trailer. Especially not a trailer made out of another Mustang. Sacrilege !!!
… Chrysler were well represented by the R & S series Valliants
Chrysler Valliant 
Chrysler Valiant – Slant 6 Engine 
Chrysler Valliant 
Chrysler Valliant 
Chrysler Valliant 
Chrysler Valliant 
Chrysler Valliant
Never too old to learn something new. I was informed, by a very friendly fella, that the Slant 6 Engine is really a thing. Until Sunday, I had never heard of such a thing. Apparently the Slant 6 enabled the cars designers to achieve a lover profile for the bodywork.
… There was a strong showing from the Holden camp. Many examples especially given the recent news that Holden are ceasing production . My favourite is shown below.
… no show is complete without a Cobra or two ….
Of course it is hard to tell an original, from a replica licensed as a Shelby authorised continuation of the original AC-built Cobra series. Whatever they may be, they are fabulous looking cars.
Of course I could go on throwing up image after image of classic cars but that isn’t all that was available here.
There were trucks …
… Busses … apparently the City Clipper used to offer free rides around Perth city. Interesting that Luxembourg has just announced free public transport in a bid to alleviate traffic congestion. It remains to be seen if the scheme works. Nice to know that Perth was such an innovator, back in the day.
I’ve already shown you a VW camper of sorts. Here are a couple of other campers.
Bedford Dormobile 
Bedford Dormobile 
Bedford Dormobile 
Land Rover Dormobile 
Land Rover Dormobi 
Land Rover
And finally, something most unexpected …. Perambulators ….. Prams !!!. I remember my sisters being pushed around in something similar. No collapsible buggies back then. Definitely not car friendly.
I have many more photos. If you are interested they are available on my Flickr Photostream
Hot Rod & Custom Car Show 2017
Just spent an enjoyable couple of hours at the Hot Rod & Custom Car Show, held at Stansted House in Hampshire.
The weather did rather let us down but the cars managed to shine through even if the sun didn’t.
I’ll let the cars do the talking, take a look at the following photos. See what you think.
1950 Chevrolet 3600
1930 Ford Model A
1961 Ford Taylor
1933 Ford
GMC 100
1951 Ford F 6
1937 Chevrolet
1956 Ford
Ford Consul Classic
1971 Volkswagen
1972 GMC
1936 Ford Sedan
1967 Ford Cortina with 7.5 itre V8 stuffed in
1964 Ford Zephyr Mk III
Ford ??
1936 Ford
1930 Ford Model A
Vauxhall Viva HC Series
1959 Chevrolet Apache Pick Up
1948 Ford F 1 Pick Up
Claims to be a 1979 Reliant with a 3 litre engine !!!
1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pick Up
1960 Morris “Moggy” Minor
1960 Morris “Moggy” Minor with 2 litre Lancia engine
1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pick Up
1936 Chrysler
1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pick Up
GMC 100
GMC 100
1959 Cadillac – Back end
1967 Ford Cortina with 7.5 itre V8 stuffed in
1946 Chevrolet COE (Cab Over Engine)
1954 Chevrolet alongside a 1941 Chevrolet
1962 Chrysler 300
1950 Chevrolet 3600
1952 Ford Coupe
1948 Chevrolet Fleetline
1953 Ford Consul
1951 Ford F 6
Mods
Mods
1939 Austin
1948 Morris Series Z
Ford Consul Classic
Ford Zephyr Mk II
Ford Capri
1957 Ford
1948 Ford F 1 Pick Up
1936 Chrysler
How Low Can You Go ? 1948 Chevrolet
1941 Chevrolet
1960 Studebaker with 1963 Chevrolet alongside
1959 Cadillac
Ford 100 Pick Up
1970 Plymouth Superbird
1962 Chevrolet Corvette
1937 Chevrolet
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
1959 Chevrolet Impala
1961 Ford Taylor
Mercury Comet – 1964 ish
1955 Chevrolet
Taking Cover
1962 Chevrolet Corvette
1959 For Popular with 3.5 litres under the bonnet
1957 Ford
1971 Volkswagen
1933 Ford
1966 Ford Mustang
Anyone seen Garfield
Plymouth Road Runner
Ford Consul Classic
1971 Volkswagen
1953 Ford Consul
1940 Ford
1950 Dodge Charger
1959 Chevy Apache Truck
1936 Chrysler
1937 Buick Special
1949 Peterbilt 344 DT – Burger Bar
1959 Chevy Apache Truck
1970 Plymouth Superbird
1936 Ford Sedan
1979 Ford
Grin and Bear It !!
