The second heatwave of the Summer coincided with the annual gathering of pre-1931 Cars for 3 days of events.
Based at the Hatherley Manor Hotel, Down Hatherley in Gloucestershire, the Rally consisted of a series of rural road runs to places of interest, interspersed with breakfasts and evening meals at the hotel. This w, designed to make the event a very enjoyable social occasion, as well as an excuse to exercise the cars, mostly approaching, if not over, 100 years old. (The cars, not the occupants!)
Friday afternoon was the first visit of the weekend to Hellens Manor near Much Marcle. This is a well-preserved medieval house, one of the oldest in the country and not modernised since the Tudor period. Hellens Manor, Tudor Manor House, Herefordshire. A very enthusiastic guide conducted us around the house, still in use today for accommodating family guests.
Saturday consisted of a 40-mile return trip to Morgan Motors in Malvern, Worcestershire. This started with coffee and a film show, after which we were divided into two smaller parties and shown around the production lines for the Plus Four, Plus Six and the new Super 3 models, starting with the bare aluminium pressings, right through to the painted and trimmed cars that were ready for delivery to customers. It was good to see that ash framing is still a component in the bodies, though the traditional steel chassis no longer feature under the cars.
Another change from when I last visited some 10 years ago was the improved waiting times for a new car, which are now down to six months, rather than the 6 years that was previously the case.
Sunday morning saw a road run, terminating at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Heritage Railway at Toddington in the Cotswolds.
Here there was the opportunity to ride the tracks between Broadway and Cheltenham, though these have to be conducted by diesel power, as the Steam Trains were suspended due to the danger of Track-side fires.
Altogether, a superb, if a somewhat hot weekend. All the participants wish to thank Len Barr for his faultless organisation.
I would like to thank both Robert Browett (Model V3) and Paul Newsome (Model SLO4) for allowing me to ride alongside them on different road runs, as their navigator.
We only missed one turn and the Vintage Standards all performed more or less faultlessly throughout the weekend. Such is the superb reliability of our chosen marque.
Phil and Lynda Homer
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