Coffee & Chrome at the Impney Estate: June show report

The Footman James Coffee & Chrome Collectives are all about community and the common ground is found in conversation, usually when somebody comes over to admire your car or you are admiring somebody else’s. It’s all about the chat.

Even if you are in a queue for a coffee or a bacon roll, inevitably, you’ll use that couple of minutes to strike up a conversation, probably about the weather (standard introduction, to be fair), then you might talk about cars and then you’ll introduce yourself and talk a bit about what you do. By that time, your bacon sarnie is ready, and you’ll go on your merry way, knowing you are among friends.

This is why people come to these events. They will mooch about, marvel at cars (and bikes) have a nice chat, enjoy the music, the weather (if it’s sunny) and find out more about the people, and then realise that this is a nice place to be, and vow to return when the next one is on.

This might seem somewhat trivial. It’s not. The C&C events are a chance to indulge in a passion with people who have the same interests. It’s a passion for cars and the stories behind them. As we have said before, the cars are the vehicle (excuse the pun) for a community that the Coffee & Chrome events create.

FJ’s Classic of the Meet

Paul – 1970 Plymouth Superbird

It stood out. From a distance. A big orange monster with a wing that is as ‘in yer face’ as you can get requires some investigation. There were enough admiring glances when we turned up to interview Paul, the current owner of a glorious, certified original (this is not a copy) Plymouth Superbird. Paul, as it turns out, is also a co-owner of a car dealer called Krazyhorse that does all sorts of wonderful vehicles. When asked why he bought it, he said that another dealer didn’t have enough space, and would he like to buy it?

“I happened to have enough space, so I bought it,” said Paul, matter-of-factly.

This car though isn’t just a cold transaction for Paul – he loves American cars and particularly muscle cars of this sort. This is a real sight for sore eyes and it sounds the part too. It has a deliciously sonorous V8 under the bonnet and if you can’t hear it coming, the ‘Meep Meep’ horn will give you an extra incentive to turn your head as it whooshes past

For the record, the Plymouth Superbird is a modified, short-lived version of the Plymouth Road Runner – a reference to the popular Looney Tunes cartoon character Road Runner, which explains the Road Runner graphic images on the car. As well as the horn, Paul’s example (which has been certified as original) carries a Meep Meep numberplate.

All good then.

Mark – 1970 ‘Ship of Theseus’ Triumph Stag

The owner Mark, was philosophical when asked about this much-loved Stag: “I would say this this car is ‘The Ship of Theseus.”

Cue quizzical look. Um… not sure what that is.

So, for the vast majority of people not versed in Greek mythology, the Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus’s Paradox, is a paradox and a common thought experiment about whether an object is the same object after having all of its original components replaced over time, typically one after the other.

Basically, it’s a cool way of saying that almost all off the parts on Mark’s car have been replaced.

The thing is, Triumph Stags do rot, and they break down a lot. Stag owners, however, are a forgiving bunch: they don’t mind. They get on with fixing and replacing, such is their love for their vehicles.

Mark’s love of Stags started when he was 13 and that was quite a few years ago, he explained. “I always wanted a Stag even from when I was a teenager. Then four years ago I bought this one. I just love the styling: it’s beautiful. When I bought the car – after Covid – I just though life is just too short and if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”

 

Brian and Janet - 1953 Austin A70 Hereford Countryman

Have a peek inside Brian’s A70 Hereford Countryman and view the roof: there’s wooden slats – almost ladderlike.
The Hereford Countryman harks back to more civilised times when wood panelling was acceptable, both inside and out. It’s a gentle vehicle even though the 2.2-litre petrol, four-cylinder engine under the bonnet enables the car to ‘romp along quite nicely’ as Brian, the owner, asserts.

Brian bought the car five years ago at an auction. He didn’t view it, and he only saw five pictures, but it was enough to persuade him to part with his cash. It had been a long time coming.

“I had been looking to get one of these for about 40 years. I had seen a few, but they weren’t quite right,” added Brian. “When this came along, I jumped at it straightaway. I had seen the auction advert in Classic Car Weekly on the Thursday and the auction was on a Saturday.”

