Classics on the Green drew a wonderfully varied range of machinery for Wednesday’s Watford & District Classic Vehicle Club annual charity show in Croxley near Rickmansworth.
The host club’s selection included Steve Burkinshaw’s stunning Mini Sprint (C&SC, August ’04 and above), a pearlescent white Renault 5 Turbo2 (main pic) – one of two at the event – and a lovely Ford Zodiac Mk2 Lowline, which cost £1012 new in ’61.
You don’t need to book for the impromptu mid-week gathering: just turn up in something classic or interesting and make a contribution to the charity coffers.
Older cars on display included a fabulous Model T Ford (above) and a gorgeous Riley Special, while the highlights among the younger machinery included a brace of BMW E30 M3s (below) – one the immaculate Diamond Black ’91 car of 2002 Register chairman Richard Stern, appropriately parked across the aisle from a Sierra RS Cosworth.
Gary Begley brought his recently recommissioned Citroën Visa GTI (below), which has been in his family from new. Just nine are currently on the road. Meanwhile, a Fiat 500 Club posse featured a cute two-tone Autobianchi Bianchina (underneath the Visa).
Pick of the rarities was Bill Battey’s striking glassfibre-bodied ’68 Bonito (below), which drew lots of attention and has more than a hint of GT40 about it. Instead of using a VW flat-four engine – the car is based on a Beetle floorpan – he fitted it with a Ford Cortina 1600 unit bored out to 1760cc. It’s running twin competition Weber carbs and is good for 140mph. A Bonito is a large game fish, so Battey fabricated a Ferrari-style badge – made from a flattened piece of copper pipe – to go with the name.
Nearby – and part of a strong Stateside contingent – was a just-restored ’73 Plymouth Road Runner (below), thought to be one of just four built in Mist Green with Parchment interior out of 1991 made with the 400cu in engine. Its spec includes a 3.23:1 back axle with positive locking, power brakes – with front discs – and chrome-style rallye wheels, plus the signature strobe stripes and the ‘Beep! Beep!’ horn, of course!
There were plenty of commercial vehicles, too, such as a trio of Bedford Beagle vans (below) and a superb retired Foden winch lorry in Richard Nixon Engineering of Aylesbury livery. And there were were some fabulous classic campers to be found as well, including a brace of Bedford CAs and at least two Mk1 Ford Transits.
