The Gathering [PICS!]

[Lucky]

[CENTER]









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Well, what can I say? All shows should be like this, really. Perfect mix and a guarantee that even getting there will make sure the day is an adventure and truly memorable. The move from the old venue at Prescott Hill near Cheltenham to Shelsley Walsh near Worcester spelled a long old trek; I live a few hundred yards from the English Channel so everywhere's a long way away anyway, but on this occasion I think France was nearer than the Gathering. So, this meant my 400-mile-plus roundtrip began at four thirty with the death knell of the alarm. In fairness, this was actually a lie-in compared to the start times I get at work, so it wasn't all bad news. Leaving at five meant I could pick up Madame le Jo hanging around in a car park just off the M25 (true dat, but she's not normally that kinda girl, honest) and still get up to the Oxford Services on the M40 for our agreed meet-up with the other RX-7FB and MazdaRE.eu crew.

...or as it turned up, not. Dave missed the junction and decided to keep going and James turned the start of the trip into a Red Arrows style manouvre by conking out on the hard shoulder (becos rotary) and leaving MR TOOL and I to get lost navigating the most complicated motorway junction this side of M6 J6... just in time for James to get going again and pass us back on the main motorway.

*sigh* having all met up again at Warwick services, we carried on round the mercifully quiet M42, down onto the M5 and into rural Worcestershire. James then proceeded to try to run out of petrol, despite having stopped at at least two filling stations already that morning in our company. Becos rotary...

And then, finally, we hit THE QUEUE



What a thing of beauty it was; the Great British national sports of queuing and tutting all rolled into one magnificent ribbon of winding high-octane niche vehicles. By now about four hours into a three hour journey, we had no option but to join in the British National Sports and hope to score extra points by adding some quality moaning about shit phone reception. James went the extra mile by throwing in the Queuing equivalent of a double pike and somersault by alternating foraging for blackberries in the petrol-fume-drenched hedgerows and crawling under the car to hit the fuel pump with a spanner to get it working again (Becos rotary). That's right, he hadn't run out of fuel, he'd just run out of fuel pump. Typical of these Kiwis, come over here and thrash us at our national sport



Still, at least it was an undeniably picturesque neck of the woods to spend quality time in. And hey, I've been to Legoland this year (well, I took the kids as a cover story for my being there) so queues no longer hold any terror for me... BUT, I was in the FD because the FB was still being fixed, becos... ahhh, you get the idea... and the feeble calculator battery was struggling more and more with every engine start. If I left it running in deafened everyone nearby and filled the air with very expensive and eye-wateringly unpleasant V-Power fumes, not to mention steadily rendered me sterile through heat exposure. If I turned it off, it then sulked and threatened not to start again. Becos... yeah, you've got it... To crown her achievements in waging war against my good humour, she decided to start gawping oil out as often as possible, leaving an embarrassing shiny trail up the road like a King's Cross pro with no legs.



Anyway, five hours into a three-hour trip we got to the entrance. And the irritations and trials of the morning so far immediately and seamlessly became a backstory of adventure and derring-do en route to one of the best shows in the country. As we all know, life's a journey not a destination and all the best events need a story to bracket them. When even arriving is an achievement, you know you're in for a good day

So, having got in we found the Rotang stand, handily located right near the entrance, thus enabling us to scoot under the barriers there. This enraged the marshal on the gate but did save yet more love-spud-boiling queue antics. Anyway, once on the stand I could get on with the act of letting down the greatest collection of First Generation RX-7s by...errrr... not actually bringing one. Normally I'm fairly proud of my FD...no, that's not strictly true. Normally I'm slightly proud...no...ummm... normally I'm a bit tolerant of my FD but on this occasion I had to be a little embarrassed of my plastic vulgar modern car. So we might as well get it over with, if only because of all the Gathering photo threads on the whole of Retro Rides there isn't a single photo of it. *sniff*



New sticker. Seems appropriate, especially given it cost me about £100 in gas for the day!



Right, that's mine over with. Now down to the proper business of representing the rotary Gods...





See? even my bonnet opens the wrong bloody way and spoils the lineup. So ashamed...



