Manky Monkey Motors

From the Brooklands website:

Sunday, January 1, 2012

All classic, vintage and veteran cars, motor cycles and commercial vehicles are welcome for possibly the largest New Year’s Day gathering in the South East!  Entry is via the Campbell Gate off Brooklands Road for pre-1973 vehicles, whose occupants will receive a discount of £1 off our usual admission prices - parking in and around the Paddock, on the Finishing Straight and Members’ Banking for these vehicles. Pre-booking for car clubs is available by contacting Donna Hopton - details below.

As an added attraction this year the cars taking part in the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally will be scrutineered at the Museum during the day before being flagged off at 4pm - see the separate event entry for more details.

Open from 10am - 4pm, normal Museum admission prices apply for those in non-classic vehicles.

For those just turning up to look at this wonderful display, as well as the rest of the Museum and its exhibits, there will be parking in The Heights off Wellington Way.
The bar and restaurants will be open for our traditional turkey-free New Year’s Day lunches and snacks.

Contact: Donna Hopton  events@brooklandsmuseum.com  01932 857381 ext 253


http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/index.php?/events/details/new-years-day-gathering1/

2012, New Year's Day, and Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey has its annual vehicle gathering.
This year, maybe because of the warm weather, there were noticeably more vehicles and spectators, and a larger number of customs/rods.

One thing that bugged me, was the amount of 'modern' machinery that was parked up, bearing in mind the event was advertised as "pre '73".
Maybe the MG car club and Mercedes clubs had dispensation, but a Nova, an X reg kit car, modern D reg moped.......... grrrrrrr

Here's a few shots to give a flavour of what was happening.

Thunderbird, 1966 ish ?

Tidy T

By the sheds

Rather loverlee Bentleys

Glorious............

Bentley at the BARC (British Automobile Racing Club) clubhouse

Replica of the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon winning Hillman (originally driven by Andrew Cowan, Colin Malkin and Brian Coyle)

As far as I can tell, the owners of this replica did a charity run along the lines of the rally, see link
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/15583945


To celebrate the 1968 victory, the Rootes Groupe (who owned Hillman, Sunbeam, Singer etc), launched the "Hillman GT" (the precursor to the Hunter GT).... and why am I sad enough to know this, cos as a schoolboy I followed the rally, read the book and persuaded my father to buy himself a second hand metallic Tangerine (this was the '70's!) Hillman GT, which I bought off him when I was old enough.

Austin Healey 3000 (with it's buddies)

Sunbeam Tiger with the clubhouse in the background

An E-Type or 5 (XK 120 or 150 at the end).

There's also a couple of Barnes Wallaces bombs in shot, well, this is Brooklands

Reliant of the four wheel variety, this one's an SE4 (the saloon before the first GTE, the SE5)

One and a half moggy minors. (the big new building in the background is a bus museum, ahem!)

Very tidy MkI escort (with 1/4 bumpers)

Looks like the mayor of London may have come along in his Jag

View from part of the race track's original banking

Very tidy MkI RS2000. One hell of a car in it's day.

Another MkI looking very purposeful. The idea of the matt black bonnet was two fold: the get rid of some heat, and to prevent reflection from the sun.

Anglia that looks like its been suitably breathed on. Like it!

Check out the angle of that banking!!!!

Zodiac

Bit of a rare one this, its a Marcos Mantis.

Ye olde Post Office van.

I don't know what this one is................  2012-01-08: Reckon its a circa 1937 Lancia Aprilia (maybe..........)

Open wheel motoring

It's not only land vehicles at Brooklands

.. and not many New Year's Day gatherings have a Concorde laying about the place...........

Great photos Tony.
I'd be a little worried about some of those oldies up on the bank -if a handbrake failed they'd roll headlong into the cars opposite!
The Bentley tourers must surely be the most beautiful classics around.

Couple of the cars had a brick/caravan-wheel-chock to "assist" in the non-movement stakes, and hopefully were in low gear too.....

The Bentleys are just something else..............

Some old footage of the track in use
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=7624


and Bentleys in action (wining Le Mnas 1928)
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=16334
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=3354

Nah it was to make it go faster!

We had one to go with the go-faster gold stripe along the side of our rally-prepped MkI Cortina!

 ;D
Great Bentley footage -shame there's no audio -must've sounded glorious!