Lots and lots of cars from my childhood and my youth - two themes - "next generation" and "emotional connection". Also just how many of the stalls and exhibits were West Midlands based - even 35 years after the collapse of out motor industry there are still companies out there supporting and re-manufacturing our industrial heritage.
Just like orienteering - this has become an old man's event - several exhibitors wondered whether there will be a next generation of enthusiasts and looking at the reasons why a particular model or marque is loved and collected by a particular generation I can see why.
From a practical point of view - you can keep a 1902 motor going indefinitely, 1940s a bit more tricky, 1960s and 70s increasingly difficult and anything post 1990 has a serious expiry date hanging over its head. A 2011 Volvo XC60 is going to be economically unmaintainable well before it reaches its 10th birthday.
I asked each exhibitor "why?"
Because one screeched into the filling station, put £2 of petrol and then burned rubber all the way to the horizon - single most exciting thing my 5 year old brain had ever experienced (1972 Hillman Avenger Tiger - available in banana yellow or flame orange)
I would go to the library to look at "Popular Photography" and other glossy magazines and there was the 5.4 litre Gordon-Keeble.
My Father had one and so did mine (two off Wartburg 353 aka "Farty Hans") - why else would you want a 1966 design, 1988 made, East German car?
Its a DeLorean! (A DeLorean DMC-12 - the wife has one as well)
The Saint's Car (The actual Saint's Car a Volvo P1800 - not just the same model but the one driven by Roger Moore in the TV programme - Jaguar turned them down - fools!)
I did not see ANY UK Made General Motors Cars (Vauxhall) - they were down for Hall 5 but there can't have been many...
Notable sights:
Green and White 1988 Range Rovers - just like I drove for Cadbury in Ghana
A "Janey" lookalike - a 1950's Ford "Pop" - like my Mother drove and eliminated a blackbird with on the way back from church in Alton (strnage what you remember 46 years on); Three gears, no synchro-mesh and windscreen wipers driven from the inlet manifold vacuum (at last a proper explanation as to why they kept speeding up and slowing down - it wasn't "the wind" after all)
A yellow Austin Metro (my first car)
Lots of DeLoreans!
A Veyron
Bubble Cars - I remember there was a Messerschmitt and a BMS that used to travel round Chester in the 1970's
A Raleigh Chopper - I had a Tri-ang but the cool blond boy with the rich parents and all the girls - had a Chopper.
Oldsmobile 88 with a cooler hood ornament than the one in Cuba
Ford Anglia Tail Lights
A Gold Ford Granada - straight out of "The Sweeney"
Just like mine - VNE 247X
This was the WRC Group B version of the Metro (£40K new, £13K after rule changes, £26K to current owner - bit of an issue with Mrs Current Owner)
World rally group B was dropped after several in-competition deaths - the entire passenger + load compartment full of engine gives you an idea just how hot this hatch was.
For Sale - £1.25 million and it is yours (development cost - £5 million each)
A Gordon-Kemble - "Tortoise and the Hare"
Interesting Component
Made an impression on me in the 1960's
The 997 cc Ford Anglia so does not deserve to have a "go faster" rocket fins
Oldsmobile 88 - no functional reason for this but doesn't it look great
And all because...
His Dad designed and built them.
That is all the instrumentation you need unless...
Time travel is your aim
DeLeorean DMC-12 - All that curvy stainless steel - the owner is a martyr to oily fingerprints - everyone has to have a quick touch.
No room at The Grand so a dark, wet and blustery drive down to The Clontarf Castle
Dublin Bay Prawn... Just the one and some tails
That's a 32 euro steak that is!
Staff were very very good indeed but next time I will buy a McDonalds on the way down; €32 for a steak - now seriously - how good would that have to be? The menu should have been a warning "The Aberdeen Angus is a placid breed giving tender, marbled and low stress beef". Steak was OK - nice roast veggies tho'.
Inside it is even better - all fusion Victorian Baronial and Ikea glass and wood
The hotel was full of disgruntled American tourists (undercarriage fault on US Airways, trip tagline
"Experience Dublin like the locals do") - cold, wet, windy and very very expensive!
Clontarf has some very seriously bloody history... poor Brian Boru and what a lot of double crossing!
This is meant to be a year without traveling... this morning my Aer Lingus Gold Card arrived...
Its an Aer Lingus Gold Card! 24 qualifying flights and its yours (though it took a lot of chasing to get it issued - does not happen automatically when you reach the magic number!)
Mint Airways?
According to the handling agent this is providing a leg of the Comtel flight to Amritsar via Vienna. Mint Airways "As of December 2010, the Mint Airways fleet consists of two Boeing 757-200 aircraft with an average age of 17.8 years, which are equipped with 12 business class and 217 economy class seats.". 17.8 years - not good.
There were at least 8 Ryan Air 737s parked up - exciting new destinations? - no just somewhere cheaper to park until the skiing season starts.
Once more to the Seabank:
That is sweet scallops with salty/crisp pancetta - yum yum yum - thought it should be for €12
Fish Pie - all the bits and bobs left over - really very good indeed
Check in at T2 Dublin Airport - In the middle of the evening rush (17:00)
Dublin Terminal 2 is impressive - it is also quiet - check in has two "wings" - there were about 15 passengers in the Aer Lingus side and none at all on this side - just one rather bored "oversize luggage" counter attendant.
