NEWS: 2021-2022 Archive

Closing of the year

Published: December 24th, 2022

As I grow older, it seems to me that the years go by at an ever-increasing pace. It really does not seem like a year ago that I sat down to write the close of year report for 2021. This year, in particular, seems to have flown by, partly I think due to how busy it has been with club activities. A quick tally up reminds me that as a club, in 2022 we displayed at eleven shows, held eleven regular club night meets, and staged six special events. There was a time back in the summer when there was hardly time to catch breath between events. Surprisingly, after the inactivity due to Covid in 2020 and the first half of 2021, things returned pretty much to normal with a bang in 2022. 

Our club year started with some low-key activities in March. A few members attended the Thruxton Circuit breakfast meet, while others of us headed to Hook Norton for a breakfast gathering there. These were not official club events, but impromptu shake down runs. Our first official club show in March was at the Winchester Autobarn and what a nightmare it was. Several of us had a good run down there, but when we arrived it was jam-packed, so much so that people were parking nearly a mile away. Some stayed to make the best of it, but most of us turned around and headed home, avoiding the police who would arrive a little later and start handing out tickets for illegal parking. 

April saw one of the highlights of the year, the annual Drive-it-Day event. Our route took us through nearly 80 miles of some of the best countryside our area has to offer and it was pleasing to see so many members taking part. We split the cars, sixteen in total, into the three groups to make the run more manageable. Each group headed off a few minutes apart, so as not to create a long convoy. Of course, as anyone who knows our club would expect, there were some shenanigans along the way.  We are a daft bunch most of the time, but despite that we managed to raise £140 in aid of Childline.

It's always great to kick off the season with a nice spring day, a good showing of classics, and lots of laughter with friends and that's just what we got with Drive-it-Day this year.

Early May was particularly busy, with three shows coming in quick succession. Lechlade Vintage Rally was the first of these. On over two days, we had the misfortune to pick the day when the rain set in. It was a pity, because it was impossible to see the show at its best, but that's all part of classic car showing. We kept calm and carried on, but only until just after lunch. Fortunately, the next day we were greeted by sunshine and had a good show at Carterton, where we had ten cars on our pitch.

A week later, we displayed at the Basingstoke show, where the good weather helped draw in large crowds.  Several things about Basingstoke make it a standout event for me. It is always well organised, with marked out areas for clubs, there is always a great number of interesting vehicles on display, there's a good autojumble, and in some ways best of all, it's a nice run there.

For many of our members, the drive to events is equally important as the event itself, especially when we go in convoy and meet along the way. Although, sometimes I find that organising these can turn into a bit of a military exercise.

June kicked off with the Faringdon Festival of Transport, where we had another strong showing of ten cars. This is a relaxed event, with no restrictions regarding the age of vehicles that attend, which makes for an interesting mix. There's no pre-booking for the event, which is great when organising members to attend.    

For most of us it was a fun event, but not for Dave and Joyce, when their Suzuki Whizzkid developed a clutch problem and had to be removed on a recovery vehicle.

Following the years of Covid restrictions, it's pleasing to see club night attendance growing again. In the summer months, we now see 30+ members coming out. It's partly a reflection of people feeling more relaxed about Covid, but also due to the growth in membership.  This year our numbers expanded by approximately 30%. We welcome all our new members and hope that you get all that you want out of the club. 

June's Summer Party was another highlight of the year for me. A light drizzle didn't do us any favours on the Saturday, but it was wonderful to see everyone turn up in their classics despite the weather. We put on a nice show of cars, but before too long we headed inside to start on the liquid refreshments. We had laid on a private function room for a couple of hours in the afternoon, where members could sit, chat and enjoy a free glass of prosecco. Later, we had a good meal, before getting down to some serious dancing.  Planning will soon be underway for the 2023 Summer party.

Another of the more relaxed events that we typically attend is Yattendon. This year's show had the biggest collection of cars that I'd ever seen at the event and I imagine it is going to continue to grow. One of the many things I like about the show is that it is free for those displaying and the public visiting and yet just through donations and sponsorship it manages to collect a heathy amount of money for charity.  

I suspect that for many, the defining memory of July 2022 will be the record-breaking temperatures. When most sensible people stayed indoors to keep cool, many club members were sweltering in the midday sun, parked up in some dusty, earth scorched field.

At this point I have to confess a red mark in my copy book. Since we formed the club in March 2019, I'd not missed a single club event, but just occasionally something more important comes along. For me, it was the birth of granddaughter number 3. A visit to see her up in Scotland was certainly worth taking time off of club duties for, although I have told mum and dad that if they intend having more to make sure they aim for the winter months!

It was Aldbourne Doggy Day that I didn't make it along to and by all accounts it was a good event. If I can get our two year old Doberman to start behaving properly, I might take her along next year to show along with the car. Club member Paul did that this year.   

The West Oxon Steam Rally (Ducklington) is considered by the club as its home event. Several committee members camp there for a few days and it proves to be a good venue for our club BBQ. However, this year's event was difficult due to the extreme heat. A few days in advance, there were warnings of 40C+ temperatures on the weekend of the show. It was a concern, so the club purchased a small gazebo to give us some shade and it was well worth it.

One of our aims as a club is to provide support for local charities, by offering to put on private displays of our cars. With that in mind, we are always looking for ideas about how we can do this, so it was great when club member Tina suggested Swings & Smiles in Thatcham, an organisation that provides activities for children and young people up to 18 years old with a wide range of disabilities and special needs, as well as supporting their families.

We were pleased to be able to help by staging a show of seventeen cars for the public to come and look around. In total, the event raised over £700, a hundred of which was donated by the club. And I suspect a significant proportion was also donated by individual club members to this very worthy cause.  

A week later, we were back in Berkshire for the West Berks Classics Show at the Newbury Racecourse. We had a good run there, meeting members at different points along the way, so that we could enter in convoy. There was a strong turnout of cars, which was amazing, given that it was another scorcher of a day. It was so hot in fact, that several members, including myself, bailed out not long after lunch, and headed for a pub by the river, where we could find a nice bit of shade and while away the afternoon.

Next up was Wanborough, a small, quintessential English village country show, which for its size, certainly packs a lot in, particularly for families and younger children.  Wanborough was also the scene of our second club car breakdown at an event this year. This time it was Paul's newly acquired Pontiac GTO. It turned out to be a faulty ignition, but we didn't know that at the time. In the end, we got the car underway with a push start and Paul made it home safely. 

We rounded off a typically busy August with a display of eleven club cars at the Shalbourne Show, where there is always an interesting selection of vehicles to see. It's another of those events where the drive out in convoy is a highlight.

For 2022, we added some new member benefits, which you can read about here, but I think the real benefit of a club like ours is the friendships that are made and the support that it offered. One of the most extraordinarily kind gestures this year was the donation of tickets to the Goodwood Revival by two club members. These tickets were then offered by auction to club members, allowing us to raise funds for the club and giving the lucky winner tickets at a much reduced price of £120 for two.     

As we moved towards the end of September, the events calendar began to thin out, as it always does at that time of the year. However, we still had a few "special events" in the pipeline. The first of these was a visit to Combe Mill,  a working industrial museum, which offers visitors a good insight into what work was like in Victorian times on a rural estate. We had been asked if the club would put on a private display for visitors and we were happy to oblige. 

In October, we were invited to visit Fiennes, a specialist restoration firm. This proved extremely popular with members, to the point where we had to organise two trips and even then not everyone who wanted to attend was able to. Given the popularity of the visit, we'll perhaps aim to do another late next year.

In our usual fashion, we closed off the year with a Christmas meal, a quiz and awards ceremony. We had an excellent turn out of 30 members on the evening and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Embarrassingly, none of us thought to take photos, so all I have is a few blurred stills from a short bit of film I shot.  OK, strong liquor might have played a part!

It was a close-run thing between the top two quiz teams, the Badger Biters and Jason and the Argonauts. The Badger Biters actually got the most correct answers, but Jason and the Argonauts played a wild card and put up a star turn who delivered a little ditty all about one of our very own members. This earned them just enough points to take victory.  Honourable mentions go to The Ratbags and The Knuckleheads.

We had a surprise winner of the prestigious Knackered Spanner award. Well done to Simon who won for his run in with a badger (now, sadly, an ex-badger) earlier in the year.

