23 replies to this topic

[Matt.P]

I'll try my hardest not to turn this into a rant, but, one thing that I find irritating is the number of classic cars, not just minis that turn up at shows in trailers. This may be a fairly obvious response to this but, cars are meant to be driven, they have engines and petrol and four wheels, so why is it becoming commonplace to see vast amounts of show winning cars being whisked away into their trailers being towed home by nothing more interesting than a modern estate

I know that some classic car scenes do not allow cars to be trailered to shows if they are competing in concours, and surely this must be the best way to judge the competition fairly.

I enjoy visiting classic car shows, and find that the best times are at the beginning and the end. Why? Because that is when the cars come and go, the smell of petrol - and quite often burning oil - flooding the air and the melancholic put put put of the engines. But this seems to be dampened by the number of cars retreating to their trailers at the end of a show, with some cars being pushed into the trailer, not even driven in.

I can understand that people want to look after their cars, and let's be honest with eachother here, who doesn't, but please, part of the thrill of seeing the cars, is not just looking, it's knowing what the little engine under the bonnett is capable of, how it smells, how it sounds.

What do you think?

[redhotmini]

i hate that as well, though I can understand why they have been trailered there, if i went to a show 200 miles away, and had say a mint, factory original 1930's bugatti i wouldnt want to risk driving it that far - some of the cars at the shows are irreplaceable.

[huntface]

Yep, completely agree.

Years ago as a small boy I used to get dragged to TR shows with my parents.

Its stuck in my mind ever since, there was a brown Tr7 fixed head that would pitch up at every show on the back of a trailer, get wheeled off and win the concours. It didn't have a speck of dirt on it or an oil patch or anything anywhere on the car.

But even at the tender age of 10 or 11 I thought "What's the point?"

I can't imagine spending all that time and money on a car (in this case, not that an interesting or at the time rare car) and then not drive it.

[Kam]

Ah yes Trailor queens I think there called

Saw a few at southern mini days at the weekend, theres no way some there were driven then competing in show n shine all spick n span

I like to see a nice mini, but I also like to see a driven one

[Pooky]

I completely agree but surely it'd be hard to police it. The owners could just take it off the trailer round the corner and drive into the show. At L2B the cars mileages are checked at Crystal Palace and Brighton so they do have to be driven that distance at least.

[Ethel]

You might be overlooking that, in order to drive to an event, you need insurance, an MoT and a Tax disc an expense that might not be justifiable to some for the sake of attending a handful of shows. Better that we get to see these vehicles at all than have their owners keep them mournfully languishing alone in a dark garage

[Matt.P]

i hate that as well, though I can understand why they have been trailered there, if i went to a show 200 miles away, and had say a mint, factory original 1930's bugatti i wouldnt want to risk driving it that far - some of the cars at the shows are irreplaceable.

I can understand cars like that being trailered, even so, I'd still prefer to see it driven there, there's a chap lives near me who owns an Austin 7 and a Morris Cowely bullnose, and each of them has travelled down to france for a holiday, I know these are two a penny to cars like the bugatti, but it shows that old cars are still capable of going the distance.

I think the best way to police the concours events would be to note the adresses of competitors and calculate the mileage from their house/lock-up to the show, this way, you're certain that the car has been driven there. Or, if they are staying at a hotel or a friends house near the show, they would require a letter to confirm that the car was driven from this alternate location - mind you, this would lead to acusations of "big brother" and "1984" rearing it's ugly head and civilisation coming to an end, still, at least it would give newcomers to the show scene a chance.

[Matt.P]

You might be overlooking that, in order to drive to an event, you need insurance, an MoT and a Tax disc an expense that might not be justifiable to some for the sake of attending a handful of shows. Better that we get to see these vehicles at all than have their owners keep them mournfully languishing alone in a dark garage

we've sometimes questioned the point of owning a classic car in our house, especially with our troublesome Mk2, but everywhere we go, people wave and smile, we even had a motorcyclist give us the thumbs up.

Sure, we'd like to see the cars when a car is no longer used as such, it is simply an ornament, if I want to see a car laid to rest in peace, i'll visit a scrapyard or for better kept (to say the least) classics, i'll visit the many museums.

