Goodwood Vee Power Breakfast Club PICS!

[Lucky]

Welcome to my show report from the last Goodwood Breakfast Club meet of the year, the Vee-Power themed morning. Yep, late with my homework. Again


And to think I almost gave it a miss...

After all, it had been raining (and I mean RAINING) for days on end, and the forecast was for more torrential rain to sweep in early doors. But, body clock in its usual screwed-up state from the shift work, I woke up around seven and it wasn't actually raining - yet. The wife's away on some conference junket, the kids are on a sleepover. Well, why the hell not?

Needless to say, by the time I'd had a WMD-strength coffee and stuffed down some Alpen (cos I is soooooo middle class) it had started spitting with rain, but undeterred I set off towards the suburbs of Chichester. Revelling in my upgrade to MX-5 wipers on the old RX-7, it took more than a bit of rain to put off your intrepid reporter, lol.

The queues for the Breakfast Club meets usually start before even the Rolls-Royce roundabout, and the distinct lack of traffic meant I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one fool enough to show up. The usual parking field was blocked off, and the secondary worry of how likely getting stuck in a bog was began to bite. The marshals on the gate very politely but firmly told me to do one when I tried to blag my way into the circuit, telling me without a pass I could go forth and procreate. I guess by no stretch of the imagination is a rotary vee-engined, to be fair to them, and my protestations that it did run on V-Power fell on deaf ears. So, directed to a field that "ought to be flood-free" I was left no choice but to park up and hope that poor little Safka hadn't sunk axle-deep by the time I got back to her.

Three things struck me immediately; one was that a lot of people had braved the dismal weather. Two was that as usual, there were cool enough cars just in the parking field. Three was that I bought my LUFC "waterproof" coat back when Leeds were still in the Premiership (yeah, alright, it was a rather long time ago) and rather like the hopes and dreams of us long-suffering fans, the waterproofing had long since departed into a mire of gloom. Maybe time for a new one...


Anyway, I set off into the circuit determined to get some pics down before it really started gushing down. I did have to stop to take some of this improbably tidy little Fiat 124 Spider in the parking field, though. Love the patina on the gearstick and such. What a pretty little car!





In fairness, I think the weather had kept a few people away. The end of the circuit out past the Super Shell building where I came in was fully parked up and beyond for the bigger meets like Supercar Sunday, but there was a hardy group of cars huddled here. As always with the Breakfast Club, the variety is what makes it so absorbing. After all, the first car I came to was the wonderfully-proportioned Wiesmann GT (complete with one of my favourite car emblems, the little gecko badge). With a 4 1/2 litre BMW V8, it definitely has the go to match the hunched-leopard lines. The only thing letting it down is the slightly kit-car rear lights. IMHO







...and then the second car I felt worth photographing was a gigantic pink Cadillac Sixty Special! Now, that's variety! And that's what I love about the Goodwood events. They do a great job of choosing a theme that guarantees an interesting cross-section of vehicles. And on this occasion, as long as it had a V-configured cylinder arrangement, it was in. This Caddy managed to literally outshine the sky... not difficult when you consider how grey and bleak it was!







Not sure I ever recall seeing an actual Lancia Thema before. Bit of a shame, then, that I completely failed to get any decent photos of it. I did love the anonymous boxy styling and then the POW! "Lancia by Ferrari" legends



I also didn't get any good photos of this epic MkII Cortina. In my defence, it was rammed with punters, which is usually a sign of quality and interesting cars. I understand the carb setup is straight from a Fiat/Ferrari Dino





A bit like Dr Who, I guess most peoples' favourite Aston is the first one they remember, the current model when they first experienced it. So mine's Jon Pertwee, obviously. Oh, and the V8. Especially nice in Volante drop-top version, albeit hopelessly unsuited to the appalling weather



Likewise, I suppose, the Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS shape is kinda the Ferrari I'd doodle on the back of a beermat. I guess it's a product of only having four channels on the telly back then, you had to make do with utter dross like Magnum PI whether you liked it or not. This one seems to have lost a fight at some point in it's life, as the scarred lip shows. For me, that makes it much moar cool enuff





Gordon-Keeble, I think, holds the record for the greatest percentage of surviving cars of any marque. Made easier, I suppose by the fact that they only made about fifty of them and they were severely costly even when new, they were something you'd tend to look after. One of my fave cars ever; a winning combination of great Italianate styling, British crafstmanship and engineering and easy Yank V8 power, they really are the ultimate gentleman's club on wheels. Gorgeous, wonderful excess







