The East Anglian kit Car Club

Stoneleigh  May

The National Kit Car Show at Stoneleigh is billed as the world’s largest, and while it certainly doesn’t seem to be as large as it used to be it probably still boasts more manufacturers’ stands than any other kit car show. Combine that with 10 acres of outdoor display area for club stands and a plethora of trade stands for companies ranging from engine tuners to people selling nuts and bolts and it’s about as close as you’ll get to having the entire British kit car scene in one place.

We normally go to the show on the Sunday morning and a few of us camp over. We enjoy a BBQ and a few beers on the Sunday evening, returning home on the Monday afternoon.

 

Stoneleigh Kit Car Show link

Stoneleigh 2009

This year we decided to travel to the show Saturday afternoon, and be at the show nice and early for the start on Sunday morning.

Bob and I meet at Thetford at 3pm and set off for Newmarket where we meet Mike, Andy and Michaela. We set off at about 4pm and had a nice casual ride to the show. The first 40miles were a bit busy but then the road became almost clear until we got to the Coventry area. We stopped on the A46 and fill up with fuel, and continued to the show, arriving at 5.40pm.

The weather was in our favour, Mike and Andy even travelled in T shirts.

 

 After a drive around the showground we set up camp on the same camping area as last year.

 

 

 

After a chat and finding a handy box to use as a table we set off for a pub (the green man) off site to have a meal, let’s just say we had a nice ride around the local area before finding the pub we were looking for.

We enjoyed a meal and then travelled back to the showground. After a couple of beers we retired to bed.

 

 

 

 

Sunday

We rose early after a cold night and made breakfast. We were soon joined by Paul and Maria who had left home early in the morning.

 

Sunday was overcast with a bit of a cold wind but there was no rain and the show was very busy indeed. Mike and I put our cars on the Luego stand, Andy on the Westfield stand and Bob and Paul put there’s on to the Robin Hood owners stand.

Luego Owners area.

 

Robin Hood Owners area

 

We had a day walking around the show and meet back at the camp site at 5 for a BBQ and some more beers. As seems to be tradition, we took a walk around in the evening and retired to bed.

We had a very cold night with a frost in the early hours.

 

Bob was going to buy a new seat,but it wouldn't fit into the hood.

 

 

 

 

Monday

After another early start, it started to rain.

 

We decided to take a walk around the show mainly indoors because of the weather. We meet back at the camp site at lunch time and packed up for the return home. We left at 2.30. We had a couple of occasions where we lost each other but soon found each other again. I had to stop a bit earlier than expected due to my fuel gauge saying that I was empty, but I was only able to put £13 in before it said it was full (something to investigate)

I set off again and found the others waiting for me on a slip road. We all stopped at Newmarket to fill up and have chat before setting of home.

 

All in all it was a great weekend, with lots of fun, company and food. Shame the weather wasn’t a bit better.

 

It was nice to see others from our area at the show.

Dan and Emma Robertson in the luego locost.

Geoff Wilkins viento

Melvyn ( Rusty Nuts) locost

Grant, Heidi and Luke Standley

Dominic Eaves westfiled

Kellogs luego

Helen and John Tween

Steve &  Nicholls

Dave Dickerson and Sarah GTS

 

 

 

 

07.30 Bob and I meet at Thetford services, Bob in his 2B me and my son Danny in my

Velocity. We travelled to Newmarket to meet Mike in his Viento, Michaela & Andy in

their Mondeo.

We also bumped into Fran, Steph and James, they were also on their way to

Stoneleigh in a Tin top but not travelling with us in our convoy.

 

My car was still having running problems, it was great at speed but at low revs

and idling it was coughing and spluttering.

The drive to the show was a nice steady drive without any problems I took the

lead most of the way. Mike passed me on a couple of occasions and boy what

a sound from the Viento’s V8.

Nearing the show ground there appeared a few more kit cars, two of them passing us

a Cobra and a GT40. Mike changed into the Stig and was gone closely pursued by Bob.

They showed them how to drive. Mike led us and them into the show.

 

 Once at the show we put up the tents and gazebo had a drink and a bite to eat.

