Classic Sunday – Breakfast Club


Last Sunday, 4th August, I visited the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit for the last Breakfast Club of 2024. I was there with my son-in-law Jon.

Triton

The Breakfast Club meetings are held on a Sunday morning and are free to attend.

All the vehicles on display are privately owned and driven or ridden to the event.

1966 Mercedes

They are their owners’ pride and joy, the results of many hours of restoration and care.

1968 Plymouth

And, in many cases, the expenditure of many thousands of pounds well beyond the resale value of the vehicle.

1958 Ford

Each Breakfast Club has a theme, and this time was no different. Classic Sunday was for cars and bikes that were registered before 1st January 1984.

1914 Stanley – Steam powered

According to the news letter I received a few days ago, this breakfast club attracted over a thousand vehicles.

1990 Burton (Citroen 2CV)

Suffice to say, Jon and I only managed to view maybe two-thirds of the vehicles on display in the time available to us. The gates opened to the public at 08:00 and we had arrived about thirty minutes after. The event closed at noon. We would have needed another couple of hours to view the remaining exhibits.

Chichester City Band

This time, breakfast club visitors were treated musical entertainment in the form of the Chichester City Band

1967 Jaguar Kougar

Jaguar Kougar ? Seems like a bit of cross breeding going on here. And there certainly is with the Kougar being a “kit” car of sorts.

1969 Citroen DS

The Citroen DS was possibly the most beautiful car of its era and certainly its aerodynamic design and innovative suspension came the closest to the 50’s imagined transport of the future.

1953 Chevrolet

This is a classic example of a Rat Rod of which there were several on display. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.

1969 Chevrolet Corvette

There were a number of Corvettes on display. Most of the more usual Stingray style, unlike this example.

1982 Citroen 2CV6

The 2CV was introduced to help motorise the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France. In addition, it had been designed to cross a freshly ploughed field with a basket full of eggs on the passenger’s seat without breaking them, because of the great lack of paved roads in France at the time.

Somehow I don’t think this bright orange example would meet that criteria.

1951 Chevrolet

This pretty rod is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Rat Rod above.

1961 Chrysler

Beautiful, with so much chrome to catch the eye. So, so stylish.

1961 Chrysler

I suspect that the front of this car would fail so many of the modern day safety rules and regulations. Style has been sacrificed for safety.

1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (Porsche)

Yet another beautiful car. Pretty sure I had some pressed steel clockwork cars that looked like this VW.

1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark 1

Precursor to the James Bond classic DB5

1967 Ford Mustang

Classic american muscle car. Who can forget that ultimate movie car chase with Steve McQueen in Bullitt. Apparently the real “Bullitt” Mustang sold for $3.74 million.

1968 Ford Mustang

More muscle …

1971 NSU

I remember the NSU from teens. To me they looked similar from the front and back.

1968 Volkswagen Beetle

Another “rat” or is it a work in progress ?

1968 Volkswagen Beetle
1967 Triumph TR4

Triumphs are one of my favourite sports car marques. Love the shape and style of the TR4 although the predecessor TR3 has, in my opinion, the better shape.

1969 Ford Mustang with a 1976 Lotus Espirit in the background.

My preference would be for the Lotus with its superior handling. However my height and bulk would probably prevent me from getting into the Lotus or, more likely, make my exit look like a comedy routine. So it looks like I’m stuck with the yank tank.

1956 Austin Healey 100M

Austin Healey 100, so named due to its ability to reach a speed of 100 mph.

1962 Landrover Series 2A

Nicknamed Mavis.

1962 Landrover Series 2A

Mavis claims to be a wolf in sheeps clothing due to the higher power unit fitted which has been “breathed on”. She claims to look like a tortoise, run like a hare and roar like a lion.

1967 MGB (heavily modified)

This MGB is another wolf in sheeps clothing. When I asked how he managed to get that lump into the car his reply was that he used some very big shoe-horns and a few cans of WD-40.

1962 Reliant Sabre 4

Who knew that the manufacturers of the ubiquitous 3-wheeler manufactured such great looking cars.

The Sabre 4 had a 1,703 cc engine

1962 Reliant Sabre 6

The Sabre 6 had a 2,553 cc engine.

Well I hope you enjoyed browsing my photos from Classi Sunday. As I said previously there were over a thousand cars on display and I have only scratched the surface with these pictures.

Jon and I played a little game between ourselves when we arrived. Jon said, “I wonder how may E-Types we will see” So we started counting.

We stopped at 27.

Till next time. The next breakfast club will be in May of 2025.

Goodwood Road Racing Club – 81st Members Meeting


Per my recent post, on Sunday, 14th April, I had the great pleasure of attending the annual Members Meeting, held at the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.

This was the 81st Members Meeting. It’s amazing to think that this annual event has been going for so long.

Thankfully, the weather was kind, dry with some sunshine throughout the day, although the temperatures did drop later in the afternoon.

But hey, this post isn’t about the weather. Let’s get on to the main event. It’s all about historic cars, some of which are over one hundred years old, being raced around the Goodwood circuit.

