LolaVisit-AceCafe-BeaulieuMuseum
Discussion
my last few,
after our tour of the factory finished we were presented with an ample tray of Coffee and Biscuits to consume whilst also drooling over the 3 superb Racing cars on static display in the main lobby, now i don't like coffee and i didn't fancy a biccie, so i grabbed my cam and snapped the only 3 cars in the building we were able to!,
you might just be able to read just behind the cockpit that this was once Nigel Mansells old steed...
this might possbly be a junior Indy or F3 racer perhaps, looked purposeful finished in bare carbon
the one next to it however really caught my eye!,
a '67 IIRC original Indy 500 car, this is how proper racers look IMO
huge firepower sat out the back, a copious collection of intertwined red pipes made up the engines exhaust, it looks like a massive pile of guts almost, with two bazooka like pipes exiting!
i loved how everything mechanical is pretty much all on show with this car too
wouldn't you just love for this to be your office for a few hours on a great track?!
thats what it was all about
again i can't thank Albert enough for organising all this, sooo much good stuff to see and i was only there for a bit of it!
top, top stuff!
hope to be able to tag along with you guys on something similar in the future maybe, who knows, maybe i might even be able to make my own way there!
i look forward to seeing/reading Al's and everybody else's snaps and tales now
after our tour of the factory finished we were presented with an ample tray of Coffee and Biscuits to consume whilst also drooling over the 3 superb Racing cars on static display in the main lobby, now i don't like coffee and i didn't fancy a biccie, so i grabbed my cam and snapped the only 3 cars in the building we were able to!,
you might just be able to read just behind the cockpit that this was once Nigel Mansells old steed...
this might possbly be a junior Indy or F3 racer perhaps, looked purposeful finished in bare carbon
the one next to it however really caught my eye!,
a '67 IIRC original Indy 500 car, this is how proper racers look IMO
huge firepower sat out the back, a copious collection of intertwined red pipes made up the engines exhaust, it looks like a massive pile of guts almost, with two bazooka like pipes exiting!
i loved how everything mechanical is pretty much all on show with this car too
wouldn't you just love for this to be your office for a few hours on a great track?!
thats what it was all about
again i can't thank Albert enough for organising all this, sooo much good stuff to see and i was only there for a bit of it!
top, top stuff!
hope to be able to tag along with you guys on something similar in the future maybe, who knows, maybe i might even be able to make my own way there!
i look forward to seeing/reading Al's and everybody else's snaps and tales now
Edited by Forthright MC on Friday 13th June 21:19
Goodwood action:
Jackie Stewarts car that, borrowed from classicrallies.com:
"Lola’s continued success on American soil helped pave the way for Indianapolis 500 glory. In 1966 Graham Hill became the first Englishman to win the Indianapolis 500 driving the Mecom Lola. However, it was his team mate Jackie Stewart who stole the show, winning ‘Rookie of the Year’ honours after comfortably leading the race by almost two laps, before having to retire. Lola’s love-affair with the Indy 500 continued through to 2006, enjoying numerous race and championship wins with drivers such as Mario Andretti, Al Unser Senior, Mark Donohue, A J Foyt, Rick Mears and Nigel Mansell."
After our extensive factory tour, Glyn grabbed my cam and made an attempt to make a sharpish pic of our posse:
BossCerbera was outside, propably returning calls.
Too late for the teamsnap. Solo with the Stewart car enjoying a biscuit here.
A very nice car that, with appropriate Scottish upholstery. When will our Phil be racing a real Lola?
On our way to St. Neots to get James home - some excellent pics there mate! - we lost Andy due to 4 red lights. Lunch at the main square talking cars and enjoying the outreageous weather. Wayne had a particilar interest in Darabs Flaminia Zagato. It won't be long before that red stunner will be up and running again. So much looking fw to that!
On request: review of Dan's TVR 350i here.
Next: Ace Cafe yum.
Jackie Stewarts car that, borrowed from classicrallies.com:
"Lola’s continued success on American soil helped pave the way for Indianapolis 500 glory. In 1966 Graham Hill became the first Englishman to win the Indianapolis 500 driving the Mecom Lola. However, it was his team mate Jackie Stewart who stole the show, winning ‘Rookie of the Year’ honours after comfortably leading the race by almost two laps, before having to retire. Lola’s love-affair with the Indy 500 continued through to 2006, enjoying numerous race and championship wins with drivers such as Mario Andretti, Al Unser Senior, Mark Donohue, A J Foyt, Rick Mears and Nigel Mansell."
