It's nearly time to hang up the fanbelt for 2003 and look back on a year of UK
Road Runs in a miscellany of old British Iron. I did my last one today in the
2000, together with a '63 TR4 with moss growing out of the wings (!!!) and a
Spitfire that sounded less than healthy. It wasn't an all-Triumph event and no
matter for that. There was a 4 1/4 litre Bentley from 1936, a superb TR3, an
MG TF that many would have died for, a Rover P6, Volvo 123GT, a prototype Land
Rover Discovery, two 'B's and an adorable Austin 'jellymould' aka Austin A30.
We were also joined by a JBA Falcon (kit car) and two Westfields (Lotus 7
smell-alikes)
What made the event is that we did it for charity and all the navigators were
disabled in that without exception they were either registered blind or
severely visually impaired. Not an original idea I know, but printed matter
gave way to roadbooks in braille, large print or on tape cassette - and we had
a BALL! Shrieks of laughter as VI's sent their drivers in the wrong direction
- and no-one gave a damn. Everyone got round the 100 mile course without
incident and the charity is now better off by $3000. A fab way to use an old
car - oil leaks, Lucas and all - especially when the Bosch generator on the
Ovlov failed. We kept it going by using two other cars as the rechargers,
assisted by a set of well-used battery jump leads.
On the way home, 'Flossie' threw some of her toys out of her pram and declined
to let her headlights to be used on main beam but that's a Clear Hooters high
beam switch for you!
Jonmac
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