With the increase in members this year, we now have an even greater diversity of vehicles within the club, which all adds to the interest. And alongside that, many members have either added second or third cars, or replaced cars, so now there is nearly always something new to see at meets.

Apologies if I've missed any new club cars. If I have, then it's probably due to not having a photo on record. It's not always easy to keep track.

That, then, is just about it for our look back at 2022. To sum up, the club has bounced back to where it was in terms of activities pre-Covid. Nearly all our members take part in club events through the year. Covid remains a concern, but I suspect most of us now take the view that to lead a near normal life, some risks have to be taken. Of course, those risks are greater for some members than for others, so caution will always be necessary. Our membership has continued to grow and we anticipate another leap in numbers next year, perhaps to the point where we'll need to place a cap on it rather than grow too large.  Sadly, we did lose some members this year, a couple due to living some distance away, which made getting to club nights difficult, and a couple left us due to a disagreement. I always regret the loss of members, friends, and hope to see them out and about next year.

We try to strike a balance when it comes to club funds, between donating to charities and subsidizing club events. I'm pleased that this year, we donated £240 to charity and subsidised the Christmas meal by £10 per member taking part, Summer party by around £5 per member taking part, and club BBQ by around £5 per member taking part. That's pretty good, I reckon, when the subs are £24 per individual member and £30 for joint members. 

Feedback from members indicates that we should do more charity / special display events and more drive outs, in place of some shows. Early next year, we'll be laying on a go-karting day for members, so look out for details of that if you'd like to take part. And if you have ideas for club activities, please just let us know, as we are always open to suggestions. 

I know that many of our members have struggled with health conditions this year and other issues of a personal nature. Hopefully, the club has been a happy distraction from some of the difficulties life throws at us.

It just remains then, to wish all our members (present and past) a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We look forward to 2023. It'll be bigger and better and with a bit of luck free of breakdowns.

And that, as they say in the film industry, is a wrap!

Festive Season Ahead

Published: November 14, 2022

Typically, by this time of the year, many of us will have tucked our classics away for the winter months, but the unseasonably warm weather we are experiencing is certainly tempting me to get out for a run or two. Of course, we do have some members that continue to use their cars all year round. If you are doing so, please send in photos for these news reports. It’s always good to see what members are doing with their cars away from the club.

As a club, we tend to steer away from shows in the winter months and instead focus on social gatherings. It’s not as hectic at this time of year as club life is between April and September, but we still find things to keep us busy. Club meet nights are the backbone of these social gatherings and it’s aways nice to see a good turnout of members in the winter. October’s meet saw twenty members in attendance, which although some way off summer figures, is still very healthy.  

We did look at doing a couple of shows in October, but after such a busy year of events, we decided to look at other options. Early in the month, six members took a run out to the M4 Karting classic breakfast meet. There was a nice, eclectic mix of cars to see, and when not looking at the cars, we watched the karting. It was great to meet with Ben and Julian, our hosts at the event, and to talk about possibilities for club activities at the venue. That gave us an idea for a club karting event, which we are now in the early stages of planning. Already there is a lot of interest from members in this, especially from three who have told me that they have done a bit and have been karting champions! Watch this space … and in the meantime take a look at what M4 Karting has to offer. https://www.m4karting.com

There is nothing to be said of the Queen’s life that hasn’t been said a thousand times before, I’m sure, but I think it is worth reiterating that she only came to the throne because of chance events. If it had not been for the abdication of Edward VIII, Elizabeth would have lived her life in relative obscurity. Aged only twenty-five years old, Elizabeth was crowned Queen and she made a promise then to carry out her duties and serve her country and people for the rest of her life. It was a promise that she kept for the next seventy years. Her Majesty the Queen has been a constant and consistent figure in all our lives and that will be missed by many, I've no doubt. We paid our respects as a club by posting a photograph of the Queen on the homepage of our website and by changing the background of the club’s logo to black for the period of mourning.

As some members will be aware from the club’s Facebook group, I’ve been plagued by computer issues over the last few weeks, which meant that I couldn’t post news updates. This has led to a backlog, so this report has a lot to cover. Starting with the most recent club event and then working back, on Sunday September 18th we put on a private display of club cars for visitors to Combe Mill.  

Located next to the River Evenlode and built in 1852, Combe Mill is a Grade II* listed building. The mill was originally powered by a waterwheel, until 1886 when a beam engine was installed. In about 1922, that engine stopped working and lay idle until its restoration. In 1969, a party from the City and County Museum at Woodstock began restoring the engine and boiler, and in 1972 the engine was successfully steamed for the first time in many decades. Combe Mill is now a working industrial museum, which offers visitors a good insight into what work was like in Victorian times on a rural estate. One of the volunteers and a director said, “One of the special things about the Mill is that all the machinery is in exactly the same position as it was originally, which is very rare”.  Alongside the various working steam engines, including the beam engine, there is a working forge where visitors can have a blacksmithing experience. Our club visit was as part of a special events day, which included a craft fair, stalls, and Morris Dancers.

For club members, we arranged two pre-meet spots, one at our usual club venue and the other just a couple of miles from Combe Mill. After the first pre-meet, we split into two convoy groups and headed across country for approximately 21 miles. Chris D led out the first group of five cars and by all accounts behaved himself, by not running off into the distance as he has a want to do! Five minutes later, I followed with a group of six. We picked up the last of the gang at the second pre-meet point and headed for the Mill.

We all arrived at the venue together and on time, although not all in perfect working order and complete. Somewhere along the route, Paul C had lost a hub cap from his Pontiac GTO and Jason’s Triumph TR6 was dropping oil and had developed a running issue.  I know from my own experiences that it’s difficult to enjoy an event if worrying about your car, so I could see that Jason was pre-occupied with concerns. It was soon established that the oil leak was coming from a cracked oil cooler, but as there was still plenty of oil in the car, that didn’t seem to be the cause of the running issues. Of course, modesty forbids me mentioning that it was me who spotted the cause of the car being down on power. It turned out to be a split vacuum hose to the metering unit. That was an easy and inexpensive fix, but sadly a new oil cooler will be a bit more costly.  Apart from Jason’s woes, the day went well … great venue, great drive out, great weather, and as always great company. If enough members are keen, perhaps we can arrange a group blacksmithing experience there. As club member Pete C said, “We could knock up a few parts for the Triumph TRs”. We certainly seem to need them at the moment!

On the plus side for Jason, he had a fabulous day at the Goodwood Revival on September 16th. Back in late July we had an extraordinarily kind offer from two of our members, who donated to the club two sets of two tickets for the Revival meet. We auctioned these tickets and Jason won one of the sets with a bid of £120, an amount that is considerably less than the original cost of the tickets, so he did very well.  Jason’s tickets also included two roving grandstand passes allowing admittance to any grandstand. Our benefactors wish to remain anonymous, but Jason asked me to pass on the following: “I’m extremely grateful to the members who donated these tickets, as a visit to the Revival has been on my bucket list for a long time. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and if it hadn’t been for these tickets, I might never have got the opportunity to go”.

Jason took his friend Stephen along, who acted as chauffeur for the day, allowing Jason to enjoy the full ambiance of his surroundings with the help of several G&Ts I’m told.  “As well as all the fabulous cars on display and on the track, it was wonderful to see everyone in period costume. I went in a 1940s style outfit. One of the highlights for me was meeting up with an old school friend, Billy Bellinger, who was racing a 1963 Cooper-Ford T61 “Monaco” in the Whitsun Trophy.  I got to follow him on to the grid for one of his practice sessions,” said Jason. “Another highlight of the day was meeting Sir Jackie Stewart.”

Those of you who have been following club member Garry’s concours show successes this year, will know that on September 11th he won his fifth competition out of five and in doing so took the overall win in his class. Unfortunately, it didn’t all go smoothly. After a ridiculously early start to the day and a long drive down to Exmouth to take part in the event, Garry sailed through the judging, but when it came to leave, his Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth struggled with lack of power issues, which resulted in a return home at around midnight on the back of a recovery vehicle.

I’m sure it didn’t put too much of a damper on the day and knowing Garry I suspect the issue has already been fixed. (Update: Garry has since stated that the Cossie is still suffering from a number of issues, so isn't back on the road yet).

We look forward to seeing the cup soon after it has been presented. It now remains to be seen if Garry will be competing in concours events again next year, either with the Cossie, or with his new Ford Focus RS. Winning can certainly be addictive, but it’s also a lot of hard work.