Ian's path to getting this gorgeous Elford Turbo on the road has hardly been smooth; getting to the point of the finishing touches of the previous car only to find the rot in the A-pillars was so bad it pretty much wrote the car off is a patience-tester hopefully most of us will avoid! Still, it's now finished to his usual impeccable standard and provides a fascinating twist on the Elford setup by deleting the Blue Box of God and neatening everything up



Fair to say it wasn't the only attention-holding Elford on the day, mind you...





Rare enough to see one of the things, but to see five in the same line-up might well be some kind of record. And in the bragging rights sweepstake it's hard to compete with Cliff's indescribably perfect ex-Patrick Motor Museum example. A car with a genuine 4k miles from new... it's like it's never been used, like someone just pulled the cellophane off the seats and put it out on the lot with a windscreen price sticker last week, not thirty years ago. Simply stupendous car











James has made Mark's old car very much his own with some simple styling changes and righteous wheels shod in semi-slicks. Changes the whole look of the car and dare I say looks all the better for it





Dean has likewise put his own spin on Ian's old Elford with the addition of some suitably old skool Jap wheels in contrasting rosso. (would have worked better if I knew what Japanese was for "red"... or could rely on anyone else to. Let's give it a go; Dean has likewise put his own spin on Ian's old Elford with the addition of some suitably old skool Jap wheels in contrasting 赤. Nahhh, it's just not the same, is it?)



And Adam's always looks da bomb. Sorry to miss you, guys. I had one of those days where I seemed to go round in ever-decreasing circles and end up neither getting enough photos nor really get enough conversation done. Or maybe too much, depending who you ask. Hope the cat still has its own FB hulk to sleep in?



Marc (and Karrissa's) looks great with the new satin colourscheme. Hope the wedding went perfectly for you two, best wishes!



I wasn't the only one to buck the trend of FB RX-7 ubiquity, however. Dom Turned up in his excellent Cosmo. I've always had a deal of affection for these big ol' barges, even in 13B twin-rotor form. He's done great with the mods; sitting low on big wheels is never easy on a stock body and the quad exhaust suits perfectly. Needs paint now and it'll rock hard





And we already know about MR TOOL's RX-2... or should I say his more show-quality RX-2. No, it's nothing to be jealous of is it, him having TWO of the damned things? what can I say, sometimes life just ain't fair!







So, with the serious business of the Rotangs out of the way, we were free to potter around the show field and take in the sights and sounds of the Gathering itself. I don't think there's anywhere else you can get such a diversity of modified vehicles, from mild to wild, from bonkers to brave, from form to function. The whole gamut of cool old cars is here before you. So, in no especial order of things that caught my eye, here are some things that errr... well, caught my eye, really;

Two mates but only one seat leads to this kind of thing. Ginger dude on the bottom bunk seemed to be enjoying this entirely too much!



Several years and forty in the name separate this 240 and 280Z. Same colour, same ethos. Just fatter





Mazda 323 wagon sacked on Minilites. What's not to like?



I managed to get a snap or two of the Bosozuku-inspired Mazda 626 (despite the best efforts of the RR marshals to photobomb me, lol). I like almost everything about this car, though if it were me I'd have left the exhausts on the scaffolders' lorry. As if my opinion matters...





Several cool examples of Bavarian Murder Weapon around, especially this ...ahhhh...murdered out 2002 Auto







Fruity Yamaha-derived Toyota twin cam plus bike quad-carburettor setup plus stylish old Anglia equals slight amount of sex wee seepage



My waff had one of these Astras back in the day (Kadett? whatever). Only it was bloody terrible, as you'd expect from a £300 motor. These are rather more nicer. Hers went by being TWOCed to death. The kids who nicked it must have known their stuff, it was almost impossible to get the damned thing to start even with the key and even then one millimetre out with the choke and it would die or run like a three-legged dog





Li'l Austin A30 (I think) was adorably cute and rocked just the right amount of patination



This thing, despite looking a bit like a Dino (if you squint) seems to be a Dino-shaped thing draped onto a Beetle. Which is pretty unusual. And also unusually pretty



..and this is a Beetle-shaped thing that's actually a Beetle. Hey, why complicate matters?



Caddy had its own camo tent thing. Slightly higher quality than your average Libyan armoured vehicle, in fact



Lots of Capris. This is a Good Thing, as Pooh would say. Here's a blue one. This is also a Good Thing



As usual, the quality of the demo cars put on by the RR Powers Wot Be were of fascinating and superb quality. Berg Cup-stylee Golf no exception







Here's an Orange Capri. In actual fact, it's orangier than a flubbery Tango man singing the old Kia Ora advert whilst wearing a Dutch home strip. Which is a Good Thing.