The car has quite a history. It was discovered in a collapsed shed in Kent in 1996 and restored over a five-year period. The body was taken off the chassis and it was built up to the current standard before it was sold to a private collector, who had around 530 cars.

The car was then bought as part of the entire collection by Jaguar Land Rover in 2014 for display in their museum until Brian got hold of it in 2020. Then the car wasn’t running: it had a hole in the fuel tank, the brakes were seized, the ignition system was faulty and work was needed to get it through an MoT. In early 2021 the car was good to go and in 2022 it even received the accolade of Car of the Day at an Austin Counties classic car show.

 

Kathryn, Bernie and their dog Bonnie - 1972 Volkswagen Beetle

Now when people name their cars, it’s usually for some affectionate reason – like after their dog or their gran – but when you find out that this 1300 Beetle, owned by Kathryn and her dad Bernie, is named after a First World War veteran who was the original owner, then more questions need to be asked.

This was Kathryn’s first car. She bought it 30 years ago as the third owner, but it was the first owner that makes this Beetle somewhat special. The original owner was Frederick Hodges who wrote the book Men of 18 in 1918 – a story about soldiers in the First World War. On realising this, Kathryn named the car ‘Fred’ and the rest is history.

And it is the history of the car that is ever more interesting: Frederick Hodges, was an accountant and, as such, detail was his thing. More than a labour of love, Frederick logged every trip he did in the car – not just the big holiday jaunts – but trips to the shops, recording miles done and where he went. One of the trips logged was his trip to the first ever Bug Jam in Podington in 1987.

Kathryn remarked: “Fred was very detailed with his notes and we have all of them. I just love this car, and the fact that it has such a great history makes it all the more special.”

The car is in great shape. It has been completely restored inside and out, but it is the interior that really stands out. The original seats have been re-covered, while up-to-date seatbelts have been fitted and all the trim replaced.

 

Kyle – 1970 Dodge Charger

A black Dodge Charger is an intimidating machine. It’s a car that featured in the most famous of chase scenes in the 1968 classic film Bullitt with Steve McQueen. However, this wasn’t the film that inspired owner Kyle to get hooked on Dodge Chargers – it was Fast and Furious.

“I was only 10 years old and when I saw the Dodge Charger on Fast and Furious. I was transfixed and I knew that in some point in my life I would get one,” he explained.

This particular example was imported from California as a shell. There was no glass and, as a consequence, water made its way in. Puddles generated and when Kyle and his dad eventually got it into the UK work was required. Overall, the project wasn’t too onerous. Yes, the car had surface rust and yes, the floor pans had to be replaced, but other than that, the bodywork was in pretty good nick.

Originally the car was white, but if you have a Dodge Charger, probably the only colour worth considering is black, particularly if you are a fan of Fast and Furious or Bullitt.

The thing is, Kyle is from a family who can’t get enough of American cars.

“My dad loves them, my granddad loves them, my uncle loves them,” added Kyle. “In total we have 10 American cars in the family. It’s something of an obsession.”

 

Clinton – 2010 Ford Focus RS

“I love Fords – there’s something about them. I suppose it came from the days of watching Roger Clark and Russell Brookes in those Escorts that got me going,” explained Clinton, owner of this rather awesome Ford Focus RS.

Clinton is a Ford fanatic and more so for the Escort Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3, but he says his decision to purchase the RS, was a little more… pragmatic.

“I just needed something a little more modern, and reliable, but that said, this is a terrific car to drive. It’s capable, but it can be handful,” he said.

Clinton bought his RS in 2023 after seeing an ad on eBay and he uses it as his daily driver, and even though it is a performance beast, he can get between 33-37mpg, which does beg the question as to whether he drives it like a proverbial ‘granny’.

“No, I just drive it normally. It’s a lot more economical than you might think,” he explained.

The car has plenty of additional bits of kit: a Scorpion back box, a Milltek middle box and downpipe and some other bits and pieces that have boosted the power.

Clinton says the Fords really come into their own in competition and, since he was aged 17 and 18, he has been a regular at the Wyedean rallies and the Rally Days at Castle Combe.

“You watch them go past, and the hairs of your neck stand up. They are seriously impressive,” he added.