vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 20:15:35 GMT
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Preston Park show up in Stockton-on-Tees. I was attending this not for the fire engines or the large number of Austin Gypsy models (relatively speaking) in attendance, but because the Rover 200 and 400 club had a stand and I was on it. This show is a bit of an odd one really. There were hot rods, classics, a monster truck a load of fire engines, a surprising number of Austin Gypsy variants and a sychronised motorbike display team. There was also a giant duck and a giant bear wandering around, an excellent pork pie vendor and the best ice cream van ice cream I've had in years that wasn't hideously overpriced. This is going to be quite picture heavy, just as a warning. I'm going to kick things off with some old and interesting, namely this 1939 four door Oldsmobile with a 7" roof chop and, if memory serves, a big block Chevy V8 up front. It was very impressive to look at and quite large. In contrast, this Albion coach was larger and yet seemed smaller. Alongside that was this late model Alfa Romeo Spyder, a car that was originally released in the 60s and somehow kept relevant right up until the 1980s without really changing what it was beyond the cosmetics. These three red vehicles really set the tone for the content of the show. It's just... odd... in a really good way.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
|
Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 20:23:27 GMT
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I've got to split this up somehow and marques seem as good as any. There'll be some unexpected things coming up so I'll ease you in with something nice and dependable. Something safe and British, not too challenging. AustinPeanut! Cambridge. I struggle with the Cities and Counties cars, it's so easy to muddle them up, so I tend to read the boot badges and try and remember what they are. Top tip there for you. Devon. Gypsy. There were quite a few of these there, much more than I've ever seen in one place in fact, and not all my pictures of all the ones there came out either so there's more even than this. I love the Austin Gypsy, even though it arguably isn't as good as its more successful cousin. You can have a pick-up, or a van/estate. You can have a camper (that might have been an ambulance once, that was a thing too). You can use them for your tree surgery job and just let it develop into something really excellent. This was probably my favourite Gypsy there, it had PURPOSE written all over it. Your Gypsy could be used to fight fires! Take your pick, really.
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Last Edit: Jun 25, 2017 21:46:39 GMT by vulgalour
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
|
Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 20:42:57 GMT
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DodgeThis was perhaps represented by the least expected models. Not that Dodge is ever particularly expected at a UK show. So we got a Dodge 30 on wooden wheels no less, which was an enormous lump of a thing (which I mean in a good way). Accompanied by another enormous lu... SLAB of a thing in the form of this red on a red on red Royal Monaco. I mean, this was just absurd and delicious and wonderful and terrible in equal measure and I may be just a little bit in love with it. I wouldn't expect to see either of those at an American show, let alone a UK one. JowettOne for @grumpynorthener here in the form of this little Bradford (I think, he'll know, he's practically a Jowett in human form at this point, check out his restoration threads on here) which drove in making the most pleasing little chirp from its watercooled flat four. An obscure little British company, long since dead sadly, that made some really genuinely interesting vehicles. All of the sign writing was painted by hand, it was incredibly pleasing to look at. MokeIt's a Mini Moke... I think. I'm not entirely sure on this one because the front end looks wrong for a Moke. I have a niggling memory it might be some sort of Metro based version but searching my brain and the internet has come up blank. Do you know? EDIT - thanks to Hikennys on Twitter for identifying this as a Gecko Mini kitWhile we're on stuff I don't quite know, this van is a really familiar shape and I cannot for the life of me remember what its called so again, your help is welcome on that one. EDIT - thanks to Hikennys on Twitter for identifying this as an Austin K8
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Last Edit: Jun 26, 2017 15:45:36 GMT by vulgalour
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
|
Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 20:48:55 GMT
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Here's some random stuff. There was a BMW Isetta there and TWO MG RV8s, which was surprising. ERFSomething very satisfying about the blockiness of an ERF. Fire EnginesThere were many fire engines. That was the main thing of the show really. There were ones with old wooden ladders. There were ones with bare aluminium sides. Some had fancy bodywork. Some looked like they'd escaped from a Gerry Anderson set. Not all of the fire service vehicles were the big noisy engines. Though quite a few were, and were also quite slow by modern standards, with very odd looking proportions. One of them barely looked like a fire engine at all, wartime sort of put paid to big flashy lights and bright red paint. There was the Flying Pig. No really, it said so on the bonnet. There was just one that was scruffy and faded and brilliant because of it and sadly the only picture I got was a really poor one. The really fun bit with the fire engines is that they had them driving around, making noises, and even a little history lesson of sorts demonstrating what they could and couldn't do and how they'd been improved over the decades. It was pretty fun if you're a child trapped in an adult's body, I'll be honest.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 20:58:15 GMT
