Barber - Forget the other drivers, what about the poor pedestrians?
( As he drives on the pavement, or brushes past them as they are crossing the road.
)
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Ace Cafe - Classic Car Night
Here is a full write up from Tuesday night with some extra photos.
As I was just supposed to be taking my wife's brother out for a spin I couldn't stay long.
But it was a lovely warm summer's evening with the sun slowly setting in the background.
These were parked near the entrance, so I spotted the matching colour scheme straight away.
This Lotus was parked outside the front door and I couldn't get any closer to it.
The mini we ended up next to was like it had just rolled off the production line.
And the 'Javelin' on the other side was more gold in colour than the photo suggests.
I really liked this Zephyr, but, unfortunately, the sunshine ruined the second photo.
There were two immaculate Heralds there.
Overall, there was an interesting mix of cars there.
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"What is it?"
I actually spend most of my time there talking to people about my car and its build.
Using a sweeping broad brush, the crowd could be divided into three generic groups.
Casual Visitor
These were just enjoying the evening, the cars and stuck to 'passing the time of day' questions.
Know It Alls
I couldn't believe the number of people who wanted to correct my version of events.
This included:
- My Spitfire 1500 donor was actually a MkIV, as the MkIVs were the last models in the production run.
- My gear lever didn't come from a Spitfire.
- My kit was not a Sammio, but something else entirely.
( He did say what, but I'd already stopped listening by then.
)
- Etc.
Genuine Car Guys
Obviously, these were the people who options I was interested in and the car went down well with them.
Saying it a "Triumph Swordfish" often doesn't help, so I usually add it is "Unique", "One of a kind", "Home build special", etc.
This usually makes people a lot happier that they've never heard of it, despite it looking vaguely familiar.
Most people got the idea of keeping a standard donor car underneath the 'new' fibreglass body and all liked the overall 50s style.
I had quite a few conversions about the new VHI rules & MOT exemptions, plus the use of black & white plates.
( As few guessed my car was actually less than 40 years old.
)
As I talked through some of the modification work, people seemed to get that this was not "just" a bolt on kit car.
Those that knew about fibreglass commented positively about the stiffness of the scuttle and the weight/strength of the bonnet.
It was hard to tell for sure, but the fact my engine bay is a long way from being "dressed" seemed to make it more authentic.
Also, those who clearly worked on their own cars couldn't believe how far the bonnet opened and the access it gave.
But saying this was my first car build and that I did most of the work outside on my driveway confirmed I was clearly mad.
Overall, I don't recall getting a single negative comment and people went out of their way to point out the things they liked.
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Until next time, take care, Paul.
