The Surrey Street Rodders “Wheels Day” show has been on the calendar since Easter 1974, with the first show at South Hill Park in Bracknell, Berkshire. A short time after, (a year or 3 at a guess), it relocated to the cattle market of Slyfield Green Industrial Park in Guildford, Surrey, with Good Friday as show day.
That’s when I first popped along as a spotty/handsome yoof to ogle and dream. Nowadays the show takes over the Rushmoor Arena in Aldershot, Hampshire and uses the recently refurbished Spedeworth stock car track for visitor parking. (yes, stock car racing has returned to Aldershot). Such is the status of the event that those displaying and those visiting cover many miles just to be there, even when the weather’s ‘challenging’.
So, for 2010, the weather unfortunately played its part in shaping the outcome of the event. The day started dry, but then turned into a brolley-destroying wet’un, only to reward those that slugged it out with some sunshine……. Me! I got there when it was dry, put up with the rain for a fair while but have to admit disappeared when the queue of show vehicles leaving became stationary in the field.
The photos hereabouts hopefully show some of the variety of vehicles, but the good thing about MMMotors is the galleries show the perspective from a variety of contributors. I guess we all have our favourite style of vehicle.
One thing I’ve always enjoyed at the custom/rod type of show, (and also my other interest, vintage motorcycles), is the friendliness of the people. A good example of this at Wheels Day was when I was taking the shots of the black Burnham sleds. One of the guys with the cars came over and started to chat to me, showed me under the bonnet of the GMC, offered me a beer, told me some interesting facts etc, etc -he turned out to be Mr Burnham himself -and a thoroughly nice bloke he was too.
So my fave vehicles -well I liked the flat black ’55 Chevy as it’s style reminded me of the star of “Two Lane Blacktop”, (yes, I know the one in the film wasn’t black!!); the Burnham sleds of course, (they just had so much presence); the blue louvered ‘34 coupe; the black 3100 Chevy panel van, (clean, clean, clean).
Oooh there were so many. Mmm, seems I kinda like black!
There were a shed load of ‘stock’ cars from the 70’s & 80’s too, the sort of thing you’d fall over in any car park of the era, but pretty darn rare nowadays.
The scooter enthusiasts had themselves a neat bunch of wheels at the bottom of the arena, with the motorcycles being parked up near the entrance, (my guess was that numbers were a bit low due to the weather).
Thanks to the SSR for all their work in running the event.
-Tony Oily Bike
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well it started good, but the weather decided not to stay that way. We did have a spot of sunshine, but it was just a spot. Saw a few familiar faces. It seemed like it was a UK Ford day -quite a lot of Fords there, including a few Anglia 105E estates. There was a stand full of scooters. Hmm, maybe there could be another MMMotors photo-shoot on the cards! By 12 noon it’d been raining for a while so we sheltered in my mate Rob’s Mk1 Triumph saloon.
Soon we noticed cars were leaving the show site in large numbers. The main culprits were the brand new Mustangs etc, rather than the older cars. They were having to b pushed though the soft, boggy areas of the field, so we decided to leave too, just in case it got worse. Looking out over the show field from on top of the hill on the way out, we could see large gaps in the ranks.
It’s a shame the weather screwed it up. I’d planned to take photos of almost very vehicle there. That must be a relief for Mr Monkey as I only took 300 odd. Learnt my lesson after the camera got damaged by the rain after my last outing that it’s best not to risk it. All in all, a good show with lots of support, cut short by the one thing the organisers have no control over –the good old British weather.
Two years of heavy rain –it’s got to be their turn for some sunshine next year ..hasn’t it?
-Renegade |