Manky Monkey Motors

Autotron exhibition halls, Rosmalen, Holland.
15th & 16th of November, 2014.

Have fun guys. ;D
PS Don't forget- LOTS OF PICS.

 :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( have a blast guy's  :'( :'( :'(

  :) won't be quite the same going in a Fiesta instead of the Pop this year, but still looking forward to it.
Mr Loon & I are meeting a dozen mates in a pub near the docks at Harwich tomorrow evening. We're sailing to Rotterdam where we take a short diversion to Simonshaven, to meet up with the guys from the Polished Pistons car club, then we'll drive to the show at Rosmalen with them.
With luck we'll be home by midnight on Monday.

Have fun!  Diasappointing not going in the Pop but it could have been a bit dodgy if you'd only just got it going but not fully tested so at least you won't have that to worry about!

Very true. We'll also have a heater, radio, decent luggage space, power steering, quiet engine, good fuel economy ...oh, & no holes in the roof this time either!

On the ferry, heading home again after another great weekend with the European guys. Dale, from Lincolnshire, sold his truck while we were there, so just as well I took the Fiesta as I had to drive 4 of us, plus luggage, back to Rotterdam.
6 hours on the ferry now, which is the most boring journey in the World, followed by another 3 hour drive to get home. Photos tomorrow.
Yup, we'll be back again next year.  :)

Well, not a lot to add really. The same trip as last year to the same show in the same venue, but with a slightly different cast of British hotrodders. As last year, we had a blast, meeting up with the incredibly hospitable Dutch guys & spending the weekend surrounded by the coolest cars, bikes & people in Europe.
Mr Loon & I drove up to Harwich, near Great Yarmouth, on Thursday evening to catch the 11.30 ferry over to the Hook of Holland. We're rubbish at this long distance time keeping thing so, like last year, arrived several hours early. We'd arranged to meet up with our fellow Brits in a Brewers Fayre pub just outside the docks.

Dale & Tim in Dale's big green Ford truck,
Ian, Chris & Simon in Ian's red "Shoebox" Ford sedan,
Lucy & Mark in their brown model A Ford roadster pick-up
and Adey & Heather in Adey's blue model A Ford roadster pick-up.

I'd been quite happy driving my little Fiesta as we cruised around the M25 & up the A12, but must admit it wasn't quite the same tagging along behind the customs & seeing how much attention they got everywhere we went. Because it's a night crossing, Stennaline insist you book a cabin for the journey. So after a drink & a chat we retired to our rooms. Loon & I were sharing & our cabin turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. I ended up with the top bunk, with my nose just 2 feet from the ceiling, but had managed to fall into a deep & comfy sleep -until the tannoy right next to my ear barked into life with our 6.30am wake-up call & I leapt up & smashed my head on the ceiling.
We gathered in the lounge, then made our way down to the vehicle deck & soon we were on our way, out of the port & onto the Rotterdam ringroad. At least it was daylight this time, instead of getting lost in the dark as we did last year.
Some of the Dutch guys have joined the British "Jesters" car club, which Dale & Tim belong to, so they'd arranged to meet up with them to cruise to the show hall together.

Stopping for essential beer supplies along the way. I don't drink, but the rest of 'em more than made up for that & almost cleared the local supermarket's stock. 200 bottles -will that be enough? It's enough for now. We can always buy more later.
Rinus De Jong's heavily patina'd Mercury in front of the Brits.

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We arrived at the Autotron exhibition halls in Rosmalen around lunchtime. With no truck to display, I had time to wander around, take a few fuzzy photos of other people setting up & generally get in the way. The Europeans are heavily into car clubs & they'd really put some effort into trying to out-do each other's stands. Although they really live the lifestyle, rather than just playing at it at weekends, the rivalry's very good natured. There were clubs from all over Europe. Adey, Lucy & mark belong to the Executioners, based around London, so set themselves up separately from the Jesters.

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COE, (cab over engine), truck was enormous but pretty cool.

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As we kept saying, if this had been Britain, there would've been people marching about with clipboards & tickets & lists, marshalling everyone into pre-allotted spaces. Thankfully the Dutch are way more laid back though & everyone was pretty much left to decide where they wanted to go & how big or small a display they wanted themselves. This year there was a "low brow" art exhibition set up on the upstairs balcony. Next year the organisers, Henry & Christa, plan to move the traders up there too as they're expecting the number of show vehicles to increase.

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The newly appointed Dutch Jesters contingent had really done themselves proud, producing this impressive towering Vegas style sign, complete with remote controlled flashing illumination.

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Left to right- Adey, Lucy, Heather & Chris.
Adey owns Buckland Automotive ltd.

Mark & Lucy own his old shop truck.

Lucy & Mark of the Executioners.

Heavily patina'd Mercury.     Does that mean its Rusty. :D :D

Yeah, but it's rust with s-t-y-l-e!

Fabulous Mercury "led sled" with matching Harley.

