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Apr 15, 2019 14:16:05 GMT
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It appears there is genuinely nothing the Goodwood meatgrinder won't monetise, sadly. Although the flip side is that it's a business and they have a right to make money I suppose .....just a shame they feel they need to make so much money Just re-reading (again) Smokey Yunick's, "Best Damn Garage in Town." He makes this point over and over again. How's it go? "Load the cart, the mule's blind."
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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May 27, 2019 23:06:11 GMT
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thread resurrection... Thought maybe I should try a show from not just this year but this goddamned weekend. Yep, that's right, it's the least late I've ever been with any show, ever. AND I got my homework in from the Weekender only a week afterwards. Start of a new regime? Nah, blind luck, I reckon. Anyway chillin by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Plum Jam then. What's that all about? Weeeellll... it's about vintage aircooled VWs. Obviously. Or perhaps not exactly obviously. But it is. And it's also about jam. It appears the lady who organises it is actually called Victoria Plum, although the only source I have for this is from Ada who communicated with her via Facebook since his ticket order got messed up. I'm not on Facebook so have no way of independently verifying this. You may well have heard of the Freddy Files event in the town of Ninove in Belgium where aircooled VWs from all over essentially take over the town for the weekend, being given pride of place in the cobbled streets and shopping precincts. Well, Plum Jam is basically that. Only with less Belgium and more the Sussex town of Horsham. That's right, the Horsham Council, showing remarkable taste, discernment and not a little business acumen, allow a disparate group of VWistas from disreputable hippies to octogenarian camping enthusiasts to infest the entire town centre (and a few outlying places too) while "normal" people simply blunder about on their usual bucolic, proletarian ant-trails in and amongst what is essentially a living, breathing, interactive car show. Add in bands, performance art... and plum jam (other flavours are available)... and what's not to like? Well, the fact that my car was still very broken, for a start. Those of you who got to Page Eleven of this here pile of drivel forum.retro-rides.org/thread/200306/dolly-1200-beetle-page-fubar will recall I was waiting on a new engine as the old one was essentially now only useful as an anvil. And not even that, especially, being made of magnesium alloy. Fortunately, the extremely helpful Doug of Doug's VW Werks down here on the sunny Sussex coast, dismayed that there was a major setback with the new engine, resolved that Dolly shall go to the ball and accordingly finegled the living bejaysus out of her nether regions. It was like the good old days of the Cal-look speed shops; "how far you gotta go? 50 miles? OK, I'll fix it for 50 miles then" I've no idea what he did but somehow it transformed a car that wouldn't drive for 50 yards into one that you felt would resolutely live up to the VW proverbial ability to läuft und läuft und läuft und... Bloody amazing. She still leaked awesomeness oil like the Brent Spar on its apocalypse ride and ran like a clock with half the tocks removed Dr Seuss style, but she ran. So given that the last time we went anywhere in Dolly was for the Brooklands New Years Day meet and she'd been in a garage covered in grinding dust since, I felt the least she deserved was a good wash washday by Nick Liassides, on Flickr I had moral support for this traumatic experience (I hate washing cars and almost never do it) in that Ada was staying over the night so as to make it easy getting to the rendezvous for the show next morning. So while I swore and washed and waxed and swore, he got on with "essential" show prep Fettling by Nick Liassides, on Flickr ...which basically meant painting over the brake drums he'd previously painted silver with black. Fortunately there was a massive tin of black Hammerite in the garage that I don't even remember buying but clearly must have and that equally fortunately hadn't turned into rock over time. Perhaps most fortunately of all, it didn't react with the previous paint on the drums, which must have also been Hammerite or it would've. I didn;t mention it to him, in case it was fine. Which it was. So he need never know. Bet it was my silver Hammerite, too. Flushed with success, he went on to paint his tyres tyre writing by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Clearly on a roll, he didn't even need to be told how to spell "Firestone" too often*. A tiny blue butterfly the same colour as Dolly fluttered along and refused to leave, clearly seeing the car as a really massive version of itself. It just flapped round the Beetle for at least an hour, settling every so often to admire the vast expanse of butterfly-hued paintwork * Jokes, it was already on the tyre. Amazing. Other brands are available, though look less good when painted with "Firestone"Dollys butterfly friend by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Eventually one of the cats started chasing it and I managed to shoo it away. All that was left to do was affix my hard-earned BNMAC sticker acquired for not actually being on the BNMAC stand at the Weekender, let alone making any mates BNMAC in perpetum by Nick Liassides, on Flickr ....and park up ready for the great adventure tomorrow! waiting by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Which began bright and early at the Mecca of all things VW and quality aftermarket*, the edifice formerly known as VW Heritage and now known as Heritage Parts Centre *and some things that are nasty, cast from pure crappy Chineseum and with quickee-fallee-offee chrome Heritage pickup by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The bumf for the show (which I mostly didn't get becos not FaceBook) insisted that the convoy left at 08:30 sharp and if you weren't there it left without you, so we made sure to arrive in plenty of time. We rolled in at a bit before eight, half-expecting there would be only a few cars. Seems we were wrong Bus phalanx by Nick Liassides, on Flickr the place was pretty rammed, with more vehicles parked up already than you get at some of the dedicated Heretics meets here! We grabbed a spot and mooched around what was essentially a pretty cool mini-car show in any other context START by Nick Liassides, on Flickr
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Last Edit: May 27, 2019 23:07:37 GMT by luckyseven
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May 27, 2019 23:14:11 GMT
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Yay!