After our extensive factory tour, Glyn grabbed my cam and made an attempt to make a sharpish pic of our posse:
BossCerbera was outside, propably returning calls.
Too late for the teamsnap. Solo with the Stewart car enjoying a biscuit here.
A very nice car that, with appropriate Scottish upholstery. When will our Phil be racing a real Lola?
On our way to St. Neots to get James home - some excellent pics there mate! - we lost Andy due to 4 red lights. Lunch at the main square talking cars and enjoying the outreageous weather. Wayne had a particilar interest in Darabs Flaminia Zagato. It won't be long before that red stunner will be up and running again. So much looking fw to that!
On request: review of Dan's TVR 350i here.
Next: Ace Cafe yum.
Edited by dinkel on Saturday 14th June 17:21
Guys, it was a genuine pleasure to meet all of you. I would love to do something like this again. The Ace Cafe was fun and I am going to keep an eye on the site and see how often I can make my way down there.
I haven't posted on PH for months now, but this is a good start! Great pictures and documentary. Albert and James... thanks for the kind words about my baby Turbo. I'm like a proud Papa. Wish I had had the time to give it a wax. I did today and it looks yum. Then again, these things are meant to be used!
Albert: Thanks for thinking to include me and for the organisation. The Cobra boys are convinced you have a chip in your head that alerts you whenver you get an email!
I haven't posted on PH for months now, but this is a good start! Great pictures and documentary. Albert and James... thanks for the kind words about my baby Turbo. I'm like a proud Papa. Wish I had had the time to give it a wax. I did today and it looks yum. Then again, these things are meant to be used!
Albert: Thanks for thinking to include me and for the organisation. The Cobra boys are convinced you have a chip in your head that alerts you whenver you get an email!
cheers for the info on Jackie Stewarts stunner there Dink, that group shot turned out nice altho' i don't photograph well TBH IMO!...
Darab, nice to meet you too mate, very much liked the 944
only just seen that Transmitter Man posted here too,
to you too good sir, was nice to have a good chat whilst nosing around all that awesome machinery in the service room!
Darab, nice to meet you too mate, very much liked the 944
only just seen that Transmitter Man posted here too,
to you too good sir, was nice to have a good chat whilst nosing around all that awesome machinery in the service room!Edited by Forthright MC on Saturday 14th June 20:27
Cheers Darab, it was a pleasure. We'll meet again for sure. Wayne was quite interested in your Fab Red Zag, make sure you'll drop him a line for him to enjoy this Lancia in a bit bigger format
And for sure we all want to see:http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
After the Lola-visit we found ourselves a sunny spot at the square in St. Neots to have a quick lunch, chat some cars and make a few snaps. Dan brought James home and we convoyed (back) to London to team up at the Ace Cafe. We said goodbye to Wayne and his big Cob, worried a bit about Andy we had lost, I jumped in with John's M3 and away we went. Phil skipped lunch to fetch his DT at his brothers.
Except for TC we all headed for the City in senseable pace . . . I finally had the time to talk with John for a little longer which was good.
I soon found out what an amazingly huge area London is: as big as our Randstad really. Darab chased us and we made sure he stayed on our tail.
Ace Cafe:
Phil Transmitter Man's pride and joy. And what a joy! Great car that. Recently headlight-conversion did the car good. Extra illumination feature when in R - it's a 3-speed auto - made us all grin but it worked. Very well done.
Phils De Tomaso Longchamp GTS is a rarely seen car - only 395 built - and Phil keenly explained to everyone who was asking about this Dinks favourite since I was 10 years old. Oh yes, me had a taste for GTs since when they were produced, since '73 and up till '89. Ghia's Tom Tjaarda designed 2+2 was a coupe version of the Deauville model and had a shorter wheelbase which makes it a very impressive car: 72 inches wide! You may mistake this DT for a Maserati Kyalami where it is based on. The Masser has the 4.7 or 4.9 quadcam in where the GTS has t unbreakeable 351 Cid Ford Cleveland, which gives 330 brake. No worries about performance here. Phil has a 6.6 litre in built and looking at the massive rear wheels I think they will cope with the torque to come! This car is a delight and as I sat myself in the fully leather upholstery I felt the urge to slam the door, turn the key and drive off to bloody wherever.
I must do a full photoshoot when it's all a 100%. Keep me posted Phil.
