A Volvo 122S (Amazon) returns.

Three project cars make way for an old friend

Volvo 122S returns home
Perhaps it is common sense, or perhaps it is a minor dose of reality setting in, that led me to part with three of the vehicles that have taken up residence in the garage of late.

I've always enjoyed offering a home to the waifs and strays of the classic car world, with a view to doing something with them one day. It was the news that my old Volvo 122S was coming back on to the market, that prompted a re-evaluation of the vehicles I currently owned.

As the Volvo (Amazon type) had been largely restored and was now in good order, I decided that it made sense to buy it back, and replace 2 or 3 existing vehicles in the fleet that still needed work. The idea being to a) reduce the number of cars dotted around b) free up some time to attend to those that remained. With heavy heart I decided to sell the Standard Ten (1957), the Standard Eight (1957) parts car, and one of the little Ford pickup trucks that I bought a while back. This would free up some room, reduce the number of vehicles I own, and partially fund the re-purchase of the Volvo. All three were put on ebay, and all of them found new homes.

The Eight needed a lot of work, so was sold as a parts donor/restoration project, finding a new home with someone restoring a similar car. The Ten, MOT'd, running, and just in need of some cosmetics, was (reluctantly) sold, to a new owner down in Kent. The little Ford E83W, a favourite model of mine, went to a commercial vehicle enthusiast in County Durham.

A few days later I got in touch with the gent who owned the 122S (I sold it back in '99), and made arrangements for a test drive. I knew the car was in good overall condition, having spied it at a show earlier this year. A quick spin up the road soon reminded me how well this classic Swede drives, and the deal was done.

The sell-off of the other cars meant that the 122 would fit in the garage alongside the Dodge truck, as I didn't want it sat outside and left to the elements.

Ford Model Y
Purchased in the slight hope that some parts may be re-usable, I spent the best part of a day ripping off what few parts of this little old Ford 8 were going to be saveable. Years spent in the open, parked in an orchard and on long grass, had put paid to this car, in spectacular fashion. Some parts were removed, although pickings were slim. The axles still remain with the car, so may be removed at some point in future. More photos of this Model Y Ford can be seen on the Rustiest Ford ever? page.

Local classic car shows

There were quite a few shows to attend during August, most of them local. Astle Park Steam Fair is one I've been to on a number of occasions in the last 15 years or so, although I've missed the last two events, which is why I made sure I got to it this year. En route I came across someone broken down in his Volvo 122S, just days after buying my own, so a few minutes were spent under his bonnet. The car got going again and, I'm told, it got to its destination ok. Astle started off cloudy but dry, but after only 45 minutes or so the heavens opened, and much of the day was spent cowering under trees eating soggy sarnies, and chatting to various people. Despite the dismal weather, there were some very interesting vehicles on show. Highlights for me, were two American cars. A handsome Hudson Terraplane looked like a fine machine, but even this was overshadowed by a fantastic 1936 De Soto Airflow, featuring all the ideas on streamlining that motor manufacturers in thirties America could come up with. With the dismal weather set in for the day, I splashed my way home, and hoped that the weather would improve for the following day's show. Photos from the Astle bash can be seen here.

Next day I'd booked in to the small transport festival in Nantwich. Attendance, I found out, on Saturday had been low thanks to the weather, but hopes were high that Sunday would see a larger turnout of vehicles and visiting public. This would be one of my first outings in the 122S, and the day turned out to be quite pleasant, with an interesting assortment of classics in attendance. Many oft-seen show cars turned up, with perhaps the American contingent putting on the best overall display of cars and trucks. Road runs formed part of the show although, largely thanks to the police not being willing to block any roads briefly, the runs were broken up into sections, with only a small number of cars being allowed out at any one time. It was all a bit haphazard, as geriatric cars and a gaggle of Routemaster buses battled with the regular traffic in a bid to keep the 'convoy' joined up. The Nantwich show is only in its third year so things will probably be a little more organised in future years (photos of this car show).

The following Saturday was my regular visit to Tatton Park for the classic car show, held in the grounds of Tatton Hall, a National Trust property. As usual my lack of organisation meant that I'd not booked anything in to the show, so I had to pay to attend. Not that I mind usually, but £4 to enter the grounds and another fiver to get in to the show does add up a bit. The best bit about the Tatton show is the autojumble, which can usually be relied upon to turn up some useful bits. A brief wander around netted me a new-old-stock for the Ford E83W so that was a good result. A large number of cars (many vintage) and motorcycles attend this show, although it has to be said I baulk a bit at paying to see so many modern cars in it. TVRs, Escorts, MR2s etc all have a following that's true, but can be seen at motorway service stations up and down the UK. Perhaps there should be a modern sports car show to cater for these cars, and leave the older machines with their own show, unpolluted by such modern iron (and fibreglass).

Interesting vehicles at Tatton included this unusual War Department Model T Ford shown here. The pickup was built in 1917, at the Trafford Park Ford factory in Manchester. The T is powered by a 2 litre 4 cylinder petrol engine.

Next day dad and I headed to Worcestershire to Shelsley Walsh for their Centenary hillclimb meeting.

An Alta being worked on at Shelsley Walsh

Neither of us had been to this classic motorsport venue before, so it was a real pleasure when we laid eyes upon this beautiful location. Shelsley is the oldest original motorsport venue still in use in the world, and offers fabulous views not only of competing drivers, but stunning scenery all around. The atmosphere, even on a busy day like this, was very much 'old school' and quite informal, which was jolly pleasant. The array of cars attempting the 1000 yard hillclimb course was suitably mouthwatering, with ERAs and other single seaters to be seen blatting up the hill. Highlights had to be the V12 Auto Union, and the fantastic sounding V16 BRM. A quick pie and pint on the run home finished off the day perfectly. More photos of this meeting can be seen on the Shelsley Walsh Centenary page.

I had planned to attend the Oulton Park Gold Cup, and historic transport bash at Onslow Park in Shrewsbury, but in the end decided that the time might be better spent actually trying to get some work done on my own motors. The welding on the back end of the E83W pickup is more or less done, all I need to do is blend in the new sections of metal with a dab of filler, not something I'm looking forward too really.

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