Bits and Pieces - 2021

THE BEAULIEU AUTOJUMBLERS’ NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2021

INTERNATIONAL AUTOJUMBLE RETURNS! Classic fans and traders will be itching to get back to Beaulieu for the long-awaited return of International Autojumble on 4th and 5th September.

After a year’s break, we are delighted to welcome the much-loved event back to the Beaulieu event fields, which will once again be busy with bargain hunters as they rummage through hundreds of stands packed with automotive treasures.

enthusiasts sell assorted motoring jumble from their car boots.

Don’t miss the special Forgotten Favourites car display, new for 2021, while the Bonhams MPH auction will take place on the both days of the show, now in its new position on the Arena.

The team has been working very hard to ensure International Autojumble goes ahead as close to normal as possible, and ensure the event is Covidsafe. However, this year the show will, in some places, look a little different to normal.

A cornerstone of the event season for over half a century, International Autojumble will have all of your favourite features. Check out an impressive selection of classic cars for sale in Automart, with top condition classics from traders in Dealermart. On Sunday 5th, Trunk Traders will be the place to snap up a bargain as

BONHAMS MPH We are pleased to welcome back the Bonhams Auction for 2021 with a new location and a two day auction. Bonhams MPH will now be positioned on the hard standing Arena, with the auction running on both Saturday and Sunday.

The sale of automobilia will take place on Saturday 4th September from 10:30am, while the motor cars sale will take place on Sunday 5th September from 10:30am.

With some international traders opting to take a break this year owing to the potential impact of Brexit, the layout of the show has been revised for 2021, with the yellow field stands being merged into the red and green fields. The team is still aiming to provide the same quality of the event for everyone, so we are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back.

www.beaulieu.co.uk/events/ international-autojumble

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FORGOTTEN FAVOURITES AT IAJ After the success of the Golden Oldies display of classics at the 2019 International Autojumble, this year’s show will feature everyday cars of the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties as part of a new display Forgotten Favourites.

FIRST PRODUCTION LAND ROVER AT SIMPLY LAND ROVER Simply Land Rover welcomed a four-wheeled VIP guest on 11th July, with the first Land Rover ever to roll off the Solihull production line in 1948, taking its place in the show.

Registered JUE 477, the first production Land Rover hit the headlines last year when it was heroically restored from a wreck that many had considered too far gone to save. Although the remarkable survivor has in poor condition when it was rediscovered, following decades abandoned on a Northumberland farm, it was still surprisingly original.

CHARLOTTE’S CHAT Long-standing member of the Events team, Charlotte Mountain, is the new Beaulieu Events Manager, heading up the busy team behind the packed events calendar.

Yet after being painstakingly pieced back together and returned to fully-working order, the historic machine with its battle-scarred bodywork still wears its years with pride. At the show, it was parked up amongst numerous other Land Rovers, where it attracted a great deal of attention from show-goers, who were also able to see one of the pre-production Land Rovers in the National Motor Museum.

…AND HELLO! This is my first Bits & Pieces as Events Manager, although I’m very familiar with the autojumbles, having been part of the Beaulieu Events team since 2013.

I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to Events Manager Judith Maddox and Commercial Director Steve Munn, who both retired from Beaulieu this year, after many years of service.

Although sadly their retirement has coincided with this strange and challenging time, we wish them both a long and happy retirement.

From the Vauxhall Chevette, Renault 16, Austin Allegro and Datsun Bluebird, to the Volkswagen Polo, Citroen CX, Triumph Toledo and Volvo 240, not to mention the scarcely-seen DAF 66, Talbot Samba and many more besides... all examples are welcome.

With Covid-safe measures and reduced capacities, it was terrific to see twelve Simply rallies take place, including Simply Aston Martin, Simply Land Rover, Simply Jaguar, Simply French, Simply British Classics, and Simply Vauxhall.

Over the years, I’ve run a variety of different events and have worked my way around the Events team in various roles, starting off as an Events Assistant, then becoming Events Coordinator and Assistant Events Manager!

FAREWELL...

Judith came to Beaulieu in 1992 and has been at the heart of the Events team since 2003, when she became Events Manager. While Steve joined in 1995 as Marketing Manager and later becoming Beaulieu’s Commercial Director.

