Coffee & Chrome at the Impney Estate: Sunday 10th August Show Report

Chateau Impney once again was the site of Footman James’ Coffee & Chrome Collective meeting on Sunday 10th August. With more than 500 vehicles parked and wandering the grounds, all was to play for to see which car was to be crowned the ‘car of the meet’ with Gary Maver from the ‘Classic Obsession’ being the judge of the meet.

As we have come to expect, a brilliant collection of cars and bikes were on show, from a 1960 Morris Minors to modern super cars. The variety of vehicles were clearly on display and help make the C&CC meets what they are.

We spoke to six of the visitors, to find out more about what they brought along.

 

Jeff – 1990 VW Golf GTi Cabriolet – Car of the meet

The expression ‘time warp’ when describing classics in good condition can be bandied around needlessly. A car may have been restored, original condition might have been compromised and there may be a few nicks here and there that render the time warp tag as nothing more than a way of trying to sell a car. But… if Jeff Jones advertised his 1990 red VW Golf GTi Cabriolet and put the words ‘time warp’ in the blurb to give potential buyers an idea of the condition, there would be no trades description violation. It’s an absolute minter and, from the flawless exterior to the no-wear interior, you can’t fault it.

Jeff bought the car five years ago. It’s now done 74,000 miles but it looks like it’s covered no more than 5,000. It’s not his daily driver and he doesn’t take it out all summer, but he uses it regularly and it’s never broken down – not while he has had it. “It’s the usual stuff – oil, cambelt, servicing and so on, but that’s it. It’s never been resprayed, no panels changed, no welding,” he said.

It’s not been dry-stored or mollycoddled. Jeff puts it in his garage, looks after it, cleans it and drives it. It’s standard. No aftermarket wheels, and the 1800cc fuel-injected engine is sweet as a nut. Only the plates have been changed - they are private plates. So that’s it – a no-nonsense Golf with not a scratch on it. ’strordinary.

 

Haydn – 1959 TR3A

This one has what you might call ‘a back story’. This 1959 TR3A was a USA import that found itself in Crete (shipped over by an American GI) and then Athens and now it’s in the UK (it was also in Germany for a bit).

So, let’s back up here. The current owner is Haydn Davies, who bought the car from an American Air Officer for $300, when he was working in Athens. Then Haydn got arrested in Germany in 1973 because the German authorities thought it was stolen, but then they realised it was legally borrowed and not the result of theft. It’s had five different number plates and it was left-hand-drive, but Haydn changed it to right-hand drive. It’s been resprayed twice at a cost of $50 per respray (original colour was white). Then Haydn painted it with red primer and shipped it back to the UK, even though he had sold it. Then it wasn’t sold because the cheque bounced, so Haydn kept it.

At that point in the story, we had to put in a time-out while Haydn gathered breath. There’s more, but really, we could have filled the whole page with this rather gargantuan tale that had numerous twists and turns, but above is the edited version. Of course, there’s plenty to tell because this is a 66-year-old vehicle, but let’s just say Haydn loves this car and the great memories it has given him. And that surely is the point? When you decide that you are going to take on the rather delicate and wonderful responsibility that classic car ownership brings, you embrace the stories – good or bad – that will inevitably come with it.

 

Alvin and Tracy – 1961 Morris Minor

This Morris Minor belonged to Auntie Girlie. She bought in 1961, new, for £648.

We accept, that these two sentences above do present more questions than answers, so let’s give more context.

Alvin and Tracy Bagg love this car, but its former owner was Auntie Girlie. When Auntie Girlie got too old to drive the 1100cc Morris Minor, Alvin’s dad bought it off her and then gifted it to Tracy and Alvin in 1992, who have owned it ever since. Auntie Girlie has since passed.

The Minor is no longer in the original colour but the current paintwork is not far off what it was when it was first registered 64 years ago. They’ve done a bit of work on it: it’s been restored, there’s updated seats, seatbelts, it has an alternator instead of the original dynamo, electronic ignition and replica Minilite wheels on it. It’s a nice example. There’s also a shedload of documentation that comes with this car – Alvin and Tracy even have the first insurance certificate from 1961. What was the premium? Well, just £12 for a year’s cover.

“We love this car,” said Alvin. “It’s got plenty of character and we love the fact that it’s got a great history. We’d never sell it – it’s been in the family right from the start.”

 

Tony – (1973) Porsche 911 RSR

It looks like a Porsche 911 RSR but it didn’t start life as this much-cherished model. The car, owned by Tony Brown was, in fact, a 1990 964, but for those in the know the basic structure is the same. Because of that Tony employed the skills of Paul Cockell at Rennsport in Moreton-in-Marsh to make the transformation, and what a transformation it is.

“Once the work was done, we had the car backdated to a 1973 RSR,” Tony explained. “The thing is, the way the car is configured from its base you have the ability to make a later car turned back into an earlier car and an earlier car into a later car. It’s that flexible.”

Tony bought the car 13 years ago and, as a 964, the paintwork was originally in Guards Red, but Tony resprayed it to a more RSR-appropriate Blood Orange.

“I love the car. It looks the part and it’s got a great history behind it. I even have a 1973 tax disc on it,” added Tony.

 

Justin – 1985 BMW M635 CSi

When Justin went to a Brightwells Auction with a friend, they got more than they bargained for.

“We just went along and I didn’t really have anything particular in mind, but when I saw this I just went for it,” explained Justin. “Then the friend who I was with bought a 1977 Avenger speed boat at the same time. We had a flatbed for the car, and we had a trailer attached to the lorry to carry both the car and the boat home. It was a lot of fun. A bit crazy though.”

Auctions can be a bit of a frenzy and, when there is so much to choose from, you can get carried away. Before you know it, you have bought something you don’t actually want and that can lead to buyer’s regret.

No such issue for Justin, however. “I’m really pleased with this car. It’s a lot of fun – it can be a bit tail-happy, but I like that.”

In terms of the history and spec, this CSi has a 3.5-litre 24-valve engine under the bonnet and although it’s in decent nick, there has been a bit of work done on it.

“The car was laid up in France for 20 years, but when it was brought back into the UK it had to be recommissioned to get it back on the road,” added Justin. “I really enjoy it and it kind of relives old memories when I used to drive a Ford Escort RS and things like that. It’s a classic Eighties car.”

 

Stuart – 2023 Gardner Douglas Mk4 427 (Cobra replica)

Stuart Vann has an obsession with replica Cobras, and before he bought this one a couple of years ago, he owned another that he ‘loved’ but he wanted to get one that was much more to his personal specifications.

A lot of stuff on this car is bespoke, right down to the paintwork.

“It’s got an adjustable pedal box so I can set it up exactly how I want, deep dish (proper) knock-on alloys and this bronze paintwork with the black stripes down the middle,” explained Stuart. “The paint wasn’t on the original selection and it took me three months to find it: I was looking at black, blue and red, but this colour really stands out.”

Under the bonnet is a LS7 Chevy independent throttle bodied 7-litre V8 engine that produces an enormous 625bhp and Stuart describes it as ‘good to drive’.

The car, built by Gardner Douglas in Grantham, is entirely individual in terms of the spec and the design.

“This car is just what you need if you want power as well as the look. Its shape is unique – there’s nothing like it,” added Stuart.