Bored of same old classic car show.
Discussion
Most of the classic car owners I've met have been into their classics a long time. So like myself a typical owner will have been to quite a number of events. Come the weekend and they fancy taking the car out to an event and what do the majority offer, just the same old format of a bunch of classics plonked in a field as a static display, arghh how may times do you need to see this.There is no thought or effort given to making it different or special.
I know there are things like track days or rallies but some of us have less disposable income and it would be good to have a cheaper alternative.
I know there are things like track days or rallies but some of us have less disposable income and it would be good to have a cheaper alternative.
Well someone has to organise these things so if you don’t like what’s on offer either don’t go or organise what you think people will like. I got bored of the VW Shows a few years ago and had a break going to other types of festival instead - steam fairs, small music festivals, country shows etc. You can take your classic to non classic events!
OP, do you have any ideas in making CC shows more different and special?
Personally, a couple of hours is more than enough for me, hence I won’t attend any show where the organisers set the times you have to be there and leave by. I do get that some treat this as a day out, catch up with fellow enthusiasts, set up picnics etc and also that the organisers need/have to control vehicle movements when there are plenty of people mooching around.
How about a single car “drag race” on grass with 10 people picked from the crowd with score cards to assess the “style” put into by the owner driver. Obviously cordoned off, not timed, around 125 meters and entirely optional, maybe even a hairpin at one end and partially back again
Personally, a couple of hours is more than enough for me, hence I won’t attend any show where the organisers set the times you have to be there and leave by. I do get that some treat this as a day out, catch up with fellow enthusiasts, set up picnics etc and also that the organisers need/have to control vehicle movements when there are plenty of people mooching around.
How about a single car “drag race” on grass with 10 people picked from the crowd with score cards to assess the “style” put into by the owner driver. Obviously cordoned off, not timed, around 125 meters and entirely optional, maybe even a hairpin at one end and partially back again
For the last two years near me there's been a non-competitive hill climb for pre-war cars with a static display for any interesting car. It's great day out for minimal cost.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=scamblesby%2...
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=scamblesby%2...
We stopped going to classic shows about 10 years ago, they never had much appeal as we much prefer driving to 'polishing and posing'. Since then we've joined the Historic Rally Car Register and taken part in what are known either as 'touring assemblies' or 'scenic tours', either the HRCR annual series or those organised by car clubs around Derbyshire.
They're non-competitive navigational events of between 75 - 100 miles with entries from 35 to 100 cars ranging from Model T Fords to Audi R8s. We travel around the country to take part but half the 16 events we're doing this year are fairly local to us so there's just the entry fee, food and fuel to pay.
You'll still get to see some interesting cars but you'll also be driving with them on some great driving roads; last Sunday we were on one of 100 miles around the Lincolnshire Wolds and the lunch halt was at a hill climb for pre-war bikes and cars; it was one of the best day's motoring we've had in years - far more fun than any static show!
They're non-competitive navigational events of between 75 - 100 miles with entries from 35 to 100 cars ranging from Model T Fords to Audi R8s. We travel around the country to take part but half the 16 events we're doing this year are fairly local to us so there's just the entry fee, food and fuel to pay.
You'll still get to see some interesting cars but you'll also be driving with them on some great driving roads; last Sunday we were on one of 100 miles around the Lincolnshire Wolds and the lunch halt was at a hill climb for pre-war bikes and cars; it was one of the best day's motoring we've had in years - far more fun than any static show!
Riley Blue said:
We stopped going to classic shows about 10 years ago, they never had much appeal as we much prefer driving to 'polishing and posing'. Since then we've joined the Historic Rally Car Register and taken part in what are known either as 'touring assemblies' or 'scenic tours', either the HRCR annual series or those organised by car clubs around Derbyshire.
They're non-competitive navigational events of between 75 - 100 miles with entries from 35 to 100 cars ranging from Model T Fords to Audi R8s. We travel around the country to take part but half the 16 events we're doing this year are fairly local to us so there's just the entry fee, food and fuel to pay.