The lighting in the custom hall's quite soft -which makes it a bugger to photograph anything. Lots of slightly fuzzy pics I'm afraid.
Harry's bike. Loved it, even though I'm not quite sure what it is.

Fancy a brand new '32?
Or a new quick change rear axle, yours for 3,650 Euros from LillyPad Hotrods, Holland.

I'm sure somebody will tell us what it is.

 :)
Smooth roof chopped Chevy's fresh out this year. Loon thinks it needs 4 or 5" of lowering, but I love it just as it is. Reminds me of old Bentley fastbacks.

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The Europeans are very big on kustoms -with a K. Big 40s/50s sedans with acres of paint & chrome. Cruising low, slow & stylish is what it's all about. With their more complex registration procedures, a modified classic's much easier to put on the road than a fresh built hotrod.

Metallic grey with pink lace patterned roof.

Or satin white with gloss white flames?

And trucks. They like trucks.

And hearses.

Huge trailer held a ...nope. '32 roadster.

One of 3 VWs that ended up in the entrance foyer, causing much derisory comment from the hotrodding crowd.

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About half the vehicles on show, like this French registered grey model A Ford coupe, were here last year, but there was an equal number of new machines, like this flamed Chevy station wagon.

With the vehicles in place we headed for our accommodation to unpack & wind down. The Autotron complex is part of a family holiday park, kinda like Centre Parcs. Lots of pine lodges dotted around woodland & lakes. We'd rented 2 6 berth cabins, which had 3 bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, bathroom, cable TV & even a built in sauna! Dale, Tim, Simon, Loon & I took one, while Adey. Heather, Mark, Lucy, Ian & Chris took the other.
Having refreshed ourselves we met up at the restaurant for a long laid back meal before retiring for the evening.
Mr Loonatic acquaints himself with some of the petting zoo's residents.

Because we'd been to the show last year & knew the general layout & routine & because we didn't have a car on show, Loon & I took it easy on the Saturday morning, wandering down to the halls around lunchtime. We hadn't walked far when some of our Dutch compadres pulled up & gave us a lift.

Nope, no idea why.

Absolutely no idea why -aluminium & Perspex re-bodied Citroen 2CV was local.

Back in the hall, the public had arrived & everyone was busy -which seemed to involve much sampling of beer.

Lunatic, Dale, Erwin & Tim.

Dale & Loony.

Loony & Mark.

Not being a drinker, it gets kinda boring watching 'em popping bottles open, so I went for a wander.
Nice to see some unfinished projects this year, like this pick-up on air ride suspension.

And this...erm, this.

Loved this gasser. When it left on Sunday it ripped up all the carpet tiles on the floor.

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You spend hours creating a filling station backdrop for your club display, then the Scrapers CC arrive with their own drive-in cinema.

Marlon Brando's The Wild One, with Dutch sub titles.

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Show organiser Henry Van Uden's own special.

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XS650 Yams have quite a cult following on the continent -really hope to get mine here next year.

This radically chopped Lincoln didn't get much appreciation from our trad' rod crowd, but I thought it was super cool, even with it's zebra striped upholstery & fur lined roof.

And this little Ford tourer, with it's narrowed rear doors, was possibly my favourite of the show.

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One of 2 bellytank racers at the show, (built from surplus aircraft fuel tanks to race at the Bonneville salt flats).

Neat stainless cross-over exhausts on this XS650.

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And that about wrapped up Saturday. Actually, enjoying a lie-in & a late start worked well cos it meant I still had the classic car hall, autojumble, & art show to peruse on Sunday.
After another enjoyable evening meal with the rest of the Brits it was party time at the onsite pub. Henry & Christa, the show organisers, don't make a penny from this show. All the exhibitors are treated to a night of free drink, free food & a live band. Again, being a non drinker, I kinda miss out on the festivities, but it was great to see so many people, from so many countries, having a great time together. The United Nations could learn a lot from these guys.

Lucy, Mark & Simon.

Mark & Simon.

Angelo & Mark.

Some Manky bloke.

I called it a night around 12.30 & wandered off to find our cabin, but the party was still in full swing when I left.
Yes, there was the now traditional Jesters/goat action in the petting zoo. Mr Loon has the photographic evidence.

Some distinctly sore heads on Sunday morning, but after hot showers all round & bacon & eggs for those who got up early enough, (not me), it was time to hit the halls again.
This rather nice bare metal tourer was in the entrance foyer.

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The classic car side of the show. Slightly less vehicles in this hall this year, but more in the custom section.

Volvo Amazon estate.

Model A Ford, up for sale for 7,000 Euros.

I do like these Citroens.

Cadillac hearse.

Borgward coupe.

The only Pop in the whole show.
I've been chatting to a Dutch guy on Facebook who's just bought a Pop for his son, (he aims to build a mild custom for him by the time he's old enough to take his driving test). We're thinking of displaying ours side by side next year.

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Dutch universal bolt fitting tool.

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Beautifully hand built aluminium '27 model T on horrible ali wheels & radial tyres -though they may just be for registration purposes of course.

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Various artists, trading upstairs.