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FordThis is the one you've really been waiting for isn't it? Everyone likes Fords. Normally, Fords means rows and rows of Escorts. Weirdly, that wasn't the case at this show, there were only four in attendance with one being a full on rally spec Mk2, another being a modified blue Mk2 and the third being a sort of browny-orange one... this one in fact. The fourth was a guilty pleasure of mine, the old Essex Floppytop. There were a couple of Capris, you can see one sneaking into shot above, the other was this nice green one that looked surprisingly good on chromed wires. Not just cars, as this old Cargo was testament. Got a hit of nostalgia when I saw this truck and wondered by extension what happened to all the old Roadrunner trucks with the offset windscreen. Edsel. It's a big car. This one also has a rear bumper extension to take the continental kit. I genuinely couldn't get the whole thing in shot in profile, there was not enough space. Fiesta! This is worth posting not just because it's quite possibly the tidiest and cleanest unrestored Fiesta I've seen, well, ever, but because of the backstory. The owner had gone out intending to purchase an MG B to go to shows in, his wife quite pleased with the idea of going to shows in a sports car. He fell in love with the little Fiesta and bought it much to his wife's utter confusion! Even better, he didn't regret the purchase because he's found people pay more attention and more compliments to the little ordinary hatchback than ever he sees given to MG Bs which are so populous they're often just overlooked. It made my day to hear his story and hopefully my enthusiasm for his car made his in return.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 21:04:34 GMT
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Ford continued Another car I was pleased to see was this Mk1 Granada. It wasn't specced up to the hilt, it wasn't polished to within an inch of its life and it wasn't festooned in car club badges. It was just an honest old car wearing its years and I appreciate that. Can you guess what this lovely engine is in? Well not you, you know too much as it is, you're not allowed to play this round. It's only a Maverick. What's a Maverick doing here? I don't mind, it's fantastic. (yes that is a Camaro next to it, no I don't have a picture because my camera is dying). There was a Mustang too. There's always a Mustang. You can have any truck you like, so you buy an American minitruck. I have no problem with that, it's just really surprising. Oh, this Sierra. It's just ORDINARY. That makes it wonderful. Thames Trader stealth camper was excellent. When it was folded away it just looked like a tarped box-back on the truck, you literally couldn't tell that you could live inside it in comfort. There was another, what I assume is a Thames Trader, too. I could be wrong, commercials are not my strong suit, I just like looking at them. Another brace of Fords you hardly see in the wild now, usually because they've been worked to death.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 21:21:13 GMT
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LeylandStill with me? Okay, good. Here's an ADORABLE commercial. In person it was just far too cute, I may have squeaked a bit when I saw it. MercuryI followed this in and he was having just as much trouble with the speed bumps as I was, we both went the stupid way in apparently. Anyway, it's a Montego, and it's huge and green and amazing (flags aside). MGMaestro! That was a surprise. Y. I'm not asking, that's what it is. MorrisTWO Landcrabs were present. I do like a Landcrab. The grey one was an automatic with a dash-mounted stick, just not in the expected place. I'd always assumed these were conventional floor or column shift, not a dash mounted stick next to the door. Difficult to photograph because of the glare, you can just make out the top of the chrome gate here. From the strangeness of the Landcrab to the comforting normality of the Bullnose via fuzzycam. There was a rather charming little Eight there too. And of COURSE there were Minors. There's always Minors. What was surprising was this modified convertible sporting a Manta engine, I'm told. It was also fairly thoroughly modified and finished in a small flake red. This Minor was a bit more sneaky with its modifications. I'm sure there were lots I missed so I'll leave it up to you to find what you can on it. [/b]
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Last Edit: Jun 25, 2017 22:03:56 GMT by vulgalour
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,041
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Preston Park [pics]vulgalour
@vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member 146
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Jun 25, 2017 21:41:58 GMT
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This is the last one. I know it's been a long slog through all these snaps, I hope it's been worth it. VolvoIt's that rule again. Just one, but what a one. WolseleyHere's a sedate little 1500 to calm down from all that Swedish madness. Thanks for reading! If you get chance to go to this show it's well worth it as a family day out or to show your car. There's actually quite a few stalls and rides and good food available without being ludicrously expensive for any of it. Not to mention the smell of old diesels, static engines and the noise of various capacity V8s.
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Great selection of pics, i particularly like the grey Gypsy pick up... Very cool, thanks for sharing!
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Jun 26, 2017 11:59:09 GMT
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Great pics, great write up. Thanks for sharing!
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Jun 26, 2017 15:21:46 GMT
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What a great set - I grew up near Preston Park just over the A66 in Hartburn - don't remember any awesome shows like this when I was a kid. I love the little truck and that Tree-surgeon Gypsy is tough!
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