Honouring the cars of 1960-1990 that used to be on every street corner, but are now longforgotten, the nostalgia-fuelled display will bring back memories of family holidays, driving lessons, baking hot vinyl seats and beige colour schemes, with long-lost first cars, family wagons, scarce saloons and historic hatchbacks of the past.

Now, as we look towards the 2022 events season, I’m really looking forward to the challenges of the future.

SIMPLY SUCCESS 2020 was, of course, a huge challenge for everyone. However, it was a welcome relief that we were able to hold several of our Simply rallies last year, in between lockdowns.

Now in 2021, the Simply rallies have gone from strength to strength, with a strong gathering for brand new Simply Electric, which started the season back in May. Over the summer, enthusiasts have turned out in force for old favourites such as Simply Ford, Simply Porsche, Simply Japanese and Simply Aston Martin, to celebrate their favourite cars and have a really good time.

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2022 WILL BE A LANDMARK YEAR FOR BEAULIEU, AS THE NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM CELEBRATES ITS GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY. Half a century after opening its doors for the first time on 4th July 1972, the museum is still one of the world’s premier historic vehicle collections, celebrating the past while looking towards the future.

A special exhibition (which film fans will love) is planned for this autumn, in readiness for the museum’s anniversary year, with other celebrations also planned for 2022 to mark the occasion – look out for more details, which will be announced soon.

that the museum can trace its roots back to 1952, when Edward, Lord Montagu displayed a handful of veteran cars in the entrance hall of Palace House, devoted to his motoring pioneer father, John Montagu. Before long, a modest display of historic motorcycles could be found in the house’s Victorian Kitchen.

By 1956, with the vehicle collection spilling into the Palace House garages (and the entire house smelling of motor oil), more space was desperately needed. An old woodshed was converted into an exhibition space, becoming the Montagu Motor Museum. A larger, purposebuilt museum was opened in 1959, becoming an overnight success, bringing in thousands of visitors each year.

The opening of the National Motor Museum half a century ago was a big step up for Beaulieu’s collection of historic vehicles. It is well known

constructed to create 70,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. On 4th July 1972, the new National Motor Museum was formally opened by HRH the Duke of Kent. Ever since, new exhibits and displays have been added as the museum has continued to evolve.

With the National Motor Museum looking towards the next half century, it is fascinating to consider that when Edward, Lord Montagu, opened that first display of historic cars in 1952, a pensioner looking at the exhibits would have remembered the roads before the first car. Now, things are very different. Who knows what changes we’ll see over the next five decades, to the museum and the world of motoring?

Over the following decade, the collection continued to grow as even more landmark vehicles joined the display. With space at a premium again, a brand new building, designed

by Leonard Manasseh and Partners and unapologetically modern in concept, was

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VIBRANT HOT ROD & CUSTOM SHOW TURN-OUT

The Hot Rod & Custom Show returned in style for 2021, with 4,000 visitors and participants coming to enjoy the sell-out Father’s Day show on Sunday 20th June, held in association with the Solent Renegades club.

402 hot rods, custom and American cars and bikes took their places, along with dancing, music and stands packed with vintage memorabilia.

Variety was at the heart of the show, as strippeddown hot rods and smooth customs parked side-by side.

The line-up ranged from a V6-powered Ford Model T bucket roadster, a rat-look 1940s Chevrolet tow-truck and a period Ford stock car with a flathead V8 to immaculate 1920s and 1930s custom Fords, Corvettes and Trans Ams, ‘slammed’ pick-up trucks and more. Car customising legend and show regular Andy Saunders brought along his crowd-pleasing 1937 Cord, Tetanus.

Amongst the awards given for stunning machines was the Best in Show award, which went to Nigel Green from Christchurch, for his astonishing 1931 Auburn special. Turning many heads with its handformed aluminium bodywork, Nigel had built his imposing machine with the help of a friend by turning an Auburn chassis upside down, then re-engineering it with a 1915 aero engine and chain-drive to the rear wheels.