You'll still get to see some interesting cars but you'll also be driving with them on some great driving roads; last Sunday we were on one of 100 miles around the Lincolnshire Wolds and the lunch halt was at a hill climb for pre-war bikes and cars; it was one of the best day's motoring we've had in years - far more fun than any static show!
I must have seen you then at Scamblesby. Presumably the light blue Riley?They're non-competitive navigational events of between 75 - 100 miles with entries from 35 to 100 cars ranging from Model T Fords to Audi R8s. We travel around the country to take part but half the 16 events we're doing this year are fairly local to us so there's just the entry fee, food and fuel to pay.
You'll still get to see some interesting cars but you'll also be driving with them on some great driving roads; last Sunday we were on one of 100 miles around the Lincolnshire Wolds and the lunch halt was at a hill climb for pre-war bikes and cars; it was one of the best day's motoring we've had in years - far more fun than any static show!
Dan_The_Man said:
Nice local car meet to us is the Shere hill climb. Usual field full of old cars and picnics but with the chance to rag them up a hill, brilliant day out....
I would second the Shere Hill Climb ( https://www.sherehillclimb.co.uk/ ) - it is a great day out with the opportunity for 3 runs up the hill. Not competitive but still exhiliarating. I was there at the weekend in my Cayman (so not all classics) and it is way more fun than just a static display. There is also live music, nice food and beer from local sellers. A really relaxed atmosphere and a brilliant day out.I understand that the Kop Hill Climb ( https://kophillclimb.org.uk/ ) is run in a similar vein so it is not alone.
Manners79 said:
Well someone has to organise these things so if you don’t like what’s on offer either don’t go or organise what you think people will like.
This.I think most people have no idea just how much work, and cost, it takes these days to put on just a boring static car show.
To make them 'more interesting' whatever than means, will likely need even more volunteers to organise, more money spending to cover extra insurance requirements etc.
aeropilot said:
I think most people have no idea just how much work, and cost, it takes these days to put on just a boring static car show.
To make them 'more interesting' whatever than means, will likely need even more volunteers to organise, more money spending to cover extra insurance requirements etc.
Those selfish volunteers - surely they can come up with something free-of-charge to keep the OP interested. To make them 'more interesting' whatever than means, will likely need even more volunteers to organise, more money spending to cover extra insurance requirements etc.
aeropilot said:
Manners79 said:
Well someone has to organise these things so if you don’t like what’s on offer either don’t go or organise what you think people will like.
This.I think most people have no idea just how much work, and cost, it takes these days to put on just a boring static car show.
To make them 'more interesting' whatever than means, will likely need even more volunteers to organise, more money spending to cover extra insurance requirements etc.
Riley Blue said:
aeropilot said:
Manners79 said:
Well someone has to organise these things so if you don’t like what’s on offer either don’t go or organise what you think people will like.
This.I think most people have no idea just how much work, and cost, it takes these days to put on just a boring static car show.
To make them 'more interesting' whatever than means, will likely need even more volunteers to organise, more money spending to cover extra insurance requirements etc.
As someone else said, if OP has a bright idea......then the way is open to try and organize something.
Om said:
Dan_The_Man said:
Nice local car meet to us is the Shere hill climb. Usual field full of old cars and picnics but with the chance to rag them up a hill, brilliant day out....
I would second the Shere Hill Climb ( https://www.sherehillclimb.co.uk/ ) - it is a great day out with the opportunity for 3 runs up the hill. Not competitive but still exhiliarating. I was there at the weekend in my Cayman (so not all classics) and it is way more fun than just a static display. There is also live music, nice food and beer from local sellers. A really relaxed atmosphere and a brilliant day out.I understand that the Kop Hill Climb ( https://kophillclimb.org.uk/ ) is run in a similar vein so it is not alone.
