More than 250 classic vehicles of all shapes, sizes and ages headed to West Berkshire on 8 October for the fifth annual Thatcham Classic.
First sight for most visitors to the relaxed and friendly Dunstan Green show organised by C&SC art editor Martin Port was a gaggle of military vehicles (below), but elsewhere there were healthy selections of cars from the West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club plus local branches of, among others, the Cambridge Oxford Owners’ Club and the TR Register.
As always, the best thing about this show is the variety – and the bizarre juxtapositions, such as a Sierra RS Cosworth beside a Leyland Freight Rover camper, or a vintage Rolls-Royce tourer lining up next to a Ford V8 Deluxe and a Mercury ‘lead sled’.
Rarities included a ‘Farina’ MG Magnette estate – a model never produced by the factory (below) – a Vauxhall Cresta PA Friary estate, a Lotus MkVI, a Williams & Pritchard-bodied MG N-type and a Tojeiro-Bristol.
Among the show highlights was Simon Taylor’s fabulous Stovebolt Special (below), one of six members of the Our classics fleet to take part in the event – including Martin Port’s Land-Rover and Scimitar, James Elliott’s Triumph 2.5PI, Alastair Clements’ MG Magnette and Mick Walsh’s lovely Lea-Francis 14hp Sports brought along by co-owner John Blundell.
There's no official Best of show at this free-to-enter event, but Port had his own personal picks: "I loved the Mercury 'lead sled', but my favourite car was probably the Tojeiro-Bristol [below].”