Lovely write up. Lovely vehicles. Lovely beetle. Lovely BNMAC.
So the engine isn't 'fixed' fixed then it's just fixed up for now I take it.
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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I think even the "fixed for now" part might have worn off. It was pretty rough by the time we got back. Oh, did I spoil the jeopardy element by giving it away that we got back? Anyway, needless to say if the idea of aircooled VWs fills you with horror and loathing, may as well skip to the next one right now cos you're going to hate what happens next... The idea of meeting at Heritage was that the cognoscenti (that's us) could then cruise up to the rendezvous outside Horsham and meet up with all the other participants, then move en masse into the town centre itself. Once parked up in our designated sections, we were then stuck there as a series of static shows until half three in the afternoon when we could get on with our lives again, or go to the organised Plum Jam campsite, whichever you wanted. As I said, we half-expected the Heritage part to be a bust, but as we bimbled around more and more stuff rolled in, some of it unfeasibly cool Split bus blue 65 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia green 69 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The brown upright-headlight Bug is the star of a double-page advert (and video) for Heritage and it was nice to meet a genuine living legend. And it really is gorgeous, inside and out. A great car made better by the owner, Jamie, being a really top bloke Beetle brown 71 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle brown 71 int by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Bays yellow and blue by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle black n flames 70 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle black n flames 70 msct by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This old bus was just about as cool as it gets... slightly cooler than Sir Ranulph Fiennes doing hedge-trimmer surgery on his own frostbite because he just couldn't be fox-pictured with waiting on a doctor. For a start, it's a Deluxe Microbus, which means those funky skylights that scream "Samba" to thos what kno. And it's got those two magical curved rear end windows that disappeared on later models, so it's a 23-window. It's the one you want, and these buses will now regularly go for over $100k at Barrett-Jackson. So in anyone's language it's a genuinely respected and expensive collectible classic car Split Samba Porsche bus by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The embossed Porsche logo on the nose is a bit of a clue though Split Samba Porsche bus bdg by Nick Liassides, on Flickr because this Samba has the Mambo to go with it in the shape of a bootful of 911 engine! Split Samba Porsche bus bay by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Heresy? Maybe, I guess the purists will be choking into their grey unsalted Porridge Of Spite, but screw them. This thing has lost the steering box in favour of a decent rack yet still has full bus seating inside. Can you imagine a faster, better looking way to ferry up to nine mates to the party? Cos I'm struggling... But, if you must have originality, we can offer that too; Split panel laundry blue by Nick Liassides, on Flickr One of my favourite styles of VW workhorse has always been the crew cab (or Doka for "Double Cab" as they're also known) in any flavour (in fact the later the better for me; I love a T25 lifted syncro Doka more than any) so it was nice to see some roll in Bay early Doka white by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Bay early Doka white bombslut by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Some people brought everything including the kitchen sink! Split Westphalia cream by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Bay early patina 71 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This one was taken by my eight year old daughter because she approved of the way the buses were parked in ascending order. Funnily enough, Ada and I had bumped into the owners of the blue Bay Window the night before at the petrol station, a great couple still living the dream despite having *cough* a few years on us. The dude was off to Pebble Beach later in the year... jealous much! As we walked back from paying for our petrol his wife was laughing at us from the passenger seat... "you could all be the same family," she jibed gently. Looking at ourselves, she was right; scruffy trainers, beige cargo shorts and logo-ed up T-shirts seemingly the VW uniform. We are family. Dubbers all. Innit, fam Ascending order by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia red 65 f3q by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia red 65 EMPI bombslut by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Spot the escaped washer! Cause for concern? I wouldn't be able to sleep for wondering if I'd simply dropped it there last work session or if it was stage one on a steep ladder that led from "something important working loose" to "Catastrophic everything failure" Bus lump by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle grey 63 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr And before we knew it, we were off! The Heritage guys made the call to wagons roll, despite the fact that there were still the occasional late arrivals turning up. It was nearer 08:45 now so we were past the scheduled departure time. The call went round to start engines and I think it's fair to say everyone felt a thrill of excitement. The car park was jam packed now, not a spare space anywhere and the convoy looked like being a genuinely impressive thing. The chilly bright morning air filled to the clattering cadence of dozens of aircooled flat fours chuntering into life. Oil smoke hung in puffs like breath. Smiles were cracked, hands twisted in eagerness on steering wheels, fiddled nervously on gearsticks. And then we were filing