SE Region review of 2015

Introduction

It’s that time of year once again when we say farewell to the past year and look back on what we have done over the past 12 months. Thanks goes to my son Mark who has taken on the task of compiling and uploading the 80+ photos you see below. We’ve had a great time throughout the year doing lots of things from static car shows to coastal runs with a great turn out of cars for all occasions and all types of weather conditions. There were a few events we personally couldn’t make ourselves, Wings and Wheels at Dunsfold in Surrey, the venue of the now defunct BBC Top Gear programme so I’m afraid there are no photos for that occasion although I heard everyone enjoyed the day. We missed the MR2 racing at Brands Hatch due to holiday commitments and the Herne Bay show was cancelled at the last minute due to a sewer under the high street collapsing and since the venue was intended to be held in the high street it obviously couldn’t go ahead. We have noticed this year that car shows are becoming very popular with classic car owners. There were a few shows that sold their allocation of car passes well in advance of the show date and that left some people disappointed because they left it late in applying. I’m not sure whether the show’s are restricting the number of cars or if classic car ownership is increasing but it’s going to be the same next year so if you’re thinking of coming to an event next year where you need to book tickets, don’t leave it too late.

Once again you will see that we combine all our events with the MR2 Drivers Club and I take this opportunity to thank them and their members for making these events possible and exciting. Without them none of what we do would be possible. Why you may ask? Well, The Mk1 club doesn’t have the support to sustain an active group anymore. Apart from myself (the LAO for the south east) we only met a handful of other Mk1 club members throughout the whole year, many of the events were not attended by any other member other than myself. This has now been the norm for the past few years and it isn’t showing any signs of improving so it has been a very frustrating time for me and the club. Hopefully these photos will encourage more of us in the south east to bring your cars out and attend our meetings and events next year. I’m aware that if the attendance from club members fails to increase next year there seems little point trying to organise events as it will be a waste of my time and effort when nobody is joining in. Here’s looking forward to 2016 and let’s hope it’s going to be a great year so we can keep things alive here in the south east.


5th & 6th April. Festival of Steam and Transport Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard was our first show of the year held over the Easter Weekend Sunday and Monday. As all displaying cars must be no younger than 1989 only MK1 MR2’s are eligible. On the day we had 3 Mk1’s plus an MR2 kit based Ferrari Dino. We had previously decided to do just one day, the Sunday and had arranged to meet just outside the Dockyard entrance by the public car park early so we could all enter together but unfortunately one of us (me) got delayed. As the show was filling up fast the others decided to go in without waiting which meant that when I arrived some half hour later I was unable to park next to the other MR2’s. That’s a lesson for next year, “must make sure everyone goes in together”! Despite a bright sunny day the air temperature was very cold so everyone was wearing winter coats. What a difference from the previous year when we were wearing tee shirts and sunglasses! The dockyard was very busy, lots of motors, Vintage, Classic, Military vehicles, buses etc. You name it and it was there. But of course the cars are only part of the show, the dockyard is the main attraction and it has been preserved since it closed as an operational naval dockyard in the early eighties. The history of the dockyard dates back to the 16th Century although little remains of that era. The main focus is perhaps obviously warships from the wooden sailing ships, steel hulled sail/steamers, WW2 ships and finally submarines of the cold war period which was the last type of marine vessel to be built at the dockyard. All the buildings that made the sails, ropes and metal work remain and have been converted into museums. It is so interesting and fascinating. Anyway, we all had a good day and enjoyed ourselves. As the festival is so popular, applications for spaces for the show in 2016 are well under way already plus they are now insisting on a donation (charge) of £5 per car so if you want to take part in this show next year apply now before it gets full. I’ve done my application already.


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The lonesome MK1

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Always busy at the Dockyard

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Here are the others who went in earlier

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That Dino is a kit car based on a MR2 Roadster

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But this is the real thing

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12th April Sunday.MR2 Kent Run

Pete Mason took charge of the Kent run as he has done since it first started. The first Kent run took place in 2004. Pete had done his home work and carefully chosen and tested the route beforehand, a small section of the route is part of Pete’s daily commute and so it has remained the same ever since and has never disappointed anyone who has taken part in it. It is probably the only time during the year that we manage such speeds in convoy through the country lanes of southern Kent but never feel out of our depth in our, or the cars driving ability and if others think it’s too fast there are slower break away groups that can easily catch up on one of our many pit stops en route. Every year Pete leads the MR2’s in a non MK1. This year Pete led in a beautiful Peugeot 205 GTI which was very nippy indeed. There were 15-20 MR2’s plus a couple of guest cars on the day. This is a fantastic day out and not to be missed next year.


