EXCLUSIVE
Beaulieu's new Autojumble 'Live'
Brand new for the International Autojumble, the 'In conversation with' stage at Beaulieu will run over four sessions on both Autojumble days (Sept 2-3). The stage will be on the monorail field and is sponsored by Lancaster Insurance. Already booked are Dominic Chinea of Repair Shop fame who will chat about his restoration projects, and Andy Saunders who will talk about his latest creation, Deja, built from parts sourced from the autojumble. PC's own James Walshe will reveal the secrets behind his 2CV revival after it's crash in France last year. Finally, the museum's curatorial guru, Doug Hill will be talking about the fabulous Sunbeam 1000hp restoration project. Doug will lift the lid on the latest news including how restorers working on one the record-breaking gem have uncovered an extraordinary artefact. A Twenties wooden-handled screwdriver used by one of the original mechanics.
Staff reckon it was lost down the filler neck of the engine oil tank, ahead of Major Henry Segrave’s run to a record 203.792mph in front of 30,000 people at Daytona on March 29, 1927, making it the world's first 200mph screwdriver!
The car is being restored with to return to Daytona Beach for the 100th anniversary of its record-breaking run in 2027.
The stage will be hosted by PC editor Danny Hopkins throughout and you can also meet the PC team on the magazine stand in Green Field over the autojumble weekend.
Starting HANDLE
Matt Tomkins says make rallies family-friendly
Classic cars are a bit rubbish. There, I said it. They can be smelly, rattly, cold in winter, hot in summer and even, perhaps, leave you stranded from time to time. But we love our classics, they have soul, we have passion and those compromises don’t feel thus when we’re blasting through country lanes enjoying the fruits of our labours, and preserving heritage for the next generation…
But what if that next generation aren’t interested? How did you come to love classics? I bet for most of you it harks back to an early age, be that memories of the cars we now consider classics rolling out of showrooms, or from trips to car shows, events, rallies with parents. Or maybe you learned to read with PC?.
So, why do we hide our classics away in garages, and attend classic events on our own? It’s not the case for everyone, of course. I was thrilled to see a great number of youngsters at the Morris Minor Owners Club’s rally last month, where children’s entertainers, dressed up cars and even blindfolded driving challenges enabled youngsters to get involved.
But that’s not always the case. Dusty fields full of cars are seldom inspiring for youngsters unless a passion has been ignited already. In a