out of the gates, no order, no rhythm, jostling for position yet oh so polite to let others out too and then a seemingly endless stream of cranky old vehicles spilled out alongside the railway line, blatting along in a flood of noise and colour. Tombstones turning by Nick Liassides, on Flickr in front were the hunched backs of a squadron of Beetles, behind a snaking tail of yet more Bugs, the massive form of an AutoVilla Bay looming behind them and bus after bus bringing up the rear. Ahead as we crested the hills and rounded the bends out of Shoreham a colour chart of Type 2s would appear and be eclipsed like the swell of the sea. It's fair to say that it felt... the view behind by Nick Liassides, on Flickr well, it felt special As we got out of town and into the lovely leafy lanes of early-morning Sussex, it felt more special still Beetles tunnelling trees by Nick Liassides, on Flickr These pictures, by the way, are courtesy of The Boy, my 11-year-old. Mrs L7 was sharing Ada's car to give him some company, so the Boy sat shotgun with me and wielded the camera. Many shots suffered a bit for being taken between the dashtop and the windscreen wiper, but those that came out well are thanks to his persistance Cresting the rise by Nick Liassides, on Flickr We were nearer the back than the front of the convoy, which was fine because it meant we were surrounded mostly by Beetles with the bulk of the buses up front. So we at least got a view. As we trundled through sleeping villages those early risers stopped to gawk at the amazing sight of dozens of old VWs winding past; an old gimmer in his dressing gown and clutching his newspaper stared in disbelief over his gate; a young lady in running gear stood hands-on-knees and regained her breath. Kids waved. Adults waved. Some had cameras. Many had phones. Some even had videos on tripods, obviously forewarned of the spectacle. By the time we got to Southwater village near the rendezvous point we'd got used to the same few Beetles around us, but every so often the vista would open out and you'd get a glimpse of the sheer length and number of the convoy and it'd remind you yet again what an astonishing thing you were part of Taking over Southwater by Nick Liassides, on Flickr I honestly believe I could have driven in that train for a long, long time and still not lost the sense of wonder of it. But all good things must come to an end, and on the outskirts of Southwater is the park and ride corral where we were to meet up with the other attendees. Our epic caravan was coming to an end. But as new life comes from old ash, this was not just an end but a beginning too Beetle train by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Would there be plenty of new stuff to rekindle our mojo in the holding area? Or was this it, would our companions on the drive up be all that there was for today? We rolled down the crest and over the roundabout into the corral. United colours of Beetle by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Errrrm, it looks as though one or two others have made it then And in the next thrilling instalment we'll see what else has turned up before we head off into town! Tune in tomoz, groovers
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Strange old day, this one. Turned out to be like three different car shows in a single day, all of them featured old VWs. First was the meet/cruise from Heritgae. Then we wound up here in a sun-baked, dusty car park bereft of any features or amenities (which was actually quite good cos it meant there was nothing to look at but the cars). Finally we'd end up in the town for a third go at it. Now, that's VFM. And jam, too. It had taken a good while to get up here (some of the buses in the train were old enough to still run reduction boxes in the wheels so fast they ain't!) so the kids were glad of the chance to stretch their legs. While they scurried about a marshal designated our spot in town as the Rec Room which meant nowt to me, but Ada had a map and was a bit disappointed that it seemed to be out in the sticks a bit rather than in the town centre. I had no clue, I didn't get a map. Becos not facebook. Anyway, the organisation appeared impressive and although our parking areas were designated by a simple system of different-coloured post-it notes, why not if it works? Bureaucracy dealt with, we were free to wander around checking the cars. Type 3 Variant beige 68 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia vert blue 61 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Split firetruck red 60 f by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Funny to think there was a time when a bus with an unladen top speed of 50-odd mph was the mainstay of private fire services, including many airports! I think the last think you'd want if you were trapped in a crashed plane and drenched in aviation fuel was to catch a glimpse through the black smoke of the burning plastics and avgas of the hunched back of a really slow Volkswagen bus trundling along the runway at walking pace while the crew of two fought to unload their hoses from the cramped interior! Split firetruck red 60 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Bay late westphalia orange 75 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This was for sale. I didn't dare ask, but I bloody love it Split camper pink 66 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle pink 67 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr I've seen this Brazilian TC145 model Karmann Ghia in many photos and on the video screen at the Heritage Parts counter whilst waiting ages for Eliot the parts hippy to deal with the queue of customers. I'd never seen it in the flesh before. It confirmed my feelings from pictures that it's a slightly awkward but also striking looking thing; certainly not blessed the purity of shape of the early Ghia nor quite the shock and awe of the later Razoredge Ghias. However, it definitely holds the attention. And you're never going to park next