MG was celebrating 50 years of the B with a selection of them around the hall.
The Group B display was amazing as ever with the usual selection as well as a couple of new cars for me. A Mazda RX7 and the awesome Lancia S4
PopBang art were busy "painting" the S4. They use old RC cars to drive the paint around. It creates a vivid depiction of the car as this Rothmans Porsche shows.
With time ticking away we had a date out side on the HERO stand. We had paid £20 each to sample a couple of historic rally cars on a short course. Having signed on we had to chose our two mounts for the runs from a selection of six. Malcolm being a good BMW employee picked the 1602 and the MGB.
Mr brother opted for the same MGB and the 60s Mini Cooper S
and I went for the Mini and the brutal Alfa Romeo GTV. The course consisted of straights with slaloms and gates and a few cones to rotate around. With a selection of cameras at the ready we took it in turns to film each other, goading and joshing as the times were revealed. I bagged FTD in the Mini at 56 seconds, but we were all within a couple of second of each other.
The GTV was very heavy on the steering but the engine noise was fantastic with the roarty 1750 lump sucking hard on a pair of Weber 40s.
The Mini on the other hand was a go-cart, light steering and nippy but with a lack of brakes.
The driving added a new dimension to the day and had us discussing it over a welcome lunch from the Fire Engine bar and 50s Diner. Suitably refreshed we headed round Hall 3 & 4, the Bikes club cars and autojumble.
In the barn at the far end the rally cars were being prepped for the stage runs later in the day.
We hot footed it over to Hall 2, the sportscar area and home of the cars I really wanted to see, the 30 year old 962.
You wait ages to see a 908 and two come along at once.
You wait ages to see a 962 and three come along at once.
Single seaters were well represented too.
With the rally stage runs minutes away we headed for the paddock outside. Several rows of gleaming rides were parked up. Escorts, Metros, Porsches and more.
Jay Kay's 914-6 was driven by Bjorn Waldegard who campaigned it in the 1970s, it sounded glorious.
We moved around the perimeter of the stage stopping to grab some shots as the dust flew and the cars slid.
All too soon the stage was over and the cars parked up for the evening. We took one last look around and grabbed a couple of bargains and some shots before heading off. The 914-6 was sitting quietly in the corner. Its one of my cars of the day.
The are loads more photos here
Steve.
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