Classics on the Common 2010: Report

Well, it started out beautifully - white cloud with some occasional sunshine but as the afternoon wore on into evening the clouds darkened and by about half past seven the rain began to come down in earnest, sending many drivers to their cars to either put hoods up or make a dash for home. So, once again things turned had soggy! There were, however, something in the region of 1,500 vehicles on display and an estimated 9,000 spectators - all on Harpenden's long suffering common. As usual we picnicked (as ever courtesy of my mum - thanks mum!) with cold meats, salads and wine followed, this year, by some particularly enjoyable meringues (homemade by my sister) to accompany our strawberries - and unlike last year we managed to eat it before it got too wet and waterlogged. One of the real delights of this eclectic event is the sheer variety of cars and bikes - almost all arriving under their own 'steam' (although I did see an E-Type being pushed around the roundabout by three helpful spectators), but it is also a pleasure to meet up with friends, old and new. This year I met one or two that I haven't seen for many years and there are always the familiar Harpenden faces too... I spent so much time chatting that I didn't even manage to get to see all the cars; however, highlights amongst what I did see were two pristine Lotus Europas - a car I've always loved the look of - an immaculate Jensen, a large number of MGs of varying ages and states of repair as well as a good number of TVRs, from the earliest to the most recent. There were some beautiful Alvis', three parked together, and at least three Frog Eye Sprites, again a car I've always loved, partly because to my mind they aren't so different from the 'Ulster', despite the 30 year age gap (see below and to the right for a slideshow of some of the cars present). So, despite the rain, which does take the edge off things rather, it was nonetheless a successful and enjoyable evening.

Marcos 3 Litre V6 (1969)

After months of fantasising, I have finally had an opportunity to drive my father's 1969 Marcos. Having spent January through to April editing Making my Marque, I had seen so many Marcos' take the hill at Prescott that I was desperate to experience one for myself. And I have to say, that it really doesn't disappoint! Once one has negotiated getting into the car, it is possibly one of the most comfortable driving positions that I have ever encountered and the same is true once one is actually driving. I had been slightly anxious that the view over the long bonnet would make the car difficult to manoeuvre at low speeds but despite being so low and so far back, the driving position feels incredibly natural. The car isn't easy to move around at low speeds but that results from the very heavy steering, which at speed presents no problems at all. And it is at speed that this car is most effective. With such a powerful engine (heavy but pushing out around 200bhp) in such a light car (the chassis is made of wood and the body is fibreglass) it performs very well. There is a good deal of torque on hand and it accelerates with real gusto. Handling is also superb - this isn't one of those big engined cars that only goes well in a straight line. The car emerges from Marcos' racing heritage and is designed as a GT in the classic mould; however, while covering big miles in it would undoubtedly be great fun, one would need to be wearing earplugs, as the car is more or less completely un-silenced and therefore very loud - as demonstrated by the outraged elderly pedestrian I passed the other day who flicked a series of 'V' signs at me. Unfortunately for him, once I had passed beyond where he was standing, I went under a bridge, which meant that the sound reverberated even more loudly than before! The other piece of touring advice that I have - and it makes some sense given that there is limited space for luggage - is to drive wearing as little as possible! All the heat from that big engine, which runs very hot, heats the cockpit of the car. I seem to recall my father driving up the test hill at Brooklands in swimming trunks during the summer of 1976 but I'm not sure that I would recommend travelling quite that light! Anyway, minor niggles aside - and at the end of the day one doesn't drive a Marcos for practicality - this is a truly great, and for me exceptionally beautiful, car...

Classics on the Common 2010

After last year's downpour I was hoping that we would have sunshine for tomorrow's Classics on the Common, especially after the weeks of sunshine that we have had so far this summer. I will be taking the 'Ulster' as usual but hoping that it stays dry, as the hood while useful doesn't offer a huge amount of protection. Also once erected getting in and out of the car is very difficult!
If you want to read more, see Rod Ker's report in The Telegraph, from the 2008 Classics, which provides something of the flavour of the event. As a local it is something of a relief not to have to travel far (a 5 minute drive!), as the fact that the event takes place on a workday evening can make it difficult to attend. Anyway, here's to a successful gathering once again - we will have wine on hand if you want to join me in the toast...!

Goodwood Festival of Speed

Earlier this month I visited the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time. I had resisted for a number of years, despite having been invited to accompany a friend on at least two occasions, imagining that an event on such a grand scale would make any sense of participation difficult and that it would dominated by contemporary cars only. There is no doubt that it is a big meeting and the crowds can feel overwhelming at times - especially in the paddock areas - but I was pleasantly surprised at how much motoring history was on display. There were many familiar cars to view and plenty of interesting machines tackling the 1.16 mile hill climb. Notable amongst these, for me at least, was the 1911 14.2 litre Fiat Grand Prix car and Vauxhall's very rare C-10 'Prince Henry', a car that I have seen many times down the road at Vauxhall Motors in Luton...
Always hugely impressive are the pre-war GP cars - the Bugattis (types 30, 35 and 59), the Alfas, especially the P3 Tipo B, the first successful centre-line single seater GP car, which won the Italian Grand Prix on its first outing, the Mercedes SSK and the Auto Union Type D, driven on this occasion by Pink Floyd drummer and friend of my father, Nick Mason.
It was also great to see a selection of classic endurance racers, cars that had competed in road races such as the Mille Miglia and Le Mans. There was an impressive looking 'Birdcage' Maserati (the nickname comes from its tubular space-frame made up of over 200 pieces), which was rather less pristine once it had hit the hay bales, as its driver lost control coming out of turn two...
It was also really good to see the Marcos XP Mantis of Ned Morris in the 'Grand Touring Greats' section of the event. This is a car that I saw for the first time last year at the Marcos 50th Anniversary celebration at Prescott and I had an opportunity this time to talk with Ned and his father and to discover, with some pleasure, that he has bought a copy of my Making my Marque documentary on the history of Marcos.

My 8 year old son and his best friend, along with his older brother and his best friend were with me for the day and their interests were geared very much towards the more contemporary machinery. The highlight of the day for them was getting close to last year's Formula 1 GP cars as well as seeing them - and more importantly hearing them - race up the hill. For the two older boys the pinnacle of the day came when they had an opportunity to shake Jenson Button by the hand and have him scribble an autograph for them. With a nod to the Dads, they also got Jackie Stewart to sign their yellow dunlop caps.

The Goodwood estate is huge and after 10 hours at the site in glorious but blazingly hot sunshine, I can confirm that I was absolutely shattered; however, it was a great day and I had seen cars dating from 1902 right up to the very latest concepts, including this rather pretty take on the Mazda MX-5 (my daily transport). So having been something of a sceptic, I have been converted and I am already looking forward to next year's event...