Kicking Up The Spray
I will update my blog, as I go out and about, hopefully coming home with a few pics to share with you.
Race Retro 2015
On Sunday 22nd February we headed up the M40 to Stoneleigh Park, to pay a visit to Race Retro, a show containing things related to all disciplines of Historic Motorsport. The Halls were packed with exhibits and traders to browse, with a live demonstration taking part outside. It was a very cold, bleak day and so the wide variety of indoor attractions had its benefits!
On of the more robust types of machinery on show!
No 50 looks fast standing still.
They do say that you can never have too many lights when it gets dark, but I would think this RS200 is adequately equipped for when the sun sets.
How about this for a striking colour scheme?
I do believe this would be fast enough for most people's needs.
The rear view of a very impressive Miura to Jota spec, which could indeed look resplendent on my drive now, if I had passed over the required £850,000, and bought it. I very nearly did, but then realised I was a little short of money, well £849,995 short to be honest!
When you see those infamous numbers, silver paintwork and Stirling Moss's signature, you think of only one make of car, Mercedes.
Quite what they were doing on a Fiat, I have no idea! A Fiat no less, with Mercedes wheels to confuse me even more!
Driving shoes in all styles ready for you to dance on the pedals with.
The real reason, for me at least, for attending Race Retro is for the outdoor demonstrations. Here we see one of the Historic Karting fraternity getting a push start to fire the engine up. No fancy laptops and cables to start these.
But, of course the highlight of the day was when the Rally Cars come out to play.
There were a diverse selection of Rally weapons on show, from these small hatchbacks to much bigger machines.
The Escorts of course, were the weapon of choice in their day, and this one looked resplendent in it's sponsor's paint colours.
With the rear of the body pulled down into the tarmac we can see that the acceleration is pretty savage.
Rear wheel drive, greasy tarmac and a very skilled driver means that the front wheels are never pointing in a straight line. A classic pose as the Escort gets plenty of sideways action.
Many years ago my Dad had one of these SD1's, and I never envisaged that anyone could turn such a big cruiser into a rally car, but clearly they did.
Ferrari's are never your immediate choice for making a suitable rally car, but here we have an example to prove that it can be done.
It may be small, but it is still mighty quick.
Small hatchback with a turbo engine kicking out some serious bhp, makes this Renault a small rocketship.
Talking of miniature rockets the 6R4, although not the prettiest of machines is gloriously built with only one thing in mind, speed!
As the course is quite compact there was an endless stream of cars coming around.
Just to prove that the drivers were really trying, have a look at the flames coming out of the front brake, as it is being worked extremely hard.
This Vauxhall had the best sounding engine of the day, a real raw brute of a machine, and looked a real handful to control, much to the crowds delight!
A really enjoyable day out, with plenty to look at, and the rally cars were a joy to watch, as their skillful drivers wrestled them around the track.
Islington
This year I am determined to explore more of London, and on Sunday February 15th, I headed up to Islington to have a look around the area. Islington has many fine shops and restaurants to offer, but I found the areas slightly away from the upmarket hub to be of more interest to me.
Islington has a vibrant cafe scene, and care had been taken to have a few flowers on each outside table.
Whilst another cafe preferred the more 'lived in' look!
Just a few strides away found the imposing blocks of flats, gathered together. Although the architecture may not be to everyone's taste, they are interesting all the same.
Tall and sky domineering, you can't fail to be impressed by their solid, rugged exterior. Not the most pleasing of colour palettes but the buildings do make a bold statement!
Although architecturally similar, the occupants make their homes individual if only in the variety of things on display in their balcony area, and the relative size of their satellite dish!
Just when you aren't expecting it, a very modern building pops up, with a more pleasing choice of exterior colour scheme.
It was refreshing to see a building not wholly designed with a straight rule, as the Angel Building's curved frontage shows here.
I think it is safe to say that this isn't the neatest bit of wiring I have ever seen!
The good old magazine kiosk, with something to read for everyone, added a bit of colour to the shopping area.
An interesting area of London, and one I would like to go back to investigate further, as I am sure there is much more to see and explore.
VSCC Driving Tests 2015
Feb 1st, saw us heading back to Brooklands for the Annual VSCC Driving Tests Day, where drivers in their pre-war cars have to negotiate various routes laid out, stopping at various places, swerving in and out of cones without hitting them all whilst being timed. A wide variety of machinery arrived to play, some more suitable than others for this type of discipline, but their respective drivers giving a spirited display of driving.
First port of call for all drivers and machinery is Scrutineering.
All lined up and raring to go!
Timeless isn't it?
With chain drive, no rear diff and a huge amount of skill you end up driving like this. Car control this chap had was breathtaking at times.
On the greasy surface the drivers had to be very careful that they didn't start sliding where they didn't ought to!
All very casual this one handed driving technique you may think, but that hand is for holding on!
Two wheels at the front and only one driving at the rear made things a bit lively!
One of the more unusual tests was this one where competitors had to drive around the Christmas Tree in a circle, whist keeping the attached string taught enough to stop the suspended duck from dropping to the ground, but not too tight and pulling the tree over!
With any old machinery there is always some tinkering required to get them running as they should.