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Meeting in Ashford. The Eureka Business Park by Junction 9 of the M20

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Country roads near Ashford are not only bendy but they are a bit bumpy as well!

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Now travelling at some speed towards Dymchurch

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After a stop for lunch we continue and head towards Rye

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Passing Camber Sands

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One of our many pit stops, this one outside the Worlds Wonder Pub

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Making sure nothing has fallen off?

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Another quick stop

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Finish is in Ashford again. Outside French Connection Restaurant.

Magnificent Motors is held on the sea front in Eastbourne and is the place some of us like to stay for the whole weekend and enjoy some fresh air and fun. With our arrival on Friday afternoon at the Travelodge, we settled for an evening at the Toby Carvery which shares the same car park as the hotel so it wasn’t far to walk (stagger) back. After a good roast diner, a few beers and bottles of wine we turned in so we would be ready for an early start on Saturday morning. When Saturday came we were greeted by a dreadful wet day. That put quite a few people off from joining us on the stand but we are made of strong stuff and a bit of water wasn’t going to put us off. Admittedly it was pretty miserable sheltering under the gazebo for most of the day but we stuck it out and looked forward to our evening entertainment at a local steak house where we enjoyed a great meal. By the time Sunday came it was still raining but eventually left off in the afternoon. Not our best weekend weather wise but we still enjoyed the company.


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A rare moment of dryness gives a chance to wipe down the cars

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But it’s still a bit chilly

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Much warmer in here at the local steak house on Saturday night

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Good food and good friends. Mark and Steve

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Sunday

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Accompanied by a locally owned Supra who ask to join our stand. Well it is a Toyota

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This weekend is about as exciting as it gets when it comes to being close to the action where you see all type of cars battle it out for fastest time along the sprint course. Naturally there are classes to compete otherwise it wouldn’t be a fair challenge. There are classes from standard road cars to ex single seat racing cars and everything in between. In fact there is no reason why anyone with a standard MK1 MR2 can’t enrol for the sprint. The course is located within the grounds of Crystal Palace Park and uses part of the original race track that that used to be here but was abandoned in the 1970’s but is now almost unrecognisable as the track has been replaced with asphalted pathways although still wide enough to race cars. We had a full complement of cars on the stand for both days. On the Sunday we were even joined by a couple of extra MR2’s (MK2’s) as they were invited to join the stand by the stewards at the entrance as they headed for the public car park. There was rumour over the weekend that the sponsors ‘Ancaster Garage group’ were not prepared to sponsor the weekend after this year. It turns out they had originally agreed sponsorship for 5 years but had done it for 7 years so fair enough but at the time no other sponsor had been found. In addition, the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club (SDMC)who run the event were looking for help from other clubs to assist with the organisation of the show as is was too much for the organising members who have been doing it on a voluntary basis since it first started. We have just heard recently that the event will be taking place after all in 2016. The racing will be organised and run by (SDMC) but everything else including the car show has been handed to an events organisation ‘Live Promotions’, the same people who run the Bromley Pageant. That probably means we can have more cars on our stand but we will be charged for the privilege.


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Sunday, somehow managed to get more than 5 cars on display

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In the background beyond the steps are the foundations of the glass exhibition building that burned to the ground in the 1936 and have remained untouched ever since

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Even a parade of classic motorcycles entertain the crowds

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Makeshift paddock

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The Bromley Pageant is held every year in Norman Park on the A21 just south of Bromley town centre. This is our largest one day show in the southeast and is always popular with both classic car owners and the public so it is always a busy day. We had our usual special club display stand that allows us to accommodate as many cars as we like on our pitch. I believe the maximum we have ever had was 25 cars although this year we had about 16 cars which is about the average most years.


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Not many of our shows was as warm and sunny as today at the Bromley Pageant

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Typically we always seem to be on the edge of the showground

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This E reg Supercharger is immaculate and is for sale. 7K and it could be yours

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The Darling Buds of May show is located in Buss Farm, Bethersden in the middle of nowhere but near Ashford in Kent which was the farm used for filming the ‘Darling Buds of May’ TV series starring David Jason as Pop Larkin. Unfortunately the car show is held in a field away from the farm buildings which was rather disappointing although I’m sure had we explored further afield we would have found the famous farm house. We didn’t get the chance to explore very much on the day as it started to rain heavily just as we arrived early in the morning and it hardly stopped all day. By lunchtime half the group decided to go for a Sunday roast at a nearby Inn but they never returned for the afternoon. As it was so wet there wasn’t many photos taken. It has the potential to be a good show so we’ll try again next year.