Rover P5 Series
1970 Plymouth Superbird
1937 Chevrolet
Studebaker Hawk
FAT 49
Can’t believe that these guys went to step back away from their own vehicle just because I was taking this photo.
Apparently she doesn’t like the car and makes him park it well away from her place of work.
What’s not to like ? Just wish I’d asked him what it was. Anyone out there has any idea, please let me know.
Thank You Mr AA Man
Have to say a big thank you to the AA man who arrived to take a look at my car and had it fixed within 45 mins.
I had just driven around 30 miles from the office, mostly motorway, and almost home when there was a sudden noise like a tyre suddenly deflating. This was accompanied by several lights illuminating on my dashboard.
The engine started to run rough and there was a distinct lack of power. So engine and tyres not normally related so I was puzzled.
The lights on the dashboard were related to the tyre pressure sensors and to the stability control system !!!
All of this was accompanied by sounds from under the bonnet similar to when an exhaust manifold gasket is blowing.
Since there didn’t seem to be any danger of damage to the engine, no warning lights indicating overheating or oil loss, I limped home.
At home, on the driveway, I turned the engine off then restarted it. Engine ran, noisy it’s true, but no lights illuminated on the dashboard.
So I contacted the lease company who arranged for the AA to visit.
They arrived within 15 minutes and I reckon the guy had identified that the turbo intercooler hose had come off within five minutes. He discovered that the pipe clip was still down on the tray under the engine cleaned and refitted the pipe. Had the engine running, quietly and smoothly, job done within 45 minutes.
He couldn’t explain why any of the warning lights came on since they are, seemingly, logically, unrelated.
Needless to say, I was and am relieved.
Since then I have trawled the interweb. It seems that intercooler pipes come of with some regularity. I couldn’t find any references to Mazda CX5’s specifically. But lots of references to other brands and there is a particularly humerous film on YouTube of a guy whose Mitsubishi suffers the same issue but he is between hills and without the turbo his car is unable to reach the summit in either direction.
I consider I was very lucky. So, a big thank you to the man from the AA.
Mayor of Havant’s Charity Classic Vehicle Run
Last Sunday morning, under beautiful sunny skies, the Mayor of Havant’s Charity Classic Vehicle Run took place. With around 200 vehicles gathering in the car parks adjacent to the Public Service Plaza. That’s Havant Borough Councils office buildings to you and me.
Many of the drivers were making sure they were well fueled before setting off.
The queue for the burger van was never much shorter than this while I was there. However, it was moving along quite swiftly and I was sorely tempted by the delicious smells wafting my way. But I wasn’t there to eat, I was there to view some classic automobiles.
First up is a Ford Consul Capri circa 1962. My metalwork teacher at Claverham had one of these. At the time I thought they were the best looking car on the road and I still rate them very highly in the looks department. This one is in superb condition.
From Wikipedia:
A Capri was tested by the British The Motor magazine in 1962 and had a top speed of 79.0 mph (127.1 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 22.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 36.7 miles per imperial gallon (7.7 L/100 km; 30.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £915 including taxes of £288
Moving on, there were several very nice camper vans, the interiors were very chinzy but the exteriors were all to a very high standard.
The black and white van looks so slick and was my favourite of the campers but the others also looked beautiful and showing the love bestowed by the owners.
Also putting in an appearance was some “heavy iron” headed up by Terry Pipers 1954 Dennis Pax flatbed truck
Ably supported by this Bedford TJ
And this alien vehicle, a Chevrolet “Advance Design” Pickup truck, circa 1940’s.
