Retro Show 2008 Report - Saturday 5th July 2008

Never believe what the weatherman has to say about the climactic conditions at Santa Pod. That is the lesson we learnt from the Retro Show. In the run up to the big day, (5th July 2008) reports were that we’d be washed away, and it was true that the day started off wet. But by 10am, the clouds had started to break and the sun started to dry the track. By mid day it was hot and sunny, and the Retro Show was in full flow!

For a one-day event, the Retro Show has a real festival feel, with everyone from rival clubs and scenes being united by the love of retro motoring. As per 2007, there were some real random machines adding colour to the backdrop of beautifully presented classics and rough ‘n’ rusty retros. From historic go karts and whacky hill-climbers, to matt-black Rollers and pin-sharp Abarth Fiats, no one was passing judgment on what you turned up with, they were just soaking up the variety. In with the cars there was more than a handful of mod-tastic scooters and roaring bikes that fogged the track with tyre smoke and the exotic, forbidden aroma of 2-stroke. This is what it’s all about, and the dragstrip at Santa Pod gave them all the chance to play on a level field.

The Run What Ya Brung competition was running until 4pm with new classes for 2008, and the top cars and bikes from the day were:

Class A – Under 2,000cc without Turbo/Nitrous Paul Callendar VW Golf Mk1 14.42s @ 94.41mph

Class B – Over 2,000cc without Turbo/Nitrous Steve Conner Austin A60 12.21s @ 98.3mph

Class C – Under 2,000 with Turbo/Nitrous D Faulkner Triumph Toledo 11.71s @ 122.46mph

Class D – Over 2,000cc with Turbo/Nitrous Lee Denham Ford Capri Ghia 10.38s @ 136.05mph

Class E – Motorcycles & Scooters under 200cc Jason Musgrove Lambretta GP 19.42s @ 64.23mph

Class F – Motorcycles and Scooters over 200cc Mark Ricketts Suzuki GSXR1100 9.70s @ 152.03

Class X – Non Road Legal Simon Rickwood Chevrolet Nova 11.83s @ 113.24mph

Find out how well you did on the 2008 RWYB Times pages.

For those that liked more leisurely motoring pursuits, the Auto Glym Show & Shine was a great place to hang out and show off your retro metal. The paddock was packed by the time judging started at midday, and true to the cliché, picking winners was a very tough task. But the following vehicles shined through:

Best Pre 70’s - Phil Lyall - Mercury Cougar 1968 This huge black beast was totally straight, clean, and as menacing as it was 40 years ago.

Best 70’s – Andy Ison – BMW 3.0CSL 1973 If Bananaman could drive, this is what he’d choose: a bright yellow beauty with superhero bodykit and loads of retro race details.

Best 80’s & Best Engine Simon Alexander – Honda Prelude 1981 Looking even better than it did when it was first launched, this stunning concours resto stole the attention away from far more exotic machines.

Best Original – Elaine Pidgeon – VW Type 3 Fastback 1971 A lovely original car that had aged very sympathetically, topped off with some retro accessories.

Best Modified / Best 2 Wheeler Terry Handlet – Mini Minus 1977 A wicked little blue bombshell that had well-executed muscular mods that really suited the mini style and on the back of the Mini was a matching Vespa on a custom trailer, making a great combo.

Best Modern Retro – Chris “Funkmaster” Redford – New Beetle 2001 With a split-window rear and tonnes of more subtle retro touches, this Beetle was a beautifully executed caricature of the original 50’s wagen.

Over on the Autotest/Handling Track, there was a theme forming: The smaller the wheels, the quicker the time! This track was laid out to punish big cars and to allow the little ‘uns that might struggle on the dragstrip a sporting chance of winning something through pure agility. The course included two slaloms, three super-sharp corners and a reverse-precision-park. Topping the tables at the end of the day was the well-presented and super-nippy Mini Van belonging to Chris Whight who was simply unstoppable in the slaloms. The big ol’ barges simply stood no chance. Thanks to everyone who took part, we hope you had fun even if you didn’t win. Full leaderboard on the Autotest Page.

Thanks also to all the clubs that came along to support the event. You put on a great show and we hope you all had a good day.

Retro Rides took the best club display trophy for their wonderfully varied stand, the members from which also got involved in every aspect of the show.

The clubs that attended retro Show 2008 were:

Thanks again to everyone who braved the weather reports and came along to support another great Retro Show! See you soon.

View photos from Retro Show 2008 on the Photo gallery page.