Classic Car Outings 2011

Paul Girling’s Triumph Herald rebuild

Stag Owners Club (SOC) Frostbite Run, 2nd January 2011
Halfway point

Stag Owners Club (SOC) Frostbite Run, 2nd January 2011

An invite from the SOC to Club Triumph to join in with their New Year Frostbite Run led to me putting our name down for this one in November hoping that the snow and ice would of departed by the time it came around to it, and luckily it had although I really should get my heater fixed…

Their was a good turn out of cars from Club Triumph as well as a good splattering of Stags starting from Tescos at Harford Bridge, Norwich. Directions received, we started off and immediately went the wrong way. Out came and atlas and we rejoined the proper route. Luckily catching up with a couple of Stags that seemed to know where they were going. Tea break at Pulham Market Garden Centre with what was turning out to be a very dirty Herald. On leaving the garden centre we again tagged onto the back of a couple of Stags. With the first car taking a wrong turn we ended up 2nd in line praying that the lead car wouldn’t go the wrong way putting us in the lead. Luckily our prayers were answered and we arrived at the Dove pub, Poringland for lunch. Covering around 100 miles over the course of the day, the poor old girl looked decidedly dirty and was now in a desperate need of a wash, but it was a great way to start the years outings. Thanks go to the Stag Owners for organising and making us feel welcome, they all seemed quite normal in spite of their rather strange choice of Triumph…

Stag Owners Club (SOC) Frostbite Run, 2nd January 2011
Start in Tesco’s carpark
Stag Owners Club (SOC) Frostbite Run, 2nd January 2011
Halfway point at Pulham Market
The Dove Pub for lunch

Crich Valley Tramway Standard Triumph Day, 17th April 2011

Crich Valley Village Tramway Triumph
Parked up at Crich Valley Tramway

We combined this show with a weekend away setting off on the Thursday before and spending a couple of nights at Branston Hall in Lincoln before staying at a hotel in Chesterfield so we could get up at a reasonable hour and still get there on time. Weather was glorious all weekend, especially on the Sunday which seemed to bring the cars out – more so that I think they were expecting as every corner was filled with a great selection of models. Also on show was the Ford Anglia Club, I sense a lot more customising on Fords as opposed to Triumphs.

We also took a couple of tramrides while we were there. On the way home the poor old girl started to chug a bit followed by clouds of smoke, all very embarrassing! On getting her home I now know the head gasket has gone, could of been worse… But a bit of work to do before the next outing.

Good splattering of Triumphs from a number of clubs
…with a backdrop of great scenery
And of course trams
…and more trams
Nice looking Triumph based Bond

Henham Wings and Wheels, 8th May 2011

Henham Wings and Wheels 2011
Henham Wings and Wheels, surrounded by Stags and TRs

With the new head gasket in place (probably isn’t what Royal weddings are for but it served it’s purpose) we made it to the Henham Wings and Wheels show (near Beccles in Suffolk). We were thinking of returning to the SEM Triumph show which was on the same day, but was a bit nervous going that far when the head was just bedding in. Meeting up with a few Club Triumph members on the way we arrived and were then joined by a few Stags as well. Poor old girl was surrounded by Stags and TRs. With the promise of thunder storms the boot was full of waterproofs and umbrellas. All completely unnecessary as the sun shone the whole day. Good turn out of classics in all shapes, sizes and condition. While we didn’t spend a lot of time watching the arena events, the air show included acrobatic displays and a Mustang fly past. Oh yes, and the old girl ran fine.

Club Triumph area
Good turn out of mod scooters
Great variety of cars from the original
… to the highly customised
Good selection of arena entertainment
An aerial fly-past

Enfield Pageant of Motoring, 29th May 2011

Triumph Herald Enfield Pageant of Motoring
Alan, Eric, Chris, me and of course the Herald at Enfield Pageant of Motoring

Putting the car away after a wash caused a bit of a scare when white smoke came out of the exhaust. I had fears that the head gasket had gone again. Then it struck me that some water might have gone down the tailpipes and thankfully that was the cause. So Enfield Pageant of Motoring was on! 7am saw us leave Banham with a breakfast stop on the way down Chris and I arrived at Enfield around 9.30. We met up with my old mate Eric and his mate Alan half way down the massive autojumble, but soon lost them again having arranged to meet at the car for lunch. Watched the jet bike going around like a caged animal in a very small arena and a look at the Yank machines of which there were plenty including a really nice Dodge Charger. Picnic by the car followed just as the sun went in. I was surprised that I was the only Herald in the classic parking, the only other one was on the TSSC stand and I thought they were two a’ penny. Returned to the Yank tent to watch the Humdingers perform a set which rounded the day off nicely. On coming out of the Little Chef after our dinner stop there was a chap taking photos of my panel gaps, combined with the chap looking under my car at the show meant I got chatting to two Herald fans during the day which was nice. Great show with good smooth grass, ideal for wheelchairs. Probably not as big as the Bromley show though.