I am in Munich; the Viktualienmarkt to be exact and I am on a mission
No - not here - Pfifferlinge - I know what these are. Preiselbeeren? Hmm - look like Lingon - and following research - it turns out that they are
Cristina said "When you are in Munich - you must have Weißbier und Weißwurst in the Viktualienmarkt
...and you must eat them before 12 midday - Weißwurst must be fresh that day. With breakfast being amazingly expensive at the otherwise excellent Hilton Munich City Hotel and now as it is Saturday I am funding myself I walked into the city centre, nerved myself up and in atrocious German* ordered brunch.
So here I am with strong lager hitting an empty stomach (and rapidly bladder), already slightly dizzy with low blood sugar, been walking around for an hour or two and the air temperature is just below freezing... I NEED A LOO! These are in short supply - eventually I find a department store - but the loos are 7 floors up - ooh, ooh, ooh, ahhhhhhh....
*But you should hear the Munich accent - Pretzel is mangled as "brrrittzyl"
Each rider waits his turn and then tries to stay upright as long as possible - chilly water straight from the mountains.
A short Saturday morning walk through the garden reinforces my impression that Munich is very squarely right at the top of the First World - with the UK somewhere about 1.75
In the middle of the park is a Chinese Pagoda - where an oompah band was, fittingly, playing the "Eton Boating Song" ("The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton" - but we did have a bit of help from the Prussians)
We can't afford a tunnel to hide the A303 at Stonehenge - but in Munich they can do new tunnels even for parks
The Deutsches Museum - sure to be earnest and educational "ah yes, it is the world's largest museum of technology and science" (it helps if you read that in the accent and intonation of a slightly tired and emotional Michael Schumacher). It was very good but in some areas - especially the electrical it very much was a historical museum.
Yes indeed - a whole gallery dedicated to "Modern Casting" - here fathers and sons watched in reverent attitude the demonstration and explanatory lecture before proceeding to methodically assess every exhibit "See young Helmut - how lost wax investment casting gives way to the modern continuous mechanism"
I worked on the Concast plant in Redcar back in 1985 - its not that modern - and really just a rip-off from Spira
Now here is something you don't see that often now-a days
Iron lungs were used to get Polio sufferers through the acute stage
There were some impressive aviation galleries at the museum - strangely though the whole 1935 to 1945 period was pretty much missing - shame - but there is an annexe out in the country - perhaps that is where the rest of the collection is displayed.
Strange to be outside the terminal and Munich - the Birmingham flight had 16 people on it - that is why it was so cheap and I could have a day of tourism in Munich and still save the company money.
I'm here to learn about Sanitation (its American for Cleaning stuff and things) and Sanitary Design (which is American for Hygienic Design) and to take the first step on the path to becoming a Certified Sanitarian (which is not the next stop on from Scientology nor anything to do with Dr Who - that is Sontaran). Its a shame that in English-English sanitation and sanitary are forever associated with "poo", sewers and ladies' essentials.
An impressive building
For the record it was cheaper to get from Birmingham to Munich via Dublin - convenient for me as I needed to go to Coolock to crawl around in some equipment. In fact is was cheaper to get from Dublin to Munich than from Birmingham to Dublin.
. We all stayed in the Hilton Munich City - to where I was whisked direct from MUC - on time and in comfort - so very efficient. The hotel is parked right on top of the U-bahn station. Strangely everyone is a foreigner - for my first evening in Munich - I heard no German at all.
I had spotted that the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain* are playing at Princes Hall, Aldershot - not 15 minutes drive from my god daughter's home and nicely close to Heathrow - where I was due to arrive back from Sicily the day before and then some ARDF on the Saturday, again in Aldershot and then a big drive up North for the CompassSportCup in the peak district - all a bit too much for me I am afraid - I was very slow.
*It seems that someone has put their entire back catalogue on YouTube - though if I had not seem then there I would never have gone to see the live - nor bought the CD.
Car still fine - not tickets - I was worried but need not have - I was so tired when I parked up - on the go from 07:00 to 21:00 - including climbing Etna, driving for 8 hours and "the confluence from hell"
My Garmin would have had me head for the coast over twisty roads and a major mountain range - not keen on this, having driven part of the route the night before and with a plane to catch - I asked advice - and was told to drive back for Fiume Freddo and catch the autostrada - good advice - was about 2 hours quicker than the sat nav route/
There is Etna, still puffing away
Hertz were more together for the dropping off - but still the return compound was unmanned
Palermo Airport - It is Italy - of course the catering is good
Bye bye
Still puffing away
Somewhere over the Alps
The sinking feeling - you fly over Heathrow, turn and the keep on turning - I think we were stacked for 5 revolutions - surely it is better to kep us on the ground until there is space...
Not much to say - I work in a Chocolate Factory. Have done for 28 years. I do automation engineering, am a trained chocolate taster (yes they do pay me to do that) and am Information Security Officer for Automation Systems.
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