Early in September, club members Chris H and Cyan visited a classic car show on the Isle of Wight, which they both highly recommend. And Chris was particularly pleased to meet Sarah Crabtree, who used to appear on Bangers and Cash. 

Photo credit (left): Cyan.

Late last month saw a flurry of club events. On August 28th, we put on a display of ten club cars at the Shalbourne Classic Car Show. As always, it was a nice, relaxed and well organised event, with a good selection of classics on display. As we often do, the bulk of the display team met at the usual club venue, before driving in convoy to the event. To Shalbourne it was about 25 miles, for which we allowed 45 minutes. Just outside Shalbourne, we met up with a couple more members, and then convoyed in together, so we could get parked up for 9am.  

Just over a week earlier, on Saturday August 20th, we were at the Wanborough Village and Country Show, with a display of nine club cars.  This was a bit of a difficult event to organise a pre-meet spot for, as members were coming to it from all directions. In the end we decided to meet just outside Wanborough and then travel the last couple of miles together. Although it’s not a large event in terms classic vehicles on show, Wanborough offers other attractions, including arts and crafts stalls, a dog show, and a main ring display, which this year was “Pedal Power vs Parkour”. "Combining the skill, balance, and power of a trials rider and the finesse of a gymnast / parkour athlete", says the blurb.

Of course, these days, an event for us isn’t complete without a breakdown of some description, and for Wanborough it was Paul’s turn in his Pontiac GTO. It had some starting issues earlier in the day, but as the event was drawing to a close, it wouldn’t start at all. Several of us gathered around to give our thoughts, but nothing we came up with did the trick, so in the end we gave the car a bump start, which was no mean feat given the size of it. Thankfully, Paul made it all the way home without difficulty and later discovered that the problem was with the ignition switch. 

With all these recent breakdowns in mind, this year we’ll be introducing the “Knackered Spanner Award”. I’m nominating the following and asking for seconds …

Dave W, Suzuki Whizzkid. Breakdown at the Faringdon Festival of Transport. Dave had trouble getting the car going from the pre-meet spot but did make it to the show in the end. However, problems with the clutch required a recovery vehicle to be called and Joyce and Dave left the event to the sound of cheers from the crowd.  

Garry T, Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth. Breakdown at Exmouth concours show. It got there, won the competition, but didn’t make it home due to a faulty sensor. Arrived home on a recovery vehicle after midnight.

Paul C, Pontiac GTO. Breakdown at the Wanborough Show. Faulty ignition switch meant that the car had to be bump started, but it then got Paul home after an hour plus drive.

Jason, Triumph TR6. Breakdown at Combe Mill. Two issues, cracked oil cooler and split vacuum hose. Repair to vacuum hose allowed Jason to get home under his own steam, although several stops were needed along the route to fill up with oil.

Chris D, Gilbern Invader Estate (there aren’t many on the road), various issues. It hasn’t broken down at a show yet, but then that’s only because it hasn’t got to a show yet. Issues include clutch, brakes, electrics, and bodywork. Now on its second tour of local garages, it's undergoing work. It’s a toss up as to whether Chris or the car breaks down next!

Back to the shows, on August 7th, the club displayed eight club cars at the West Berks Classic Car Show, which took place at Newbury Racecourse. As always at this event, there were a large number of cars on display, and a good autojumble to browse. However, instead of the rain that has been a problem at this event in previous years, this year it was the heat. It was a scorching hot day and by about 1pm several members had mentioned the word “pub”, and so by 2pm, many of us were on our way to a watering hole by the river that was only twenty minutes away. A cool, refreshing drink was most welcome that day, and we spent the next couple of hours chatting in the shade.

Our thanks to all the show organisers this year for being so accommodating. We appreciate the hard work that putting on a show entails.  

It’s certainly been a busy few weeks, but in the last few days there has been a slight chill in the air, signalling that we are approaching the end of car showing season. Of course, this doesn’t mean that club activities end. We are always looking for things to do that members will enjoy, so if you have any suggestions, please put them forward for consideration. Likewise, if you wish to supply write ups of events you’ve attended, or provide photos to use on the club’s website, please do so.

Although we do not have any more car shows planned for this year, there are several other events in the pipeline, starting with our regular monthly meet tomorrow, September 21st. With the daylight hours growing shorter and the clocks going back in just over a month, this meet will be the last this year that many of us will bring out the classics to, but we'll be going right through the winter in our daily drivers. We also need to be thinking about a Christmas gathering. It’s not that far off now!

Smiles all-round

Published: August 3, 2022

With August being a particularly busy time for club activities, it looks as if we'll need two news reports this month in order to keep on top of all that is happening. 

As a club we are always keen to support local charities, especially in a tangible way, and so when club member Tina D was asked by a friend who is involved with Swings & Smiles if it would be possible to put on a small car show in aid of the charity, Tina asked if we could help.  Swings & Smiles provides activities for children and young people up to 18 years old with a wide range of disabilities and special needs, as well as supporting their families. As such, it is exactly the type of organisation that we aim to assist.

Back in April, Tina and I headed over to Thatcham to meet with Jo, the senior fundraiser at Swings & Smiles, and to assess the premises in terms of suitability for a small display of club cars. After a bit of measuring up by eye, we reckoned that the space available would hold up to about 20 cars. We then started looking at available dates. With so many car shows on through the summer and with Swings and Smiles own busy calendar of events, it wasn't easy, but in the end we decided on Saturday July 30th. 

Early in July, I took a second run out to Swings and Smiles, this time with a tape measure, just to be sure of the space available and to consider risks for the risk assessment. It also gave me a chance to look at potential pre-meet points and estimate timings.

We were pleased, but not surprised, that a large number of members came forward to support this event. And we know that we would have been over-subscribed if it hadn't been for car problems, health issues, and other commitments. We were sorry not to see those of you who would have liked to have made it along, but couldn't. As it was, we had a wonderful turnout of 17 cars, which was just about perfect. We could have squeezed in another 2 to 3 more at a push, but I think that would have been uncomfortable.

Everything went pretty much to plan on the day. My timing for the second meet point (for those coming from the north west) was a little off, as we went a bit fast and arrived 5 minutes early, not that it caused any problems. Our main pre-meet point for all cars was in a layby along the A4. We did pretty well with that, only losing one car along the way.

From the layby, the plan was to convoy to Swings and Smiles in three groups of about 5 cars each, but we ended up as two groups. My concern was that if too many of us went together at the same time, we'd have cars stacking up at the venue and block the road before we could park them, but that didn't happen and all was well. Our cars, including the one we lost earlier, were all in place by 11.30am, ready for the event to start at midday. 

It wasn't easy to gauge the number of visitors to the event, but there was a steady stream and all seemed to enjoy looking around the cars and talking to our members about them. Of course, as is often the case when our members get together, we also spent a lot of time chatting with each other and having a good catch up.

Above left: Peter's Scimitar gets lots of attention from visitors and members alike. Above right: Did someone mention "MGs". Photos credit: Tina D.

Jo, from Swings and Smiles, said of the event: "It went really well and we raised £700 including your donation. Thank you for all of your support."

As well as the £100 donation from the club, I suspect many of our members made private donations, too. Special thanks goes to Tina D for bringing the suggestion to the club in the first place. Graham B also gets an honourable mention for being the flagbearer for this event, as do Tina and Toney, Karen and Graeme, and Kate and Chris who helped with the convoy, and Dave W for guiding the second group of cars in.  It's a great example of how we can work together to make a bit of a difference. Fantastic job!

Last, but by no means least, a special mention for my wife Tina who helped with some of the initial parking at the event, but mainly for putting up with my car obsession, the time I spend on club activities, and me in general.  

Newbury Today report: https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/car-show-raises-hundreds-for-special-needs-charity-9267540/

Other news 

Club member Garry has continued his winning streak in his first year of concours competition. He has now picked up four out of four wins and is closing in on taking the 2022 overall winner cup in the novice class, with his Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth. We are all backing him.

Earlier this week, Chris and I loaded his Gilbern Invader Estate onto a trailer and took it to a garage, in the hope that they will be able to sort out a suspected fuel issue and improve the brakes. With luck, we might still see the car at a show or two this year.  

Talking of Chris, or "Granddad", as he is affectionately known to some of us, there was a brilliant moment at Swings and Smiles, when Graham B asked him if the luggage rack on the back of his TR was actually a "detachable Zimmer frame". It's banter like that that sums up what we are all about.