This Moggy has been evolving throughout the shows I've seen it at. It's a great testament to the builders' skill that a lot of the clever engineering you wouldn't even notice. He showed me round it at Wings and Wheels last year, and I wouldn't have known that the bonnet was two cut and shut to clear the lump unless told, for example. As with every really classy custom, it's the little touches that make it in the top percents. Such as the superb "Frank N. Stein" VIN plate that probably goes unnoticed by a considerable percentage of punters and the excellent "A-Series Green" paint on the V8 manifold and block









Nice to see a Cresta out and about... and it IS a very nice example... but I'm not totally sure what it was doing here. To the best of my recollection, weren't they a straight-six engine, not a V?

[Lucky]

It's an odd thing... and the car's pretty odd too... but the Aston Martin Lagonda is often claimed to have saved the company from insolvency prior to the Ford buyout. Odd, considering it was close to being one of the greatest white elephants in automotive history. Much to my disappointment, this one's yet another without the ground-breaking but oh-so-troublesome digital dashboard, though elements of it remain in the original heater controls smunched into the new carbon panels. I'm not sure how much of this car's "upgrades" are home-made, I'm guessing the Aston Service Centre would have managed a slightly better job than the wheel centres that appear to have been hand-painted. With Tippex. And the steering wheel seems to have come from a boat. Still and all, it's certainly an attention-getter. For me, I'm still not convinced that the errmmmm... challenging styling has grown into classic status yet. OK, for me it probably never will, but many disagree and that's the beauty of classic cars I suppose









Another car that was impossible to miss in the gloom was this TVR 350. In unfeasibly bright Tango orange, it certainly was a ray of sunshine in the darkness. God, if only TVR were still around. We all need a bit of craziness in our lives.





Landies aren't something you'd immediately think of cluttering the lawn at a Goodwood do, but why the hell not? Unarguably one of the most influential and enduring makes of car ever, it's good to see one getting the recognition it deserves. It certainly had presence, even without admiring the tricked-up with Edelbrock parts Rover V8 within





There are always loads of Ferraris at these bashes, seemingly irrespective of the theme. I suppose a lot of Lord March's peer group tend towards such things. Anyway, I suppose I'll have to stop thinking of 458 Italias the "new" Ferrari now that the Ferrari la Ferrari is on the scene. I've never subscribed to the concept of cosseting cars in air-conditioned luxury and never letting them see rain. For me, a car is designed for one ultimate purpose - to drive - and if you're not driving it you may as well invest in Rodin sculpture or Tracey Emin's pants or whatever. However, with that said I also understand that if you have invested hundreds of thousands in something - and bearing in mind the racing stripes alone on one of these cost thousands - you may not actually want to see it lose thousands per minute by driving it through mud, rain and rotting leaves on one of the worst weather days of the year (I know I keep banging on about the weather, but it really was foul). So it was nice to see zillion-dolla supercars mouldering away with the rest of us plebs. I think the downside of active aero scoops designed to snork up a million litres of air per second is that they also scoop up everything else as well









According to Mike Bleedin Brewer, white cars don't sell. Tell that to the Japanese where it's not only their lucky colour but their racing colour as well. I like a nice white car, myself. Not least because it made it possible to actually get a photo without having to resort to intensive camera button-twiddling to get enough light into the shot that it didn't come out like photography at the bottom of the sea. I can never now look at Triumph's finest ...errrr... triumph without hearing Gene Hunt, sorry, Phil Glenister bellowing "It's a Stag! A STAG!"



Obviously photographing things like this 67 Camaro was rather more of a challenge, then. Given it's Lucifers Soul Black paint and the location under the pit awnings. And quick note to Goodwood; in an age where even football stadia no longer expect you to sit hidden behind a pillar, could you pleeeeeeease see your way clear to widening the gaps between the pit supports just so us photographers could get a decent three-quarter pic? Thanks. Anyway, the RS Camaro package is definitely one of my fave muscle car looks, just so mean with the headlight doors and everything. Superb!







