Brooklands Autumn

Classic Breakfast

A feast of 300 classic cars – including some fascinating rarities – made Brooklands’ Autumn Classic Breakfast a full English success.

Attracting much attention was the 1968 Austin 1800 pick-up owned by Charles Ayres, with many spectators thinking the vehicle was a clever conversion. It was, in fact, built by BMC Australia as a ‘ute,’ and is the only example in Britain. Charles bought the vehicle from a Brooklands auction. ‘I must admit that I like cars that no-one else has,’ he says.

Another rarity was Paul Tickner’s 1967 Datsun Fairlady, one of only two right hand drive examples in Britain. The twoseater roadster was never marketed in Britain.

‘I bought one from an American lady when I was just 19, Paul recalls. A couple of months later I got a company car, so I sold it.’ He had done a lot of work on his present car since buying it in Britain, eight years ago.

John Peters bought his 1966 Ford Cortina Crayford convertible in 1981 and has discovered much of interest about the car. It was the prototype and exhibited at the 1966 Motor Show. More recently, he has discovered that Ford owned the car when it was new and it starred as the track car at the 1967 BUA Trophy meeting at Crystal Palace, when its duties included taking winning driver, Jacky Ickx, on a lap of honour.

With this much variety on show we can’t wait for the next breakfast meeting, which takes place at the museum on New Year’s Day.

A wonderful cast of primarily taxexempt classics flooded Brooklands’ paddock for its final breakfast meet of the year.

As always, classic owners in attendance were encouraged to pit their cars against the punishing inclines of Brooklands’ infamous Test Hill; this 1972 MGB roadster was one of the fortunate vehicles to make it up successfully and unscathed.

‘I’d always wanted one and saw this 1955 example on the internet,’ says Humair Malik of his Mercedes 220A Ponton.

One of only two RHD Datsun Fairladys in the UK, this 1967 car belongs to Paul Tickner, who briefly owned another when he was 19.

Bought in 1981, John Peters’ 1966 Ford Cortina Crayford was exhibited as a prototype at the 1966 Motor Show.

Joyce Denny owned a Minor when she was 19 and recently drove this 1953 example from Surrey to North Aberdeenshire and back.