Despite misgivings from Bromley Pageant of Motoring regulars that the show is going rapidly downhill, the annual one-day spectacular in Kent still proved a hit with visitors on 9 June.
One outspoken Pageant old hand said: “It was dreadful. Seas of moderns, few clubs catering for even pre-1970s machinery, the autojumble wasn’t much cop and access was by a car-breaking rough track.”
Complaints about Bromley, and especially access to the Norman Park fields, are nothing new, but the event does seem to have changed in recent years.
Where there used to be dozens of pre-war cars and lots of commercial vehicles, they’ve all but gone.
And there are far fewer three-car club stands with the show’s focus now on bigger displays that have brought in more recent machinery.
The new direction does seem to be popular with younger visitors, however.
A massive Aston Martin Owners' Club group – with noticeably fewer classics than last year – featured the first V8 Vantage built (see C&SC October ’06).
Despite the protests, there were some fine displays of classics to be found, such as a 40-plus turnout from the Stag Owners Club and an enormous array of Mazda MX-5s.