2010 Event Reports
[ January Pub Meeting ] [ Sudbury Pub Lunch ][ Detling Kit Car Show ][ April Pub Meeting ][ Stoneleigh Kit Car Show ][ May Pub Meeting ]
[ Fish and Chip Run ] [ Tiger Open Day ] [ June Pub Meeting ] [ Newark Kit Car Show ][ Kimbolton Sporting Bears ]
[ July Pub Meeting ]
January Pub Meeting by Giles Cooper
The first pub meeting of the year was a success. As mentioned in emails to the club members we planned on using the meeting to plan the events for 2010. We did manage a few ideas (have a look at the main events page for the results).
There are still a few events that have been mentioned but we haven't had decided wether to run them or not. So if anyone would like to help organise items on the list below please let us know:-
- Skid Pan Day
- Wimpole Hall Rare Breeds Farms
- Santa Pod - Run What ya brung
- Kelvedon Secret Nuclear Bunker
- Raptor Centre, St Ives
Sudbury Pub Lunch by Giles Cooper
We decided to hold a more remote event from the usual Huntingdon pub meeting and asked for suggestions. One of the ones we got was 'There is a nice looking pub between Bury and Sudbury' - a very useful description. Fortunately a new member of the club Mark Pickess lives in Sudbury and when I asked him if the description meant anything to him he recognised it as the Rushbrooke arms.
So that was the venue sorted all we needed was some people to turn up.
After a bit of cajoling we managed to get enough people to commit to the day and then go ahead. So on a slightly damp Saturday I met up with Steve and Paula to go for the drive down to the pub. We went down the A1123 rather than the A14. The drive down was uneventful apart from the state of the roads after the winter - and the circumnavigation of a roundabout due to a sat-nav delay in telling us which exit to use...
Once there we met up with the others who had come:Alan and Eve Whale, Steve Tuck and Paula, Eric Johnston, Dean Adams and Carol, Mark Pickess and Jason (who is building a Robin Hood). We had a very nice meal with good service and good food.
After the meal we had a good examination of the cars. During this Mark found that his clutch cable was on the wrong way round - which might account for the problem with the lack of adjustment he was having, and learnt a few other things about his car.
For some reason we thought it would be best to go back via the A14 - this was a big mistake. There are roadworks outside Huntingdon on the A14 west and we were diverted onto the A428, after two hours we made it to the A1 and then finally home it took me 3 hours to drive 67 miles in total...
It was good to have a meeting and meet some new faces all too often when we have these events the same people always turn up. So come on to the rest of you find a local venue and drop an email to Mike Finch and we will arrange something down your way next time. It was just a pity the weather wasn't quite as good as the previous few days but we can't do anything about that.
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Detling Kit Car Show by Giles Cooper
The Detling show is always a good season opener - and provides everyone with an excuse to get the cars out and take them for a blast. Which is my case is a 270 mile round trip... I had thought we would get a small convoy of about 5 cars together in the end due to circumstances (and the weather) there were only 2 of us but we made fairly good progress down and arrived to almost sunny skies!
So after parking up and chatting to a few people initially we went to have a browse around the stands. My brother was especially taken with the MEV tR1ke which is an exoframed 3 wheeler (see picture below). He thought it was very nice until he found the price £ 4500 for the base kit - without the powdercoating to the chassis, wheels, tyres, gearshift, doner parts etc...
Once we went past that there was a nice looking Cobra by Parallel Designs. This used BMW 5series running gear and had a straight 6 instead of a V8 - fair enough but they then reckoned you could built it for £ 11,000! Maybe you could but I doubt anyone would get it to the same standard as the show-car for much less than £ 15k.
There wasn't really much else new in the display halls, but one that stood out was the sole prototype Gilburn T11, which was 38.5" tall - not surprisingly the owner was under 5'6" any taller and he wouldn't have fitted.
Outside there were some strange trikes, and more unusual cars - during the day some more EATOC members arrived so there were some strange people there as well!
The weather cleared up as well and we ended the day with the sun out to make it warmer so it was a good way to end the day - roll on the next show!
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April Pub Meeting by Giles Cooper
The April pub meeting fell on an evening which was dry, relatively warm and even light until about 8:30 in the evening. In fact it is the first time I have driven the road from the A14 to the pub in daylight. This showed up a few things, one in daylight the road can be taken a lot faster than at night, and two it is so rough that you need to slow down again otherwise you risk damaging the car!
Still, journey down completed and we actually got a fairly good turnout. We had 4 Tigers and a Magic. So a big thanks to Paul Browning, John Holmes, Steve Tuck, Alan and Eve Whale and Simon Bunker for making the journey. The main topic of discussion was as you might expect the upcoming Fish and Chip run which you will find all the details on later in the newsletter.
Hopefully the numbers at the meetings should increase - however it turns out that a motorbike club also meets there on a Tuesday so in the summer it could get very crowded but we shall see what happens.