Some like it hot

Published: July 22, 2022

One thing we can be absolutely sure of is that when it comes to the British weather there is rarely a happy medium to be had. A couple of days ago, while I was sweltering with the rest of the country in record breaking temperatures, I was happy to see that the forecast for the July club meet night was for cooler weather. However, my delight was short lived, when I spotted that a heavy band of rain was coming our way. It put a few members off of bringing their cars out, but we had a great line up nonetheless. Plus, we were pleased to sign up five new club members. Welcome to Kathleen and Eric, Penny and George, and Carsten.

Our new members brought along their cars, a Datsun 240C, which I understand is very rare these days, and a Daimler Dart (making a matching pair).

Unfortunately, the evening was spoiled a bit by hearing the news that our member Simon hit a large badger on his way home, which caused some damage to his car. Thankfully, Simon is OK, although the badger is sadly now an ex-badger. 

Both the club and its members have had a busy few weeks, making it difficult to know where to start when writing up this news report, but I've decided to cover the most recent events first.

Just last weekend, the club put on a display at the West Oxon Steam and Vintage Rally in Ducklington. This is a regular event for us, as members of our committee have family ties with the organising committee, so we like to support it. And for those of us that love steam engines, it is a great couple of days.  Some of our members arrive at the site on the Thursday before the event and start setting up the club camping area, where traditionally we have a BBQ on the Saturday evening.

Given that on both days of the event the weather forecasters predicted 35C+ temperatures, we felt it sensible to purchase a second club gazebo that we could place next to the car display for easily accessible shelter. It certainly helped.

Over the two days of the event we had eight club cars on display, plus a non-member who later joined the club, thanks to some arm twisting by Peter. It was a smaller display than we expected, due to several factors, including the extreme heat, clashing commitments, and a couple of members falling ill with Covid a few days before. I must admit, I felt quite listless and out of sorts over the entire weekend, due to the weather, but it was nice to catch up with friends and to meet new ones.

Our thanks to all the members who were able to make it along. And also, special thanks to Kate for not going too mad after coming back from doing all the shopping for the BBQ to find Chris and I sat in the beer tent at 10.30am. We were the first in there! Thanks too to Chris for doing all the cooking on Saturday evening, and to Pat and Tony for sorting out the camp and providing facilities. Last, but not least, thank you to members Rachel, Mike and Pete who camped out and helped the committee break down the large gazebo and clear our camping area after the show finished.  

Here's a little film of the weekend . . .

We didn't realise it at the time, but this show marked the last appearance of Garry's MKII Ford Cortina 1600E at a club event. Due to health issues that cause Garry pain after driving the car, he felt it was time to sell. Unsurprisingly, it only took a couple of days before a buyer was found, so that was good, but I know it was also a sad moment for Garry and Jane. People who just view their cars as a means of transport will never understand, but for us who truly love our cars, we see them as part of the family. We'll all miss "Tina E" at club events, as she always attracted lots of attention. Garry put in a great deal of time and effort to improving and maintaining the car, and always presented her in fantastic condition.   

Thankfully, Garry and Jane we'll not be leaving the world of classics, as they still have the Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth, and we are watching this space, as I fully expect another classic car in their stable soon.

Garry's Cortina was not the only car we have said goodbye to since the last news update. One of our most unusual club cars, Graham's Ford Granada Hearse, has also departed. Of course, Graham still has his V8 powered Granada MKII Saloon to be going on with. And then we come to a man that changes his cars more often than anyone else I know. In the past year and a bit, Paul has had four American classics. I thought that his beautiful Ford Galaxie 500, known as "Ethel", was going to be a a keeper, but she's moved on and been replaced by a Pontiac GTO. I've known people that change their socks less often!   

Every year, around the end of February, the club's committee gets together and looks at the show calendar. We begin with asking for feedback from members about which shows they favour and would like to do with the club. Some members are able to tell us their plans, but most are undecided about which events they'll do through the year. We also have to take into account which shows committee members are available for. Geography plays a part too, because we now have members that live on the extreme edges of our area, and we like to do a few events on their doorstep if possible. We tend to do some tried and trusted events each year, plus a handful of new ones. One of the key things for us is to do shows where we are confident of getting a good turnout of club cars. After all, it's not much of a display if we only have 2 or 3 cars on show.

However, we appreciate that we need to keep things fresh and offer members activities other than just showing. I had this very discussion with a member today, who would like to see us doing more runs, more charity events, and more social activities. It's a view that I'm in full agreement with, but we obviously want to know what the wider membership are hoping to get out of the club. If you tell us, we'll do our best to arrange it, providing enough members want it. As we move into the latter part of the year, we'll devote an hour or so at a club meet to discuss these matters, so start thinking on it now.   

Talking of new shows that we added to the club calendar this year, back at the start of July the club put on a display at the Aldbourne Doggy Day (and classic car show). It was not an event that we'd heard of before, so our thanks to Paul (that chap who keeps changing his cars) for suggesting it. I was unable to attend myself (first club event I've missed since we formed), as I was away visiting my latest granddaughter, along with her older sister, who I had to spend some time with explaining why Car SOS is better to watch than something  called "Peppa Pig".

By all accounts, the Aldbourne show was a great success. We had six cars on our pitch.

Each of us have shows that we favour, and among mine is Yattendon. I always find it relaxing and because there is no pre-booking required or strict rules about when to arrive or leave, it is extremely easy for me to organise our club attendance and pitch. It's free to exhibit and free to enter too, something that is becoming a rarity.

This year the event proved more popular than ever, with in the region of 600 vehicles attending. And it raised an amazing £3421.00 for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

Alongside all these club activities, members have been busy at various other events. Garry's success with his Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth in concous competitions continues. He's now picked up his third win out of three competitions, and this is only his first year talking part.

It seems that the American type prom is a popular thing these days, unlike back in the 1970s when I was at school. It's traditional to arrive in style at these events and some members having been acting as chauffeurs on a private basis. Sadly, this is not something we can do as a club arranged activity, as we'd not be insured for it, but it's a lovely thing for members to do off their own back and a wonderful way to get youngsters interested in classics. 

Chris and I did a little more work on the Gilbern Invader Estate, but without much success, as the car has developed a fuelling issue now, and so it looks like another trip to the garage. 

Members Dave, Mark and Simon visited the Le Mans Classic, and as I've not heard much from them since, I suspect they are still recovering.   

Well, that's all for another news roundup. We have lots in the pipeline, starting a week Saturday with a private display of club cars for Swings and Smiles, a charity in Thatcham which supports children with disabilities and their families. We hope to have around 20 club cars in attendance, so it should be a great day. 

We have a new batch of club window stickers arriving soon, so please remind me if you need one, either as a new member or a member with a new car.

Hopefully, the worst of the heatwave is over, because although some like it hot, there are limits.   

Summer Solstice

Published: June 21, 2022

It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly the midpoint of the year sneaks up; one minute we are battling drizzle and high winds as we move into May, the next we are passed the height of summer. This year it seems to be flying by at an even greater pace than usual. Time's winged Chariot rumbles on and serves as a reminder to get out there and make the best of our days.

Many of our members have been doing just that, with visits to shows, drive outs, and other events over the last couple of weeks. For the club and many of its members, last week was particularly busy. It began on June 11th with a club display at the Faringdon Festival of Transport. 

Faringdon is local to many of our members, so I was not surprised that we had a good turnout of twelve club cars, ten of which displayed on the club pitch. All went well to begin with. We gathered at the pre-meet point on time (although I got a lot of stick for being the last to show), had a chat for a few minutes and then began the short drive to the event. It was at that point we realised that one of our cars, a Suzuki SC100 "Whizzkid" was not moving and was having difficulties. Eventually, the car limped the two minute drive to where we had our club pitch, but with problems engaging gear, it was clear after a little investigation that a Recovery Truck would be needed. It's the first time in quite a while that we have lost a club car at an event, the last being a Triumph TR6, so of course the owner, Dave, got a lot of good humoured ribbing over it. We might take the piddle out of each other, but one of the many things that I love about this club is that members will help each other out if they can.  It was just a pity that on this occasion nothing could be done to help.       

I'm pleased to report that Dave has now managed to source some difficult to find parts to repair the clutch and the Whizzkid will be back with us again soon. 