There were a goodly number of BMW's eight-series around. I've always had a hankering for one of these since seeing the Fuel 850 matt-black Gumball car complete with weapons-grade sound system and flamer exhausts. This was the pick of the bunch for me; an Alpina B12. Using a development of the M-developed engine, what's not to love about a 400+bhp V12 5.7 litre with a six-speed manual trans? Lovely wheels, too. Sadly, it's yet another car I sucked at photographing, so you'll have to make do with a couple of details





More wonderful TVR bonkers paintscheme strategy. It's almost like they knew what a tonic they'd provide in a British winter. Much kudos to the many TVRistas who brought their steeds out; hairy-chested beasts with no traction control such as this Cerbera must be life-affirming to drive in these conditions!



Not sure if Bentley plus Pistonheads equals ironic cool or utter arse

[Lucky]

Nice to see a Trans Am that isn't Bandit Black or Vegas Bride White. With that said, not sure if they actually suit red





Rather like Ferraris, no show is complete without 'Stangs and I have to say, I'm more and more sold on the Mustang GT. Perhaps more so now I've seen the new "world car" Mustang we've all been waiting for, which is a bit anonymous in styling terms in comparison. Looks a bit too much like a whale shark. Whereas the "old" GT looks more like a shag monster. In a good way, not a Jimmy Saville way



Normally you'd be a bit ambivalent about baby pink colourschemes, but on a day lie this it was almost as good as warming your hands by an open fire. This '62 Mercury Monterey might have come after the mad excesses of the fins'n'chrome epoch, but still held over enough shock and awe to stand out. Loving the fun button rear lights. Like something you'd find in an Ann Summers catalogue







If the Disney Princess Monterey was at the cute and loveable end of the spectrum, this C10 was at the you definitely wouldn't take it home to meet your mother end. Amazing what a difference a roof chop makes, this thing looks harder than Chuck Norris juggling chainsaws. It definitely wouldn't respect your sister in the morning







Not your average Stepside. Most stepsides don't need hefty strapping to stop them from blowing the supercharger off, for example. What am I saying? Most of them had a weedy single-carb straight six! Punching above its weight yet still able to collect an injured steer from the prairie or carry crates of moonshine at extreme velocity state to state. Ideal transport, then





I wondered if this '57 BelAir might be the one that they did on Wheeler Dealers? That was painted like a New York Taxi, too.



Before the chattering classes from the sink estates country-wide decided that "rally replica" meant a poverty-spec Subaru drenched in 555 decals (with matching baseball cap, natch), a rally rep was a cool concept. Take, for example, this Fulvia. An enduringly pretty car at the best of times, this one looks proper in its Lanica-Italia livery and it's fair to say you'd probably see it coming, especially at night! Got lights...





There were a surprising number of Morgan Plus Threes around...given they must be borderline unpleasant to drive on a slightly chilly day, let alone weather that would have Noah muttering darkly and tapping his barometer. This one was the pick of the bunch for me, rocking a big-cube S&S motor and wonderful quilted interior





I took a hella load of pics of this Viper before, so limited myself here. Especially as it was wedged in amongst the aforementioned irritating pit canopy support posts. Impressive enough thing, mind you and worth repeating



Moar 'Stang! There was pretty much any flavour you like (although personally I don't like the Fox-bodies so happy enough there were none of those, lol). Here, have a '70 complete with Mach 1 trimmings





Moar Trevor, too. The original bare-knuckle brawler, the Griffith. Lovely!





The Dodge Coronet is another one of those American cars that seems to have been through so many changes it's hard to see why it was still called a Coronet by the end of it's thirty-year lifespan. From full-size landyacht to mid-size sportster, from boulevard cruiser to grocery getter to muscle car to outright drag weapon, there's a Coronet to suit every palate. This '58 is, needless to say, from the space-race-look-at-my-rocket-thrusters styling period







The Ferrari that launched a thousand MR2s, lol. To me, 348TSs always look a bit like someone's made a kit-car Ferrari replica, but I do love the 80s rear light louvres and the mid-engined buttress styling



I love Maseratis, ancient and modern. Considering how many corporate re-alignments they've survived, it's quite an achievement that they've always managed to retain an aura of... I dunno... call it difference. Idiots like Clarkson slate the modern GTs because they can't hang with a Ferrari or McLaren on the ragged edge of track performance, but that just goes to show how badly he's missing the point and how utterly irrelevant the niche he's invented for himself and his cronies is. A Maserati GT is, and has been since the firm ceased being an outright competition manufacturer, about going effortlessly fast in considerable style and comfort. I think the Gran Turismo is one of the prettiest cars released this century by some margin, who cares if it's a few tenths down on a 458 Italia around Dunsfold?





