Car museums and shows.

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Tatton Park June 2006

The month got off to a good start, with the annual ritual that is the June vintage and

classic car show at Tatton Park, near Knutsford in Cheshire. As usual I'd not been organised enough to actually book my only roadworthy oldie in as an exhibit, so it was as a normal punter that I entered the show. The Devon did however provide the transport, and I had an enjoyable amble via back roads to this National Trust venue. I heard later that congestion on a local main road had caused many classic car owners some headaches with overheating engines, probably due to football fans using the same route to go and worship their heroes at Old Trafford. I tend to avoid main roads whenever driving the Devon anyway, and on that hot day I was pleased that I had.

Many car show regulars were on view at Tatton, but there were also a good number of cars I'd not come across before. Rareties included a Datsun 2000 deluxe six, a Shelby GT350 Mustang, a great Austin Hearse from the 1920s, a Mulliner-bodied Bentley Continental, a (Swiss?) Mowag army truck, and modern-day Ford GT.

Perhaps the most unusual early car was a wonderfully tired looking SS1 Jaguar coupe from 1931. The coachwork needed an epic amount of work, but, for someone gifted at coachwork renovation, and who had sufficient disposable income, it would result in a stunning looking car I reckon. At the more affordable end of the classic car world, and perhaps even scarcer than the SS1, was a Sabra GT from 1964. It initially caught my eye as the fibreglass bodies used by Reliant for the Sabre model were heavily based on the Ashley 1172 bodywork from the late 1950s (designed to fit the Ford Pop chassis), and example of which I owned a while back. Closer investigation showed that this two door coupe was actually a Sabra, rather than the Sabre. These compact sporty coupes were assembled in Israel, using kits supplied by the Reliant company of Tamworth. Around 50 examples of the Sabra were built by Autocars, of Hiyfa, with 15 or so survivors known today. This car was discovered in Switzerland in dismantled, incomplete condition, from where it was rescued and brought back to the UK and restored.

Other eyecatching cars included a Swallow Doretti, a Triumph Herald that had been cut down into a pickup, a lurid green Renault 17 (I can't remember the last time I saw one of those on the road!), and some A30s that had travelled over from the Netherlands.

Classic cars in Wales

The following weekend we headed off for a week's break in Wales, staying in a small holiday cottage. The simple accomodation was up in the hills above Caernarfon, and provided us with the opportunity to drag our old doggie out on many walks in the area. On our first evening, we strolled down the lane and got chatting to a fella who was sat outside, enjoying the evening sunshine. My initial reason for chatting was to establish who owned the Ford Consul Classic that I could see behind a barn over the road. I never did get to have a closer look at this car, but our chat revealed that there was going to be a vintage and classic show in the leafy grounds of a local college (Parc Glynllifon) the following day. Good news indeed!!

Parc Glynllifon car show.

Car show at Parc Glynllifon nr Caernarfon in Wales

The British Grand Prix was taking place on the Sunday, so we nipped down to the show venue early to see what was there, before returning to watch the GP. At this early hour (well, it was about 10am...) there were just a few old cars in attendance, including a very smart A40 Somerset and grey A35. We were advised that more cars were due later, so we headed back to watch the race, then came back to the show venue at 2pm to see what else had arrived.

By the afternoon the place was a lot busier, and the car park full of interesting old vehicles. British built cars predominated, and there were some lovely old motors in place - in addition to the Somerset and A35, there were other postwar classics such as Riley 1.5, Triumph 2000 roadsters, XK120, Morris Minors, MG TD, Mini Cooper and a nifty Minx Convertible. In addition to these 50s and 60s cars, were some very unusual pre-war exhibits. These included a very imposing Crossley tourer finished in blue, and an open top Delage, plus a smattering of pre-war Austins. All in all it was a great little show, and I'm glad we found out about it in time!

The remainder of the week was taken up with pleasant days spent visiting local towns and beaches around Wales, but it wasn't the end of the vehicle discoveries either. One day we decided to have a drive around Anglesey, which is only a short drive from Caernarfon, crossing the bridge over the Menai Straits onto the island. After a swift bite from a cake shop in Beaumaris, we headed out in a northerly direction. First port of call was Rhosneigr, itself not that remarkable a place, but improved no end by the sight of Hawk aircraft being used at RAF Valley for training RAF pilots. After watching them for a while buzzing the airfield, we headed back around the island, stumbling across the Anglesey Circuit used by the Fifth Gear TV programme for their track tests. Sadly there was nothing going on when we drove by, so carried on around the island.

Tacla Taid Transport Museum, Anglesey.
Driving through Newborough, on the A4080, we screeched to a halt at the appearance of a little brown motor museum sign, pointing us up a quiet road to the left. I had no idea that there was a car collection around here, so we headed off

to see what we could find. We weren't disappointed either, as this is the location of the Tacla Taid transport museum. The vehicles on show are part of a private collection of cars, lorries, motorcycles and tractors, that have been put on display in a purpose-built building.