When I walked around Phils DT I bumped into this stunning four-and-a-quarter litre Bent. Well, 4,257 litres to be exact. Packed in a straight six overhead cam engine with two SU carburetors producing 125 horsepower. Bentley introduced this car in 1936 and untill 1939 1240 examples were produced. The chassis is all steel and inspite of the cars massive appearance it could reach 60 in just 14 secs and tip about a 100. All in proper silence of course. In the office the chauffeur had servo assisted four wheel mechanical brakes at his disposal as well as unusual features like a foot pedal operated centralized lube system, sliding sun roof and shock absorbers with adjustable pressure. The levers for the latter can be seen on the Bents steeringwheel. Magnificent car this and a proud owner.
Another great Brit brand and a proud owner here: Jensen Interceptor. There rolled quite a few of those at the Ace park. This one is a late model as explained by the owner. The FF - Ferguson AWD - had an all vented bonnet where the last series had vents as seen here. I looked it up and much to my surprise this big GT is 200 kgs lighter than the DT, both carrying a Yank V8. A huge 440 Magnum here. Phil and I learned the SP-models - only 232 built - were actually sixpacks, with the higher compression engine and the bigger three twin barrel carbs.
What I like about this car is the bold styled front, just as in the 70s Aston V8.
I am particulary fond of cars that come with big glass on their backs. The 3000M TVRs, the P1800 Volvo estates and the Lamborghini Espada come to mind.
This interior belongs to the Peb Beach concours state early Interceptor which was uber-immaculate.
This had to be the most tidy 383 - or any Yank lump - I've ever seen in my life.
Compared to the Alfa Romeo Giulietta the Jensens are huge.
A very pretty car this, perfect colour.
I learned that the Stag is UKs fav classic car. The 2.5 V8 is often replaced by the easier RV8.
In the Netherlands it's the MGB in various guises you will see the most often.
I found a few out of focus snaps - dunno why - of our posses cars: bugger!
A few of them worked out well: here's Darab's 944 T with Andy's stunning Dax in the background.
Brilliant M3 is just converted to proper 5 speed box. John loves it.
Dan's TVR had a lot of eyes laid on.
More Ace later.
dinkel said:
I bumped into this stunning four-and-a-quarter litre Bent. Well, 4,257 litres to be exact. Packed in a straight six overhead cam engine with two SU carburetors producing 125 horsepower. Bentley introduced this car in 1936 and untill 1939 1240 examples were produced. The chassis is all steel and inspite of the cars massive appearance it could reach 60 in just 14 secs and tip about a 100. All in proper silence of course. In the office the chauffeur had servo assisted four wheel mechanical brakes at his disposal as well as unusual features like a foot pedal operated centralized lube system, sliding sun roof and shock absorbers with adjustable pressure. The levers for the latter can be seen on the Bents steeringwheel. Magnificent car this and a proud owner.
Not quite right there mate.It might be four and a quarter litre, but it's not actually a 'four and a quarter' which is the Derby produced 'Silent Sportscar'. This car is an early Crewe built MKVI with Mulliner coachwork. As you say, it's a 4257cc B60 engine, overhead inlet/side exhaust, rated at 132hp, but it's a post-war car, not pre-war, introduced in 1946 and replaced by the R type (which had a bigger boot) in 1951.
I had a grey one.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Saturday 14th June 21:18
Excellent correction Warren.
What do I know, I just listen to the guys and look things up. You drove stuff like this.
The way it left the Ace - in all silence - left Dan and I speachless: mega impressive car and easily in my evenings top 5.
But now the unavoidable question: where were you? I thought we were going to meet . . .
What do I know, I just listen to the guys and look things up. You drove stuff like this.
The way it left the Ace - in all silence - left Dan and I speachless: mega impressive car and easily in my evenings top 5.
But now the unavoidable question: where were you? I thought we were going to meet . . .
dinkel said:
The way it left the Ace - in all silence -
You want to be under one on a four poster, with the engine running, and all you can hear is the air being moved by the cooling fan, and the oil flowing and circulating around the engine - seriously! The mechanisms that actually move the air and the oil cannot be heard.Some photographs from my end. I just moved to a new digital SLR years after I last had an SLR at all and it is a learning curve indeed!
A lot of the pictures didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped, so I am not going to inflict them upon you.
However, here are the few that turned out ok and a couple of environment shots.
Apologies for the amount of times the red car appears... I am biased.
A lot of the pictures didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped, so I am not going to inflict them upon you.
However, here are the few that turned out ok and a couple of environment shots.
Apologies for the amount of times the red car appears... I am biased.