Henham Wings and Wheels 2011
Rare Rover convertible
Loads of E types
The American area – Route ’66 theme and inside the marquee some very shiny yanks

and some good ‘ol hillbilly music
Varied selection of arena event

Euston Park Rural Pastimes and Classic Car Show, June 12th 2011

Euston Park Rural Pastimes
Roof up time as the rain starts to fall at Euston Park

Lovely bright start to the day, although the weather men had guaranteed rain by lunchtime. Undeterred we took the short ride to the other side of Thetford, picking up my niece Alex on the way, for our first outing to Euston Park. Pulling out at one junction we seemed to end up in the middle of a Stag convoy, ruddy Triumphs get everywhere! This must be one of the most popular shows in Norfolk, amazed at the amount of people turned up. With a large selection of stalls, over 250 classic cars, steam engines and tractors on display. Organisation was very good and ended up parked with the rest of the Club Triumph lot. Also met up with my sister who brought Chris along and even decided to show off the old girl by going around the ring with niece number 2, Emily. Got a pic of a red Consul I’ve seen a few times now along with a friends nice ‘n’ shiny Hillman Minx and a tractor with a pearlescent paint job.

Unfortunately the weather broke at lunchtime and the rain got gradually heavier during the course of the afternoon so we ended up leaving around 3. After Enfield it was good to do a show that wasn’t too far away.

Henham Wings and Wheels 2011
Large show for a local event
Good variety of cars
Ford Consul
Lorraine's Hillman Minx
Hillman Minx
Traction engines
Large display of tractors including this pearlescent one

Easton Farm Park Car Show, July 24th 2011

Easton Farm Park
Lined up at the Easton Farm Park show

Not so much a car show, more of a car rally. Easton Farm Park is very much aimed at those that haven’t left primary school yet, so not a lot to keep adults occupied. That being said the day went quick enough, must of been talking to those nice Club Triumph crowd that made the time go. We met up with the CT lot at Framlingham where I was told one of my exhausts was dangling. This was one of my new straps replaced only a the other month. Reckoned we’ld make it the rest of the way so decided to fix it when we arrived at the show and joined the convoy of six cars. Managed to replace the strap on the exhaust with one of my old ones that was 15 years old that looks a bit tatty but still works fine. Good splattering of cars including yanks and vintage. Thought I’ld take this opportunity to show a couple of the CT cars – Eddie’s 1300FWD and Andy’s TR7.

Henham Wings and Wheels 2011
Small but varied turn out of classics
Including some nice yanks
and this Tickford Capri
Usual Club Triumph (CT) line-up
CT’s Eddie’s 1300FWD
and Andy’s TR7 drop head

Stag Owners Club (SOC) National Weekend 2011, 14th August 2011

Stag Owners Weekend 2011
Trevor, tent and Triumph at the Norfolk Showground

I’d pre-booked my Herald in to the Triumph Timeline that the SOC were organising as part of their National Weekend show back in December and have been looking forward to this one since. A few weeks before I’ld been having a beer with my mate Trevor and we thought it’ld be a good idea to go camping the night before. So with the car loaded up with beer, burgers, BBQ and bucket (which I won’t go into here) we set off for the Norfolk Showground on Saturday afternoon. Got our place in the campsite along with the usual Club Triumph lot and set up the tent. Followed by a very relaxing few beers, a very nice BBQ from Julie from Club Triumph who was cooking up next to us (guess she could tell cooking wasn’t our forte) and then back to our tent for a few more beers followed by what can only be described as the most uncomfortable night I’ve had in ages. Would have been better if my blow up bed hadn’t deflated by 2am.

Arose on Sunday to a nice sunny day. Put the car in position for the Timeline alongside a complete collection of TRs, Vitesses and a two-tone Herald 12/50. Then a walk round the hall and the Stag car park with around 200 Stags. There was a few other classics there including a MG club but it was definitely a day for the Stags. Cooked up our own BBQ for lunch (one of the advantages of camping is you have somewhere to go for a rest). Which I don’t think was quite as good as the one the night before. Close of show at 4.30 saw us putting the tent away and overloading the car again and off home with the roof down.

Over 200 Stags were expected
Along with a splattering of other classics
Triumph Timeline included every model of TR
Peerless Gts
Peerless GTs using TR3 running gear
James Bond Gyrocopter
Stag concours entrants in the hall

TSSC International Family Weekend 2011, 20th August 2011

TSSC International, Stafford 2011
Lined up in the hall at Stafford

Bit of a surprise visit this one. It wasn’t until the Wednesday before that we decided to go. I couldn’t resist the special Saturday display of modified and specials. Driving up to Stafford on the Friday evening we met plenty of traffic jams but finally made it to our Premier Inn (couldn’t quite face the camping, memories from the previous weekend were a bit too fresh). Leaving the hotel without breakfast to get to the showground at a reasonable time we parked up in the hall amongst the other modified cars with lots of webers around and also a very nice supercharged coupe. Although it wasn’t the “show day” which was the Sunday it was still a good chance to see most of the concours cars being prepped, amazing the time and effort being spent.