to another one. Those panel gaps though Funny, too, how it's got unique sheetmetal everywhere but then there's like a VW parts-bin stock late Beetle bootcatch incongruously bunged on Ghia TC145 Brazilian red 71 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia TC145 Brazilian red 71 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia TC145 Brazilian red 71 d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This late Bay had an arresting colourscheme. Don't adjust your monitor, it's not supposed to be white over red. Makes your brain hurt, doesn't it? Cos it's not what you've been programmed to see Bay late camper red&blue 73 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Buggyspangles by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Another Samba 23-window, lovely! Split Samba 23 window coral 62 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr ...and another Doka, an early Split this time. With a Wild West wagon back. Awesomes Split Doka blue by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This is an unusual thing... a Madison speedster allegedly inspired by 1930s Auburn boat-tails! It's very period, of it's time shall we say. I don't mind the styling but given that it's based on a Beetle calling it a "Speedster" is pushing things a bit far Madison Speedster 70 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Madison Speedster 70 msct by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Split noses by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This Beetle stood out as very cool. I guess it's Swedish or some kind of Scandawegian originally, since it still has a "Sven Jeppsson" dealer badge on the wing. Some nice touches anyway that you don;t see often. I especially liked the asymmetric engine lid vents with one side welded up Beetle grey 62 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle grey 62 Sven Jeppsons by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle grey 62 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr ....and now we've found some properly vintage Beetles. One year only as shown by the "crotch coolers", this little fella's a 1952 Beetle split brown 52 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Why one year only model? Well, they weren't called crotch coolers for nothing and it turns out that not all Beetle drivers actually wanted aircooled frozen luvspuds. Beetle split brown 52 d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle split brown 52 window by Nick Liassides, on Flickr and another split window, just for the hell of it. Funny to think such an iconic design was actually a design flaw... unable to mould curved glass, the original KDF-Wagen had to make do with two flat pieces to make the now-seminal split window. Later, when techniques improved and the oval window replaced the split, dealers offered a service welding in a plug to take the new "big" oval window. How many splits lost their USP in those days is enough to make a vintage Beetle enthusiast weep! Beetle split black 53 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr another rare Brazilian, nonchalantly rocking Porsche wheels Brasilia beige 78 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Unarguably the oldest vehicle here, a really early Split, quite possibly still on cable brakes! The single-exit exhaust is a giveaway as to it's status as an original post-war car Beetle split brown 49 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle split brown 49 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The marshals were now beginning to shoo people into their respective groups according to post-it colour. It looked like we were off soon. We were going t be escorted to our locations by the Blood Service who'd given up their time and their bikers to act as convoy outriders. Split bus Marmite 63 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr As people gave up their conversations and started returning to their vehicles, this seemed the ideal time for the Li'l Un to need a wee To be fair, she is only eight and it was a long time since we set out by now. This is the one slight downside of the whole day; there are no facilities at all here. We had no choice but to quickly scurry along to the nearby petrol station so she could use their loo, but it's not ideal and maybe the one oversight by the organisers. If all three hundred people in the corral wanted to use a single petrol station khazi it wouldn't end well Anyway, an unexpected bonus was bumping into VIP , a downside was not being able to stay and chat. We made it back in time, we'd not been left behind although a couple of groups had set off with their Bloodrunner escorts. Hmmm... Bloodrunners, now there was a quality cartoon.... The Boy was bored enough to be on his phone. He's not even a teenager yet and given that he looks like Mowgli you'd think he wouldn't be so into tech. I blame the parents the Boy by Nick Liassides, on Flickr but the L'il Un was a lot happier now and was enjoying having the backseat all to herself. Note epic Pink Floyd cushion that'll feature in the T25 thread that errrrr..... I haven't written yet. the Girl by Nick Liassides, on Flickr and then it was hurry up and wait. The ranks and rows of cars and buses formed into a long-snaking queue that wound around the roundabout and exit road as we waited for the bloodrunners to return from each mission. We passed the time playing Eye-Spy and the kids took it in turns to take photos Cbomb stickerbomb by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Buses waiting by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle chequerrat 72 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr and finally, the queue moved up and we slotted into position. And then waited some more, but at least it looked like we were getting somewhere Beetle orange 72 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Its behind you by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Soon we'd be off for the last stage of this most unusual of shows...