Daimler famously were legally restrained from calling the SP250 the "Dart" in a copyright infringement case from Chrysler's Dodge division. Strange, then, they didn't call it the "Blobfish" (google it) because that's what it looks like and to the best of my knowledge, there's never been a car trademarked in that name hitherto.



Triking (see what they've done there) are a firm trying to put a modern(ish) spin on the evergreen Morgan three-wheeler concept. The firm was begun by an ex-Lotus employee when the waiting list at Morgan meant he was unable to buy one of the originals. They use Moto Guzzi V-twin engines rather than the Harley-derived versions that have replaced J.A.P. in the Morgan lexicon. Arguably, this is a better application as the Guzzi lump is transverse cylinder but longitudinal drive by design so there's no need to turn the final drive through 90º like with the Harley-type engines. And as well as giving a different new look to an ancient concept, they apparently have one of the best ever motoring journalistic quotes attached to them; "The intimacy is both profound, delightful and, for the claustrophobic, disturbing - You could have sex at a greater distance than this." Andrew English writing in the Telegraph.





Seems to be a recurring theme of Italian supercars that they have severe aero that doubles as leaf-collecting nozzles in inclement weather. Mmmm, mulchy. Maybe this is why they're seen as fair-weather transport, maybe it's nothing to do with their waywardness on wet roads. Mind you, I guess most people who own Murcielagos can probably afford a car-cleaning flunky as well...





I've never been much of a fan of BMWs in general, though there are a few that float my boat. I like the Z8 because of it's little narrow frenched-in rear lights (not pictured, doh!) and the way it pays homage to early Bimmer sportsters in its design touches. In an age when manufacturers seem unable to create any memorable stylistic direction, trading on past glories is the next best thing!



Referring to the earlier comment about owners driving their eye-wateringly expensive supercars out in the mud and grime and spray, I guess this guy wins the ultimate accolade for the day. I guess the traction control on one of these is pretty good, but even so. For me, it made my day to see a several-hundred-pound car sitting nonchalantly covered in road grime and pine needles. And judging by how patient I had to be to get any clear shots of it, most everyone else agreed. Popular doesn't come close. But then, I believe there were only 15 of this particular flavour of Zonda world-wide so the odds of getting to stand next to another one are short, to say the least. And whilst personally I'm not a huge fan of the overall shape of the car, I love plenty about it in isolation. I love how every single detail item is some kind of acme, uber-styled and made from the most exotic materials (close-up of the mirror included specifically for OJ). I love the blunt no-nonsense stance of the thing, how it's the minimum amount of car it needs to be to contain all the essentials and when it's covered them all, it just stops! I love how it threw away all the conventions of what a traditionally attractive sportscar ought to look like and just unashamedly sits comfortable in its own skin and with its own look. And most of all, I love how this particular one has the best front numberplate of any car, ever. I guess the owner can afford the fines...

[Lucky]

It was around this point I realised I'd done things a bit in the wrong order. I'd wandered up to the home straight from where I came in, but then turned off through the pits (which were partially covered) rather than carry on along the straight, where some of the most impressive cars are often parked. Now the rain was coming in more and more strongly with no hope of it ending and lots of the cars out on the straight and with no shelter at all were starting to drift away home. Oh well, I bravely decided that were I to stop and have a bacon sarnie and cup of coffee then not only would I end up very wet whilst queuing but half the cars would be gone by the time I finished. So I forged on manfully through the increasing squalls without any sustenance. See how I suffer for my art, lol?