Apart from the set back of losing a club car, the Faringdon event was a nice relaxing day out. It's a laid back show, with no formal arrive or depart times, and no pre-booking. Our thanks to the organisers for laying it on. It's also a bit different, in that it had an unusual mix of classic, modern, and performance cars, making it an event for everyone. Also, because it is a local event for the club, we got a lot of interest from potential new members.

Following on from Faringdon, we held our June monthly club meet on the 15th. Glorious weather brought out a good many club cars and we had a great evening catching up with each other. It was also the first club outing for Pete's Reliant Scimitar, a car that's not easily missed! We had sixteen cars in attendance, so many in fact that it was impossible to get them all in one photo.  

Our club's Summer Party (or very late Christmas Party, to be precise), took place on June 18th. It's been a long time in the making. After our hugely successful post-Christmas weekend away in January 2020, we were all ready to repeat it early in 2021, but Covid put an end to that. We thought things were looking good for January 2022 and committee members began exploring potential venues, one being Stanton House, as suggested by club member Karen. It seemed a good option and we put things in motion for a party, but as January approached we could see a new strain of Covid on the rise, so with only three weeks to go, we decided to postpone the party until the summer. 

And so, last Saturday just after lunchtime, we began with a private display of club cars. It would have been fantastic if the weather had of played ball, but sadly there was a bit of light rain and heavy cloud cover, which rather spoiled the opportunity for photography. Nevertheless, in true White Horse spirit, we made the best of the situation.

I was told afterwards by the hotel staff that the guests very much enjoyed our display, which was nice to hear. 

At 3pm, we retired to a private function room in the hotel, where we were greeted with a glass of Prosecco, although by that time many of us had already found the bar and the partying was well underway. It was nice to have a function room for a couple of hours to gather in and it would have been even better if the weather had been good, because we could have made use of the terrace.  Nevermind! 

Our room for the evening meal and disco was nicely set out, and they must have been forewarned about us, because there was another bar in there, which meant staggering distance was kept to a minimum. 

There was some bad news early in the evening, when the DJ told me that he wasn't able to play the club's theme tune, "Ernie, the Fastest Milkman in the West". I was particularly upset, not for myself so much, but for club member Chris, as it's his all time favourite song and I know he looks forward to dancing to it.  

After the three course meal and lots more liquid refreshment, we held a club raffle, with the main prize being a bottle of Champagne that was kindly donated by Colin and Lisa. Then it was time for some dancing. I like to shake a leg myself and get as many people up dancing as possible. I think we did pretty well. Breakdown Dave came on with some impressive moves, so much so that I might be calling him "River dance" from now on. We even persuaded Mark to have a boogie for the first time in twenty years. 

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Chris appeared on the dance floor just as "Ernie" came on, and you could definitely hear the hoof beats pound. The DJ had found it in the end!

A few us made it for a late nightcap, before finally wrapping up just before 1am.

We missed those members who didn't join us for this one, but we hope all of you who did come along enjoyed it.  Thank you all for making it a success. Great company and great times. 

Other matters

We have Yattendon car show this weekend, Sunday June 26th. I've arranged a pitch for up to twelve cars and have about eight so far. If you'd like to come along, please get in touch ASAP. The other major event we have coming up is the Ducklington Steam Rally (plus club BBQ), on the 16th and 17th of July. I have only six cars confirmed for this so far and I need to give organisers details soon, so please let me know if you wish to display there with the club and haven't told me already.

Following on from club member Garry's concours win (reported earlier this month), he's taking part in another one this coming weekend, so he's been busy preparing. We wish him every success with that.

And lastly, club subscriptions are due on July 1st. They remain £30 for joint membership and £24 for individual. Please contact me info@whitehorse-cve.com if you'd like to renew. 

Jubilant June

Published: June 5, 2022

After a hectic couple of weeks at the start of May, not too much has happened on the club front of late. May saw another great turnout of club members for the regular monthly meet, although thankfully most left their classics at home due to heavy rain and thunder storms. It's great that even without the cars, so many members come along for the social element of the club. We were joined on the evening by new member Cyan, who we welcome.

Although things have been quiet for the club, our members have been working on their cars and out attending events. Those of you who follow these news updates will remember that club member Garry has been preparing his Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 for his first concours competition, which took place on May 22nd. None of us who know Garry's attention to detail were surprised to hear that he won his class. Congratulations Garry.   

I'm not known for keeping my cars particularly clean, so I can only imagine the level of dedication required to maintain concours standards. The early starts alone would put me off doing these events!

Our Jason has been living it up at the Vintage Nostalgia Festival in Stockton, Wiltshire, which took place over the Jubilee weekend. Having seen Jason's previous efforts at camping, we were all a little worried, but I'm pleased to report that he got the tent up, it stayed up through the night, and remarkably it got packed away (unlike last time, when it ended up in a bin!). Only downside to the weekend was a split radiator hose and loss of coolant on his TR6.

Members have also been out and about at the Herts Auto Show, Ragley Hall, Castle Combe Steam Rally, and the Sir Robert McAlpine railway museum, to name but a few events. It's not always easy to keep up with what members are doing, as there's so much going on.

As well as new members joining us in May, existing members have added to their classic car collections. Chris H has purchased a Triumph TR6 and Peter C has purchased a Reliant Scimitar, both of which we look forward to seeing at club events soon.

Looking ahead in the short term, we have plenty to keep us busy over the next few weeks. Later this week Garry and I are heading over to Chris D's to help with some more work on his Gilbern Invader Estate. Hopefully we can improve the braking and get it starting a bit better. We'll also be doing an oil and oil filter change.

Next Sunday, the club is at the Faringdon Festival of Transport. On Wednesday 15th June it's our regular club meet. And then on June 18th we are holding our summer party. We'll start the party with a display of club cars in the grounds of the manor house, then have a gathering in a private room for pre-party drinks, before the evening celebrations.   

With a little luck we'll be blessed with better weather through the rest of June, as so far it's not been great. Whatever comes our way, I'm sure it won't dampen our spirits too much. Despite the rain, I hope all our members and friends have had a fantastic Jubilee weekend.

You don't have to be mad, but it helps!

Published: May 10, 2022

It's not often that I write two news updates in a month, but after the April foolery of Drive-it-Day just over two weeks ago, we were straight into some May madness on the first of the month, with a visit to the Lechlade  Vintage Rally and Country Show, which took place in Clanfield.

Poor weather is considered by most classic car owners to be the enemy, so when we have a club event planned we begin watching the forecasts a few days before. We check the Met Office's long range reports, follow rain radars, and even ask our resident meteorologist Dave for his predictions. Then, if the weather does look poor, we ask members the night before the event, if they still wish to go ahead with it. For Lechlade, all the indications were for drizzle and chilly conditions, and we were not wrong. Despite that, nearly everyone decided to give it a go.

It all started well. We had found a good pre-meet point, which was suggested by Garry, and all ten club cars that were expected arrived on time. We had a pre-meet chat, exhibition passes were handed out, and then we set off for the showground. Once there, it was the usual routine of finding our pitch and setting up the flags.  Sadly, it was pretty clear that the drizzle was set for the day, which meant that many of us took to our cars to keep warm and dry.  A major part of what makes showing together great fun, is being able to sit around in a circle behind our cars and have a chat, so once that is removed it makes for quite a miserable day.  I felt particularly sorry for Angie and Graham, and for Dave, who had driven a fair distance to be there. At least it gave Dave his first opportunity to display his new Suzuki SC100 (Whizzkid) with the club.

Of course, poor weather, means fewer visitors to the show. Lechlade was extremely quiet compared with previous years. There were only a small handful of other classic cars on display and several of the traders and exhibitors didn't even open up it seemed. It all felt washed out and a bit dishevelled. Thankfully, at least for those who attended on the day before and the day after, the weather was better on those days. We were just unfortunate with the day we picked to go.

On show days like these, I suspect we all ask ourselves why we do it. I reckon we must be slightly bonkers to get up early, just to sit in a muddy field in the rain. And yet, despite the conditions, I found myself wandering around the show, looking at all the characters, those tending their steam engines, others waiting for the next pop of their little Lister engines, and still more huddled in cars, and I felt at home, back with the type of people I like. I also felt thankful that we are all free to go a little mad again.

< - - - That's Chris over there (or up above if you are viewing on your phone), affectionately known as "Granddad". With his see through brolly, his mug of coffee and his club cap at a jaunty angle, he's not going to be beat by a bit of rain. Photo Credit: Garry.