Too orangey for crows. It's jest fer me an' my dawg...



Here's a less orange Capri. And also less of a Capri. Just one wheel, in fact



Celicas, then?



Quite a few around, in different flavours. I think this ST185 was the model Toyota caught cheating with in rallies and had to return home to sulk, writhing in corporate embarrassment. Or did I make that up? Not this exact car, obviously. This one's lovely and honest as they come



This liftback is the pick of the bunch for me though, and judging by how crowded it was round it, for most of the showgoers too. It's pretty much spot-on







There's a reason Nature makes all her most dangerous things bright colours that are easily recognised as danger signals; hornets, poison arrow frogs, that orange bird from TOWIE, etc. This Cerbera is no exception. The lurid wasp-yellow is there to shout "stay away! If this thing takes an exception to you, it'll do the automotive equivalent of sex-murdering you before munging your still-warm corpse". But you'll enjoy every second of it...



It's not an Imp. It's a Chamois. Apparently it's a class thing



I hope it was the bike's owner or a good mate who left this beer bottle here. If it was just some random and they did that to my vehicle frankly no jury would ever be able to convict me, even after the perpetrator was buried in four separate counties.



Chevette thing not only rocked Jap-style wheels but a Jap-style engine. Seems to have an MX-5 lump in there





I couldn't decided if the tiny wheels on this Metro were styling genius or utterly whack. I'll go for neutral ground; a lot of people seem to have taken pics of it so they must be working on some level. Even if that level doesn't include giving the Metro's no doubt humble rev ceiling an easy time



Got a lot of love for this old Colt Sigma... bizarre really considering it's a very brown car. Guess it's both the styling... which reminds me of my youth...and the fact it's brown and as I've mentioned before, everything in the 70s was brown. Except my teeth, which have bucked the trend by heading in the opposite direction





I think this was another of the demo cars, and anyway was certainly one of my cars of the day. Even without the zesty citrus paint, you were always going to notice the immense insanity of this 1950 Studebaker Commander. Unless it's a Champion, not 100% sure. Anyway, it's superb and funkier than Huggy Bear at a loon pant convention







Corrado wants to go easy on the meths. That shit'll make you go blind.



Crew cab looked brutal in worn and chipped paint, and was capable of a surprising turn of speed on the Hillclimb, too



Moar to come, soon as I can persuade the kids to stop bouncing off the walls for a minute

[ian65]

Excellent pics and commentary as usual
The mix of cars is one of the things that makes this such a great show for me...... whether it's a concours restoration to factory spec or a wildly modded car from yesteryear, it's easy to appreciate the work that's gone into these cars. That liftback Celica was just stunning, it looked like it had just come off the line..... and then there was that red E-type that looked like it had stood out in a sandstorm for the last 40 years.... 2 ends of the spectrum but both there sharing the show field.
Did you get a photo of the Falcon? I tried but by then was packing a 300mm zoom lens on my way to the hill climb and even at 30ft away, I was too close to get a decent shot.
Don't be too disheartened that they haven't taken many photos of your FD on Retrorides...... RX7's hardly feature at all over there in the picures of the day.... they just aren't interested in them...... They do seem to have an almost obsessive interest in Volvos of all descriptions though Each to their own I guess.

[codge]

Super pics Nik....as always.

Ta mate.

[Lucky]

Did you get a photo of the Falcon? I tried but by then was packing a 300mm zoom lens on my way to the hill climb and even at 30ft away, I was too close to get a decent shot.
Don't be too disheartened that they haven't taken many photos of your FD on Retrorides...... RX7's hardly feature at all over there in the picures of the day.... they just aren't interested in them...... They do seem to have an almost obsessive interest in Volvos of all descriptions though Each to their own I guess.

Didn't see the Falcon, I don't think. Or the Camaro, sadly. Or a lot of things for that matter.

and yeah, **** 'em, the taste-bypassed philistines, lol

[Lucky]

Plenty of Datsuns. I'm always quite hazy on what's what with Datsuns so apologies if these next few aren't strictly speaking accurate. As always, I just took pics of ones I liked rather than worrying about how rare/interesting/exclusive they might be, lol. Again, as always the number of pics is usually directly proportional to how high up the car blew my skirt. As it were

Anyway... 140Y?