It was whilst waiting out a particularly vicious squall of rain under the pit awnings that I photographed this Edsel. Which is an interesting thing. Not just because any Edsel is interesting, but also because Ford never made a pickup version. The '59 Ranger came in all kinds of variants, but never a pickup. I'm guessing it started life as a Villager station wagon and has been home-converted. There's lots to like about it, besides the more obvious work like the bed. Originally it would have had weird lozenge droopy rear lights as the Edsel marque was in its death throes by now and whilst they were no longer based on Mercury platforms, the Mercury parts bin was still being raided to try to keep costs down and thus Edsels had lights from the equivalent model year comets. These have been changed here for the definitive Ford thruster Fairlane/Galaxie/whatever ones so as to fit in with the pickup treatment better. I like this car a lot











Always got time for a nice clean Stepside, haven't we? Especially when it's brilliant Colgate White and thus easier to photograph (see clause about white cars above, lol). Likewise, as previously mentioned, Goodwood always keeps you interested through sheer variety. Not many shows where you find Chevy Stepsides rubbing shoulders with Pagani Zondas



Another rare old beast was this MG SV-R that was un-missable in its corner as it was drenched in resplendent Lambo Orange pearl. I love these things, if only they'd really made it into proper production.. but then I guess they wouldn't have achieved quite such iconic status, maybe. Anyway, the one thing that (for me) lets them down is that they often suffer from a catastrophic wheel offset and diameter fail. Those massive blister arches are just begging for huge deep-dish alloys that really fill them out, and that's exactly what they didn't have from the factory. They're crying out for someone to really step up and fit some properly righteous rimmage









Ultima GTRs always look preposterously capable in a paddock full of "ordinary" road cars, like someone's just parked up a full-on racer in the Sainsbury's car park. This one looks as though it's used as God and the Marlows intended as it appears to have its exhaust in the process of burning its way through the rear clamshell!







I'm forcing myself to appreciate E-Types more as time goes by. Maybe I'm mellowing in my old age or maybe I'm just getting the hang of photographing them from the correct angles so that the tragic pram-wheel offset fail isn't too upsetting



Moar Fulvia; less lights. Moar badges. Badgers? We don't need no stinking badgers. As Alfonso Bedoya never said





Because of being infested by the aforementioned Ferrari-owning toffs, Goodwood is a good place to go if you want to spot F40s. I've even seen more than one on the same day here, which isn't something that often happens! However, I have kinda run out of superlatives and imaginative ways to describe their awesomeness... so in a way it was a mixed blessing that by the time I made it out the far end of the pits and back to the circuit proper, the F40 owner had clearly had enough of the weather and decided to clear off. So the only pic I have is a rather stalker-ish shot through the trees on the exit road.



Oh well. They certainly weren't the only ones. It was not even ten o'clock and the circuit was already half-empty. Never mind, some exotic Italian supercar owners were clearly made of sterner stuff and hung on. The car that spawned a thousand bedroom-wall Athena posters, only not black. Just as well, I'd never have got a photo of it if it had been. By the time I'd finished faffing about trying to clear water on the lens and lined up the distance shot, this old boy wandered into the frame, swinging along on his crutches. I lowered the camera to wait for him to pass by, and he apologised. "No problem," I said. "I get a lot of that."

"What, cripples?" he said with a laugh. "No, photobombing," I replied but it did bring it home that I'd just been photobombed by a pensioner on crutches. Note to self; work faster









Parked up besides a couple of big American cars, the tiny proportions of the Countach were really shown up. Which is a bit odd because I've always thought they were quite large cars by the time all the scoops of the later models were added. Apparently not. One of the large Yanks was this clean Fairlane/Crown Vic from circa 1955. Mot sure if it's missing the trim and stuff deliberately or if it's just errr... missing. Clearly it's been painted. Nice though, sorta custom without being custom



And this '48(ish) Plymouth Super Deluxe looks like it was supposed to be a custom from the moment it rolled off the production line. Begging for a roof chop though. Maybe a flame job. [/not sure if serious]





Pretty sure this Lancia was the oldest car in the place, not that I know what year it actually is, nor which exact model. It's clearly well old though. Funny how Lancia managed to put in sporty and athletic-looking lines even when working with something that would have come with a horse only twenty years before







The Mercedes SLS did a really good job of seeming quite anonymous in this company, which is a neat trick for a GT-competing six-litre gullwing door beast.



when this drive past it suddenly made sense of why I thought Countachs were bigger. Now, Diablos, what a bloated monster in comparison, lol. TBH, the Diablo never did it for me. Yeah, it may have had the same designer and nearly the same design, but the proportions are just ...well, wrong. The cabin sits too far forward and then the lines just bloat outwards from the doors backwards. I realise I'm not going to sell anyone else on this one, lol, but for me even when the Countach sprouted scoops and vents and arches it managed to retain something of its original purity of line, a purity that the Diablo never had in the first place. It did make a great noise as it burbled past, mind.

