Fiat pair on top at Shelsley
The 11th edition of the brilliant Classic Nostalgia treated visitors to a weekend of action on and off the scenic Shelsley Walsh hillclimb on 16-17 July. The C&sc-backed concours featured a fantastically varied selection, with Doug Martin landing Best of Show for his highly original 1964 Fiat 2300S. Featured in the magazine way back in July 1988, the Fiat was acquired by Martin in 2017 and is used and enjoyed as well as polished, having competed in historic rallies and the VSCC’S Pomeroy Trophy.
Another much-campaigned classic carried off Judges’ Choice, with the panel consisting of C&SC’S Alastair Clements and Simon Taylor, plus Hagerty’s John Mayhead, seduced by Domenic Rossano’s Fiat 500 ‘Il Delinquente’. The 1965 car has had a long history of tasteful modification, beginning with VW Beetle power in the 1970s, then a mid-mounted Alfasud boxer ‘four’ and now an Alfa 145 unit.
Class winners were Rob Bryan’s 1938 Morris 8 Sliding Head saloon (Pre-war), Jonathan Smith’s rare Geranium-hued ’54 Triumph TR2 (1940s and ’50s), Clifford Porter’s ’65 Austin Mini Cooper ‘S’ Radford De Ville GT (1960s), former TVR engineering director Mike Bigland’s ’79 TVR Taimar (1970s), and Louis Johnson’s VW Beetle (1980s).
The Morgan Sports Car Club Midlands Centre was awarded Best Car Club, while on the hill there were two separate ‘race’ days. Iain Stallard was fastest on Saturday in a Lotus 61 (30.06 secs), and Robin Nicholson set Sunday’s best in his Mallock Mk20 (30.21 secs).
Among the displays was a fine selection of BRMS, as a blue plaque was unveiled to mark 60 years since the team’s World Championship win. Cars on show ranged from the Mk1 V16 to the gas-turbine RoverBRM, while former members of the team on hand included drivers Richard Attwood and Mike Wilds.