                 

The weather began to change as the evening went on and began to rain. The rain continued through the

night and into Monday morning even with out breaks of thunder.

We eat breakfast and left our tents and Gazebo to hopefully dry, while we toured the show halls.

The rain stopped and the sun came out about twelve so we packed up while the going was good.

Another tour followed and then a cuppa before setting off home at 2.45.

Of course I had no roof and it began to rain as we left the show. The weather in Stoneleigh seems to

follow the same pattern year after year well it has for the last three years anyway.

Mike led us safely home. And we didn’t get lost for a change. Although we had some rain on the way

home we managed to keep up enough speed to not get wet

Stoneleigh 2005

This was another great weekend out

We set off early Sunday morning from our normal meeting spot at Newmarket. There were three 2b’s an S7  

and Dax Cobra owned by mikes friend Geoff.

Off we went at a sensible pace down the A14, after 9 miles Andy signal for me to stop and told me that Mike and Mark had pulled off with some sort of a problem.

A quick call on the mobile and it was found that Mark’s car was only running on three cylinders and fuel was running out of his twin forty’s. Mark disappointedly decided to return to Bury to repair the problem and come to the show later.(unfortunately this wasn’t to be)

 The remainder of the journey went well. On the A46 I was passed by a ford Ka and the driver hooted me twice I looked over to see Lesley and Paul hands.

For those of you that don’t know them Les& Paul live near Stowmarket and own a lovely Exmo, they were members of the RHOCAR way before I was and their car was a great inspiration to me when I was building mine.

Geoff over took me on the A46 and lead us the rest of the way into the show ground. Geoff being a lorry driver knows the short cuts.

 Once at the show we set off to the traditional Robin Hood area to set up our tents/ gazebo etc. Roy Hollingworth was kind enough to make us all a brew as we arrive.

 New for this year was the fact that the cars on display had to be taken to designated area and not remain at our normal camp site area. After setting up we took our cars to this area that was already beginning to swell.

 The show was massive and took a lot of time to view and a lot of energy.

I missed several members at the show that I was hoping to see Gerry Kemp & Trevor Woodham who had travelled at the show with the Waveney valley kit car group

Helen & John Tween, who run the SG7 kit car club

 Also Fran & Stefan, who we had lost on our way to the show. (They did arrive safely I just couldn’t find them)

 In the evening we did the normal things, BBQ, beer, chatting and a walk around the complex to stop us getting to cold as the temperature had started to chill a bit.

 The morning followed with the traditional Easthoods breakfast of BBQ sausages and bacon and beans.

 Monday was a lot quieter with very few kits entering the site and quite a lot of kits leaving early for home.

We took a stroll around the trade stands and then just before meeting John waterman and his father we decided to head for home.

The weather was turning for the worst strong winds and very dark clouds.

 I lead out of the show ground and for a few miles.   Soon I was over taken by John’s dad he  lead us for a while until I lost track of him and took the wrong exit at a round a bout.

This is another story but let’s just say we saw a lot more of the motorways around the midlands than we had intended.

The weather on the return trip was not ideal first it would rain and then stop and the sun would shine (to hot to be in a hood fitted with wet weather gear). Just as you think I’ll stop and remove the top back came the rain and so it went.

 20 miles south of Cambridge we came up behind and over took a 7 it is hard to say but it did look like it might be a hood, he joined our convoy and was still with us when Mike and I turned off onto the A11.

 It was great to catch up with some old faces Andy Barbet, Chris Brown, Pete Cherry, Peter Bell & Bill and Joey to name a few.

It was also good to get to know some new faces Steve Allen & Roy Hollingworth.

I was also pleased that Lorraine (Mike’s wife) felt comfortable enough to spend the weekend camping with us. I hope she enjoyed the experience.

 Piddy

 

Those present.

Andy Petrie 2B, Martin Pidd 2B, Fran & Stefan Zbrozek 2B,  Gerry Kemp 2B,  Lorraine & Mike Shearing 2B, Trevor Woodham 2b, Mark Humphries S7, John waterman 2B,Geoff Arscott.Dax Cobra, John’s dad Dutton

Apologises.  Bob Rowell S7,

Total Kit Car show report 1

 

Total kit Car show report 2