Patiently contemplating the ascent of the Test Hill.
One of the more upright competitors, a world away from some of the more low slung machinery in the other classes.
It might be my eyes playing tricks, but I am sure that spare wheel is bigger than the ones fitted to the car.
These cars always look so right up on parts of the original banking.
Notice the copious amounts of clothing everyone is wearing as it was seriously cold.
Warm hats were the order of the day, and I started to notice that the seriously stylish had matching hats and wheels.
Keeping up the colour matched wheels and hat scenario.
Please note the run over cone trapped under the front of this car.
How many men does it take to remove a cone from under a car? Five by the looks of it!
On such a cold day, huge respect and thanks must go out to the volunteer marshalls who still managed be in good humour, even when frozen through!
Once again, another great event at Brooklands Museum, and thanks must go to the VSCC for putting the event on.
Walk Around Bray
On Sunday 25th January, I found myself with a couple of hours of free time, so popped down to the picturesque local village of Bray to have a walk around and to see what I could find. For those of you not familiar with Bray, it prides itself on its very tidy appearance, backed up with numerous 'Villages in Bloom' type awards in recent times, and boasts two, three star Michelin restaurants to its name.
I decided to have a wander round, keeping away from the much photographed pretty High Street to see if I could find anything a bit more interesting and appealing for my (Some would say strange) visual taste.
First thing I spotted was a field containing some impressive Highland Cattle, not something we see a lot of down here in the South. As it was a very cold afternoon I soon started looking enviously at their magnificent insulating coats!
I bet it wasn't shivering as much as I was when I took this picture!
As I stood by the fence, some of the more inquisitive beasts wandered over to have a look at me, so I took the opportunity to get up nice and close.
A lovely line of arched foliage protecting the footpath.
Really liked this charming rustic shed.
Nature starting to take over the man made objects left lying around.
It's a bit different to the hanging baskets and perfect paintwork of the High Street around here, isn't it?
Yes indeed, there is a tractor trying to escape the grip of the overgrown vegetation. Either that tractor has been left there a long time or that is some very fast growing weeds.
It's not all Jaguars and Gin in Bray, you know!
Really enjoyed my stroll around Bray, and to me, the not so pristine areas, hidden from normal view, had more appeal and character than the picture postcard part of Bray's expanding Haute Cuisine village centre, probably no more than 100 yards away from where I took these pictures. The contrast between the two areas is huge but to me fascinating!
Bicester Heritage Sunday Brunch Scramble
We made our first ever visit to Bicester Heritage for their Sunday Brunch Scramble on January 4th and we didn't really know what to expect. The day was very cold with the thermometers showing only minus numbers, allied with a good thick dose of freezing fog made wrapping up well a necessity! Once parked up we set about exploring this old RAF site which is now being sympathetically restored, and made into a centre for all things connected with classic cars and planes.
Classic cars were parked up all round the site, and there were some gorgeous examples on display.
The freezing fog stuck to this owner's prominent poppy on the journey to Bicester. On such a cold day you really have to admire the resolve of the drivers to bring their open top cars out to play.
Yes, it really was that cold!
Magnificent Bentley tucked away in one of the sheds.
In contrast to the brutish Bentley, the Bugattis look much more elegant!
That is what you call a very fine engine bay, both in presentation and design.
Every corner that you turned found another photogenic car, waiting in the cold to be photographed.
Just to give you some idea of the variety of vehicles on show, all with their own unique characteristics.
Rather liked this unusually painted Morgan, which seemed to change colour as you moved around it.
Not only were there some iconic cars on show, but the old buildings made great backdrops for them as well.
Every bit of space seemed to have a great car parked in it!
Not all vehicles were polished up, some such as this Land Rover wore their patina with pride, and rightly so!
People that know me, appreciate that I don't really take pictures of Porsches, but with bright yellow paintwork and a background that you could only dream about, I thought I would turn over a new leaf for the new year and give it a go!
Once I got started, it rather appealed to me!
The bikes were sensibly put in one of the buildings for shelter, and quite a few hardy riders rode them to the event.
Some of the old RAF equipment was put out on display, and very good it looked too!
Wonder what stories these machines could tell us if they could talk?
Out on the airfield there was a line up of planes to wander to and admire.
You can see just how cold and foggy it was with this photo.
There were lots of historical details such as this lifting beam to enjoy in the buildings to remind us all of their past uses.
Not only were the cars and planes great to take photos of, but I got quite interested in the buildings especially those displaying frozen cobwebs!
The buildings were painted in a variety of colours, which helped differentiate them.
Needless to say this is one of the buildings awaiting restoration, but very interesting all the same.
Derelict parts of the site had a certain charm to them for me, thought provoking, historical and many a story to tell.
A rather steamy E-Type starts up to begin the journey home.
Having arrived, not knowing what to expect, I was absolutely bowled over by how good this place is. Classic cars and planes, evocative historic buildings coupled with the atmospheric foggy conditions made it an event to remember. Many thanks must go to the hardy owners who brought their machines out to play, as well as the workers and volunteers who made the day run so smoothly, coupled with a big thank you to Bicester Heritage for their hospitality.
Really looking forward to visiting the next one in April!