Firstly, I hope everyone who made the trip up to this event got home safely. My journey home took me through some torrential rainstorms and on the A120 dual carriageway, whilst going through one of the storms, I spotted a car partly blocking the inside lane, facing me at 45 degrees, it's back end having crashed into an armco barrier on a slope just off the carriageway. I slowed done, but couldn't see anyone in or around the car and felt it too unsafe to stop in the conditions. The damage looked slight to the rear end and no signs of impact to the driver/passenger areas, so I assume the occupants were OK. I was glad to have Uniroyal Rainexpert tyres on my car whilst ploughing through areas of standing water!
Back to the event - weren't we lucky with the weather?! It was just about warm enough for my shorts and T-Shirt that have been customary wear for most of the past few months. The rain held off until around 3pm when those remaining were all pretty much ready to leave anyway, apart from Ian and Simon, who wanted to stay longer to go and explore the "Special Collection" museum area.
So, the final roll-call was, in kind of car age
Clive and Lisa - RX-4
Me - RX-7 1st Gen Series 3
Dave and Sally - RX-7 1st Gen Series 3
Lynne - RX-7 FD, UK Spec, stock
Linas - RX-7 FD, highly modded!
Paul & son - RX-8
Ian - RX-8
Simon - Subaru Imprezza
Tony - MX-5, highly personalised!
It was really great to be out at a meet again and chat to everyone. As usual, the day flew by very swiftly!
Linas - well done for making it all the way form the IOW on what I think you said was the 2.30am ferry! Great to see you and your car in such fine form.
Dave and Sally, it's been a while since we last met, we thought probably back in the days of the Brookland Spring meets. Your car looked fabulous for it's age, especially with the "wrong" interior colour! I'm sure the cosmetic work you want to get done will enhance it yet further.
Clive's car, as usual and quite rightfully, attracted a lot of attention and admiring looks due to it's rarity, timeless looks and stunning condition. Thanks for the Latte in the museum cafe too Lisa
Lynne, I was so pleased your piloting schedule allowed you to join us with your absolutely stunning FD. Lovely to be able to chat for longer this time, after the our disastrous first meeting at the stormed out "Simply Japanese" Beaulieu event. Your passion for that car shows in the way you have looked after it so well
My thanks to Ian for remembering to bring the rotary themed T-Shirt I'd ordered, plus a very thoughtful few items I need when I get around to replacing the Nikkei carb and manifold on KIMI 1 with spare ones I am refurbishing :icon_thumleft:
Simon, sorry I didn't get time to have a closer look at your Scooby - it certainly looked like a nice, clean example
Tony's on/off, "I'm coming along, I'm not able to make it" turned into a show on the day
Lovely to see you and chat Tony, and to see the usual high standard of customisation you've applied to your latest project, your MX-5 - truely amazing and inspiration work Paul, great to get to chat to you near the end of the day - I really have no idea you'd had your car for so long, 12.5 years I think you said? Some nice modifications too, especially ex-Tony's "Push to Start" switch! Jealous, not
So, many thanks to all who came along to make this a lovely social day out. I'd not been to this place before and I only had a quick look around the main museum. Enough to conclude I'll certainly go back again so I can take closer look around.
Here are some photos our cars, but the first photo is a nostalgic "spot" in the museum collection of a very "ordinary" car, a Vauxhall Viva HA. This was the very first car on which I learned to drive in almost the same colour, I recall it was a pale green. This was when I was 16, in a private caravan park in Charminster in Dorset - my dad's car at the time. Happy memories came flooding back
A couple of group pics:
...and a few more of my car