160J?



180B?



see? they're just number sand letters. Really would have been easier if the UK models had got names like the other markets did!



Love this Daimler. I saw it was for sale recently. Makes me wish I'd bought it, lol



There were a surprising number of Lancias around, for such a niche marque. And one that tended to be quite... errm, shall we say fragile? Especially Delta Integrales. And this, too is a Good Thing. Red one was lovely;



Black one was most impressive. I liked the brake-cooling vent disc things, even if they were slightly out of round so they looked a bit like they were going to fly off and decapitate any unwary passers-by as it was rolling







..and the demo Time Attack car was simply amazing. I think it started life as some flavour of Delta, it's hard to tell now. Suffice to say it's been worked on a bit!





So, having had a mooch around some of the show field and the pits, we decided it was time to trundle up the Hill a bit and watch some runs. Sadly, we decided to do this as the cars booked on the afternoon session were assembling in the paddock, assuming that this meant they'd soon be doing their runs. This proved to not actually be the case, and for whatever reason it was ages before they started up. Which was good in a way because it meant we could get up the hill in a leisurely manner without having to stop and throw up halfway up its prodigiously steep side. But it was bad in way too as it meant we wasted loads of time doing nothing in particular and by the time we got back down again half the show field was empty as people cleared off home. So we did miss out on a lot of the cars. Fortunately there seem to be plenty of show photo threads around on RR!

Right, some pics of thing wot run up the Hill then, in no especial order of anything. Maybe alphabetical, let's let Photobucker take the strain shall we?

That Anglia again



seems to be an actual Benneton ex-F1 car! Like trying to keep a great white shark in a goldfish bowl, it was presumably so far within its performance envelope on the narrow twisty hillclimb that it never left tickover!



Chevette. which as any fule no is the best 70s-80s car ever made. (in-joke. They're not really)



That Commander again. Mmm, fruity



A Corolla, is it?



Cortina wagon looked rather big. But not as big as the Caddy hearse I glimpsed thundering up earlier!



Cossie made the second-best noise of the day, complete with excellent overrun backfires, and looked one of the quickest that I saw as well



Delta Integrale. Gorgeous



Delta TA thing. Angle eye LED headlight rings are my new favourite shiny thing ever



Rally-style Escort (ain't they all, lol) looked like it was in its natural environment far more than a lot of cars



One of the reasons we persevered as long as we did up the hill was because I'd been instructed to get some photos of James running his RX-7 up. As it turned out, I needn't have bothered because all the ones I got were pretty crap. Sorry dude. One would have been decent if a big boisterous bush hadn't panned right across the shot at the wrong moment. I suck, it's true



Triple-rotor drifty 20B RX-7 FC made the best noise of the day by some margin, very nice piece of engineering, and very well driven although the driver seems to show a distressing lack of understanding of what constitutes a ten-grand FD. *winks*



Lada might have been operating a few miles outside its comfort zone, but never let on



Gorgeous gunmetal Manta looked fantastic



Trippy Mini had a great paintsheme and was impressively quick.



This R32 Skybus was obscenely quick as well and I like the unimpressed expression on the passenger's face



So, having taken in the spectacle of people brushing their pride and joys against the unyielding Worcestershire scenery, we descended the mountain to find that half the show had buggered off early. Dang. By now Pete had re-surfaced having returned to the carpark to drop his make-up bag in the car (he claims it was a camera but it was the gayest ever camera bag if so). Having done his hair and eyes to his satisfaction, at least we had some good company to keep us amused as we promenaded amongst the cars that were left!

I love this E-type. I got a photo of the owner (at least I assume it was the owner, if not he's the cheekiest soul alive) at last years' Gathering sitting on the bonnet with his lad eating their sandwiches. Now I got a chance to look more closely I noticed extra cool details, like the way all the wheels have a corroded side which was obviously the bit facing the elements wherever it was parked up for ages to get its patination. You can't fake insouciant, genuine age like this





Seen this Dyane before as well, and it still looks excellent, the way from a distance it looks like it's actually sinking into the ground!