The owner wasn't around at the time, but we had an interesting chat with a gent who was painting a mural of Geoff Duke taking part in a TT many years ago. The signs for this great little Welsh museum only went up in recent times, and it is hoped to publicise the collection more over the coming years. The directions, given on the leaflet we took away, are as follows: "At Holland Arms (Pentre Berw) on the A5, turn towards Newborough on the A4419, the museum is on the left, 4 miles from the A5 through the village of Llangaffo.". We'd approached it from the other direction (the A4080) but either way, it is an easy place to get to. The quoted opening hours at Tacla Taid are 10am - 17.30 7 days a week, Easter to October. I'd guess that there were 30 or so cars on show, all in very nice condition. Cars on display include Morris Eight, Ford Zodiac Mk3, Hillman Minx, A35, Morris Minivan, Humber Super Snipe, Rover P5 'cyclops', Jaguar S-Type, Austin Big Seven, Vauxhall 12hp, a pair of lovely Jowetts, and a collection of RS Escorts. Up the back was a collection of Fergie tractors, and Commer Superpoise and Albion recovery wagons. The walls were decorated with old enamel garage signs, and related automobilia. A nice little diorama features the front half of a 100E sticking out of a 'garage'.

Along one wall, alongside the Jowetts and Big Seven, is a great mock-up of a streetscene, with shop windows advertising all kinds of retro wares and products. Up in a new gallery section is a collection of motorcycles, to keep the two-wheeled fans happy. If you find yourself in North Wales with a couple of hours to spare, I'd recommend heading over to Anglesey and looking up this car museum. There is a cafe too.

Other sightings during our week away included a batch of old Fordson Major tractors, that are used at Abersoch to tow boat trailers in and out of the sea. We were fortunate enough to see a blue Fordson dragging a small boat out to see - good to see old tractors working for their living, although all that salt water must cause some problems! regular hosing downs must be the order of the day. At Criccieth a jolly tidy looking Massey Ferguson 35 tractor was spotted on the beach, virtually in the shadow of Criccieth castle.

1920s Garage.
One day trip out took us out of Caernarfon on (I think) the Llanberis road. We'd been on this route a few years previously,

and when we stumbled across a tatty but intact old garage at the side of the road, I remembered seeing it before. This time we pulled over, and I went to have a chat with the owner, whilst 'er indoors kept her enthusiasm well in check, and remained in the car. At one time small garages and workshops could be found all over the place, servicing and providing motor spirit (aka fuel) to the new fangled motor-car, for a long time the preserve of the gentry.

This garage dates back to the early 20s, before the introduction of the petrol pump (those still in situ probably date to the 1950s). Back then, fuel was distributed in two gallon fuel cans. Many more brands of motor fuel were available in the 1920s, and the quality varied greatly. Examples of motor spirit branding include well-known names like Esso, Shell-Mex, and BP. Brands all-but forgotten now included Glyder, Redline, Pratts and ROP. This little garage, somewhere over 80 years old, is looking a bit sorry for itself but is quite a rarity now. Most old garages either get re-developed, modernised, or just flattened to make way for yet more drab housing estates. Lets hope this one sticks around for a while longer. The owner has no plans to restore the buildings, but equally has (as of June 06 anyway) no plans to pull them down either.

Reliant Supervan TV star !
By the end of the week I thought that we'd seen everything that we were going to see, on the automotive front anyway.

But we were wrong. While sat outside the cottage, ironically perusing a copy of Classic Van and Pickup magazine, I became aware of a little red object buzzing down the hill, and pulling up outside a tumble down house just a couple of hundred yards away. Focusing on this object I realised that it was a bright red Reliant Supervan III, a vehicle forever associated (in the UK at least) with the antics of Trotters Independent Traders. Fortunately this Regal-based van had escaped the usual tin of yellow paint, and shone brightly in its red overcoat. A number of people were hovering around the parked-up van, and were spending time moving it up and down the drive of the property.

Being a nosey bugger it seemed like a good idea to take the dog for a walk, and have a closer look at this plastic pig, as Reliants were often known in the 60s and 70s. It turned out that the gents with the van were doing some filming for Welsh TV. The actor, who was dressed up not dissimilarly to Ronald McDonald, spent a few hours driving the little van up and down the drive, and nearby lane, while the cameraman and producer did their bit. Welsh readers keep an eye out on TV for this Supervan on your Tellies later this year. The Reliant was on hire from a specialist supply company.

Photographs from our Welsh trip can be found here.

Other car stuff

Austin Devons.

While the Merc was having the coil packs replaced, I relied on the Austin Devon to provide transportation, a task it did without a murmur of complaint. Mid-way through the month I treated it to a thorough greasing underneath, and also cleaned up and waxoyled some of the underside. I also drew up a (long) shortlist of jobs that are required on the Devon pickup, and made a start on them.

First job done was to fix the passenger inner door handle, that refused to open the door. With the trim and handles removed, some of the door mechanism could be viewed. Some jiggling, fiddling, and lubrication of the works, got the door mechanism working ok, and while the trims were off (I removed the driver's side too to compare the mechanism with the passenger side) treated the doors to an anti-rust treatment.

Work on the E83W pickup is progressing too, and hopefully should mean that it isn't too far from MOT status. One thing I need to look into is a distinct lack of battery charging, so I suspect that the dynamo will need a close looking at - sticking brushes perhaps?

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