CARS in the PARK
DERBY and Derbyshire folk gathered in Markeaton Park on Sunday to enjoy a huge collection of classic cars being shown off by their proud owners.
The Derby Retro and Classic Car Show was organised by Derby Live, an arm of the city council, and also included some good old fashioned family fun, including fun fair rides and games alongside the vintage motors.
Vehicles on show included well known British marques including Jaguar, Morgan, Triumph, Riley, Austin and, of course, classic Minis. There were also cars from further afield, including a Porsche 911 SC from Germany, and a Buick Special and Cadillac Coupe de Ville from the US.
Rob Shallcross, 70, a former chef and electrician from Belper, and his friend Terry Brown, 77, a retired engineer from Oakwood, both own classic JC Midges which they have remodelled themselves.
Rob said: “Mine was rebodied in 1966, it’s a bespoke aluminium body on it. I bought it 32 years ago. Speedwise I’ve done around 70, but it was a bit tongue in cheek, grinning at the wheel like mad. You’ve got to be a brave man.
“I bought it in lockdown a couple of years ago and made it look a bit more 1930s. I’ve spent quite a bit of time and money on it, making it mine.”
Terry said: “I bought this off my neighbour 20 years ago. It was sat on his drive for five years, but I bagged it off him in the end. Driving it around makes you feel younger, but it’s got harder to make alterations after the stricter Single Vehicle Approval safety tests came in some years ago.
“You can’t have rough edges nowadays. You couldn’t build one of these; luckily I built mine before SVA got really strict.”