Classic Cars, Endurance Racing, historic cars, Historic Racing, my car, Porsche, Uncategorized, Veteran Cars, Vintage Cars

Decisions, Decisions – 2016?

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Moving on from reflections of 2015 – it’s time to look forward and consider how to indulge my motoring interests in 2016. What events should I attend and what improvements can I make to my ’71 2.2 L 911E? Decisions, decisions!

With a bit of careful planning – it would be easily possible to spend most of my weekends attending one form of motoring activity or another but this would certainly be a fast-track to divorce. Instead I need to carefully select those events that:-

a) Stand-out in terms of their quality, variety and spectacle,

b) Present an opportunity to meet up with old mates,

c) Provide new motoring experiences.

On the car front – my aim is to continue gradual improvement of my 911 with some mechanical and cosmetic upgrades as time, money and availability of parts & services allow.

So here are my thoughts on car events I could attend and car improvements I could make during 2016.

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Classic Cars, Endurance Racing, historic cars, Historic Racing, my car, Porsche, Veteran Cars, Vintage Cars

The Dead Zone – Jan 2016

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The winter months present something of a challenge to British motoring enthusiasts as it’s a motoring Dead Zone as far as races and classic car jaunts are concerned due to the poor weather and lack of daylight.

With precious motors consigned to winter hibernation – it leaves car enthusiasts dangerously prone to the onset of ICDS –  Interesting Car Deficiency Syndrome!

To counter the debilitating effects of this affliction it’s important to reflect on the past year’s motoring highlights and to start planning for petrolicious pleasures in the year to come.

It also allows time to muse over the improvements you’ve managed to make to your classic car over the past year and fantasise over other reassuringly expensive ways of further improving its performance or looks.

NB: The featured image shows my Dad (on the left) and his colleague in the late 1940s just after they’d dug their way through a truck-high snow drift on their daily round to collect milk churns from remote farms around Appleby, Cumbria.

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A-Z, Classic Cars, historic cars

A-Z of Car Stuff: BP is for British Plastic – Part 2

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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.

So, what’s so special about British Plastic?

Having explained in Part 1 where the term “British Plastic” came from I just wanted to expand in Part 2 upon my thoughts as to how and why such an unusually large number of British fibreglass car manufacturers came and went during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

Continue reading A-Z of Car Stuff: BP is for British Plastic – Part 2 →

A-Z, Classic Cars, historic cars

A-Z of Car Stuff: BP is for British Plastic – Part 1

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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.

So, what’s so special about British Plastic?

A while back I bumped into a very nice chap at Donington Historic Festival who wanted to have a chat about our respective 911s. In the course of the conversation he almost guiltily confessed that although he really liked his 911 – his main passion was for “British Plastic”. His definition of “British Plastic”  was British cars with Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) bodywork built during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

In a scene reminiscent of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting – I had to own-up to having had a previous predilection for British Plastic myself through brief ownership of a TVR Vixen.  I obviously stressed that I had successfully overcome this affliction and had since moved firmly into German Metal.

The term “British Plastic” stuck in my head as it reminded me of the plethora of interesting cars that were around (and were occasionally on my shopping list) during my “plastic period” in the late ’70s.  I consequently thought it merited a post or even two posts under my A to Z of Car Stuff page:-

British Plastic – Part 1 covers the following marques:-

  • Ashley, Berkely, Caterham, Clan, Costin, Daimler Davrian/Darrian, Elva, Fairthorpe, Falcon, Gilbern, Ginetta, Gordon Keeble & Jensen

British Plastic – Part 2 continues with:-

  • Kougar, Lenham, Lotus, Ogle, Marcos, Ogle, Peerless, Piper,  Reliant, RGS, Rochdale, Tornado, Turner, TVR, Unipower, Warwick and WSM

Read on……………….

Continue reading A-Z of Car Stuff: BP is for British Plastic – Part 1 →

historic cars, Veteran Cars

Regent Street Motor Show – Sat 31st Oct 2015 Part Two

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(Part one of the 2015 Regent Street Motor Show is <a ” href=”http://www.cumbriancarnut.com/regent-street-motor-show-sat-31st-oct-2015-part-1/#more-3672″>here).