(p.s. anyone know what the plural of "Countach" actually is?)





Moar 'Stang! A '66 fastback (I think, I'm not all that on Mustang years to be fair). Like the stripes. Sorry about the blobs on the photos and increasing sketchiness from here on. I'd pretty much given up trying to keep the lens dry by now!

[Lucky]

The new Corvette has resurrected the Stingray name to good effect, and included a natty little Stingray wing badge straight out of the GM vintage parts bin. Somewhere out there the Manta OC are collectively sobbing into their Opel parts catalogues. Does look good though (IMHO) for a modern car, though I'm undecided on whether the quad exhaust is class or arse







If there was ever a car that's begging for someone in the aftermarket to come up with an alternative headlight treatment, then it has to be the 928. As I've said previously, I've never got that excited by Porsches in general (maybe it's because I lived through the 80s and all the horrific associations they accumulated through ownership by utter cockwads) but the one I've always had a leaning towards is the 928. I guess it's the allure of that alloy V8 in a taught sportster chassis. But could I live with it magically transmogrifying into Noddy's car every time I put the headlights on? Nahhh



And speaking of vulgar Porsche associations, the new GT3 don't arf look BIG! In a Benny Hill kinda way. Dayam, she's gone to seed in her old age.





I do rather like the "new" GTV/Spider Alfa Pininfarina design with those funny arrow-straight strakes up the side. Sadly, this one was grey and thus was almost impossible to photograph without it merging into the sky. Yeah, that's my excuse for only getting crap photos of it. Here, have some details instead.





Mmmm, the world really does need a Brown Revival. The Seventies, y'see. One day someone will recognise how cool they actually were, and that it wasn't all about glitter, high heels and glam wigs. It was all about BROWN! This was a rare Interceptor, not just because it seemed pretty much rust-free but also because it was an FF model, which I believe was touted as the first production four-wheel drive coupe. Yeah, Land Rovers don't count... And it's brown!



This '48(ish) Mercury pickup lit up the gloom at the far end of the straight. Nice and subtle with enough custom to make it fresh and interesting (such as the excellent frenched-in lights front and rear), it was the vibrant green that really dragged you in. It literally lit up the grimness of the day







I didn't bother going all the way to the end of the straight. Most the cars here had cleared off and all that was left was a pair of Spitfires. Errrmmm... yeah. "All" that was left. I got near enough to get a shot and left it at that. I've no idea why there were a couple of Spitfires parked up here, they seem to get wheeled out for these dos. Presumably commemorating the airfield's part in the War effort. The Boy likes them, but since he wasn't here I took the chance to save myself a walk



Another SLS (common things, aren't they, lol) only funnily enough managing to maitain much more presence in black. It would appear that silver might be the traditional racing colour of Germany and have all kinds of heritage associations from the world-beating Silver Arrows of yore, but what you want on a rainy grey day in Sussex in good old-fashioned black



Another old Plymouth, this time pre-war (well, if you're American it's pre-war; they turned up fashionably late as always and have been trying to make up for it by making sure they're in from the very beginning of all wars ever since. Preferably by actually starting them if at all possible) *ahem* anyway, this one's circa 1940 and another excellent colour





Ford Popular; many things to many people. Grocery getter, mum's car, dad's drudge on the office commute, backdrop in 60s BBC sitcoms... cute, appealing, humble, honest... dull? A staple of now-passed suburban British respectability and dependability. Race car? Ermmm, not many would immediately jump to that conclusion but looking at this outright immaculately prepped example it's hard not to argue that it looks like it was born to the job. Lovely little car



There are always a smattering of Rods at these bashes, and today was no exception. I haven't seen this one before. I think it's based on a '34 Ford, though freely admit my knowledge of pre-war cars is rather sketchy. In a sort of gasser stylee it certainly stood out (I'm assuming that there's a proper name for this style of hotrod that someone will come along and correct me on in a while. I know it's not a gasser, for the pedants in the audience, I just don't know what it IS, lol). Anyway, the distressed look is always a good one. Funny to see how in a way it's gone full circle, from people leaving their cars all scrunched up and grungy cos they had no choice and couldn't afford the bodywork and paint budget... to actually seeking out patinated cars that they could leave as is in homage to the greatest of the ratrods... and now to painting them so that they look like scrunched up patinated old relics given a new lease of life. And paying more for the paint effects than they would have for an outright "normal" paintjob in the first place. Funny old hobby, innit