There were plenty of toe-tapping opportunities with Jitterbug Jive giving socially-distanced dance demonstrations, while performing rousing tunes were Company B and The Bandits. Mariachi el Mexicano delighted showgoers with their upbeat renditions as they strolled around the event.

In the Vintage Pop-Up, a selection of retro traders offered high-quality wares, from vintage fashions to homewares of the past, while motoring trade stands were the place to browse automotive accessories and tools.

SUNBEAM START-UP AND CHEQUE PRESENTATION The Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register witnessed the impressive spectacle of the museum’s 1920 Sunbeam 350hp being started up, when they visited on Tuesday 22nd June for their rally in the Beaulieu grounds.

The start-up was in celebration of the funding that the Register had been instrumental in raising, to assist with the rebuild of one of the 1927 Sunbeam 1000hp’s two huge engines.

Paul Wignall of the Register, who was at the heart of the fundraising efforts, presented the National Motor Museum Trust with a cheque for £7,000, which was accepted by Museum Manager Doug Hill.

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GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY FOR BUCKLER’S HARD YACHT HARBOUR The Morris Marina’s 50th anniversary may be well-known in the classic car world, but Beaulieu’s own ‘marina’ is also celebrating its half-century in 2021!

AUSTIN SEVEN RALLY Baby Austins of all shapes and varieties trundled into the Beaulieu parkland on Sunday 4th July for the 58th National Austin Seven Rally, held by the Pre-War Austin Seven Club.

First opened in 1971, Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour has been a must-see destination for sailors ever since, set on the banks of the stunning Beaulieu River and just a stone’s throw from where ships were once built for Nelson’s navy.

This anniversary year also marks the completion of the marina’s £2m redevelopment.

On Saturday 14th August, the most decorated Olympic sailor Sir Ben Ainslie joined Lord Montagu, and round the world yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth CBE BEM, who opened the marina 50 years ago. Together with harbour masters past and present, and mooring holders, they gathered for a special anniversary regatta.

The busy gathering, which has taken place in the event fields ever since 1963, brought together all manner of Sevens, spanning the legendary car’s 17 year production run, from specials, Swallows, Arrows and Opals, to Rubys, Pearls, Chummys, delivery vans and more.

POOP POOP! MR TOAD’S CAR IN WORKSHOP The engineers in the National Motor Museum workshop have seen it all before… or have they?

A recent project has been the renovation of a former film car with one not-so-careful owner…

Mr Toad!

Built in 1995 at Shepperton Studios, the car was one of the stars of Terry Jones’ adaption of The Wind in the Willows, later renamed Mr Toad’s Wild Ride. Director Jones also played Mr Toad, alongside a star-studded cast (including other former members of Monty Python). As the film called for a glamorous Edwardian-era tourer to be driven by the obsessive amphibian, a convincing replica was built, by fitting bespoke bodywork to a modified short-wheelbase Land Rover chassis.

Club members had the chance to take part in driving challenges, browse stands selling spare parts, or the day before there was a leisurely road run around the New Forest. Lord Montagu displayed his own first car, a 1938 Austin Seven Pearl cabriolet, as part of the rally and presented the trophies to the show’s prizewinners.

But by 2020, the car was a mess. After filming, it had been used for publicity events, spending many years suspended from the ceiling in a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Florida. Then it was stored in a hot shipping container, when all the rubber parts melted. Immobile and with its tyres having been ripped from its custom-made wheels, the car was rediscovered by film car expert Gordon Grant, who shipped it back to the UK.

Youngsters enjoyed a crabbing competition, while families competed in rowing and swimming challenges. Guests decorated their boats for a best dressed boat and crew competition, flying a limited edition golden anniversary burgee, while members of the historic Beaulieu River Sailing Club joined them on the water.

www.beaulieuriver.co.uk

LOW MILEAGE AUSTIN A35 VAN DONATION If you’ve been down to the National Motor Museum recently, you might have met ‘Norman’.

No, not a keen new member of staff, but a 1961 Austin A35 van, a fascinating new exhibit that was given a pet name by an enthusiastic previous owner.

The van’s incredible time-warp condition is because it spent its first 30 years in a technical college, used to demonstrate car maintenance to students. Ever since, it has been treasured by caring owners, before being generously donated to the National Motor Museum Trust this year by long-term owner Michael Eatough. On show for everyone to see, ‘Norman’ truly is a remarkable survivor.