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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May 28, 2019 11:21:35 GMT
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Finally, off we went again. Another road, another convoy. The run from the park and ride into town was only short and once past the golf course we were out of the leafy lanes in amongst the concrete of the town. In another life I drove an armoured bank run round Horsham, but that was twenty years ago and it's changed hugely since then. The brewery is now an apartment block, everything's built up. Like anywhere, I suppose. Tear down all the stuff that made it unique and build luxo-hutches that make it the same as everywhere else. Anyway, we followed our bloodrunner around the inner ring road until we reached our destination at the Rec Room, traffic lights giving Mowgli some more photo ops checkin dreams by Nick Liassides, on Flickr He's already got the skill of checkin' yourself in shop windows Beetles queuing by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The Rec Room turns out to be a music venue (amongst other things) set in the park so it was quite a funky spot and had plenty of people wandering through going about their day-to-day as it's on the underpass through to the town centre from the large park area. We parked up next to what appeared to be a giant stainless onion thing Beetle backs by Nick Liassides, on Flickr but which I later found out is supposed to be a courgette flower. Of course. I have to be honest, until then I didn't even know that courgettes had flowers. Dolly by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Anyway, Ada spotted an opportunity to park next to it and once we'd squeezed our way between the bollards the marshal caught on and after some good-natured shouting, arm waving and Beetle-wrangling, we had a perfectly(ish) arranged clock made from Volkswagens and a steel courgette flower. And that's not a sentence anyone has ever typed before. Courgette clock pastel by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The car park was full anyway, the buses taking up a lot of room. The kids made a few new friends amongst the random children roaming about while their parents gawped at the unexpected spectacle of lots of old noisy cars suddenly invading their Sunday morning. I got on with the serious business of moar photos Beetle black n flames 70 d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr God, I sooooo want some of those EMPI jacking covers, but at 60 quid a pop I guess I'll have to keep wanting. This black Beetle was with us all the way from Heritage, driven by a couple of nice ladies and their Dalmation. It's got a lot of quality touches and I like it a lot, not least cos it's a late model like my Dolly Beetle black n flames 70 handle by Nick Liassides, on Flickr stickerbomb bus by Nick Liassides, on Flickr courgette clock tall by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Courgette flower Honestly, anyone can see it's a turnip you sick sons of biatches [/Deadpool] Technic Speedster 72 s by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Nope, not a real one*. Replica. Nice though * see also "GT40" and "Cobra"Technic Speedster 72 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Our friends from last nights' petrol station again (yep, Ive forgotten the guys' name already ) Bay late blue 75 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr This one's a little slice of awesome... I'm sure it's been magazine featured and rightly so. A rare South African Doka (you can tell by the huge intake box filters visible at the back corner of the bed), it's been restored over five years by the owners in a true labour of love. And it is , no exaggeration, perfect. Absolutely stunning. And such nice, unassuming owners too who seem a bit bemused by all the attention. How very VW Split Doka South African by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Difficult to top that one, and the kids wanted ice cream so we followed the trail of little VW logos spray-painted onto the cobbles and through the underpass into town (did I mention that the organisation on this do is exceptional?). Immediately we set foot into the street to the Carfax old market precinct, we were greeted by more VWs, many of which I didn't remember seeing at the corral Beetle red 69 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Tough-looking Oval wears its scars of a long life with pride Beetle black 57 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle silver 58 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr funnily, DVLA still lists that one as red. Someone needs to update their V5. Anyway, we emerged into the Carfax proper and the scene was amazing. Every street, every parking space was filled with old VWs of some flavour. And all around the bustle of a thriving town filled with "normal" people went on almost as if this happened every day and no-one batted an eyelid. It was most bizarre, but whatever else, Horsham Council deserve a massive amount of kudos for being brave enough to put on such an event. There's an Italian and an American version later in the year too. If you've never made it then I heartily suggest you do because people rave about the equivalent shows on the Continent and here's one just as bloody good right on your front door. Easy rail links from everywhere too now that Thameslink have taken over the world [/partisan] if you don't have an appropriate motor car to the theme These events deserve support not just because they're brilliant, not just because the councils deserve respect for their bravery but because there's a storm coming and our