Breakfast was followed by a walk around the stalls, this must be the best selection of Triumph spares of the year, I even got a dial to fill my hole in the dash which has been there since I bought her many years ago. Nice to see the old girl caused a bit of interest with the odd huddle of people gathering around every now and then. Probably due to the “spot the difference” card I’ld put in the window.

Managed to leave a bit early for the journey home, just under 400 miles covered in the two days.

Henham Wings and Wheels 2011
Plenty of shiny Trumphs
Including this amazing hand built Spitfire special
Loads of engine mods including this supercharged Herald Coupé
and this GT6 with triple webbers
Nice Triumph based special
and even a bit of lawnmower racing

Norfolk Gala Day, 11th September 2011

Norfolk Gala Day
Club Triumph display at Norfolk Gala Day

Another week of watching the weather reports which varied from heavy rain to cloud depending on what day you were looking. The morning turned out to be pretty good though. We met up with some friends to convoy the short distance to the Norfolk Showground with Chris getting a ride in his friends MGB. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) his parents led the way in their Hillman Minx which put an end to any idea of finding out which was the fastest (see chat on message board at TSSC.org.uk) although we did manage a bit of revving at a set of traffic lights.

Parked up in the Club Triumph area next to a couple of Vitesses both with a white strip down the side. Don’t think there was as many cars as previous years, but still a great selection. Interesting mini Aston Martin, which must of been based on something but not sure what (possibly Mazda MX-5 judging by the doors). Also a club full of modified rust buckets which I seem to get drawn to. Car crushing in the main arena is always worth a look. Rain finally appeared just as we were leaving making for a soggy journey home.

Ashleys MGB Roadster
Ashley’s MGB Roadster
Mini Aston based on a Mazda MX5
Rust Bucket club
What can I say?
Vauxhall Victor just like the one my Grandad had
Annual car crushing show

TSSC Mile of Triumphs, 25th September 2011

TSSC Mile of Triumphs 2011
Lined up at Great Yarmouth sea front for the MoT

Up at the crack of dawn to get to Broad Farm, Fleggburgh for the convoy to Great Yarmouth (made more difficult as we had been to Aylesbury for Chris’ first basketball match of the season followed by a Who tribute band in the evening meant we hadn’t got home until after midnight the night before). But to make it easier the weather was nice and sunny. Ended up being one of the first to arrive and decided to get the roof down for the run to the sea front. Spent the morning in Great Yarmouth, doing the pier etc. There was around 75 cars in the lineup which made the traffic wardens eyes light up until he was told we had permission to park up without paying.

Arrived back at the site lunchtime for the show. Great pity more cars didn’t return it would of been more of an event, but it still made for a very pleasant and relaxing afternoon looking around the cars and having a natter. It also gave me my first real chance to take a look at Chris Gunby’s amazing Herald hatchback prototype, which must surely rank as one of the best Heralds about (possibly only beaten by his Herald Courier). Then of course came the People’s Choice awards – and to my amazement KJJ 178D got the best Herald award (and I’m still pinching myself), a great way to end the show season.

Mile of Triumphs
Field getting ready for the off
Red TRs
Back at the site
…it’s bonnets up time
Herald Hatchback Prototype of Chris Gunby
Chris’ amazing Herald hatchback prototype
The old girl came away with a prize!

RMHC Charity Race Day Experience, Snetterton 26th November 2011

Charity Race Day Experience at Snetterton

What an incredibly amazing day! A reprisal of the British Heart Foundation Race Day, this event was in aid of Ronald MacDonald House Charities. With a 7am check in time the day started pretty early and amidst some confusion managed to get the car through scrutineering, decibal check and drivers briefing by 9am. Returned to the car to find Trevor patiently waiting for his lift around the track. Out on to the track for the warm up laps and I realised I wasn’t going to be able to drive around the track slowly! After Trevor’s outing, off he went with my camera to take a few photos while I carried on driving around on my own. Then leaving car lined up we took a stroll around the supercars and race cars. Returning an hour later to find somebody waiting for a lift in the old girl. This was followed by sister Jackie, Chris and Kath and a couple more with Trevor. All in all I reckon it was around 30 laps – not bad for a fiver. Would imagine this show will be much bigger next year. Big question is how much further will the old girl go before the head gasket goes again…

Triumph TR5
Classics coming round the bend including at the back, Ford Model A
Triumph TR250 being chased by Mini
Jaguar XK140
Classic car park
Classic car park area
Snetterton
With fee-paying passenger on board
200 Track had supercars…
and race cars speeding around