BMC & Leyland day at Gaydon

[trigger]

So yesterday me and a couple of mates nipped 170 miles up the A14 to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon to have at look at the British Leyland show which was on, it's the first time I've been and i really enjoyed it, I took my Rover up to display it..

 

 

There was pretty much everything there, including a obscene amount of TR7's but more of that in a bit.

 

This 2500 Estate was stunning, their son restored it for them as a present, I'd happily sell all my cars for something like this.

 

 

 

 

This little Austin Apache was nice but really need to lose though number plates.

 

 

This 820 belonged to it's first owner still, it was his company car which he bought of them and it's done 281000 miles, it still like like new!

 

 

I loved this Princess, it had only done 18000 miles.

 

 

 

I even got to sit in it!

 

 

 

The last Ambassador was there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freight Rover V8 lovelyness too!

 

 

This was lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

[Felly Magic]

Looked a good show Triggs, many Marinas there?

[trigger]

There was something about this SD1, He came from Scotland in it, i dread to think how much fuel he spent. 

 

 

 

 

Loved the stickers on it too.

 

 

 

This was stunning, I'm sure it was restored something like 20 years ago and still looked like new.

 

 

 

 

The Metro from the Flipping Bangers TV show, it was a little peach!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was about 60 TR7's on display, I'm not really a TR7 fan but there was some nice ones there.

 

 

SJW ***S seems to be a really common set of registrations for TR7s.

 

 

 

Two mega early ones, the ornage one is a pre-production car.

 

 

 

 

 

The only two Marinas there, there was also a Ital but i didn't get a photo of that.

 

 

Another Daf, i thought of HMC when i saw this one.

 

 

 

 

 

[flat4alfa]

I didn't even know there was a Leyland day at Gaydon, can't have been advertised well. 

 

Or was it a FB thing

[SiC]

Was Chris from the SD1 owners club there? He has quite a selection now of SD1s! Including a rare LHD yank spec he has imported not long ago.

[trigger]

I didn't even know there was a Leyland day at Gaydon, can't have been advertised well. 

 

Or was it a FB thing

 

It was FB and all over their website, I've known about it since Christmas, I think this is the second or third year now.

 

 

 

This was absolutely amazing, he restored it 17 years ago and it gets drives it about, better than new i'd imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advantage!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oddly there was some kind of modified show going on there too with about 20 'scened' shitters on display and loud music, this was a particular highlight there, WTAF is going on with those rear arches?!

 

 

 

   

[trigger]

Was Chris from the SD1 owners club there? He has quite a selection now of SD1s! Including a rare LHD yank spec he has imported not long ago.

 

No idea, I'm not sure who he is, SOZ.

 

This Beetle reminded me of the sort of things the slightly cooler kids drove at College.

 

 

 

Swallowtail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was this point that the heat started to get a bit too much so we slipped inside for a piss and too cool down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a Car SOS special on at the moment, they do churn out some good quailty stuff, if a bit leaky!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Felly Magic]

That is sadly a poor showing for the Marina

[trigger]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This belongs to one of the museum volunteers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trigger]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and just as we left the building they bought a few Jags in.

 

 

 

 

 

[captain_70s]

Noice selection of stuff at the show. That SD1 is the same one I saw at Moffat!

 

 

Love the Rover SD2 concept and the re-skinned K-reg Dolomite in the museum itself as well.

[trigger]

That Rover was lovely, I especially liked the British Leyland Silver Jubilee sticker on the windscreen.

[Roverageous]

I got up there as well and it was a great day, really enjoyed it. I love shows like this because they are so eclectic while allowing me to exhibit my own vehicle!

 

Here's some pictures I took of the day

 

[Zantimisfit]

Thanks for uploading these photos. BL cars came in such a fantastic range of mad colours didn't they

[HillmanImp]

I think I said before, a chap near me is retiring and is selling off all his old cars, which includes what he says is the oldest known surviving TR7 which is obviously a pre production one too. It used to be a LHD and is apparently comically bad to drive.

 

It's a 1974 car in yellow but is registered on a R plate which is when I assume it was brought back from wherever it was first used as a left hooker? America seems a fair way to being a car back but I guess that was probably their target market with the car so I'm not sure where it spent it's formative years.

 

He's not particularly precious about it being the oldest one except that some chap who owns the 2nd oldest one didn't seem to happy that his wasn't the oldest anymore when this one crept out of the woodwork. The other chap now has the oldest 'originally RHD/UK market' TR7. Something to put on your Christmas card to Granny I guess.

 

Either way I keep having well impure thoughts about it, am going to have to have a word with him about it after seeing these photos. 

[lesapandre]

Makes you realise how many great cars the made. And when they are shiny and in good colours reflecting back the light and showing the bodywork to best advantage how a lot are not ugly ducklings like they seemed with dull paint on some anon street corner at 10 years old. 

 

But whats this! From the numberplate appears about 1985. What a unique little looker - makes you sad for what might have been...looks production ready?

[quicksilver]

Makes you realise how many great cars the made. And when they are shiny and in good colours reflecting back the light and showing the bodywork to best advantage how a lot are not ugly ducklings like they seemed with dull paint on some anon street corner at 10 years old. 

 

But whats this! From the numberplate appears about 1985. What a unique little looker - makes you sad for what might have been...looks production ready?

That's AR6, the proposed mid-late 1980s Metro replacement. K-series in an aluminium body, but too expensive so we ended up with the Rover Metro instead.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The TR7 - but only original unmessed with cars - gets better looking every year. An early one in a good bright colour looks ace.

 

The later Series 3 Allegros really do look fucking awful though; the early ones look quite chic now.

[face]

Look at all those Maxis. It must have fucking stunk of diesel fumes when they all left.

[lesapandre]

That's AR6, the proposed mid-late 1980s Metro replacement. K-series in an aluminium body, but too expensive so we ended up with the Rover Metro instead.

That would have been a great little car. 

[schonker]

Love the metro van trig.That princess with 180000 miles is suffolk registered to isn't it

[chaseracer]

Brilliant, Trigsworth - thanks for these.

 

 

PHP42G was Sir William Lyons' car.  Dollywobbler has possibly driven it; he's certainly written about it in Shiny Old Jaaaaaag

Monthly.

 

 

The blue one on the right lives in Cannock, on the main road down to the auctions.

[Alusilber]

That would have been a great little car. 

 

Yes, as would the R6X, which was the lower-cost alternative to the AR6. Alas, even that was too expensive, so we ended up with the R6 Rover Metro instead.

 

https://www.aronline.co.uk/concepts/concepts-and-prototypes/concepts-rover-r6x/

[bezzabsa]

whats the story with that Austin 1100/allegro mashup????

 

and love the Fiat looking Dolomite!!

[trigger]

Love the metro van trig.That princess with 180000 miles is suffolk registered to isn't it

Yep, it came from Riddelsdell Bros in Boxford when new, strangely the same garage that I bought my Rover from last year!

[Brodders]

Excellent photos Trigger, looked like an absolutely superb day out with some great cars (inside and outside of the museum).