AdvocatusDiaboli said:
maybe i should have lied on my front a little further back for that snap!.... that shot might come in handy for something actually, mind if i borrow it? loving the Ace snaps thus far, those Interceptors look the business IMO
Edited by Forthright MC on Sunday 15th June 13:57
Transmitter Man said:
Al,
I'm surprised you didn't post more photo's from later that evening at the Ace.
:cough:I'm surprised you didn't post more photo's from later that evening at the Ace.
I can't post all at once now can I? Expect more, 150 snaps to go mate
AdvocatusDiaboli said:
Some photographs from my end:
The Flam is behind that mint 2.5.Funny, Phil and his two mates were discussing the quality of the Danmark 4 litre Jensen showing up. I thought it was brilliant and ran off to the owner to chat. Snaps of that one later.
Oh well, it happends all the time . . . More often lately . . . Alzheimer light I guess. I snapped the Lancia for you
But here's that Healey-Jensen first:
Gorgeous thing. The DK-owner did a grand Europe tour and sat his car here for the night.
Redtagline at just over 4k, must be quite relaxing to drive this.
Jensen Healey probably with the 2 litre Lotus in.
Weather was wonderfull and around 8 the place was packed.
A well sorted Delta joined the classic car club.
When the owner opened the bonnet crowds gathered.
A few Rollers rolled in, nice white vert here.
Adjusting the suspension / damping while driving the Bent: Warren, can you enlighten us please?
For a few pounds the food is a bargain here: and pretty good too! I had a few draught pints and enjoyed them to the max, can't remember the brands though. Thanx Phil for the treat, thanx Dan for the mug - my size of coffee that - and thanx Andy for the XL. Nice Eclat 2.2 here.
At a a glance I thought this was a Buell bike. It whizzed by but I found it parked up the street when Dan, Andy and I went for a stroll to spot all those cars that didn't fit in the packed parking. Awesome bike.
:cough: Lovely! Filters were on the passengerseat.
Big filter is on the 350 Chevy A real crowd pleaser.
More . . .
But here's that Healey-Jensen first:
Gorgeous thing. The DK-owner did a grand Europe tour and sat his car here for the night.
Redtagline at just over 4k, must be quite relaxing to drive this.
Jensen Healey probably with the 2 litre Lotus in.
Weather was wonderfull and around 8 the place was packed.
A well sorted Delta joined the classic car club.
When the owner opened the bonnet crowds gathered.
A few Rollers rolled in, nice white vert here.
Adjusting the suspension / damping while driving the Bent: Warren, can you enlighten us please?
For a few pounds the food is a bargain here: and pretty good too! I had a few draught pints and enjoyed them to the max, can't remember the brands though. Thanx Phil for the treat, thanx Dan for the mug - my size of coffee that - and thanx Andy for the XL. Nice Eclat 2.2 here.
At a a glance I thought this was a Buell bike. It whizzed by but I found it parked up the street when Dan, Andy and I went for a stroll to spot all those cars that didn't fit in the packed parking. Awesome bike.
:cough: Lovely! Filters were on the passengerseat.
Big filter is on the 350 Chevy
A real crowd pleaser.More . . .
Edited by dinkel on Sunday 15th June 19:16
FUBAR said:
I see TC is in his gayer 'T Pot' pose again
Brave of you getting a few digs in whilst you know I was away in Le Mans Fubes, well I'm home now so watch your back sonny. Dink, first chance I have had to post due to aforementioned LM adventure (even saw the Stoat rather randomly at about 11pm in Rouen last night, turns out we picked the same hotel for the return trip) - Anyway, cheers for sorting the factory trip, was a great day, just sorry I wasn't able to get my Cerb along but the exhaust dragging along the road might have slowed me down.... no pics of the mighty Alfa, I am truly shocked
'Tis true, I have been busy watching the racing at Le Mans so haven't had a chance to catch up. TC kindly let me in to the compound at one of the Rouen F1 hotels so we had a brief chance to catch up
Lola was v. cool so a big thanks to Glyn and his colleagues for the tour and to Albert for the invite. Amazing to see the components and cars being constructed. Pretty cool to see some of the end results whizzing around a track too
Nice pics guys and good to see everyone at the factory and the Ace. My favourite car at the Ace was that Danish Jensen. 18 countries in 10 weeks with Ireland still to go. More pics Dink?
Lola was v. cool so a big thanks to Glyn and his colleagues for the tour and to Albert for the invite. Amazing to see the components and cars being constructed. Pretty cool to see some of the end results whizzing around a track too
Nice pics guys and good to see everyone at the factory and the Ace. My favourite car at the Ace was that Danish Jensen. 18 countries in 10 weeks with Ireland still to go. More pics Dink?
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