[Kam]

You might be overlooking that, in order to drive to an event, you need insurance, an MoT and a Tax disc an expense that might not be justifiable to some for the sake of attending a handful of shows. Better that we get to see these vehicles at all than have their owners keep them mournfully languishing alone in a dark garage

If these are trailoring to a show to show others then fair play, thats why they make the effort?

If these are trailoring to a show to appear in show n shine spotless and undriven, then well.....

[xBR4DLEY]

Maybe to keep the mileage down but then again whats the point?
And maybe they dont want to pay tax or insurance so then cant drive it but don't know if anyone would do that.

[mab01uk]

At shows like Beaulieu many of the trailered Minis are often Ex-Works rally cars, etc and although rosd legal are not really suitable for driving a long journey by road or in traffic. Also some owners of Minis are travelling say south to shows like Beaulieu several hundred miles from some where in the far north of England or even Scotland. Without traillering them down they would not be seen other than at their local shows. Finally some of us are getting too old to travel long distances in Minis which we would of done in our youth! I have driven 100's of thousands of miles in Minis over the years including many holidays to the South of France, Italy and Spain, still do in more modern cars, but unfortunately I have to admit my limit of endurance in my classic Mini to the noise and hard suspension is much less than it once was, especially as most trips to shows involve long stretches of boring straight motorway, hardly enjoyable roads for Mini driving!

[Kam]

If people are restoring or making it look shiny to show others then they can afford the tax ins mot etc etc it aint cheap to do either? If they choose to trailor to keep it clean as possible just to SnS it then its a thumbs down from me

I aint having a rant, like the OP said its just irritating when people there are trying to make a proper effort - this is relating to the SnS by the way. Maybe there should be a SnS your trailor that bought your mini there?

As for 'policing it' forget it, wont happen, would be silly anyway,

I am chilled by the way my sem-eye rant is based towards those that trailor for SnS

I know the OP said about trailoring but if anyone has a nice mini that was trailored there they wish to show to others which is not in SnS I'll be there taking pics myself, you lot get the thumbs up!

[mini_gurl84]

TRAILER QUEENS!

[MiniMonty]

It's one man and his dog compared to crufts.
I love to see a pair of sheepdogs working out on the hills.
I don't like pedigree weird hounds with names longer than the directions to a Welsh village.

Maybe shows could adapt to have two sections for "trailer queens" and "cars in combat" because it bugs me too.
Maybe the trailer queens could be "for exhibition only" and not be allowed to enter the show and shine. We'd all enjoy
seeing them just as much but I think we'd all see it as a bit fairer to Joe Bloggs who puts all that effort into a car that is still,
first and foremost - a car.

When I first moved out of London to the misty freezing Midlands I went to a meeting in a pub of a local mini club and mine was the only mini in
the car park. When I brought this up I was met with some amazement "our cars are too good to drive - we just take them to shows".
Too Good To Drive ? It's a car... I didn't go back for another meet because once a car is no longer driven it's just an ornament, a work of industrial
art maybe but no longer really a car.

I once saw a 1957 Mercedes Gullwing at a show at the Hurlingham club in Fulham. It was stunning. Breathtaking. It had 350 on the clock from new
and my overwhelming feeling was "what a horrible shame"! Someone (me, let it be me) could have really enjoyed that car for years and years and
used it for what it was intended to do - bang about the place causing pleasure and excitement and I'm sure it's creators and designers would
turn in their graves knowing it - or many cars like it - had just been stored away to turn up at car shows fifty years later on trailers. (or in this case
it's own racing car box thing).

I have to conclude that if you think your car is "too good to drive" then you have lost your real enthusiasm for the marque (whichever one) and fallen into another
world where having the shiniest chrome and cleanest carpet is more important. I'll never get there - I like roundabouts too much

And if anyone has a mint Gullwing in need of a trip around Europe let me know.
You'd just have to keep parking and getting in and out wouldn't you? Or does that make me a door queen?

Best wishes
Monty

[mini_stella]

to be honest, I would like to enter my little pride and joy into S'n'S once he is finished, but I dont think I ever will mainly due to the fact that I KNOW that I wouldn't have a chance due to the trailer bunnies (Queens to some here) that show up.

Dont get me wrong, I do like looking at them, but I just wish that S'n'S was a bit fairer to some one like me whos mini is their daily drive as well as their pride and joy!!! besides, no matter how much time is put into the trailer bunnies, I still think its more impressive to see a sparkling daily drive, but thats just my opinion