Sorry, my mistake. It's not a hobby, it's a way of life, innit. Anyhoo, moar 'Stang. A '69 fastback. Maybe



I think it's fair to say that some of the most enduring design is unappreciated in its own time. In fact, time proves again and again that less is more and often the simpler and more straightforward things become the ones that last beyond the more "POW!" in your face overblown treatments. I'm betting my 2p that the Lexus LFA will be one of these things. At the time there was so much "HOW much? For a glorified Toyota?!" about them, but with many respected talking heads of the scene coming out with huge praise for them (didn't Tiff Needell cite it as his favourite supercar ever?) and with Lexus very wisely sticking to their chosen limited-number production run... take note, Ferrari with your "oh, go on then, just 50 more then, if you insist" not-so-limited runs... I think it has future-proof written all over it. And if you care to look in the right places, there's plenty of shock and awe tucked neatly away, albeit not the child's drawing shock and awe of a Pagani or whatever





Of all the currently resurrected crop of American musclecars (OK, strictly speaking the Camaro and Mustang never exactly went away but they were horribly lost in the wilderness for a good few years) I reckon the Challenger is truest to the original. A point that's confirmed by that weird bloke who knows every tiny detail about Mopars on Graveyard Carz [sic], so I must be right. I mean, just look at it, it's exactly like a slightly fatter '70 Challenger. And who hasn't got slightly fatter since 1970? I know I have







Not your average Herald! I would have liked to delve more deeply into this little beastie, but about the time I got here it really started to rain in a manner that would have had Noah muttering about cubit conversion tables and specific displacement buoyancy, so I scuttled off to shelter under the pitlane roof and wait out the worst of it. Which might have been a mistake, as a good number of cars left during this hiatus. But I had to dry my camera out, it was wetter than an otters pocket by now and I was genuinely worried about it getting knackered

[Lucky]

By the time I decided this was pretty much it, the squalls had become solid constant rain and it wasn't going away this time and pressed on out to take pics of the few cars that remained, there was definitely more space than there was car left on the main straight. I was pretty much reduced to trying to take arty photos of raindrops and comparing relative merits of waxing regimes on various paintwork. So, apologies for the sketchiness of the remaining pics! Basically, this is what I made point of snapping almost on the run as I headed back to the relative safety of my own car.

Always have time for a Bristol, mind you. Even a sad-faced 411. Bless it, doesn't it look depressed? Grille work by the local blacksmith





I love Panteras... which pretty much goes without saying. I mean, who doesn't? What's not to like about a big wheeled box made purely to look as pretty and carry about as prodigious an engine as possible? It was startling though to find this gleaming white example. Lately the only ones I've seen have been later models draped in scoops and wings and arches, and rather like a Countach, sometimes you need to see an unadulterated original model to appreciate just what a purity of line the first design rendering had. Needless to say, one of my cars of the day by some considerable margin









Gordon Keebles; just like London buses. Only with a larger-displacement engine. Wait ages and then two turn up at once. This one in my own perverse filename system ended up being "Gordon Blue" which made me chuckle. But then, maybe I'd been faffing around in photoshop for too long and was starting to get weird.







I don't know if it was serendipity that seemed to make all the remaining cars nice and bright and easy-to-photograph colours but I was very grateful for it. This NSX was delightfully stock, except for the inexplicable ebaytastic LED daytime running lights, which went some way to spoiling the entire car. It also had a printout sheet including "that" photo of Aryton Senna cleaning a red NSX, but I didn't have the inclination to try and decipher it through the rain and condensation to see whether this was claimed to be the same car. I remember some chancer was trying to flog "Aryton's" NSX on the web a while back at some insanely inflated price, maybe this is the one. Maybe it's a white elephant like Elvis' lost Harley and a politicians' morals. Anyway, NSX prices don't seem to need any artificial enhancement. Like many of you out there, I reckon, I wish I'd bought one when they were within reach of us mere mortals



McLaren 650S certainly brought a bit of much-needed brightness to the surroundings. So orangey even Tango men wouldn't dare try it on





Severe rarity (again) came in the form of this racy Iso Rivolta. Yet another elegant coupe with an American heart to pump within its European charms. This time the brainchild of Count Renzo Rivolta (great vision, terrible name) and the car that preceded a string of legends such as the Grifo family - not forgetting the indescribably beautiful Bizzarrini GT Strada - and sedan Fidias, powered by the ubiqitous Chevy small-block





Countachs. Just like Gordon Keebles... Come on, someone must know what the plural of Countach is? I love these Italianate exhaust systems with the red insert tips. I dunno why, maybe it reminds me of Matchbox cars of my youth.







