Nick Mason’s Open Day

[DKL]

smokey mow said:

DKL said:

Is there parking on site? It looks really narrow up that tiny road off the A4. Or are they doing something else?

We were there today, what an outstanding collection of cars

Parking is in a big field opposite his house. The roads have a one way system in place using a private road for the exit.

Thanks. Hopefully we'll make it tomorrow

[McGee_22]

Lovely day out - these were my favourite three

250GTO...



Maserati 250F...



and because a friend wrote the book on them, AC Ace Ruddspeed...

[s111dpc]

Agree a great day out and a worthy cause.

[Still Mulling]

I managed to get across for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. Lovely event as always, and a fun chats with a couple of the McLaren owners in the "supercar and classic car" car park. I like that they fine each other for leaving their cars parked with the nose lifts raised!

[DKL]

It was a beautiful day. That gto is quite something and just sitting there, no barriers, nothing.
Loved that the merely interesting cars were tucked away at the back - 928 gts, aston zagato, hot rod 34 ford oh and Mrs Masons 911 targa.
I assume the chopper is his too? It seemed huge for just 6 seats.

[Still Mulling]

Gah, I missed the Zagato this year. Where was it hiding?

[pingu393]

McGee_22 said:

Maserati 250F...

We went yesterday. A lovely day out and lots to see. He has spent my money well .

I can't think of many people who will let the world get so close to something worth £35M.

I was reading on a website that the Maserati is only valued at £42,000. Obviously wrong. Should it be £420,000 or £4,200,000?

[SydneyBridge]

Average value is $3m

[DKL]

Still Mulling said:

Gah, I missed the Zagato this year. Where was it hiding?

Far side of the field with the chopper at the top. Next to a 22b Impreza and the 34 hotrod.

[Still Mulling]

DKL said:

Still Mulling said:

Gah, I missed the Zagato this year. Where was it hiding?

Far side of the field with the chopper at the top. Next to a 22b Impreza and the 34 hotrod.

Don't know how I missed that, unless he moved them around between Saturday and Sunday? I was there on Sunday, taking photos of the Daytona and F40 by the chopper.

[McGee_22]

I came home and did a little reading on 250GTO values - Nick's is a two owner car that came third at Le Mans - so c£100million????

[DKL]

Still Mulling said:

DKL said:

Still Mulling said:

Gah, I missed the Zagato this year. Where was it hiding?

Far side of the field with the chopper at the top. Next to a 22b Impreza and the 34 hotrod.

Don't know how I missed that, unless he moved them around between Saturday and Sunday? I was there on Sunday, taking photos of the Daytona and F40 by the chopper.

As long as you mean this one
https://supercarnostalgia.com/blog/aston-martin-v8...
then turn around from the daytona and it's right in front of you in front of the stalls (on Sunday)

[agent006]

How busy was it on Sunday? We queued in traffic for nearly 30 minutes and gave up at about 11:45 assuming it would be rammed full given the number of cars that were going in vs how small it looked on google satellite view. Vague details on the website as to whether there was food or not led to not wanting to risk an unhappy family.

[McGee_22]

agent006 said:

How busy was it on Sunday? We queued in traffic for nearly 30 minutes and gave up at about 11:45 assuming it would be rammed full given the number of cars that were going in vs how small it looked on google satellite view. Vague details on the website as to whether there was food or not led to not wanting to risk an unhappy family.

I wouldn’t have said hugely busy - I got there at 11 and was perhaps in the first 100 cars in. Spent two hours wandering around and left at 1 - there were still cars coming in then.

[agent006]

Maybe it seemed worse than it was. Their genius move of making all the east approaching traffic go past to the mini roundabout, completely gridlock it and then U turn to come back and turn left into the lane didn't exactly help things.

Is there much garden or is it all about the cars? Suspect 2024 is better as me and dad rather than wife and toddler.

[DKL]

We arrived at about1pm and drove straight in. The parking field for the riffraff was huge although plenty of interesting stuff made it there rather than the classic car park just behind the house. There was a lovely red Lotus Emira opposite us, 911 carrera cab, 240z etc
We then walked for 5 mins to the house. We left about 3.30 an were advised to delay for 15mins or so as there was a queue to get out. We did that and then wandered back and got out without issue.
There were food stalls and a couple of Champagne if you were that way inclined. Lots of stalls and a kids area with bouncy castle and slide. For parents there, whilst they did charge they were pretty relaxed with the timings. Mine had a good 15mins playing and bouncing.
There was a horse, 2 donkeys and 3 large pigs, oh and some chickens.
The walled kitchen garden was rather nice but actually a lack of formal gardens for a house that size, if that's your thing.

[2 GKC]

agent006 said:

Maybe it seemed worse than it was. Their genius move of making all the east approaching traffic go past to the mini roundabout, completely gridlock it and then U turn to come back and turn left into the lane didn't exactly help things.

Is there much garden or is it all about the cars? Suspect 2024 is better as me and dad rather than wife and toddler.

It’s more about the cars and stalls than the garden. There’s a lot of land, not much “garden”

[Still Mulling]

DKL said:

As long as you mean this one
https://supercarnostalgia.com/blog/aston-martin-v8...
then turn around from the daytona and it's right in front of you in front of the stalls (on Sunday)

I think that's the only stretch we didn't walk along, so that explains it! We turned right at the F40, past the tennis courts, E-Type, 928, and Alpine.

[Still Mulling]

DKL said:

We arrived at about1pm and drove straight in. The parking field for the riffraff was huge although plenty of interesting stuff made it there rather than the classic car park just behind the house. There was a lovely red Lotus Emira opposite us, 911 carrera cab, 240z etc
We then walked for 5 mins to the house. We left about 3.30 an were advised to delay for 15mins or so as there was a queue to get out. We did that and then wandered back and got out without issue.
There were food stalls and a couple of Champagne if you were that way inclined. Lots of stalls and a kids area with bouncy castle and slide. For parents there, whilst they did charge they were pretty relaxed with the timings. Mine had a good 15mins playing and bouncing.
There was a horse, 2 donkeys and 3 large pigs, oh and some chickens.
The walled kitchen garden was rather nice but actually a lack of formal gardens for a house that size, if that's your thing.

I think I must have been there at exactly the same time as you!

Rather than traditional flowery gardens, the grounds seems to major on trees and walkways. A few years ago we could go over the bridge at the lake and wander around and picnic in the wooded area that backed onto the Jaguar OC display. Lots of other long wooded walkways and foot-pathed fields on the property, from what I could tell.

[pingu393]

We thought we would be clever and take an earlier turning. It just ended up going in a loop and coming back to the A4.

Saving grace was that we saw a Ferrari at the traffic lights crossroads. My wife asked if it was Nick. I thought it looked more like Dave Gilmour. I've checked the vrn (2NPF) and it comes back as a white Jaguar.