lifestyle, hobby, passion, call it what you like will be swept away by the flood waters of a brave new electric low emission world if we let it. The more we forcibly expose Joe Ordinary to how goddamned superb our crappy old cars are, the more we normalise it in their heads and the better chance we have of being able to continue being noisy, smelly and disreputable in the manner of our choosing. Anyway, enough preaching. Moar cars Beetle dragster white by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Dolly's twin, Benji (again, a couple of very nice ladies driving him. Beetles are genuinely the car for everyone). He was for sale, and I was really tempted... a ragtop too, so cool Beetle blue&white Benji70 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia green&cream by Nick Liassides, on Flickr By the Carfax by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Outside the CROWN by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle green 71 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr yep, it's that photo composition again. Live with it, you can't not do it Well, I can't Beetle green 71 d II by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle red d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr street view with bus and CROWN by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Cal-look early Ghia rocked my world. Proper dragster gasser old skool thing Ghia green 63 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia green 63 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr
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Last Edit: May 28, 2019 11:32:02 GMT by luckyseven
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May 28, 2019 11:51:06 GMT
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This all fills me with aircooled wanting
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May 28, 2019 11:59:09 GMT
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This fills me with what about inside The CROWN?
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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May 28, 2019 13:37:31 GMT
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This fills me with what about inside The CROWN? I think you know And I'm betting you can't get a decent pint of it in the Philippines
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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May 28, 2019 15:15:54 GMT
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Heritage at the bank by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia black 67 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The old Town Hall is a particularly cool spot, with its old crenelations and turrets and the surrounding oak-beamed old houses and the Bear pub. It makes a great backdrop to unexpected old cars, the only shame being it's now Bills restaurant. Dunno who Bill is but at least his neon signs aren't too intrusive if you frame it right Ghia vert blue 61 at the old Town Hall by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle cabriolet msct by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Bay early cream 68 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr buses at the Bear by Nick Liassides, on Flickr chalk and wheel by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle blue 73 r by Nick Liassides, on Flickr From Bills we headed up East Street which was basically stuffed with Beetles... mostly I suspect because buses were too big and cumbersome to get parked in such a narrow old street. And that's fine, I'm more here for the bugs anyway if we're honest Beetle white 61 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle white 61 d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr You definitely would not lose this one in a snowstorm! Beetle yellow by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Yes, I know, I know. It's that photo again Family portrait by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle street by Nick Liassides, on Flickr street of brown Beetles by Nick Liassides, on Flickr That Brasilia from the "ugly" side. VW tried several times to come up with a replacement for the Beetle over the years, but even compared to the white elephants like the K70, their greatest failure was surely the Type 4. Buyers had grudgingly bought a few Type 3s with their newfangled flat motor and all sorts of nonsense like a boot and stuff but when the Type 4 was launched the indifference was deafening. Cruelly mocked for its snouty anteater " Nasenbir" looks, literally no-one bought them. Heinz Nordhoff had a massive sulk and even the Brooks Stevens redesigned front end wouldn't save the Type 4 from oblivion. But in Brazil their sense of aesthetics was skewed enough or their spiritual tolerance elastic enough to embrace the 412 restyle and several versions were produced for many years. And here's one. Looks cool now, doesn't it? Funny how distorting the mirror of time can be Brasilia beige 78 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle split brown 52 bdg by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle noses by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle black 56 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetle black 56 d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Yes, I know, I know. I can't help it. There's probably an actual -ism for this Wolfsburg hubcap by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Amazing how, despite being approximately the same overall shape, a bulgy-windscreen Super Beetle looks massive in comparison to her older sisters. She's a big girl, but apparently she can party hard in the twisties