This Murcielago was more difficult to spot, since it was in stealth bomber gunmetal and blended perfectly with the sky and rain. Does look menacing though, dunnit. And shows the dude with the colour-matched green wheels and calipers that sometimes you don't need to shout to speak loudly, lol



There's no post production at all on this pic, this shows exactly how dreek and grim the day had become by now. It was only about half past ten and the circuit was mostly empty. This Cortina that I failed to photograph properly earlier on was almost invisible from any further away than the chicane!



Some folks seemed to be enjoying themselves, at least! Brilliant Pontiac '57 Star Chief certainly had a bit of presence as it left. I didn't even see this parked up, no idea where it was hiding.



Is it possible to make the ultimate chest-wig chariot even more male menopause? Yep, it sure is. Call it a limited edition and plonk a bodykit on it! Daytona Pace Car model C3 'Vette is so ludicrously over the top that it ought to have it's own cartoon. Marvellous, though









And speaking of over-the-top cars, I seem to be seeing this '67 Bonneville everywhere at the moment. Which is a Good Thing, cos it's superb. I mean, you just have to respect any vehicle that has about eight foot of unused car going on past the point it could have usefully stopped around about the rear C-pillar buttress. And a seven-litre V8, of course...







Pretty much the last act of the morning on my behalf was as I made it to the gate exiting the circuit and the shelter of my own car. I wandered past this thing, then had to stop and unpack my soggy camera one last time. I've no idea what exactly it is, other than it has Aston Martin badges on it. It seems to have a twin-carb supercharger setup which is what drew my attention in the first place, but as you can see from the pics it was severely p***ing down and trying to get meaningful photos was just about impossible. So, anyone who can shed any light on what actually this thing is all about, it'd be gratefully received. Far as I can see, it's like a blown Aston Lotus 7 or something!





And that was it. I was back in the parking field. Which was, as promised, un-flooded. Well, mostly. Well, some of it wasn't actually under water although the busiest routes to the exit gate resembled a WWI documentary... Much respect to this old dude who seemed quite happy parking up his very expensive and clearly well-cared for DB6 in a quagmire!



And my own li'l Safka was there dutifully waiting for me. I spent a while exploring the characteristics of trying to get a rear-wheel drive car that weighs about the same as half a bag of crisps and runs a wide-open Weber downdraught with no concession whatsoever to a cold-start circuit and has all the de-misting capabilities you'd expect from a 70s design out of a field that had received a month's worth of rainfall in one morning whilst every other car was jockeying for the same patch of grass/mud/slurry. Which was fun.



But we made it (and I couldn't have done it without my marvellous modern MX-5 wipers, lol) and I was glad I made the effort. Numbers of cars were down, attendance was down, but the upside of this meant I didn't have to wait 1/4 of an hour at a time to get a single clear shot, and if anything the quality of the cars on display seemed to have been distilled by the low turnout. And the best thing was I made it home with a couple of hours to spare before the kids got back from their sleepover. Ahhh, me time!

Thanks for reading, as always. No, go away

[DKWW2000]

Superb pictures & commentary
It was nice to see a great X section of old & new cars. I liked the Interceptor Ferguson Formla, a rare beast indeed. I restored a Mk III a few years ago with the Chrysler 440 (7.2 litre V8) I had it for about 2 years but struggled with the fuel consumption, 12 mpg if you were light footed, 7/8 if you liked the growl about 5 if you floored it which you could only do if there were no corners in the way
1 of the 80+ cars (& 20+Bikes) I had over the years but the RX7 is the 1 which have revisited again, says it all

[myatt1972]

Great Nik, as always. Ive gone away now !

[codge]

I like those little Italians......Fiat 124.....mmmmm

[spirit r]

I like the last pic Most..... can see you have fun now driving your "love" to oldtimer meetings
Thomas