I thought these lamps, made from copper plumbing fittings & beer bottles, were cool.

Clever clogs.

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Must be tough working with an audience. He wasn't happy with the first go, so wiped the lot off & did it again.

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Duckland Automotive.

Dale, Tim, Loony.
Beer, beer, chocolate milk.

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The Jesters.

In the spirit of neighbourliness, the Executioners join their photo op'.

Chris.

Henry the organiser on the left, modelling the new Buckland shirts.

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Lovely, lovely satin copper paint.

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A giggle of Jesters.

Chris & Dale.

Then, before we knew it, it was time to go home. It's amazing how quickly everyone packed up their pitches & headed for the door. We weren't catching the ferry till the next day, so left our cars in the hall overnight.

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Tim.

Mr Lunatic.

Mr Manky.

After one more night in our cabins, it was time to head home. Dale had managed to sell his truck during the show for £14,000, so we had to make a small detour to deliver it to the new owner's house. It was a good job we took the Fiesta cos I had to drive him & Tim, plus their luggage, back to the ferry at Rotterdam.
Another 6 hours at sea & we were back in Blighty, greeted by the traditional torrential rain as we drove down the ferry ramp at Harwich. Ah, it's good to be home.
We left Dale & Tim at the pub, waiting for Dale's Dad to collect them, & trundled wearily back down the A12, around the M25 & along the M4 to avoid the late night roadworks on the M3, finally getting home by 11.30 on Monday night.
Another great weekend in superb company. This show's starting to grow now & we're more determined than ever to take more vehicles next year. The European hotrod crowd are so friendly & welcoming, I only wish we'd tried this sooner. We'll definitely be back.

 :) Great photos Andy, good to hear you had a great time  :)

great write up and excellent pics andy.
thank you.

as above, thank you

 :) I only go to these things to report back to you guys.

We appreciate your self-sacrifice!

Must be terribly hard on you, doing these roving reports  MM.   :D
Nice pics as usual.

It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.  :)
Just found this photo on my phone.
Chris, Tim, Dale & Adey in the restaurant.
We aim to take at least 2 cars & 2 motorcycles next year -we'd better get a move on then.

You have really given us a sense of the show Andy. I enjoyed reading the background bits as well as the photos.

Some great vehicles. I particularly loved that COE (DSCF7395.JPG). Really chunky with a great front end. Also loved that Mercury with the matching bike. Super colour.  Agreed with you on the Lincoln if it appeared more than once. I didn't like it here (DSCF7576.JPG) but if this is the same vehicle, I liked it here as your pic showed it off better (DSCF7604.JPG). Those dioramas were also good, lots of detail.

Glad you all had a great time and hope next year you get to go in the Pop.

Cheers, JJ  8)

Yup, Lincoln Continental. It was roof chopped a few years ago apparently & has been through several owners since. The latest is a heavy metal/punk type & was obviously going for the 1970s New York pimp look! I'd re-do the interior in plain black tuck n roll leather & maybe lose the vinyl roof, (although that might be hiding a messy roof chop), & go for a more subtle but aggressive style I think. The rear doors on Continentals are hinged at the back so open suicide style.
Here's another from Google Images. May even be the same one. Reminds me of the big black Lincoln in the Stephen King film, The Car.
I guess it would've been better to have just missed taking the Pop last year, then triumphantly returned with it this time, but we ain't a reality TV show  :)
Next year we'll be organised!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx4UvKD0I0k

That's the one -so electric motor made by Vauxhall?

nope, running on lpg heres the jist of it in english ish!!!!

creator/builder/designer Karel van de Sande was so sick & tired of rust that he desided to make a 2cv in Aluminium as far as possible, working on this project for 2 years now. The engine is a boxer engine with 4 valves per cilinder, production method unique in automotive-country : it has been extruded ( I have absolutely no idea what he means with an extruded engine ??? and he gives no futher details or explanation), the engine runs on natural gas which is stored in small tubes within the chassis, this engine can easily be swapped with to an electric car, car has led lights, the dash panel contains a smart phone for navigation, speed, distance driven. He plans to make a trip to a french meeting to test his engine on a longer distance. He's planning to make jigs for welding chassis, arm, etc. The only original parts are hood and fenders. So far the translation.

Interesting.

but it does look like an electric motor in there!!!!!

If noone has beaten me to it? (haven't had time to read the whole thread) it looks like a 45 bottom end with Matchless or AJS barrels and heads... the 45 with Sportster barrels and heads is called a Magnum, a mate in Kent has a similar engined beastie and he call's it a Harmless  ;D

Ahh. I could see it was a '45 bottom end but the top end had me stumped. Missed you there this year mate.

yup I was gutted not to be there  :'( wedding was OK but not quite the same as blasting around Eindhoven in a roadster pickup  8)

It wasnt quite the same in a fiesta, but it was better than not going! If we all get what we want done for next year it should be an awesome convoy there!

Rover??

yes! I have most of the parts and a vague plan in my head, thats all i need! Some time and space to do it would be handy I guess!