AOVC CLASSIC SHOW, BALLYMENA SHOW GROUNDS - 25TH JUNE 2011

This was our first time taking the SD1 to the AOVC Classic Show in Ballymena Show Grounds.  As in previous years the Classic Rover Club (NI) had pre-booked a club stand. 

We knew we had to be at this show before 10.00am to be entitled to the complimentary breakfast.   Our youngest son who was coming with us was slow about getting ready, meaning that we left home later than we had planned, resigned to the fact that we were going to miss out on our freebie.  However, light traffic and an uneventful journey meant that we arrived at the show grounds a few minutes before 10.00am.  We were given a programme and 2 vouchers for breakfast; we were told to park up and make our way to the canteen as quickly as possible because breakfasts were finishing soon.  We made our way to the club stand; there were 3 cars (2 P6’s and a P5 B) already parked up but no sign of the owners. 

We parked up beside the P6B and made our way to the canteen expecting to find the other members there, but there was no sign of them.  We joined the long queue waiting to be served, eventually we received our fry’s which we thoroughly enjoyed – a great way to kick-start the day.

With our bellies filled we decided that the first thing on the agenda was a walk around the Bric-a-brac stalls.   To be honest given the size of the venue and the number of cars on display I thought there would have been a lot more stalls.   We meet up with the other members amongst the stalls.  They were looking for a toy rat – earlier, before we arrived someone they knew had had a nasty meeting with a rat, where the rat ran up his trouser leg. Having checked out the stalls and without buying a thing we headed back to the club stand where the Club banner was erected.   Then one off the members decided it was time for a coffee, we went with him to the canteen and sat chatting for a while before going out into the grandstand to watch the remote control airplane display. 

When the display was over we made our way back outside to view the cars that were on display.  The next picture shows a small number of the cars on display taken from the viewing gallery.

Once outside we decided to take a walk around the cars in the general area (cars that weren’t part of club stands). 

The first car that caught our eye was a Rover SD1 Series One 3500, we got chatting to the owner and her husband.   My husband was in his element getting to talk to another SD1 enthusiast.  

Walking around the general area, I got separated from the 2 men but carried on with viewing the vehicles on display by myself.  Being on my own I was able to stop and view and photograph the cars that were of interest to ME.  I also bumped into one of the members of the Rover 75 and MG ZT Club, who was there as a spectator.  

The following pictures are of cars that caught my eye in the general area 

MUSTANG

JAGUAR

FORD ANGLIA

MINI MOKE

MINI

MILITARY VEHICLES

Making my way around the club stands, I stopped to drool over a MG Y Type, the Volkswagen Beetles and the Austin Healy Sprites (Frog eyed Sprites.)  Although, I love our SD1 I lust after a Beetle or a Frog Eye, I just can’t walk past them.

MG 'Y' TYPE

MG CLUB STAND

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLES

HEALY SPRITE

The other club stands that caught my eye were the Morris Minor Club and the Jaguar Club

THE MORRIS MINOR CLUB STAND

JAGUAR CLUB STAND

This 1931 MG 'M' Type also caught my eye.  It is undergoing a full restoration, has been fitted with a 1939 Ford 10h.p. Sidevalve engine with Aquaplane modifications.  Once restored it will be used in trails and general competitions.

1931 MG 'M' Type

By the time I arrived back at the Rover Club Stand one of the members  of the Classic Rover Club (NI) was being interviewed for a video.  He had worked up an appetite and a few others were ready to eat again - time to break open the cool bags.   As I prepared our lunch another member of the Rover 75 & MG ZT Club joined us and another Rover (P5 B) arrived on the stand.  This brought the total number of cars on our stand to 6. 

CLASSIC ROVER CLUB (NI) CLUB STAND

It started to rain round 3pm, a few of the club members decided to hit the canteen for scones and tea/coffee and I opted to join them to get out of the rain.  We then went out to the grandstand to watch the driving skills demonstration.  

When this demonstration was over we made our way back to the club stand, where we chatted until it was time to collect the finishers’ award – a Sealey screwdriver set embellished with the AOVC logo and the Ballymena Council logo.

Awards collected, some off the members decided to call it a day and set off for home.  We let the field clear a bit before leaving.  We took 2 of the members of the Rover 75 & MG club members for a spin in our SD1 around Ballymena before heading off to see one of their MG, that has been fitted with a replacement engine and is waiting to have a bit of body work done.

A super show with lots of events going on to keep the whole family entertained.  The only fault that I found was that there wasn’t a timetable listing the times that events/demonstrations were taking place, due to this we missed out on some of them.

Although the sun didn’t shine and there was couple of light showers we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.