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Stoneleigh Kit Car Show by Giles Cooper
Stoneleigh, the biggest kit car show in the world (as it is billed). Well this year I don't think it was as big as usual due to the rather poor weather. Actually that is a bit harsh the weather was probably the same as last year's show but the week before we had 20C+ temperatures, clear blue skies and all it did was go back to normal!
I had planned to drive down with Malcolm but unfortunately some family commitments meant that for the first time in 5 years he was unable to make it. So I ended up driving down on my own. Now I drove my usual route (Peterborough, Corby, Market Harborough, A5, M6 etc) and got there in the dry with only a few spots of rain seen. It appears that I was lucky - other club members from St Neots got a good soaking on the A14 as did others on the A47 - so it looks like I hit the clear band between two rain storms!
Anyway enough of the weather what about the show itself. Well I didn't get to see that much of the club stands as I went looking for a pair of seats to replace my existing ones. Steve Tuck was also looking for some and the seating search took an hour. Finally we have both ordered the same type - Intatrim Rangers in completely different colour schemes. Hopefully they will be delivered before the end of the month.
Onto the show itself; there certainly seemed to be a good selection of cars on display, Tiger and Southways (the new owners of the Cat range) had stands opposite each other, so if you turned up at the wrong one they just pointed you across the aisle. I also had a discussion with Southways about what could do with being tweaked to make it easier to build. I don't know if they will take notice but I did try!
Other cars of interest included the relaunched Vortex (Phantom) GTR, it is one of those timeless designs but in the silver that they had chosen to paint it the car looked rather bland. Put it in a darker shade or even two-tone and it would lift it completely.
The other kit launch that caught my eye was the Typhoon Sportscars Valdris for the first time someone has produced a KTM X-Bow replica, the car was only completed on the Saturday morning before the show and was still a bit rough around the edges - you have to get the allen keys out to check the oil. I have to say I had an interest in this as my BMW was in at Typhoon for a replacement door and working on the kit meant the BMW wasn't finished on time!
Another significant car (and one I failed to get a photo of) was the Westfield iRacer. This had to feature the most aerodynamic (and impractical) wheel covers I have ever seen. They hugged the ground and you couldn't even see a fraction of the rubber contained within. Fine on an ultra smooth indoor track but take it on the road and a pebble would cause damage to them.
There were some strange omissions from the accessory stands though. I went (as usual) with a small shopping list and apart from the seats and some tubes of Autosol came away almost empty handed. Nobody was selling boxes of latex gloves - normally you are tripping over suppliers of these at every corner but for once - nothing.
There was one accessory I hadn't planned on getting that I got though - Typhoon were selling oil catch tanks for a good price (£ 30) and although I didn't get one on the Sunday I did ask Niall Turner to pick me one up on the Monday which he did.
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May Pub Meeting by Giles Cooper
A clear dry and warm weekday evening - something has gone wrong with the weather!
Seriously though the weather was perfect and we had a good turnout of cars for the meeting. We even recruited a new member to the club on the night so that was a plus. In total 8 cars made it, 5 Tigers, an Elise and a Magic so not a bad turnout.
There is a slight problem though, throughout the winter we have noticed a few bikers using the pub for a meeting. Well this month they were out in force - it turns out they have a meet every tuesday and in the summer can expect 150+ bikes on an evening. Now the carpark can easily accomodate that number of bikes, but if we have 15+ Tigers (as we have done so in the past) then things are going to get very crowded so there might be changes afoot. Watch this space and the events listing closely.
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Fish and Chip Run by Paul Browning
We arrived early at 'The Crown Inn' to find we were the first there. Eventually Giles Cooper turned up, then Mike Finch in his tintop, but because of problems selling his Tiger he said he wouldn't be joining us on the route but would meet us at Dunwich. Then John Holmes arrived, but unfortunately in his wife's car as he thought the event was on Sunday and had booked the Tiger in for its MOT on Saturday! We then set off.
The weather was really good and the next stop was Fourwentways Services where we were joined by Alan and Eve Whale. The route then took us through Claire and Cavendish and on to Long Melford where we were due to stop on the green. But to my surprise the Fair was in town, this was not really a problem as Eric Johnston, Steve and Cath Valentine who had arrived before us had parked on the opposite green and were now waving frantically having heard us approaching! By now the sun was very hot and we were all glad of a chance to stretch our legs and cool down. When I asked for comments about the route so far Steve queried one particular section of the route from Long Melford to Chelsworth. As he had grown up in Long Melford he knew of a shorter route, so I let him lead us.
All I can say is that this section was very memorable. A short while later Steve's radiator bottom hose clip came loose with obvious consequences, which he fixed and met up with us at Dunwich. We had one final petrol stop before heading off to Dunwich.