It’s not often that you get a chance to get so close to such historic vehicles and their custodians. I lie – you can do it every year on Regent Street and in Hyde Park in early November!

This is my second post covering the Regent Street Motor Show and this one focuses on more of the veteran cars that were on display ahead of the 2015 running of the annual London to Brighton Run for pre-1905 cars.

Continue reading Regent Street Motor Show – Sat 31st Oct 2015 Part Two →

Classic Cars, historic cars, Veteran Cars

Regent Street Motor Show – Sat 31st Oct 2015 Part One

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(Part two of the 2015 Regent Street Motor Show has now been posted, click here to read it.)

The last day of October delivered beautiful autumnal weather and an opportunity to view a  host of lovely cars (ancient and modern) along Regent Street in the heart of London’s West End.

This annual event provides superb access to great veteran cars  and their period costumed custodians ahead of their participation in the London to Brighton Run. Some more modern machinery such as the latest offerings from Aston Martin and Tesla was also available for close inspection and “selfie” over-indulgence.

This is the first of two posts covering the event. Part One focuses upon more modern machinery and some of the veteran cars on display. Regent Street Motor Show – 31st Oct 2015 Part Two covers other veteran cars.

Continue reading Regent Street Motor Show – Sat 31st Oct 2015 Part One →

Classic Cars, historic cars, Historic Racing

Historic Sports Car Club – Silverstone Sat 17th Oct 2015

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Having just been at Silverstone the previous Saturday for an AMOC meeting – the prospect of exposing myself to acute hypothermia two  weeks running wasn’t massively appealing. The Qataris could really learn a thing or two  from Silverstone about refrigerated sports venues for the 2022 World Cup!

Despite the Autumnal chill the packed program of HSCC championship finals drew a big crowd of hardy enthusiasts but their resilience was tested to the limit as various delays and incidents  led to the last item on the programme becoming a night race with all drivers being shown the “LIGHTS ON” board by the marshals as they rolled onto the track in the gathering dusk!

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Classic Cars, historic cars, Uncategorized, Vintage Cars

Aston Martin Owners Club – Silverstone Sat 10th Oct 2015

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AMOC race meetings can always be relied upon to produce some interesting cars on and off the grid and like most club events there are some incredibly friendly owners who are only too happy to talk about their cars. This particular meeting did not buck the trend!

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Classic Cars, historic cars, Veteran Cars, Vintage Cars

Kop Hill Climb – Sun 20th Sep 2015

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Following a really enjoyable visit to Prescott earlier in the year I had little hesitation in deciding to join DDK mate Kirk on a visit to Kop Hill Climb.

This annual revival has grown into a tremendously popular weekend gathering of cars, motorbikes and petrol-head enthusiasts of all shapes, sizes, ages and states of repair.  The sheer variety of motors was enormous with everything from 1904 Veteran Cars through Pre-war land speed record behemoths to the latest Tesla. A great, easy-going but tremendously well organised event. Don’t miss it next year!

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Classic Cars, historic cars, my car, Porsche

Classics At The Castle – Hedingham Pre ’73 Porsche Event – Sun 6th Sep 2015

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My trip to Hedingham 2015 started well as I drove passed Stansted Airport to find myself accidentally sandwiched between two 2.4 911s. We managed to pick up another 2.2E along the way to match mine and to bring our noisy convoy of early 911s up to 4, much to the delight (or possible consternation) of other road users!

This year’s Hedingham Porsche gathering  delivered an enormous and varied turn-out of classic Porsches which confirmed the burgeoning popularity of the event, further enhanced this year by the inclusion of a Classic Porsche Auction run by Coys of Kensington.

The Porsche Museum, Porsche Cars GB and some very trusting private owners enhanced the already great turn-out with some extra-special cars including beautiful and rare 356 Carreras, 550 Spyders, a 904 and an iconic Gulf liveried John Wyer 917 (as used by Steve McQueen in his film Le Mans).

Continue reading Classics At The Castle – Hedingham Pre ’73 Porsche Event – Sun 6th Sep 2015 →