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Manchester
Standard Triumph Group – Standard Motor Club
Tatton Park
Classic Car Spectacular 5/6 June
A warm summer weekend in
Knutsford in Cheshire, and the pleasure of seeing the 60 cars that came onto
the club stand over the two day event. The 24th year for one of Britain's best
and most popular classic car events where over 2,000 classic, vintage and
performance cars are on show and over 80 of Britain's top clubs.
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The Standard entry
achieved the 5th best stand out of 92, and
our cars were grouped together in decades with an explanation for each
car on the history of the model. The Standard
club awards went to Mr Curley for his eye catching sleek Standard 12
coupe and its perambulator hood, and to Mr Aimes for his wonderful wood
crafted 1930 Standard Sports special (how did he make those wooden
mudguards?)
I
joined the club stand on the Saturday, which was a particularly hot day.
Clubs had been down on the previous afternoon to cut the grass within
their area, and to erect their marquees and fences. Keen volunteers from
the Manchester club had turned up with a petrol mower, bunting, tables
and stands and the obligatory kettle with gas burner. An unbelievable
transformation from just an empty field with marked squares on Friday,
to full show status by the next Saturday morning. |
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We
entered into the large grounds of Tatton Park that morning with the Big
9, following a Mk1 Jaguar and leading a lemon and white coloured
Vauxhall Cresta within a whole convoy of magnificent classics. There was
the usual slow run through the park drive past the lakes and the
reindeer, down to queue through the check-in points and then through the
early morning crowds gathering in the warm sun. Slow and careful
progress past the burger stalls open for breakfast, the enormous bar
tent being set up, stalls selling rare spanners to wonder polish, and
down the grassy lanes marked by letters of the alphabet to our allotted
stand. Having paused while the other cars were being put into position,
the Big 9 refused to start again. Embarrassing it was, certainly in
front of gathering and curious spectators as I cranked the engine over,
but it just wouldn’t fire up.
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be fuel starvation: fuel evaporation that can occur in the mechanical
pump and pipes when the under bonnet temperatures get very high, and
these early engines have no water pump. What saved the day was a hidden
emergency electric fuel pump (a small solid state 3.0 psi) fitted under
the back seat on this car during its earlier rebuild by Ian Jones, and
after he suffered a similar breakdown on the way to a show several years
ago. This immediately brought the car back to life. The problem is not
so uncommon in hot weather, although hot weather is uncommon! The Ford
Side Valve Club told me some had fitted home-made heat shields (bent
mild steel) separating the fuel system from the exhaust manifold, but
most carried an emergency washing up bottle of cold water to squirt onto
the plumbing, and that usually does the job. They reckon it’s due to
the recipe of modern petrol that is causing this problem? |
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It was a great couple of days,
with some very rare classic cars emerging to entertain the visitors. We had
many enquirers coming into the marquee, and we also gained some new members. So
thanks for all those volunteers that cut grass, pegged down, and brewed up, and
all that brought along their fine cars.
If you would like to join in
with the Standard Motor Club at the next Tatton event in August, please see
more detail here
Words and Photos by Andrew Davis
Media Officer
(July 2010)
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