I’ve no idea what it had under the bonnet, or should I say “hood”, but it certainly was loud and proud. Apparently the engines ran from 3.5L to 4.3L !!
Everytime I visit a classic car event the one thing that amazes me is how vulnerable we all were. Many of the “family” cars were much smaller than modern day vehicles and with none of the safety features which we tend to expect.
Take a look at this wonderful Isetta ….
I guess this was the Smart car of it’s era.
The first car that my wife and I purchased was a two tone Ford Consul Mk II, Primrose Yellow body with a white roof. Similar to the oen in the picture below. 1703 cc engine, 3 speed column change and front bench seat it handled like a round bottom boat in a heavy swell.
But we learnt a lot about car mechanics and motoring with that car and had one or two adventures. Not the least of which was driving from Winchester to Portsmouth with no foot brakes and surviving the descent from the top of Portsdown Hill using a hand brake that barely functioned. And another, complete with “duck bill” visor …
Another car with beautiful lines was the Bristol 403.
The BMW style radiator grill is hiding a BMW derived straight 6 and this car was capable of just over 100 mph.
Technology has made considerable advances over the years. Todays cars make a lot out of small packages. Small engines, 1500 cc, are to be found powering huge cars by comparison to the past. Here is an example of quite the opposite.
This car was introduced with an 1800cc engine in 1946.
From Wikipedia:
On test by Autocar magazine in 1947 top speed was found to be 75 mph (121 km/h) and 0–60 mph (0–96 km/h) took 34.4 seconds.
In 1948 the Roadster was updated and fitted with a 2000 cc engine. Again, from Wikipedia:
On test the changes resulted in the top speed increasing marginally to 77 mph (124 km/h) but the 0-60 mph time was much better at 27.9 seconds
Still, the lack of speed ensured one had plenty of time to admire the fabulous lines of this car.
Another classic from my youth was the Ford Consul Corsair although I never understood why so many British car names had “Consul” included…. Here is a very smart example.
Reminds me of the joke that was going around at the time.
Question: How many cars can you get under a police womans skirt ?
Answer: About 50,000 Corsairs
I’m sorry !!
Another car sporting a rather snazzy visor is this very clean Volvo PV544 with the B18 engine from circa 1962.
The Renault Megane was not the first car to be showing a classy rear. There were quite a few fancy behinds on display, so here are a few prime examples.
Watch this space….. I have more to share …….
Happy Birthday – 100 Years of Aston Martin
It was on January 15 1913 that Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded Bamford & Martin Ltd., the company that would later become Aston Martin. The name change was in recognition of Robert Bamford’s success at the Aston Hillclimb in Buckinghamshire. A suitable showcase for the very first Bamford & Martin cars.
The DB5 above, made famous as James Bonds vehicle of choice, is the model that will forever be indelibly etched in people’s memory. However, the company had already been producing cars for some fifty years before the DB5 made its debut. Although the lines have changed over the years, Aston Martins are always instantly recognisable and the latest from the stable are just beautiful.
Here’s to the next 100 years.
Bentley Continental GT3
Come on folks…..it’s Christmas. Who wants to buy me the best prezzie ever ?
Proposed 2 Tier Road Tax – Unacceptable
According to The Sunday Times Whitehall officials are investigating changes to the UK road tax system.
Under the new proposal the tax could be split into two tiers – all drivers would pay the first charge. This would allow them to use local roads and A-roads but then motorists wanting to travel on motorways and major A-roads would fork out for a second charge.
I can see how this might swell the governments coffers but ultimately this will be an unfair tax. Forcing those who cannot afford the additional taxation onto the minor roads. This in turn will increase congestion and cause delays and lengthen journey times.
My understanding is that road taxes do not currently pay for the UK road system, rather it is paid for by our general taxation. If that is true then we have all contributed to our road systems and should have the right to use any part of it.
If the government wants to introduce a taxation scheme that is variable but fair then they should scrap the road tax system and collect their taxes purely through the levy on fuel. In that way the heaviest road users would pay the most taxes.
Watch this space.
WrAnTz 