DAVID WHALE FBHVC CHAIRMAN The FBHVC lobbies in Westminster and beyond. Call Mel Holley on 01708 223111, email secretary@fbhvc.co.uk or see fbhvc.co.uk
From a shabby Renault 4 towing a vintage Mobylette moped on a trailer to a modern, mid-engined Honda S660 kei car, the inaugural Rustival lived up to its billing as an all-embracing ʻclapped out to concoursʼ event that welcomed around 875 cars and 2500 people to the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on 9 March.
Presented by YouTube regulars Ian Seabrook (HubNut), Matt Richardson (Furious Driving) and Steph Hoy (idriveaclassic), the show was conceived to bring together enthusiasts of classic cars of all eras and conditions. “It started as just 20-30 people at the pub,” said Matt, “but it turned out like this. We had people turning up at 7am – we couldnʼt believe it.”
At the centre of the show, next to the stage on which the YouTube trio and others held discussions throughout the day, was a HubNut section that epitomised Rustivalʼs variety, with a 2001 Ford Fairline from Australia back-to-back with a 1925 Austin Seven Chummy.
There were fun comparisons to make elsewhere, from a Hillman Imp Californian next to a Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3, and a bright-yellow Ford Puma Millennium Edition alongside a Citroën Dyane, to the odd shapes of a Dacia 1307 pick-up and a Vauxhall Signum.
Rarities were abundant, such as a right-hand-drive Citroën GS Service and a Smart Crossblade that was en route from Continental Europe to a museum in Tennessee, USA. There was also a niche part of Volvo history present in the form of a 66GL, the three-door hatch with a continuously variable transmission that evolved from the DAF 66. Owner Paul LeCornu had travelled 150 miles from Somerset to the show. “Itʼs a bit buzzy on the motorway,” he said, “but the 1.4-litre 340 engine that has now been fitted helps.” The Hyundai Stellar 1.6L nearby was playing engine-transplant trumps, however, with a V8 wedged in unassumingly at the front.
But most of the cars on display were standard, and often in the careworn condition befitting the showʼs name. There were plenty of classics with light corrosion and fading paint, such as an Austin Princess, Volvo 240 Torslanda and Alfa Romeo 145, as well as an Allegro Vanden Plas missing one doorʼs worth of its pinst