Judging by the other threads I've seen this Esprit had the "original" airbagged Lotus for company earlier in the day. By the time I got there, it was all alone. Still, it hasn't deterred me from taking the same photo as everyone else, only 50% as good in terms of content







Here's a slightly closer look at that drifty FC we saw earlier on the hill. I wonder if it's worth more than a snakeskin FD in today's market? Orange snakeskin wheels seem to add a pretty huge premium to any car, it seems...







It wasn't the only FC around either, oddly. Considering it's the forgotten Mazda by and large, I wasn't expecting to see another. Sadly the (mostly) red one parked in the show field seem to have embarked on returning to the soil in the form of iron oxide in the way they tend to rather dramatically



Spelling Fail!



More excellent Fiestas, without any obvious dstlexia...dyslexer...spelling issues. Love a nice, tight festa, another one my waff used to have and I've held a long affection for. The Fords, not the waff...







Model A '30 Ford had a good deal of presence in the paddock. I took entirely too many pictures of this puppy. Much as I love a nice stripped-out rat, there's something entirely right and proper about a full-fendered car with an in your face paint scheme





..and a completely different flavour of big ol Ford. Dunno why I've developed this unhealthy leaning towards coupe Granadas recently.



best catch can ever... not just one of the coolest and recognisable brands in world booze, but done by an owner careful and thoughtful enough to insert a grommet to ensure the sharp can edge doesn't chafe the breather hose. Hmmm, strong bourbon and OCD attention-to-detail; unusual mix you have there, fella



I got tolds off for miss-identifying this one last year, so I'm not going to try and say what it is in case I get into trouble again. Mostly because now I've got a mental block about it. So, this Chrysler Horizon modelled superb banded steel wheels;



Imps! We love Imps, in all flavours. From scruffy and purposeful...



...to immaculate catwalk queens. Wheels on the green one give me tumescence like a rounders bat every time I look at these pics





From memory, this Reliant Kitten has a Cosworth YB wedged into it. Certainly that must never get old, ruining people's day in the traffic light Grand Prix



This Lada must have been a strong contender for quality workmanship of the day award. It was absolutely flawless and the installation of what looks like some flavour of Duratec under the bonnet is several notches in professionalism above anything either Lada or Ford would have managed from the factory! Breathtakingly good custom work





In fact, I spent a surprisingly large amount of time drooling over Ladas... and that's not something you hear said every day, lol. But when they're as perfectly-proportioned and well-finished as the orange one above and this delightfully NHS-hearing-aid-beige wagon, who wouldn't find them a bit arousing? The Maserati wheels are the perfect and subtle finishing touch; a Soviet girl in Gucci shoes







everyone, but everyone, seems to have taken photos of "that" Land Rover. So let me be no exception. It does tend to draw the eye rather, don't it?





This Mini exposed itself to show off a most impressive level of engineering going on! So much so, it's hard to imagine how the front clip could actually cover it all! Superb piece of packaging, and those billet-centred wheels give me a bit of a crisis, too






...and as a complete nonsequiteur, the absolute best pair of strides I've ever seen in my entire life. Arbitrary but true

[Lucky]

OK, shall we get it finished then?

Surprising amount of Mantas about, and they all seemed to be the same gunmetal grey colour. Which is a Good Thing, because it really seems to suit them. The 400R especially was properly sorted





Another one of my personal Cars Of The Day was a severely rare old thing. I've never seen another one outside photos meself. In fact, it's the piston-engined equivalent of one of Mazda's rarest rotary cars, the original SU-series Luce. Designed by Bertone and thus Giugiaro himself, the Luce was a beautifully-styled coupe and sedan somewhat reminiscent of the Bertone version of the Fiat Dino. The 1800 version was intended to crack the American full-size car market with a less radical piston engine... and failed completely to catch on at all. Therefore, to find one in near-concourse condition nestling in the Worcestershire hills was a real and unexpected treat. It is, apart from being rare, very beautiful as befits something originated by one of the legendary Italian Carrozerias. And also resplendent in a gorgeous shade of 赤 Oh yes, got that one in again. Two mulitlingual off-colour jokes in one thread. In your face









While we're talking about groovy Mazdas, this (presumably) bagged B2000 pickup looked pretty much perfect too. And being a working vehicle, having adjustable ride height is ideal if, for example, you need to load it up with heavy fertiliser sacks. Or chicks



I think the owner of this Merc and trailer combo probably put more work into his trailer than several of the actual cars in the show. Annoying tape is annoying



Pimp Merc is pimptastic. Always nice to see wires and kerb feelers





MGA looks a completely different car for having the hardtop on it. Never seen that before, but it really suits IMHO. Was this an option, or an OE thing? Anyone know?