Unfortunately not made it to another post-Covid, but it's definitely top of my list to get along to with something classic/interesting
I'm always quite surprised how different classic car events are to classic bike ones.
Most old bike events tend to revolve around riding the bikes, rather than showing them where car ones seem to be more a meeting/show where people spend most of the day socialising and sitting behind their cars. Which in itself sounds quite nice, but very different to old bike events!
For context our local section of the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) has probably an average of two or three events a month from around April to October and all of them are road runs. Generally a full day's riding of around 100 miles with a lunch stop and a couple of tea stops sometimes. Rarely are bikes trailered to the start so all in it would be around a 120 mile minimum ride a day.
There are occasional shows supported, but we always have a route or run to get there and they're usually just to show support for a local charity or something and maybe one or two a year.
Most old bike events tend to revolve around riding the bikes, rather than showing them where car ones seem to be more a meeting/show where people spend most of the day socialising and sitting behind their cars. Which in itself sounds quite nice, but very different to old bike events!
For context our local section of the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) has probably an average of two or three events a month from around April to October and all of them are road runs. Generally a full day's riding of around 100 miles with a lunch stop and a couple of tea stops sometimes. Rarely are bikes trailered to the start so all in it would be around a 120 mile minimum ride a day.
There are occasional shows supported, but we always have a route or run to get there and they're usually just to show support for a local charity or something and maybe one or two a year.
srob said:
I'm always quite surprised how different classic car events are to classic bike ones.
Most old bike events tend to revolve around riding the bikes, rather than showing them where car ones seem to be more a meeting/show where people spend most of the day socialising and sitting behind their cars. Which in itself sounds quite nice, but very different to old bike events!
For context our local section of the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) has probably an average of two or three events a month from around April to October and all of them are road runs. Generally a full day's riding of around 100 miles with a lunch stop and a couple of tea stops sometimes. Rarely are bikes trailered to the start so all in it would be around a 120 mile minimum ride a day.
Two factors here.....Most old bike events tend to revolve around riding the bikes, rather than showing them where car ones seem to be more a meeting/show where people spend most of the day socialising and sitting behind their cars. Which in itself sounds quite nice, but very different to old bike events!
For context our local section of the VMCC (Vintage Motorcycle Club) has probably an average of two or three events a month from around April to October and all of them are road runs. Generally a full day's riding of around 100 miles with a lunch stop and a couple of tea stops sometimes. Rarely are bikes trailered to the start so all in it would be around a 120 mile minimum ride a day.
1. Its not really possible to take deck chairs and picnics to somewhere if your going on a classic bike
(caveat if you have a combination of course)2. Bike runs are easier to arrange than a car run, because its easier to keep a bunch of bikes together, than a bunch of cars (anything more than half a dozen can be hard) and the legalities of organising a car run come into play because of gathering rules around unofficial car meets that plod have powers to intervene in because of anti-social activity related to the knob heads drifting in retail car parks etc. Again this comes back to the fact that someone has to organize stuff on a much more formal process.
A local group of hot rodders that I'm part of have a regular but not fixed interval breakfast get together in my area, been going on for decades. Its not a club, just a bunch of mates that meet up with their cars for a breakfast at a pub/restaurant every 5 or 6 weeks or so. Last meeting passing Plod X5 turned around and drove into car park and had a nosey at cars, and stopped for a 'chat', and it was clearly because of these gathering rules that they were concerned about, and were asking details of the club, which there isn't, who organised it, which there wasn't one person. They couldn't quite grasp this informal nature.....and likely the fact that everyone was 55-70 in age probably helped.
I stopped going to car shows in the early 2000's when I witnessed an actual fight between a classic caravan club and an MX-5 group who were playing their music too loud.
I much prefer attending and competing in historic / vintage speed events, where there's normally some nice stuff in the paddock or car park.
I much prefer attending and competing in historic / vintage speed events, where there's normally some nice stuff in the paddock or car park.
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