Beetle 1303 blue 73 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Having reached the end of East Street, we mooched back down to the Carfax to find Ada, who'd met his parents doing their shopping. See? They're the normal people we need to corrupt . The Carfax bandstand was surrounded by people chilling out watching a series of bands and solo singers performing. All around the old market square were yet more cool vehicles. See? Yet another 23-window Samba, and another properly nicely finished one to boot Split Samba brown 59 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Just beside the bandstand was the superb Kombi Keg, a split window panel van converted to a bar. Absolutely bloody excellent! Split Kombi Keg bar by Nick Liassides, on Flickr There were also stands selling scene stuff and the official Plum Jam organisers stand. Here you could redeem a section of your show ticket for a goody bag and T-shirt that were all part of the entrance cost. And a free VW pot of ...well, jam. It didn't have to be plum, there were all sorts of jam, all made by a local special needs organisation. Even piccalilli, if you're a complete weirdo pervert and like that kinda filth. We chatted with the girls on the stand because they were very nice and friendly (it seems to be a VW people thing) and that's where we learned about courgette flowers. This led us to reminiscing about the old fountain that used to be at the end of West Street; nicknamed "The B0ll0ck" it was supposed to be a pearl emerging from a planet or some such pseudy gibberish, but everyone local knew it as The B0ll0ck. Every hour or so the 15-foot diameter tumescent blob would rise up on a giant prong and gush gallons of water out of the bottom in something symbolic of...err...something. No-one, not even the sculptor probably knew. However, this mechanism proved of great temptation to the local schoolkids who would pour Fairy Liquid* into the fountain pool so every hour when the B0ll0ck did its gushy thing the pool turned into a humongous foam pit. And in winter the spray would drift down the slope of the precinct and turn it into an ice rink so all the old biddies fell over and shattering their hips. I used to sit by the B0ll0ck in my Armour while my oppo couriered the money from McDonalds and watch people suddenly start scooting around like giraffes on roller skates, flailing their arms for balance, and know that it wasn't yet warm enough for the ice to melt. In that context I guess a giant courgette flower with a glitterball in it seems like progress. Anyway, thanking the nice ladies for our jam and ting, we bimbled off in search of lunch. Va more VWs, of course... * other flavours of washing up liquid are availableSplit bus bombslut by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Following the trail of stenciled VW emblems on the stones... VW trail by Nick Liassides, on Flickr ...led us to the end of the old Springfield Road, now pedestrianised, and yet another collection of cars and buses Beetle grey 62 II by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Beetles grey by Nick Liassides, on Flickr where we also found the old main outlet pub for the sadly defunct King & Barnes brewery, the Olive Branch, where we sat and scoffed one of those massive burgers with sticks through them that seem de riguer in pubs nowadays. And chips like giant Jenga blocks. And where it also transpired that Ada and The Boy had done that terrible fashion faux pas of choosing the same T-shirt to go out in T shirt shame by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Lunch over, I took the kids in search of Toy Barnhaus as they were on a promise for some plastic tat if they were good all day. Which they mostly had been. Anyway, it meant we got to meet a Great Dane who was, indeed great. And see a bus with a wooden beer shelf mounted to the nose, which is awesome Split bus grey 60 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia red 65 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Random Ford. No idea if it's local or anything to do with the day, but it's too cool not to commemorate Ford F100 green 66 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Split bus Marmite 63 tcd by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Ghia green 68 bdg by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Buggy green 55 by Nick Liassides, on Flickr and so, with the Boy clutching newly-gained Yugioh cards (it's like Pokemon only no-one's ever heard of it) and the Li'l Un with a pocketful of slime ... kids, who understands 'em?... we found ourselves back in the Carfax and by the underpass through to the Rec Rooms. It was getting to late afternoon and though the show Ts&Cs stated once we were parked up strictly no vehicles were to move until half past three, that time was approaching. And to be fair to the kids, it was a long day on their feet. So we decided to head back in the direction of the cars. The red Beetle that was actually silver pointed the way Beetle silver 58 d by Nick Liassides, on Flickr and so we trudged past the Beetle Courgette Clock to see the band performing on stage finish their set. They were OK, and I like Jake Bugg but I'm not sure if he's really been a thing long enough for cover bands to spring up. But no criticism, it was free after all gig by Nick Liassides, on Flickr And that was us pretty much done. We had no choice but to take four and seven o'clock out of the Courgette Clock and make our exit. Courgette clock opposite by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The marshal who'd performed so valiantly getting us all stowed away and remained scrupulously cheery all day asked if we'd be