Errrr.... probably should have taken a pic of the exterior of this so I'd have stood a chance of remembering what it was. Gonna have a stab at MkII Golf with top levels of finish. Neat detailing in the engine bay extended to immaculate wheels as well. No idea what the rest of it looked like though





This looks like a suspiciously home-made dashboard at first glance until you realise that's not completely accurate...



...it's an entire home-made car! Nonchalant driver dude is nonchalant.



This Moggy showed that not all that glitters is gold... and not all that looks like it fell out of a sows' rear end is crap either. She hides her light under a bushel, and when did you last see a Moggy with nitrous, after all?





There seemed to be a few of Malvern's finest around too, the Aero Morgan being bonkers enough



but it paled into insignificance besides the zany curves and strakes of a GT3 Aero





More unusual Mazda metal. This looks very much like a Montrose to me which would make it one of very few left



This MX-5 had all the hallmarks of a wrap job from a distance, but on closer inspection it looked like it might well actually be proper paint. Presumably some old-skool lace technique. Looks ace





Pitcrew-styled MX-5s are generally something of an acquired taste, and in fairness it's a taste many never acquire. I actually like this one in primer, it seems to suit the challenging styling of the kit





Mmmm, love a bit of genuine imitation faux pretend wood panelling



Another delightfully grungy example of BMWs Neue Klasse styling exercise



and a slightly cleaner one. I gather this was going to be one of the demo cars but simply wasn't finished and tested in time. It certainly looks to have all the makings of being a proper weapon when it's up together. I especially love the suspension mounts that look like they'd withstand the Apocalypse





This Rod was on some kustom fab shop's display and was too difficult for me to be arsed to get a full pic of, what with it being surrounded by punters, billboards, and at the top of a cliff. So you'll have to be content with details like some nifty pinstriping. And a doorhandle





....likewise this Porker proved popular and I honestly couldn't be bothered to wait for the crowds to part, lol. Patience may well be a virtue. But impatience gets your photos in the can and lets you join the food queue before they run out of burgers. Oh, did I mention that we got the last burgers at the concession before they ran out? *smug* Hey, I've always been lucky...





They were REALLY nice burgers, too.

Everyone took photos of this ratrod doobrie, too. So let me continue that illustrious trend. I know nada about it, but it looks like it fell out of Sin City Motors and that can only be a Good Thing. Scary rear tyre is scary; at first I thought it was one of those cycle wings made to mimic the look of a tyre and make it look open-wheeled. Then I looked again and realised nope, it's open-wheeled and the tyre really is that knackered!







I always feel dirty taking photos of a Renault. Anything pretty much French, to be fair. But this 10 is undeniably pretty, and the wheels are top. That's my excuse, anyway



Safari screen camper was for sale, if you had deep pockets (cuz). Very nice, and pretty tidily fitted out inside. My boy's been trying to convince me to flog one of the RX-7s and buy a camper and things like this aren't helping. Fortunately, I'd have to have an entire fleet of RX-7s to sell to afford this one



2nd-gen Scirocco is tidy. Unlike the new ones that seem to be bloody everywhere, it's quite exclusivem too



Love this Sd1/Vitesse/whatever on those wheels. Looks tough enough to star as a Russian in a Guy Richie film, whilst being as British as they come. Except for the ahhh... American engine. Right, any demographic I haven't inadvertently upset in the course of this caption yet?



That Escort again...



It's a 1300 XL, apparently. Going through adolescence and turning into a rally hardcase by the look of it. Here's an RS type thing...



...and a rather calmer MkIII to end on.