In saying all that, not too long after lunch time, we all packed up and headed home, knowing that the very next day, many of us would be out and about again, this time for the Carterton May Fair.  Our fingers were crossed that the weather would be a little kinder to us.

May bank holiday Monday delivered up an improvement in the weather and so we were off again. The Carterton May Fair is a bit of an oddity on our show calendar, because the car show is only a small part of it. However, there's lots for children to do and see, and a car boot sale for the shoppers among us. It's also held in aid of Save the Children and for that reason we have supported it for many years. 

Once again, we had a great turnout of members, with ten club cars on display.  Given that our club cars made up the bulk of the classics at the event, we got a lot of interest from visitors. And what a lot of visitors there were. It was as busy as I'd ever seen it. Dave W's Suzuki was a big hit with the people passing by, I noticed.

We were pleased to welcome new member Martyn to the club and to see his Panther Lima, and it was also great to see Nigel at the show, now that his Trident is on the road.

On May 8th, the club made its first appearance at the Basingstoke Festival of Transport. Many of us had been before, either with other clubs or on our own, so we knew we would be in for a treat again. We were not disappointed. There were hundreds of interesting vehicles, stalls, an autojumble, and thousands of visitors, more than I'd ever seen before at the event. And the weather was just about perfect too! It was a day that went like clockwork for us from start to finish. Even the early start couldn't spoil it for me.

As we had members coming from different directions, some came alone, while others met up beforehand in order to convoy in. Those of us out to the west met in our usual pre-meet place and everyone was there and ready to leave by 7.30am. It was a good run down the A34 and through Newbury onto the A339 to Basingstoke. Just before Kingsclere, we collected Karen and Graeme at what used to be Nellie's Dinner and continued on. 

Our aim was to be onsite for 9am, but we made such good time through Basingstoke, that we were there at about 8.20am. A few members who had hoped to join us on the day were unable to make it and were missed, but we still managed nine cars on our pitch. We also had three members there who were displaying on other pitches. Basingstoke is one of those events where you have to be onsite until a given time. I have a bit of a dislike for being "trapped" at an event, but because this was such a great show, the hours passed extremely quickly. In all honesty, there were so many people milling about, it would have been impossible to move vehicles before the event closed, so I can fully understand the reasoning. 

There was so much to see at Basingstoke, that I could have easily made a two hour long film and not covered everything. What I did capture just gives a flavour of the event.

Since Sunday, I have been in touch with the organisers to thank them for all their hard work and to say that we definitely want a pitch again next year. I'm hopeful that by then the club will have added more members, and we can have a display of at least 16 cars.

In between all these events, it's been a busy time for the club and several of its members. We are getting ever closer to the club's Summer Party on June 18th. There has been an excellent response to this and we now only have a few places left. If you'd like to come along, then June 1st is the deadline and do keep in mind that if you do not book your room quickly they might all go. 

With regard to our Drive-it-Day event, we now have a final figure of £140 donated by club members, the club and friends of the club to the NSPCC/Childline. Thank you to everyone who was able to take part and who contributed. 

We are always looking for ways to help our members and one of the things we have been investigating is member discounts. To that end, I recently made contact with the Motorists' Discount Centres head office to ask about the possibilities. They were extremely helpful and very pleased to offer our members 10% discount on purchases from the shops in Oxford, Reading and Swindon. Members will need to produce their club card in order to claim the discount. Please visit: https://mdc-auto.co.uk

Please note: This discount information is correct at the time of writing. However, offers such as this can be cancelled at any time, without prior notice. 

Club member Garry has been beavering away preparing his Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth for the first of several concours events he is taking part in. We'll all be following his progress and wishing him success.

Garry also took time out to help Chris D with a few issues he is having with his Gilbern Invader, namely its lack of brakes and a few electrical problems. I went along as apprentice, and found my calling as a wheel gun man!  We made good progress, but now we are awaiting some parts to be delivered, before we can get back to it.  

Well, that's it for another report. We have club meets coming up and we'll be adding more shows in along the way, so watch this space.

Silly Season

Published: April 26th, 2022

One of the many things that I enjoy about our club is that our members never take themselves too seriously, which is a good thing, as we have more than our fair share of jokers in the ranks!  And there's nothing like warm, spring weather to bring this good natured humour to the fore when members gather together.

Our April monthly meet is always the first of the year when we see a good collection of club cars appear, and this year was no exception, with 11 cars and 22 members/potential members attending. We missed those members who could not attend on the evening and look forward to seeing them again soon.

Three of those that came along on the evening are prospective members, and two of those have now joined the club. We welcome Della and Simon with their Lotus Excel (the first Lotus in the club, and a great addition).   

After the usual round of tyre kicking and looking over the cars, especially the new ones, we headed indoors to begin the dreaded AGM. Unless we really have to, we don't do formal in our club, so our aim was to get the proceedings done and dusted in double quick time. At 8.30pm on the dot, the stop watch was started, and two minutes later the AGM was closed. It was a feat that I have to say I'm rather proud of, given that I had to run the gauntlet of heckles! Despite that, the previous year's minutes, the accounts, and the proposed changes to the club's rules were approved by all members attending, and the committee was re-elected. Minutes of the meeting will be sent to members in due course. 

One of our regular members, who I know doesn't enjoy formalities, said it was one of the best club nights he has attended. There certainly was a great buzz about the evening. A prospective new member asked me on the night why the committee formed the club and why we run it on a voluntary basis.  My answer to him was that it is for nights like these, when we look around and see members enjoying the camaraderie and having a good laugh together. There really is nothing wrong with a bit of silliness. 

Following the AGM, we raised a glass to celebrate Tony M's upcoming 80th birthday. We hope you have a wonderful day on May 10th, Tony. We also thanked our treasurer Kate D for keeping the accounts in order. 

On a more serious note, the week before the April club meet, club member Tina D and I headed out to Swings and Smiles in Thatcham. Tina had been asked if the club would be able to put on a display of cars there, so we went along to meet the staff and talk about options. Swings and Smiles is a great cause, as it supports children with special needs and their families. We feel that it is a suitable venue for a small display of cars, as there's a large hard standing area at the back with space for about 20 we estimate. Our aim is to put on a private show there on Saturday July 30th. We already have about 15 places booked, so I'm looking for another 5 club cars. Let me know if you wish to take part.

Back to the silliness! On the last Sunday in April each year, many classic vehicle owners take part in a special event called "Drive it Day" (DiD) to promote the cars and to collect for charity.  For us as a club, we feel that DiD should be exactly what it says, with the main focus being on getting out in the cars and putting a good few miles on the clock. To that end, committee member Chris D and I set off in February to find a nice route. We came up with 76 miles through the glorious Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire countryside. The suggested route included fast A roads, tight and twisting B roads, market towns, pretty villages, prehistoric sites of interest, and rolling hills.

Unlike in previous years when we have met at the White Horse hill, this year we began the day by meeting at the usual club monthly meet venue. All those taking part arrived at around 10am, by which time the sun was shining and the day was beginning to warm up. With 16 cars doing the tour, we felt that the safest way to conduct things would be to split into three groups, 2 of 5 each and 1 of 6. The first group, consisting of a Jaguar XJ6, a Lotus Excel, a Morgan, a Jaguar E-Type and a Triumph TR6, was led out by club members Karen and Graeme. My thanks to you both for stepping in last minute to do this.

About 5 minutes later, our second group, made up of a Triumph TR4, a Daimler Dart, a Morgan, a Jaguar E-Type, a Ford Galaxie, and a Triumph TR7 were in position and ready to be led out by Kate and Chris D. Chris deserves a special mention here. In previous years, Chris has gained a reputation for sailing off into the distance and losing the cars behind him, but not so this year. In fact, this year, one of his party managed to overtake him and then get away. Extra points to Paula and Simon for that one!

My group, consisting of a Caterham 7, a Ford Cortina MK2 1600E, a Ford Mustang, and Triumph TR6, and a Ford Granada, were last out. We were in no rush, so we had a leisurely chat before strolling over to our cars and heading off.

We are still not quite sure how it happened, but by a strange quirk of fate the last group out managed to return to the end point a little ahead of the other groups. This was by pure chance, or course, and those in the last group were stunned and shocked, and shocked and stunned, by the suggestion that some shenanigans had taken place. All I can think is that a wrong turning must have taken place somewhere, that led to this strange state of affairs. After all, there's no place for school boy antics in our club ... we are not Top Gear presenters!   

