Acceptably unexceptional
Held on the same weekend as Goodwood Festival of Speed, Hagerty’s fifth Concours de l’ordinaire hosted a similarly passionate band of enthusiasts and showcased arguably even rarer classics at Stowe House.
Seat 1500 Hearse
Fresh from decades of transporting the dead of Seville was Martin Aldridge’s hearse making its show debut. ‘I just like hearses!’ he grinned. ‘I’ve been trying to get it to shows for ages but every time I get it ready, it suffers a mechanical failure the night before. Somewhere in the UK resides a Fiat version – an Italian 2300 model. That’s a bit grander than mine though – it has very fancy details and big, ornate lamps.’
Martin recently had to fit an entirely new braking system and has rebuilt the engine but it’s otherwise very clean. ‘There were loads of them in Spain but I think it fits right in here. It’s unexceptional, but has a Spanish accent.’
Citroën Visa Super E
Chris Salter has recently bought his 1983 Visa, named Florence, for the second time. ‘I bought it from the original owner some years ago but then sold it to fund my Citroën DS,’ said Salter. ‘I missed it so much though – I didn’t like the idea of anyone else driving it. It just felt like Florence and I were meant to be together.
The first result of the 1975 merger with Peugeot, this 104-based Visa was hugely successful in the UK but is now virtually extinct.
‘The attachment to nostalgia is arguably stronger here than at most high-end classic shows. These are all cars that normal people grew up with. The smell of the plastics and the upholstery stirs so many memories – that’s what this event is all about.’