BMC & Leyland show
British Motor Museum event attracts many rarities – including a record gathering of Austin 3-Litres
If ever there was a feeling of a relatively new event having put itself on the map, this was it. The British Motor Museum’s fourth BMC & Leyland show attracted some 600 cars – a third more than last year – including such rarities as a police Rover Metro and an Austin Dorset.
The event attracted a record gathering of Austin 3-Litres in celebration of these cars’ 50th anniversary. Club chairman Neil Kidby also used the occasion to launch a book on the cars. The turnout included the only non-Deluxe model – no quarter lights , different dashboard/ headlining – known to survive.
Club member Alexander Bouke from Aachen, Germany, felt he ‘had to attend the event’ and arrived in Britain last Saturday. He stayed with friends overnight, attended the show and sped straight back to Dover to catch the ferry home.
Other show rarities included a South African-built Austin Apache and the only Austin Dorset (which is essentially two door version of the Devon) still on the road.
Massive line-ups of Triumph TR7s and BMC/BL ‘Landcrabs’ made for a particularly fascinating sight. Clive Serrell’s 1965 Austin 1800 was voted Car of the Show and – for the second year running – winner of the Show and Shine competition. The car underwent a threeyear restoration when Tony bought it three years ago.
Exeter University students, Max Holder and Matt Smith, displayed the 1996 Bulgarian-built left-hand drive Austin-Rover Maestro – named Manuel – that they are about to drive to Mongolia and back in aid of the Cool Earth charity (see full story, p8).
Displays of BMC Farinas and their earlier cousins, Austin Metropolitans and Rover BRMs also helped to make the show feel extra special.
‘Massive line-ups of Landcrabs made for a particularly fascinating sight’