Sharknose 3.5 CSi. Well, the ermmm.. sharknose off one, anyway



Once more I find myself fixating on the most unexpected of things. If you'd told me back when I was at 6th Form back in the days of black and white and my mate was tolling around in the worst Skoda in the entire world (and that's pretty damned bad, believe me) that I'd be at a car show *ahem* years later taking pics of a "classic" Skoda I'd have laughed in your face... after I'd blagged a lift cos John's Estelle had broken down again. But here it is. Lovely. Funny old thing, time, innit? Damn you, 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and your inevitability of the Arrow of Time







There were a few Yank tanks around, the Commander obviously. And I saw (and heard) what looked like a blown 2G Camaro from a distance but never saw it in the field. This Buick Skylark was enough for me, though. 70s, brown, see?



This is a bit of a Datsun Sunny.



and this is another bit. Sapporo mufflers.. wonder if they'll catch on?



Targa-roofed Supra MkIII had some presence, nestling in the grass like a basking crocodile. These seem to be perpetually cheap still; every year I think people will realise what an unappreciated classic they are, but they never seem to take off. Weird



Sooooooooo many Volvos around I just picked one to represent almost at random



Viper was an unexpected bonus, not what I was expecting to see at all. Dunno if this was a Yank-market one, to the best of my knowledge that was the only market that was offered the more fruity (and power-making) sidepipes. I could do a line about the snake in the grass but so soon after the crocodile reference I don't want to seem too passe



Some Vaux VX-style noses. Luton's finest are one more thing taht mostly passed me by, a bit like Datsuns so accurate model designations gratefully received, lol



Another rare survivor. Most X1/9s were cheerfully rusting to death even while they were still in warranty, so to find one as immaculate as this Gran Finale edition four decades later is a real treat. Great styling, needed an engine to match





So we're pretty much done here then. It was by now round about four in the arvo and given that it had taken five hours to get in, it seemed prudent to think about heading off homewards. As it turned out, this proved prudent as first the Satnav tried its optimistic best to get us lost...as they do... and of course the traffic at the London end of the M40 was indescribably appalling. I got home just before ten in the evening parboiled, sterile, partially deaf, smelling strongly of used V-Power and feet, and having been out and about a good 17 hours in the name of the RR Gathering. And nope, je ne regrette rien. Awesome day out, awesome show, superb mix of cars (where else do you see a crew cab Vee-dub queueing to compete in motorsport in a grid slot next to a genuine Formula One car?), brilliantly friendly and chilled atmosphere. No-one's there cos they've blundered in by mistake, everyone knows what they're looking at and why it's important and/or cool; I felt honoured to have spent time amidst the most knowledgeable and welcoming crowd of motor enthusiasts imaginable.

As regular readers know, my Granny told me to always end on a song. But that song is currently Dead Can Dance's Insommnia cos it's late and I've had a few... and I don't want to, like, bring anyone down, Maaaaan. So I'll finish on a high point instead. Two, then, of my personal Cars Of The Show to end with. Firstly a two-stroke tupperware example of the Eastern Bloc's greatest testament of the ability of Mankind to endure. More people are alleged to have died in Trabants from fire than accidents, a statistic that says everything about them really. Especially if it's true. The fact that this one rocks the most agricultural parking brake ever seen just adds to its nonchalant and effortless aura of understated cool. Love it, brilliant little car





And finally, something completely different. The slug's-arse-low Golf MkI was drawing a crowd you could see for miles, and from afar you'd have been forgiven for thinking it was a Golf shell on a Beetle. But nope, it was far cooler than that.



Really good rotary 13B installation finished off by a lusty phat downdraft twin-choke Weber that looked to be at least a 48 IDA, possibly even into the 50s. And then so looooooow as to give you bursitis and lumbago just looking at it... well. What's not to like?





Cheers. Thanks for lookin in, as always. Hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did. See you next year? And just remember... it was me who ate the last burger. Who ate all the burgers?

Now, go away

[A7RXY]

Great photos as always, it takes me back as I had 2 of those old Mazdas, a blue 1972 1800 estate that my dad got new and I owned until 79 and it stayed in the family all its life, I think the red one is the 1500 as it did not have bonnet scoops either side of the flute, and a 1979 2 ltr Montrose coupe GLS in pea green, my fist new car I paid 4200 for that one.

Dibs

[TOOL]

Hmmm, who's that in the last pic?

"Hayward motor not idling, you say?" would be the appropriate caption for the pic.

[Lucky]

Oh, Hayward built was it? Shame, it looked so good

[TOOL]

FD rotors in early style housings........watch out