The Official Volvo Enthusiasts Club | The Club for all Classic Volvo Owners

Bottoms UP

The whole day out was great fun and the weather couldn’t have been better. The cars all looked fantastic in the glorious sunshine and the levels of enthusiasm shown for each car by Danny and Andrew were terrific.

It will seem a long wait until we see the results!

Graham Whartons Morris Oxford

Richard Mortlocks Austin Seven Mini Traveller

Battling the rush-hour traffic on the A14 is something those in the know usually avoid unless absolutely necessary and, in his Mini Traveller, Richard would normally choose to avoid. Well done that man for braving the juggernauts!

The Morris Oxford has been the pride of Graham Wharton for many years ‘though now delegating his Son in Law to drive for him – but he’s still happy to be chauffeured in the back! There was an interesting array of “after-market” wiring under the bonnet, allowing many more modern improvements to be utilised - intermittent wash/wipe and an overdrive unit being amongst them. Another of the more original cars attending and Graham has no intention of parting with her just yet.

Jamie Piggotts Citroen Safari – minus passengers

After the individual photos, the group shot and a line-up of back doors and owners, each of the cars was photographed driving up and down along the hedge with Rory hoping to catch clouds of dust being thrown up by the wheels! When we took the Volvo home the back was caked in dust, so we presume Rory must have got some good shots...!!

Danny driving the Volvo 221 Amazon estate

A 1964 car, the Amazon was saved from the scrapheap in May 2011 and restored in time for the 2012 National Classic Car Show at NEC, Birmingham. Whilst the exterior had suffered the ravages of years standing in a London garage lot stuffed with Volvo engines and other spares, the interior survived well. With the back seats always having been down the seats were almost like new, ‘though the headlining had been damaged.

Jamie Piggotts Citroen Safari is a full 7-seater and Danny insisted that we all pile in to prove it! Dave the dog (Labrador) joined us in the back for the pic too!

Iain Salmons ex Keyna safari wagon!

Nick Driscoll’s 1956 Borgward Isabella – superb

After each of the cars had completed its individual photography session, Danny drove off with the owner to experience the handling and power for himself. Andrew Roberts, the journalist providing the words to accompany the pictures, also test drove the cars.

Iain Salmon had provided two of the days stars, his Fiat 2300 and a very unusual Rolls Royce estate with a gigantic Webasto(?) sunroof, specially commissioned by a game reserve in Kenya and with anti- glare windows. A very stately vehicle with less load space than you might expect. Sufficient though to accommodate the beautiful German Shepherd Sasha who always travels in the back.

According to Andrew Roberts the Fiat has the look of a Mafia wagon and would not look out of place with a brace of big guys in black suits and sunglasses toting guns.

An Indian Summer afternoon

After the delicious Wedgewood blue Austin Mini Traveller owned by Richard Mortlock swelled the numbers - last but by no means least was the 1956 Borgward Isabella of Nick Driscoll that had driven up from Fleet, a truly magnificent car in almost totally original condition.

This fantastic car had been garage stored since 1963 until Nick Driscoll brought it back to life. It had been painted a glorious shade of jade green just prior to being laid up and was looking fabulously original, the front seat backs had been re-trimmed especially for the photo shoot but all other interior trim had survived from the fifties.

Nick set to with his polishing cloth and buffed off the dust acquired in his drive around that car park best known as the M25 – at least travelling North he was saved Bob’s fate.

Iain Salmon’s Fiat 2300

In true Rolls Royce style the picnic table with proper tablecloth and two chairs was set out beside the hedge complete with cut glass tumblers and thus created a perfect picture - which was then hijacked by Danny Hopkins, the Practical Classics Editor, to lay out our refreshments of crisps and coffee, later accompanied by sandwiches and an array of chocolates.

The friendly atmosphere was warmed by the glorious Autumn sunshine, which brought light values that can lift photographs at this time of year as only an Indian Summer can.

Each of the cars looked its pristine best with paintwork shimmering from every angle, capturing and enhancing the brilliance of the blue sky. A truly beautiful way to while away the hours in company with a bunch of confirmed classic car nutters – sorry... enthusiasts.

Andrew Roberts test driving Jamie Piggott’s Citroen

The photography “studio” was moved onto a gravelled area surrounded with a well grown natural hedge providing some shelter from the wind. But the sun shone brightly all day as cars took their turn in front of the camera.

All angles of the bodywork, engine bay, load space, lights, badges and anything else Rory could find to show off these fine examples of estates from the fifties, sixties and seventies were explored by his lenses.

Cover? Stars

These eight beauties met in the grounds of Chilford Hall Vineyards, Cambridgeshire in a Practical Classics head to head for estate cars. All were driven down in perfect weather - the Vauxhall Viva estate travelling from the far flung reaches of Tyneside(!!), whilst the Borgward arrived from Fleet in Hampshire, the Fiat and Rolls Royce from the wilds of North Norfolk and the Volvo and Mini hopped over the border from Suffolk, both the latter being East Anglian Practical Classics members cars.

Bob Meldrum and his 1970 Vauxhall Viva estate were the first to arrive, having experienced the delights of hitting the A14 Huntingdon clog up after leaving the A1; his intended arrival time of 8am actually saw him driving into the vineyard at 9. Rory the photographer was photographing his car as it was being polished!

Gillian, Tony and Robert Whitton arrived half an hour later with their Volvo Amazon estate and joined in the cleaning fest as the other estates rolled in over the next 20 minutes. A Morris Oxford owned by Graham Wharton, Fiat 2300 and Rolls Royce by Iain Salmon, Citroen Safari by Jamie Piggott and the Austin Mini Traveller of Richard Mortlock; all drivers armed to the teeth with buckets, sponges, polish and any personally favoured cleaning aids.

Chilford Hall