So here are some photos of some fabulous cars, oh and motorcycles.

Getting us started is a fairly modern vehicle by Goodwood standards ….

1972 Alpine A110

This was just one of an array of Alpines lined up to greet us as we arrived.

Close by there was this fine display of monster Bentleys.

Bentley

On arrival we were just in time for the first race.

Let Get Racing

Here we are on the grid but no sign of the cars.

These guys were all lining up to compete in the Parnell Cup, a twenty minute race for Grand Prix, Formula 2 and Voiturette cars. These cars are of a type that raced between 1935 and 1953.

Next up was the Derek Bell Cup. a twenty minute race for 1-litre Formula 3 cars that raced between 1964 and 1970.

Yes, all lined up ready for the off. Unfortunately the race start was delayed for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, due to a racing incident the race was red flagged, an ambulance was deployed and all the remaining competitors had to return to the grid for the eventual race restart.

For a totally different form of racing we move on to the Sidecar Shootout. Racing sidecars was a first for Goodwood. The shootout featured eight of the quickest pairings from the Sidecar World Championships.

The riders, or is it drivers, and their passengers have to be truly insane. One of the competitor vehicles was clocked at 144 mph.

Between each racing event, the McLaren cars would come out to play.

Presumably checking that the circuit was clear of any debris prior to the next event.

Which in this case was the Surtees Trophy. The Trophy race is for unlimited sports racing prototypes that raced between 1960 and 1966. The race duration was twenty minutes.

First the formation lap …..

And then they were off.

Charging into the first corner.

Here are a few detail shots …..

As we headed into the afternoon it was time for a Mustang or two, or thirty. Yep, thirty Ford Mustangs headed out onto the grid for the Ken Miles Cup. This forty-five minute race was for first generation Ford Mustangs that raced up to 1966.

Unfortunately, due to a racing incident, the safety car had to be deployed and the track cleared before racing could continue.

And then we were racing again …..

Sadly, this guy didn’t get to the finish line …..

But the Members Meeting isn’t all about racing. Some of the events are demonstration runs. On this occasion there was a real treat in store for motorsport fans, Can-Am. The Can-Am series introduced some of the wildest, most extreme race cars of all time.

Following the Can-Am demo we were treated to a real vintage display. Part 2 of the S.F. Edge Trophy. A five lap race for Edwardian racing cars, and Aero-Engined Specials, from the early 20th Century. Here are a few of my snaps …..

And now, back to the future. Here we have a Gordon Murray Automotive T.33 “Mule” supercar

Travelling back in time, just a little, we were treated to a demonstration of Niki Lauda’s McLaren MP4/2B……

And then as time was marching on, at around 17:00, we had the final of the Sidecar Shootout.

Finally, as we were getting ready to leave the circuit for the day, there was much activity on the grid as Goodwood prepared for the Peter Collins Trophy, a twenty minute race for sports racing cars of a type that would have raced between 1948 and 1955.

We didn’t actually see this race get underway as we were heading to the car park, but all in all we had a fabulous day. Once again Goodwood put on a spectacular event.

Thank you to Goodwood

Thank you to all the competitors and demonstration drivers.

Thank you to all the owners who allow these fabulous machines to driven as they were intended.

I’m of an age that I remember some of these vehicles racing, watching them on a Saturday afternoon, in black and white, on the BBC. Certainly I can’t get enough of them and all being well, I will definitely be back for the 82nd Members Meeting in 2025.

Goodwood GRRC – Members Meeting  – Taster


Yesterday, along with my son-in-law and grandson, I spent a fabulous day at the Goodwood Road Racing Club, 81st Members Meet.

On Your Marks

The weather was kind, remained dry, and we even had a little sunshine.

A Gaggle of Mustangs

This is just a taster of some photos. These taken on my phone.

Mustang

Most of my shots were taken on my Canon 7D camera and are yet to be offloaded onto my laptop.

More Mustangs

So, stay tuned. Be prepared to be bored. There will be a full post in the next couple of days.

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.

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – 2012


Every year a Classic Car Show is staged in the Waterlooville centre.

Despite the weather letting the exhibitors down there were quite a few folks up there and I include a few snaps for your edification.

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – General View South

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – General View North

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – A

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Triumph Stag

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Sunbeam Supreme

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Model T Replica

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Vauxhall Victor 101

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Edsel

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Ford Mustang Mach 1

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Hummer

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Pontiac Firebird

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Chevrolet

Waterlooville Classic Car Show – Mercury Monterey

The pedestrianised precinct is ideal for this type of event. It is a shame that there wasn’t some music and perhaps a barbecue or hog roast to supplement the static car display. Now that the precinct has been refurbished the town has to make maximum use out of the facility. I arrived around  13:30 and all I could see aside from the cars was some kind of Face Painting and a caravan with someone bending balloons. I couldn’t see much to indicate if there was any kind of “Best in Show” competition.

The owners of the cars were not much in evidence although some had obviously taken refuge within their cars. I did wonder if the old lady, asleep in one of the cars, might have been an optional extra at the time of original purchase.

I can only wish them better luck with the weather next year.