It was destination Luton for Garlick and I today for a meeting with the guys at Vauxhall. Which was all very nice and grown-up. And then the casual "do you want to come and see the heritage garage?" question as we prepared to leave. Do we ever!
I've visited these kind of places before and they're always fascinating. The Mercedes one is in a warehouse disguised as something far less glamorous in a Stuttgart industrial estate but by heck have they got some cars in there. There's literally a room FULL of 1930s Silver Arrows racing cars, each worth millions. BMW's collection is similarly amazing, containing some weird and wonderful things like that V12 Le Mans engined X5 and gorgeous M cars of all persuasions and vintages.
And these cars are all very well but it's the ordinary ones that really get you gawping. And nobody does ordinary like Vauxhall. But these are the cars that, once part of the backdrop of daily life, have simply vanished. When was the last time you saw a pristine Astra GTE like this?
OK, you might see them from time to time. But these - and the Cavaliers, Omegas, Carltons and Senators - are generally speaking cars people don't bother restoring.
There'll always be folk preserving the exotica. But it's the bog standard, bottom of the range cars plucked off the production line and stored for posterity that make these manufacturer collections truly fascinating.
Of course, there are only so many Cavaliers you can look at. And there's plenty of tasty stuff in the Vauxhall collection too. Like this Monaro VXR500.
I was particularly taken with this Astra GTE too - currently in final prep for a big cavalcade of Vauxhall heritage cars heading to Geneva.
Attendance of which I had to delegate to Riggers, having a pre-existing arrangement. Something I'm now seriously regretting having seen some of the toys he's going to get to play with. Like this Firenza.
Back on the road after an extensive 18-month restoration it's one of around 30 or so left according to our guide. And seeing the pictures of the state it was in when they started work it was barely there at all once all the paint was off it. A miracle it's here at all.
Anyway, a few more random pics for you to enjoy below. And watch this space but there may well be a special chance for PHers to get to see the cars in the metal later on in the year.
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