Wednesday 19 March 2014

Classic car and motorbike heaven


Me and a couple of workmates had to drive over to Rotterdam yesterday to inspect some equipment in the company warehouse; one of the guys mentioned that there was a classic car dealer not far away and suggested a short diversion to take a look. We were expecting a small garage; imagine our astonishment to find a warehouse (literally) packed to the roof with classic cars, motorbikes, model cars, signs and other various motoring ephemera.

Just priceless was the look on young Fraser’s face – he had been telling us on the drive over about his small collection of motorcycles – well when we walked in to be confronted with literally hundreds of motorbikes stacked around the walls and all in running order, his jaw almost hit the floor.

As for the cars, again there were hundreds, of all types and makes including classics that I’d never seen outside of magazines. One floor contained cars in running order for sale, while the lower floor was jam-packed with cars for restoration. In one row I counted 15 air-cooled Porsches; there were 10 Datsun 240Z’s, 30 or more MGB’s – you get the drift.

We ended-up spending hours in there, the owner happy to let us lift bonnets, stare at engines and generally behave like kids. It was car and motorbike porn heaven; I nearly proposed to a 1966 E-type Jaguar, and I believe my pal Dave may have married an 1965 Alfa Romeo Veloce spider with the most beautiful cast aluminium sump, I’m sure I saw him licking it.

Lovely stuff!

All for sale!

MG TF's, TR4/5/6'S

Bikes, bikes, bikes

....more bikes

Porsche spider

No idea!

1967 Mustang fastback

Ten 240Z's in a row

Two of these with 383 Hemi

Downstairs resto projects - Jags, Triumphs

15 air-cooled Porsches

Fiat convertibles on shelves!

TR's


Four Ford pick-ups in backgrouns.

Monday 17 March 2014

Summer comes early to London


I had to return to London this weekend; I was amazed to find summer had arrived early! Blue skies, sunshine and temperatures of 20C (68F) it was warmer than Barcelona. Pulled the Trumpet out of the garage and she started no problems, rode out to the Surrey lanes around Box hill and Leith hill – pure heaven on wheels! I also popped round to the kid’s place to see my grandson, looks like another biker in the making.