With record temperatures forecast, the incentive for staying indoors was strong. My cool and shady lounge adjacent to the beer fridge was my odds-on favourite location, until I received a last minute reminder about the Ashover Car Show. I suppose I could manage a quick look around…
Ashover is a busy little village in North East Derbyshire which, importantly for us, has a long established classic car show. The last time I reported on it for ViaRETRO appears to have been 2018 but I’m sure I’ve been since then; who knows, times flies. For various reasons I drove over in modern air-conditioned luxury. The heat rolled in like a tidal wave when I opened the car door. Time for a quick stagger round with my old mate James before adjourning to the pub.
My eye was caught by prime goodness before we even got to the main field. Here for your viewing pleasure, a first generation 2001 Toyota Avensis, locally built in Derby and increasingly rare. Turn your nose up if you like but this is exactly the kind of car that’s disappearing fast as the creeping death of low emission zones steadily take their toll. This example was high spec, low mileage and painted a strangely attractive green-gold that the DVLA think is beige. Good honest cars these, I hope their day will come but “the kids” will probably have all lost interest in internal combustion by the time the old Avensis is considered a real classic (by anyone apart from me). Spoiler alert – the quality of my finds is all downhill from here.
Maybe you prefer a few American cars? The black 1962 Ford Fairlane and white ’64 Mercury Comet gassers made a good pair, local boy James reporting the Comet could be heard long before it appeared at the showground. 289ci equates to 4,735cc, and those twin bonnet snouts were doubtless earning their living on such a hot day. In context, 289ci isn’t that remarkable by American standards but I was surprised to find the comparatively less showy 1959 Nash Rambler Rebel V8 outgunned the gasser by some margin. Declaring a full 5.7 litres, I suspect the Nash may have undergone an engine transplant as the largest factory engine for 1959 seems to have been 250ci or 4.1 litres. Lastly for the American metal, have an elaborately stripey 1986 Dodge RAM day van. I love these things, there’s something slightly eerie about the dark glass and velvet curtains. If I was into murdering hitchhikers, one of these would be a very practical proposition. For clarity, I’m not into murdering hitchhikers, I normally just take their wallets.
Let’s visit Germany next, starting with a BMW M535i standing on original specification metric Michelin TRX tyres. I’m partial to 1980s BMWs and most variants of the E28 are still quite reasonably priced, some being available for not much more than the price of a set of TRXs. E30s generally get more love and the immaculate 318is with M-Tech II body kit and chequered interior is a fine demonstration of how great they can look. This car was originally red but was resprayed burgundy when it was restored a few years ago, a shade that is quite unusual but really suits it. Of course, the ultimate E30 is considered to be the M3 and the familiar example on display looked as good as ever. It’s in long term ownership with a friend of mine and I doubt it’ll ever leave his family. Check out the AC Schnitzer wheels for a nice alternative to the usual BBS rims.
Also from Germany, a nice Mercedes W124 and an even nicer 190. Either of these two cars would make a great reliable daily driver, and values are far more sensible than most old BMWs. I could be really tempted by a Mercedes 190, especially one where tax exempt status was imminent.
I didn’t take enough photos of French cars to justify a dedicated section, but I have to mention this early Renault 5 with a dashboard gearchange. The Renault 5 is 50 this year (as recently written about on these pages by me) but it’s a niche classic round these parts and you won’t often see one. Renault did a very skillful updating job on these for the Phase 2, retaining the spirit of the original car. There was a late GT Turbo present but we were en-route to beer by then so I walked by without further snapping.
A couple of Japanese classics to call out now, starting with the pretty little Datsun Sunny 1200 pickup. Painted beige with complementary beige on beige interior trim, this is probably the vehicle I would choose to take home. The cockpit is appealing austere, with four on the floor and a strip speedo. What more do you really need?
I thought we’d have to be going some to better that when my attention was caught by something in the distance. Spotted in the wild, an actual Isuzu 117 Coupe. Extremely rare in the UK, this one was first produced in 1978 but only registered with the DVLA in 2017 so it’s clearly been recently imported from another right-hand drive market. I did a quick check of DVLA data to try to ascertain exactly how rare they are over here, but howmanyleft.co.uk drew a total blank. Whatever model this car is officially registered as, it’s one of very few in the UK. What we can say with certainty is that it thankfully has an 1800cc DOHC petrol engine rather than the 2.2 litre Diesel option (imagine that).
The 117 was one of the first Japanese cars to be styled by a European design house, Giugiaro doing the honours. Launched in 1968, Isuzu originally intended the car to be a low volume, hand-built exercise. However, demand soon outstripped supply and the car moved to mass production, resulting in over 86,000 units being produced by the time production ended in 1981. It’s easy to see why demand was high. The frontal styling of this facelift model reminds me of a scaled-down Bristol 603, though the early cars were arguably even prettier. Inside, the standard of trim and switchgear looks a cut above usual late-70s Japanese standards, with a European vibe to the cockpit. The special alloy wheels with the model name recessed into the face are a nice detail too, reminiscent of Ronal Turbos but specific to the Isuzu. Ashover Show never fails to present at least one surprise and this was a corker.
A quick stop to cause trouble in the commentary caravan, followed by taking an obligatory dog photograph (and a fine obligatory dog it was). We medically needed a beer by this point but I won’t neglect the homegrown classics before we go. The beautiful Austin 10 saloon and tiny pinky-purple 1931 Morris Minor both looked great fun as they ambled towards the exit gate. We were also fortunate to see the “Bergerac” Triumph Roadster, quite an unusual spot. A special mention too for the Carmine Red Vauxhall Cavalier which was very similar to my childhood transport, by which I mean I was ferried about in one. I didn’t drive it. Children weren’t allowed to drive cars back then. Finally, myself and James shared a moment of appreciation for the underrated Mk5 Escort RS2000. Compared to the adjacent Escort Cosworth it almost appeared (dare I say) elegant…? Don’t worry, it was probably just the effects of too much sun.