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Meeting in the car park of the Swan Pub (Now called Jasmine House Chinese Restaurant) on A20 near Charing

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Not many visitors when it rains

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Another view of the SC for sale

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Polhill is a large garden centre in Badgers Mount just a mile from Junction 4 of the M25. They hold their evening car show which starts at 6.30pm in their large car park and it is extremely popular. A lot of people got caught out applying for this show, although we advised everyone that on-line registration was open nobody realised that the applications were all filled on the same day so anyone trying to register the following day was unlucky. Only two of us got to register, myself and Richard Pells who is the organiser for the Drivers Club. How co-incidental it was that the organisers of both clubs were the only ones successful in registering. The evening did not disappoint. After an early roast dinner in the Toby Carvery opposite the garden centre we parked alongside all the other cars. We were parked between two extraordinary American vehicles, we looked so small!


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An early roast diner at the Toby Carvery at Badgers Mount

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Linda Cayzer

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The evening sun appears

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This Mk2 has the 3 litre V6 conversion by Paul Woods

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This is now as popular, if not more so as the Kent run. It is more controlled with everyone keeping together. Well that was the plan but unfortunately the first leg of the run did not quite work out like that! We met at the Toyota HQ building in Epsom. The guys from Toyota kindly give us refreshments when we arrive. They took a photo shoot of all the cars together for their marketing purposes and posted a report on their facebook page then joined us in one of the last production Mk3 roadster from the Toyota Heritage fleet for the entire run. After leaving Epsom the plan was to head straight for the M25 at Junction 8 which is approx 15 minutes away, shoot down to Junction 6 on to the A25 and stop at the Grasshopper Inn in Westerham. As we passed Junction 7, (The M23 junction) one of the MK2 MR2’s took an early exit. We tooted him to tell him he was going the wrong way but he indicated that he wasn’t joining the run and was going to his home in Brighton. The next thing we saw was all the MR2’s behind him following him and formed a convoy onto the M23! There was nothing we could do but watch them disappear in the wrong direction. The remaining MR2’s continued to the Grasshopper Inn hoping the others would realise their error and make their way back. It was a good half hour wait at the Grasshopper car park before they arrived telling us they went all the way to the Gatwick Airport turn off before they could head back. Fortunately the rest of the run went like clockwork as we continued through Edenbridge, The Ashdown Forest, onto the A22 going via Lewes and ending up at Beachy Head before heading off for a pub lunch.


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Meeting at the Toyota HQ Building in Epsom

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Getting ready for a photo shoot

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Joining the M25 at Junction 8

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Waiting at the Grasshopper Inn at Westerham

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Still waiting

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At last we get going

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A stop in the Ashdown Forest

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The roads of East Sussex heading towards Beachy Head

And so to our last show for the year, the Harris Hospice car show which has been renamed the St Christopher Hospice as the two have merged. This is held on a field belonging to Tripes farm in Chelsfield Lane and uses the same grounds they use for regular boot sales which suites the venue just fine. This is the third year this has been held and has become so popular spaces for classic cars are taken quite quickly and are sold out before the show date. As we have done in previous years we were asked to have 20 minutes in the arena which we were happy to do. We circled the arena for what seemed ages before coming to a halt in a line at the front to be questioned by the compare. We all gave a brief description of our cars telling him how fast the cars go and how rare they are becoming. It was a good day with lots of people coming to see us.


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On our way to the arena

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Circling around the arena

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Around and around the arena

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All lined up ready for a chat with the Compare

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A very fine sight

An excellent series of posts and review of the year in your region Alan, and such a shame not more from the club is in regular attendance on what looks like a great set of days out. Shame I'm not a little nearer.

Your T-bar is looking superb btw.

Thanks Alan for all your effort. My Dad and I had a great time on the Kent drive back in April. Nice spotting my car in your pics. Bromley and the drive from Toyota looked particularly good :-)

Hi Alan

As per Stuart's post - really enjoyed the Kent run. I'd intended to make some of the other events but my engine failure sadly rather curtailed my ability to join in :( Looks like you had a great time though.

The buyer of my (now repaired and working better than ever!) car is intending to go to Bromley show this year so hopefully will pop along and reminisce!

Looks like you guys had a great 2015! Nice review.

Fantastic write up Alan; a really good spread of events and nice to include a mix of motorsport viewing also. :) :+:

If there's anything I can do to help nudging South East members, just let me know; it's one of our biggest regions, so you should be getting decent turn outs.

Thanks for all your hard work in 2015 and here's to a great 2016! :D A real credit to the club and the Mk1 scene as a whole.

Cheers,
Tom