EVENT REPORT
BEAULIEU SIMPLY AMERICAN Beaulieu, Hampshire August 16, 2020
Beaulieu’s inaugural Simply American event was memorable for its wetness, which would be a shame under any circumstances, but especially so since it was set to be the first – and potentially only – major American car event of 2020. Some cars had left before the show had been open an hour and at least one drove into the show and, without stopping, drove straight back out again!
It would have been interesting to note the effects of the many new government regulations on car show attendance but it was really not possible to make any judgments there considering how much attendance must have been hampered by the abysmal weather, anyway. Arriving at the field, I noticed a lot of large gaps which I had put down to early weather-motivated departures, until it dawned on me that cars were intentionally being parked very far away from one another.
Attendance had been limited to 750 cars by pre-entry only and, while I don’t know how many tickets sold, I estimate there were about 200 cars there on the day. However, surveying what portion of the show field remained unfilled, I couldn’t imagine it being possible to accommodate more than 350 cars with the additional distances being kept.
While the turnout didn’t reach its full potential, it was still terrific to see cars I’d not seen before including rarities from every decade, such as a ’59 Edsel Villager wagon, a ’64 Ford Falcon Squire and a ’77 Chevrolet Caprice Classic four-door sedan, which looked well-loved despite not having a big enthusiast following. ❯❯
Many of the hot rods and customs on display were recognisable as Victory Wheelers’ cars, though a new one to me was a tastefully understated resto-mod ’63 F-100 with a Boss Mustang-inspired colour scheme.
One car that proved to be a particular talking point was a ’65 Chrysler Newport with an ethical question mark hanging over it. A rare model without doubt, it had been mounted on a vast modern truck chassis with a Cummins six-cylinder diesel, complete with a cut-out in the bonnet for the exhaust to poke through, and some tired-looking rear springs. The car had some pretty severe body rot, so perhaps it had been a terminal basket-case, but then it had been shown at Beaulieu in stock condition as recently as 2018. An aberration? Or an act of salvation? Now I’ve opened that can of worms, I’ll withdraw and let Classic American’s readers argue the toss over it…
Weather aside, it was fantastic to get out to a show, see loads of nice cars and catch up with friends once more. All credit is due to Beaulieu for delivering an enjoyable event within the confines permitted. If we bear in mind the statement from Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College, explaining the risk of Covid transmission in the outdoors to be almost nil, it might be time for event restrictions to be relaxed a bit so smaller businesses, clubs and charities can stage events of their own. ★