Ferrari Under The Skin – Sat 17th Mar 2018

I can se the headlines now – “Dyed in the wool classic Porsche man attends Ferrari exhibition!” The shame of it…………..I’ll be drummed out of the Porsche Owners Club!!!

In my defence – it was a bitterly cold and snowy day in London,  I needed an automotive pick-me-up and a slippy/slidey drive in my old 911 was out of the question so a trip to the Design Museum to see the Ferrari Under the Skin exhibition was my only option m’lud!

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London Classic Car Show – Sun 18th Feb 2018

Having hummed and hawed about whether to go to this event or not I finally conceded the night before the last day and I’m glad I did.

I thankfully selected a less busy day and could circulate freely, snapping piccies of nice motors without having to electric-cattle-prod hordes of selfie-takers out of shot.

I was also able to see motors in motion on the Grand Avenue without having to reserve a fence-side viewing place  an hour in advance of the demo runs and without having to resort to rugby scrum tactics to get to the front or a ladder to witness the action.

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A-Z of Car Stuff: AMB is for Aston Martin Bulldog

A-Z of Car Stuff

This is one in a series of posts on cars, drivers, designers etc. that have interested me over the years. I’ve bored my family and friends with this stuff for years – now it’s your turn!

See A-Z of Car Stuff page for more posts in this series.

Aston Martin Bulldog?

Aston Martin Bulldog

This unique car dates from 1979  during  the William Towns period of Aston Martin design which also resulted in the the similarly angular Aston Martin Lagonda saloon.

Aston Martin Lagonda

Continue reading A-Z of Car Stuff: AMB is for Aston Martin Bulldog

VSCC Sprint, Silverstone – 3rd March 1984

OK – not exactly an up-to-the-minute report but I recently found a bunch of old negatives from various motoring events that I attended in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Now digitally scanned – these images remind me of how ill-attended some of these events were at the time when compared to modern-day classic car gatherings such as Silverstone Classic, Donington Historic Festival, Goodwood’s Members Meeting and Goodwood Revival.

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Far East Fix For Crouch End Fender Bender – 17th Dec 2017

On the train from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness on a chilly but gloriously sunny morning – I was full of anticipation. Not only was I  collecting my repaired car but I’d also be able to have a look at ongoing projects at Sportwagen in the far east of Essex.

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Porsche Club GB London – “Art East”

Nick and Ed Pike – organisers of the London Region 20 faction of Porsche Club GB really have really excelled themselves in finding a vibrant alternative venue for the monthly London Region get-together.

The 3rd Saturday in the month “Smithfield Meat” gathering was great but it was sadly traffic-wardened out of existence. It’s been replaced by the 3rd Sunday in the month “Out East” gathering which I think should be renamed “Art East” both in deference to the cockney accent but also to the astonishing display of vivid and endlessly evolving graffiti on the walls along the streets used for the gathering.

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AMOC St John Horsfall Meeting – Silverstone 30th Sep 2017

I normally try to attend this meeting as it’s one of the later events in the season and always has interesting cars in the paddock and out on track but this year it also included the rather interesting Equipe 3 Hour Classic Relay race so even more reason to go!

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Spark Life! – Sat 23rd Sep 2017

A rather annoying and inconsistent recalcitrance to rev has afflicted my old 911 for a some weeks. Having adjusted the choke and swapped the CDI box to no avail – Steve opted to swap the ignition coil on my latest visit to Jaz Porsche in St Albans as symptoms suggested insufficient spark.

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Kop Hill Climb – Sun 17th Sep 2017

The Somme

I last attended Kop in 2015 and I decided it was high-time for a return visit.

My drive out to Princes Risborough in the old 911 was uneventful but upon arrival misty and damp conditions meant parking in the field adjacent to the hill was bit like competing in a muddy rally stage. Walking from the car to the paddock entrance also made me realise that wellies might have been better footwear than trainers!

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Hedingham Classics At The Castle – Sun 3rd Sep 2017

A two year wait since the last Hedingham Porsche bash and the limited availability of my old 911 this year (due to further improvement work) left me with a major sense of anticipation for this year’s Classics At the Castle event.

An early, sunny Sunday morning start and a thankfully absent intermittent misfire were positive omens for a good day out but this didn’t stop my usual jitters about whether I had the right day, whether any mechanical gremlins would thwart the trip etc. etc.

My fears were calmed when just beyond Stansted airport I swung my ’71 2.2E behind a lovely tangerine 2.7RS for a joyous two-car-convoy blast towards Hedingham! The start of a perfect day.

Continue reading Hedingham Classics At The Castle – Sun 3rd Sep 2017