In which Sid and Doris take the retrimmed Hermann to an honoured place on the gravel at Lord Radnor’s Wilton House.
This is a charity bash for Salisbury District Hospital and the Wilton Rotary Club. Car nerds will be disappointed there were no RX7s or NSU Ro80s.
Wilton House near Salisbury is owned by the Earl of Radnor who is also Viscount Folkestone, Baron Longford and Baron Pleydell Bouverie. On a race entry list you might see the more modest Will Pembroke, which will fit on a small car.
The family supports the charities by opening the square in front of the house and some car parks for an early Sunday morning car show. Though not first to arrive Hermann is chosen for a place on the gravel in front of the house.
He is famous, and oddly the only Pagoda there. He is next to the very good Porsche 356A copy, built by the Reverend Andrew Poppe, the vicar of Wilton, who told us his tale. The Poppe (say Poppy) family of Coventry built engines for early car manufacturers, eventually being bought out in 1919 by the Dennis family – they of the fire engines. If you don’t go out you won’t meet people.
To pick out a couple of rarities here is a UK built Contera MD1. There are at least two. It is a fantasy Group C car for the road, driver in the centre with two passengers just behind MacLaren F1 style. It is very low and wide, has butterfly doors and a big bubble screen so no A pillars.
Unlike say a Le Mans Porsche 962 it has air con, ABS, radio and a reversing camera. Given its motor is that sturdy 2.5 litre twin turbo-ed Toyota straight six it probably needs less servicing than the 962, though we don’t know if one has been driven for 24 hours non-stop as fast as it will go.
In similar vein a US Group C for the road, a DDR Grullon (I don’t have to make up odd stuff, it’s just there).
It is a space frame and fibreglass kit ($22,000) requiring a 2009 Chevrolet Impala donor, though that will not come with 10.5” rear tyres. A more complicated build than the reverend’s VW bug into Porsche 356.
There are a few Minis. This one is unusual because it has a 1960s Shorrock supercharger. I should like to hear that. But probably not for long. We must sort out hearing protection for Teal’s visit to Japan.
If your savings earn 3% a year in 24 years the nominal value will have about doubled. Cars get a bit bigger each year. Here is a 1970s Triumph GT6 Mklll with a 2020s BMW/Toyota Supra. 920 kilos vs 1450. Well, that I suppose that is only 1% inflation per year over 50 years.
If you wanted to get from Caen to Cannes in a day you might take the Austrian built Supra or the train. If you had a week you would take … discuss.
Here is one good answer for the cruise to the South of France. An Alvis 4.3, seen here with the cheery Doris Bonkers rather over five years ago.. Don’t they look great.
Ah, well, we can all dream….