Arriving at 12.30, Julie Abel and her family, who had arrived earlier in their tintop, due to the fact that they would not all fit in the Tiger, had managed to save us a couple of tables out in the sunshine.
The other surprise was that Guy Gomes, from Portugal, had seen the flyer for the Fish and Chip run, in the EATOC newsletter and as he was over here had come to meet up with us.
Once we had all enjoyed our Fish and Chips, and some had indulged in ice cream sundaes, we then drifted on to the beach where Mike Finch had already dipped his feet in the sea. After some time socialising and chatting about the Tigers we all headed off, with the sun still shining, about 4pm.
As he was leaving Giles realised that when he had parked his Tiger he had managed to ground the passenger side due to the uneveness of the car park.Luckily no harm was done. This was a great day out thoroughly enjoyed by all.
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Tiger Factory Open Day by Giles Cooper
Well the first thing to write here is - where was everyone? I know this was held on the same weekend as Le Mans but we had decent weather and barely any owners turned up.
Anyway for those that did make the effort to come to the event it was good to see some different faces. We also had some more unusual cars turn up - including the magnificently green Storm. I know you can't tell that from the pictures in the newsletter but have a look at the website where I will assure you the colours have not been enhanced in anyway. The following EATOC members also made it: Myself, Malcolm Brown, Malcolm Keeley, Simon Bunker, Stephen Walsh, Richard and Adam Wilkins.
For Tiger themselves it looked like being a quiet day until near the end. A woman turned up, looked around a couple of cars asked if there was any boot space in the Avon and then walked up to Laura and said "I want a factory built Avon, how much and when can I have it!"
I think Jim and Laura were rather pleased by this! Linda Monk who was the mystery person has now joined the club and will hopefully get her new car in about 10 weeks.
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June Pub Meeting by Giles Cooper
OK for anyone who was confused by the assorted messages going out about last month's pub meeting I will apologise now. Basically items crossed in the post and the wrong destination got sent.
However we got through to some of you and a few cars managed to find the pub. We did end up chasing people round the tiny hamlet of Holywell as they were getting lost (it is only one road but...). So for those of you coming this month please ignore the satnav when entering the hamlet. As you approach the T-Junction turn LEFT and then Right at the end of the road. You will find the pub about 100yds from the corner with a sign announcing the carpark.
Still we managed to get 8 cars to the meeting and have plenty of space for more people to come along. p.s. they also serve good food
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Newark Kit Car Show by Giles Cooper
Newark show, one of the more unusual shows on the calendar. This is mostly due to the fact that it brings the oddball kit owners out of hiding where they don't seem to like coming to the more mainstream events.
From the turnout point of view we got a lot more Tigers on the Sunday (when I went) compared to the Saturday (when Malc went).
There was also a strange new car with the most bizarre sales price method I have seen.
MEV launched the Exocet 'build a kit car for under £ 2000' - or so claimed the advert. However the kit was £ 2500, the donor car estimated at £ 700 (MX-5) and then you sell the unneeded parts from the donor for £ 1200 to get the £ 2000 build cost. Don't know what the rest of you think but that doesn't seem exactly honest marketing to me......
Other highlights included seeing Triking and a few of the more 'unusual' kits. and the Battery vehicle society which I will just leave you to find the pictures for....
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Kimbolton Sporting Bears by Giles Cooper
It was dry and warm – after that shock (have a look at the event reports for previous years on the website to see what we mean) onto the event report...
Yes the day dawned dry and bright and stayed that way – I was the first to arrive closely followed by Mike Finch (Super 6) and Dave Aston in an original Mk1 Escort. Seeing as I now had a group of (un)willing volunteers we got the gazebo and the flag put up so that people could find the parking area.
For the next few hours we gradually had more and more cars arrive until we had 16 EATOC cars and a Caterham that snuck in when we had our back turned.
We also had one new club member join on the day so a welcome to Rob Bryan.
As usual there were all sorts of cars present ranging from the smallest (shortened minis) to huge American cars (with equally large drivers) and most things in between. At midday we held the AGM and you will find the details of that separately.
Finally after everyone had a good time we all went home.
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July Pub Meeting by Giles Cooper
The second pub meeting held at the Old Ferryboat was another success. We had several new members to the club turn up as well as both Tom Ede and Chris Laycock making it to their first EATOC meeting. The main topic of discussion was the forthcoming Derbyshire run with several people putting names down for that – although I am still waiting for a few of these to turn into deposits....
Also I had both Liz Haggie and Eve Whale asking about why we hadn't booked a Christmas Lunch yet... it is only July and I am trying to organise an event in September! Incidentally a date is reserved in the calendar (10th December) for a meal just need the venue to be decided.
We had a good meeting with the following members turning up: Giles Cooper, Paul and Mark Browning, Dave and Jane Sams, Tom and Daniel Ede, Steve Tuck, Simon Bunker, Chris Laycock, Tony and Liz Haggie, and Mervyn Garner.
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