Following the drive, which I hope everyone enjoyed, we were joined by another club member with his Triumph TR4, and we set about putting on a display of cars for local people, with the aim of collecting in aid of the NSPCC/Childline. Donations from the club, its members, and visitors to the show were in the region of £140 (final figure to be confirmed). Thank you to everyone who contributed. 

With Drive it Day now behind us, we switch our focus to making final plans for a busy first week in May. On Sunday May 1st, the club is displaying at the Lechlade Rally in Clanfield, where we'll have 12 cars on show. Then, on Monday May 2nd, we have a pitch at the Carterton May Day Fair, this time for 10 cars. And just under a week later, we are at the Basingstoke Festival of Transport. 

In other club news, we will soon be contacting members who are joining us for the Summer party on June 18th for full payment to cover the meal. And don't forget, club subscriptions are due on July 1st. Where else could you get this much silliness for only £30 (joint) or £24 (individual)?  

On the road again

Published: March 31st, 2022

March is traditionally the month when the winter covers come off the classics and the trickle chargers are disconnected in anticipation of another year on the road with the club. For five members, the first outing together was to the Hook Norton Brewery breakfast meet on March 13th. This wasn't a planned club visit, but rather a spur of the moment "let's get together and go" decision. It was great to be out with the gang again, despite the slightly chilly and damp weather. 

With the heavy rain we had in the week following the Hook Norton run, I wasn't expecting much of a turn out for our March monthly meeting, so I was pleased to see seventeen members, one having just joined. Welcome John. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and it was particularly nice to see members that had not been able to join us in a few months for various reasons. As always, we missed the company of our friends who could not make it along.

Three members who are located in the south of the area and one who lives to the east of our patch (not pictured) got together on March 20th for a visit to the Thruxton Circuit breakfast meet and stopped for some liquid refreshment on the way home.

With March drawing to an end and the sun coming out, we decided to squeeze in another breakfast meet before the show season really kicks off. We'd been to the Winchester Autobarn gathering in late 2019 and enjoyed it, so it was great to be heading back there. Club members Dave and Jason planned to head straight there as they live in the area, while four of us travelled down in convoy, after all meeting up at Chieveley Services. All went to plan, until we arrived. I estimate that the venue can hold about 200 cars. Unfortunately, 400 to 500 turned up, which meant that cars were parked on the side of the road in all directions for up to 3/4 of a mile away. It's a great shame, because it's a good destination and the Autobarn is an interesting place, but clearly the organisers were overwhelmed by the numbers. As I understand it, the police arrived later in the morning to try to get things in order.  I'm not a fan of events that require pre-booking, but in order to avoid such a situation again, I think the organisers will have to go down that route in the future.

Late April and early May is when the show season really gets going and we have lots planned. On April 20th, it's our monthly club night and I suspect many members will be bringing their classics out now that we've entered good old British summer time. It's also our AGM. In the next few days I will send out the agenda for this.

Drive it Day is on Sunday April 24th. We have a route of about 75 miles planned and will be finishing with a meal and private display to raise funds for ChildLine. If you've not already told me that you'd like to take part, please get in touch, info@whitehorse-cve.com

On Sunday May 1st, we'll be at the Lechlade Vintage Rally and Country show, in Clanfield. Again, let me know if you'd like to be part of the club display.  And on May 2nd, we are at the Carterton May Fair and Car Boot Sale. We have places for ten cars, and a couple of places still available.  Let us know if you'd like one.

A week later we are at the Basingstoke Festival of Transport. The club has a pitch for twelve cars and all are filled, but I might be able to squeeze more in, so if you'd like to join in contact us ASAP. 

It's been nice to see photos of several members getting out and about over the last month . . .

For those of us that like our classic car magazines, we've negotiated a club discount of 10% for individual issues or subscriptions to Classic.Retro.Modern magazine at . . . https://classicretromodern.com.  Club members can claim this discount by contacting me for the discount code.

It's going to by a busy, busy year and I hope to see you all on the road again soon.

And we're back

Published: February 22nd, 2022

Rarely has the expression, "In like a lion, out like a lamb" in relation to the month of March seemed quite so apt, and we are not even out of February yet. With the exceptionally high winds we have experienced over the last few days, I'm sure we are all feeling a little battered and finding it difficult to believe that winter is coming to an end, but as we move through this week the outlook is more tranquil. Daffodils are popping up all around and spring (officially speaking, of course) is just a few short days away. 

March is a great time to get the classics out for a few shake down drives before the show season begins in earnest, and with that in mind, club member Garry reminded me that the Winchester Auto Barn is holding a breakfast meet on Saturday March 26th. It's a good run down there, and a nice venue, with some interesting cars on display. Plus, it's the weekend that the clocks go forward, so what better way to celebrate the start of good, old British Summer Time. If you'd like to join us for this run and meet, then please let me know, info@whitehorse-cve.com   

Having felt it necessary to cancel our January monthly meet due to the high levels of Covid in circulation, we got back into the swing of things in February with our usual club meet. As expected, it was a quiet one for us, with only thirteen making it along, but great fun nonetheless. It was good to see two potential new members joining in with the fun. We are a tight-knit bunch and it's easy to forget that visitors and new members might feel on the outside of things for a few months, but we do our best to be welcoming by chucking everyone in at the deep end! 

Following on from our work in January to compile a list of all the classic car events we could find taking place in our area, some of the committee gathered together to narrow the list down to those shows we would aim to attend as a club.  It's no easy task, as there are many good ones and this year in particular a lot of them clash with each other.  We finalise this list according to a number of considerations. Firstly, we look at feedback from members as to which events they favour and tell us they wish to show at. Then we consider the location of events. Our membership now extends over quite a large area, from near Burford in the north, Reading to the east, Andover to the south, and those west of Swindon. We feel it important to choose events that are close to the edges of our patch, as well as ones that are more central to it.

Here, then, is the list of events that we have selected for a planned club display, not including monthly meets, mid-monthly meets/runs, BBQs hosted by members, visits to places of interest, etc. 

Drive-it-Day, Sunday April 24, 2022: Always a great start to the show season, this year we'll be winding our way through approximately 75 miles of beautiful Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire countryside, taking in some interesting sites and the best driving roads the counties have to offer. And to finish, a nice meal. Full details of the suggested route and plan will be sent to members soon. Let us know ASAP if you'd like to take part.

Lechlade Vintage Rally & Country Show, Sunday May 1, 2022 for club display

Carterton May Day Fair and Car Boot Sale, Monday May 2, 2022 

Basingstoke Festival of Transport, Sunday May 8, 2022: There are strict booking guidelines for this one, so please let me know early if you want to display with the club.   

White Horse CVE: Summer Party, Saturday June 18 and Sunday June 19th, 2022: We still have places left, so drop us a line if you want to join in with this bash.

Yattendon Classic Vehicle Day, Sunday June 26, 2022

Aldbourne Doggy Day (plus classic car show), Sunday July 3, 2022

West Oxon Steam & Vintage Show, Saturday July 16 and Sunday July 17, 2022: This is the club camp out and BBQ, all of which adds to what is one of the best steam fairs of the year. 

West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club Classic Vehicle Show, Sunday August 7, 2022

Shalbourne Classic Car Show, Sunday August 28, 2022

Northleach Steamshow, Sunday September 11, 2022

We understand that it is not always easy for members to let us know months or even weeks in advance if they can come along to these events, but if you think you might like to then we urge you to state your interest as soon as possible. I am currently arranging pitches at these shows and it is easier to drop cars from the pitch than to add them at a later date if necessary. Contact us at: info@whitehorse-cve.com

Of course, this list above is not set in stone. We monitor the weather and take a final decision about attendance on the day before, or even on the morning of the event. There will also be several more events added to this list, based on further feedback from members. I fully expect that we'll end up doing at least another 4-6 shows on top of those listed above.  You can find a full list of shows and other club activities on our Events Page.

And finally, March sees the third anniversary of the founding of the club.  Despite the set back of Covid, I think we have achieved a lot in that time. Our membership has grown at a steady pace, to three times as large as it was at inception and at the same time we've retained that friendly, small club atmosphere. Here's to many more years of the White Horse CVE and its fantastic members.