going to the campsite and actually sounded like he cared, which is not something you often get at shows. Sadly, we had to wend our way off home and poor old Dolly bravely gave it a try. Obviously, we made it because I'm sat here typing but it wasn't that pretty and several times she started hiccuping and misbehaving. But she made it, and considering a week ago she couldn't have run round the block to the corner shop, I owe Doug's VW Werks a massive debt of gratitude for sprinkling magic dust on her. So that's Plum Jam 2019. A truly superb day out, a show like no other I've been to and one where you truly feel involved because every car in it is part of a living, moving exhibit. Brilliantly organised, not a cross word or bit of attitude all day from anyone, just a totaly chilled and excellent experience start to finish. And how many other shows come with a free T-shirt... logo by Nick Liassides, on Flickr ...and VW-flavoured jam? plum jam by Nick Liassides, on Flickr Mmmm. Tastes like... like victory. Some day this war's gonna end Thanks for reading...if indeed you still are. And if you enjoyed it, say so. Don't be shy, we don't bite in here. VW people, remember? Friendly
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Last Edit: May 28, 2019 15:29:44 GMT by luckyseven: spelnilg, grammer and borked links
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May 28, 2019 18:47:31 GMT
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Thoroughly enjoyed reading that, what a great event. Thanks for taking the time.
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May 28, 2019 18:52:55 GMT
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As always a great write up! Thanks And if Dolly hadn’t have been coughing and spluttering by the time you got home, you wouldn’t have known it had been properly 50 mile fixed
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May 28, 2019 18:54:21 GMT
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Also we should get @quatermass to make some BNMAC jam for the Gathering!!
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May 28, 2019 21:45:50 GMT
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Thanks for your pics and witty repartee. I love reading your threads. As a long time, (man and boy), VW fan and owner, up until a few years ago, I like to look at your photos of VW stuff to upset myself and put me on a downer because I know, without a lotto win, I'll never have another. So get the bus and bug sorted and keep up the good work.
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Thanks for the write up. That type 4 that I've never seen before has, of you squint, hints of mk1 Golf in its shape. Well if I squint anyway.
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Thanks all! The bus is kinda sorted.... well, it works. It damn well better do, we're off oop north in it to the monster-in-law's in a mo It tried to get out of it by having the windscreen washer fail at the last minute but I got it working by hitting it Also we should get @quatermass to make some BNMAC jam for the Gathering!! QuaterJam Euuuuwwww. I don't know that I like that idea. I bet it'd taste of engine oil, fairy dust and damp Belstaff
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May 29, 2019 12:48:11 GMT
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As ever, top write up, and I'm not even a VW fan. Somehow the spirit of the day (good or bad, as in all your reports) comes across nicely. Thanks. Euuuuwwww. I don't know that I like that idea. I bet it'd taste of engine oil, fairy dust and damp Belstaff ...and Crocs. Don't forget Crocs.
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Last Edit: May 29, 2019 12:48:35 GMT by georgeb
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May 29, 2019 12:54:15 GMT
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This fills me with what about inside The CROWN? I think you know And I'm betting you can't get a decent pint of it in the Philippines True, but on Sunday morning, I enjoyed a brace of sausage (from the UK) and cheese (from Australia) butties, all washed down by a rather fine example (or two) of San Miguel Pale Pilsen at a quid a litre. So can't complain too much.
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ada7
Part of things
Posts: 108
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This was an awesome day start to finish. The convoy of cars (66 I found out the other day) from vw heritage up to Horsham was one of the best I’ve ever been in. So much variations in model, colour and style. Made for a great sight for us and those that watched as we all trundled passed. It was well organised through out and although we did end up feeling a little out of the main centre of it all, we got a good spot which was perfect for photos. Everyone was so laid back and chatty, even made a couple of new friends and I’m usually quite shy at doing that. As always, a brilliant write up of the day. Definitely be doing 5is again next year. My only downer of the day was nothing to do with the event but the journey home. I hit a typically large Surrey pot hole and now have an annoying knocking coming from my front near side. Something to investigate ASAP me thinks.
Adam
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Rotaries help make the world go around... And around and around and...
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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66? That's only one six away from being my favourite number Are you sure you want your front end lower? Just so the next pothole can do serious damage?
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