In the National Motor Museum workshop, the remedial work took place, including getting the Land Rover four-cylinder engine running again, curing a severe oil leak, rebuilding the brakes and fitting new tyres. Now Mr Toad’s car can be seen trundling around the Beaulieu grounds. Poop poop!

Typical of the kind of small delivery van that would have once been seen on every street, the A35 was an attractive and practical counterpart to the popular Austin saloons. But whereas most A35 vans of the era were worked to death, long since disappearing from the roads, this example is in perfect original condition, with less than 10,000 miles on the clock.

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ELECTRIC DREAMS COME TRUE AT SIMPLY ELECTRIC The first ever Simply Electric sparked into life on Sunday 23rd May, with a wide selection of EVs silently cruising into the grounds of the National Motor Museum for the show.

From Renault Zoes, BMW i3s and Nissan Leafs, to MG5s, Jaguar I-PACEs, Teslas and more, the latest generation of plug-in motoring was wellrepresented. In amongst these modern machines was even a 1971 Austin-Healey Sprite, which had been ingeniously converted to electric power by its resourceful owner.

SCULPTURE AT BEAULIEU SUCCESS This summer, the grounds of Beaulieu’s Palace House were home to a stunning trail of 250 incredible sculptures. Sponsored by Saffery Champness Accountants and Wilsons Solicitors LLP, Sculpture at Beaulieu was a summer must-see for thousands of visitors, showcasing the work of over 50 international and national sculptors.

ARTISAN COLLECTIVE FESTIVE FAIR Looking forward to Christmas? Then make sure you have December 10th-12th marked in your diary for the new Artisan Collective Festive Fair, which Beaulieu is hosting for the first time.

The carefully planned trail, painstakingly brought together by curators David Waghorne and Kate McGovern, took sculpture fans on a journey through the historic site, from the Cloister of Beaulieu Abbey to the Wilderness Garden and the rooms of the Montagu family home.

Stone, steel, glass, mixed media and more were amongst the materials and skilled techniques used.

Heralding the start of the Christmas season, the fair will host a selection of craft, gift and food stands on the Beaulieu Events Arena offering a wide variety of Yuletide delights, from delicious artisan food and drink to seasonal gifts and live music, all complementing a festive day out at Beaulieu.

BBC South Transport correspondent Paul Clifton reported from the show, trying out the museum’s own Sinclair C5 and talking to electric car owners and would-be buyers.

LATE SEASON SIMPLY RALLIES

Paul also brought along a brand new Ford Mustang Mach-E and announced his own electric car challenge. To test if electric cars really are viable for real-world long distance driving, his plan was to drive from John O’Groats to Land’s End in the EV. Just weeks later, after 27 hours and 840 miles, Paul did exactly that, setting a Guinness World Record for the least amount of electrical energy used.

Don’t forget, there are four packed Simply rallies still to come after International Autojumble.

Bringing Gallic flair to the Beaulieu event fields will be Simply French on 12th September, which is sure to feature a wide selection of Citroens, Renaults, Peugeots and other French motoring favourites.

Highlights included Rachael Long’s life-sized rhinoceros, ingeniously fashioned from salvaged industrial metalwork, and the breathtaking stainless steel works of local sculptor Michael Turner, who exhibited peregrine falcons, horse’s head and leopard’s head. Either side of the entrance to Palace House were the huge stone carvings of Royal College of Art alumnus Paul Vanstone, while inside, Shaun Gagg displayed sculptures constructed from coins, nails, keys and other tiny objects painstakingly welded together.

Every BMW from the marque’s distinguished past is invited to take part in Simply BMW on 19th September, while Simply British Classics on 26th September is sure to repeat its 2020 success, which saw a staggering variety of pre-1990 British classic cars drive into the show.

The final Simply rally of 2021 will be Simply Smart on 7th November, a colourful display of some of the smallest and cheekiest cars on the road.

Produced by the PR Team | John Montagu Building | Beaulieu | Hampshire | SO42 7ZN | beaulieu.co.uk