The club's anniversary also means that AGM time is nearly upon us. Over the last couple of years, restrictions due to Covid meant that we had to hold the AGMs and elections by email exchange. This worked well, but we believe that all things being equal a proper meet in person is best for an AGM, with voting by show of hands. That will be our process this year and we hope to see as many members as possible taking part.

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     White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts: AGM 2022

Published: February 22nd, 2022

We hereby give notice that the White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts’ 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Wednesday April 20th from 8pm at the Horse & Jockey, Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, SN7 8NN. 

Details will be sent to our members shortly and will also be available on the Members' page of this website.

Just around the corner

Published: January 25th, 2022

With January seeming to drag on forever, it can be a struggle at this time of year to find much enthusiasm and inspiration, so it's great to see some of our members getting out in their cars and others being industrious by making repairs or improvements to theirs. 

Club members Paul C, Angie S and Graham S, have been out and about at events through December and January, proving that although it is much harder to find classic car shows at this time of year, it's not impossible. It's finding the motivation on cold and rainy days that's the tough bit. Well done to those of you that do.

Club member Garry T has been extremely productive, working on both his cars through the winter. His Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth has undergone a lot of detailing work over the last few months, to the point where it's ready to compete in a few concours shows this year. I have a feeling it'll do well, particularly because of Garry's eagerness to get things absolutely correct. A good example of this is the blue clips (seen in the photo below) on the Cosworth ... Garry matched the original colour of these and then sprayed the clips.   

That was the week that was

Published: September 6th, 2021

Wow, what a whirlwind of a week the club has had. With the lifting of Covid restrictions and events delayed from earlier in the year now being crammed into the last days of summer, it was always bound to happen that we'd be busy, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised at the fact that we found ourselves doing five shows in just seven days at the end of August and into early September.  At least the week before that was slightly quieter, with the only club event being a BBQ kindly hosted by Kate and Chris. Thanks to our hosts and to everyone who attended.   

Shalbourne

Traditionally, the Shalbourne Classic Car Show always took place in the second half of September and many of us thought of it as being the last event of the year in terms of having a club pitch. However, more than once, the event was hampered by poor weather and so last year it was brought forward to the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, and this year was the same. Holding the event in August does improve the chances of better weather, but the downside is that it now clashes with several other very good shows. Nevertheless, Shalbourne remains a firm favourite of mine, due to its setting, the type of cars on show, the drive there and its relaxed nature. As well as the cars, there are food stands, a beer tent, music and other attractions.

We had six club cars on display, two Daimlers, a Jaguar, two Triumph TRs, and a Caterham. It was particularly nice to see Chris out at a show with us for the first time in a couple of years, now that he has ironed out the last few niggles with his Daimler.

Over recent years, when displaying with Mark and his Triumph TR7 V8, I've noticed the increasing amount of attention the car receives. This is something that is pleasing to see, as for too long it's been an under appreciated classic. Mark tells me that values are starting to rocket and I can see why.

After many of the events we attend, we receive enquiries about joining, but at Shalbourne it was nice to be approached by someone who was keen to join there and then. Pete joins us with a Jaguar XK8 and a MG TF (the first MG in the club!).    

Thank you to all our members that were able to make it along to this one, Chris, Jason, Karen, Mark, Mike, Rachal, and Peter. 

Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

Following on from Shalbourne, on the day after, Monday August 30th, we were off again, this time to the Buckhamshire Railway Centre in Quainton, for the Pre 1978 Classics Rally. This event, proposed by Garry, was a new one for us and turned out to be a great day. The club display gang met early at Peartree roundabout and from there went in convoy to the event.  Club members Chris, Garry, Jane, Paul and myself were joined by prospective members Angie and Graham for the day. It was great to meet them both. Thank you to all of you for coming along.   

There was a good display of vehicles, most of which were British from the 1930s to the 1970s. A particularly rare site was three World War 1 Army lorries. One thing that struck me was that there were only two Triumph TRs on show, Chris' and mine. This is unusual, as typically there are a lot. 

Of course, the big attraction of the event was the steam trains, which visitors and exhibitors could ride on. Graham even got to blow the whistle!

This is a great event for the family, especially if you have young children or grand children that you'd like to introduce to the joys of steam trains.

I imagine that this event will become a regular one on our calendar.

Club BBQ and private show ... "Wodstock"

I was thankful to have the Tuesday as a rest day, after being out and about on the Sunday and the Monday, but there wasn't too much time to relax, as the very next day, Wednesday 1st September we held the club BBQ and private display, kindly hosted by Christine and Simon in their paddock. As well as a good display of vehicles, we also used the opportunity to have a fun competition with two categories, Car Members Would Most Like to Take Home and Best Turned Out Car.

Along with hosts, Christine, Simon and family, we were joined by club members Graham, Guy, Jason, Karen, Mike, Peter, Pete, Rachel, Tina, Tina, Toney, and also by some of Simon's friends. I even met a chap who has a local business that specialises in Caterham's and other track cars, so as I have a few niggles with mine I'll be giving him a call soon. 

With regard to the competition, the winners were Paul with his Austin 7 in the Car Members Would Most Like to Take Home category and Karen and Peter with their immaculate MK2 Jaguar in the Best Turned Out category.  

Our thanks to everyone who made it along. We missed those members that couldn't be with us on the night. Most of all, a big thanks again to Christine and Simon. The keg of beer was a bonus.

I cannot finish off this section of the news update without mentioning Daniel's dumper truck. It received more votes in the competitions than my Caterham, which received a big, fat zero! I suppose it is a more practical vehicle in many respects, so I shouldn't have been shocked.   

Brizefest

Many of our club members are keen to support our armed forces, so in recent years we have attended both the Benson RAF Families Day, and Brizefest at RAF Brize Norton. This year we opted for Brizefest on Saturday September 4th, as we had several members wanting to attend.

Sadly, this year's event was not the best organised for classic car exhibitors that I've seen, and unlike in previous years there was a lot of traffic congestion on the road where the entrance to the base is. We found ourselves queuing to get in for over an hour, and the lack of toilets close to the car exhibits was also a problem. It always feels with this event that the classic cars are a bit of a sideshow. On the plus side, the RAF staff that I dealt with when arranging the club pitch couldn't have been more helpful, and as well as the cars to see, there are aircraft and other attractions on the day. Although I have to say, the cost of food was extortionate. I was going to buy some donuts for the display team, so I asked the vendor the price and he said "£2". "For how many", I replied. The answer ... "One"! "No thanks", I said, "they haven't even got jam in them". 

It was also quite an odd mix of cars, although it was great to see a few Marcos' and a Lotus Europa, both of which are on my "one day wish list".      

For me, there were two stand out moments of the day. Firstly, the low fly over by a Spitfire, or was it a Hurricane, or was it one of each. My eyesight isn't good enough these days to be able to pick out the differences at a distance, and all I can see on the photos I took is a dot somewhere over yonder. Secondly, there was David's attempt at getting into and then out of the Caterham. He succeeded, but it was a bit of a struggle. I only wish I'd have filmed it!

As always, what made the event for me was spending time with club members, so many thanks to David, Jack, Jo, Mark, Pat, Simon and Tony who made up the display. It was particularly nice to meet Jo for the first time and I hope to see you at more of our events soon. 

Whereas Shalbourne and the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre had a predominance of 1930s to 1970s British cars, and Brizefest had many brand new performance cars, the Spring Vehicle meet was a true mish mash. There were lots of classic British cars and an almost equal number of American classics too, I reckon. There were also a few wacky, rat-look cars, that although they are not my thing, I cannot help but smile at. 

I'm a great believer in giving credit where credit is due, so I think it's important here to say a huge thank you to Jennie and Dave for making this event happen. They pay for it out of their own pockets and shoulder the risks of losing out if it's not well attended. And thanks too for making it easy for me when I showed up without my entry form!

Also, thanks to club member Garry for sorting out the details with this event and for getting us a great spot for the pitch. 

Well, that's just about it for another club update. It's been a hectic few days, but great to see so many members out with their cars, and also great to meet new people. We have had two new joiners this week.  Summer might now be at an end, but we still have events lined up. There's the next club meet on September 15th, Yattendon on September 19th (contact me if you want to join the club display), the Aston Martin visit scheduled for October 5th, and we are still hoping to get in an end of year picnic before we start to put the cars away for the winter. 

As for me, well, I'm going to bed for a week to sleep it all off.