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Wealth in the motoring sector

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John-B
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Wealth in the motoring sector

Post by John-B »

In 1967 a farmer in my village started a hillclimb on his farm. It started with people driving their cars or old bangers for a race up the farm track.

Then cars started to get souped up and not road-legal so they arrived on trailers. Then the kit cars arrived and old bangers became more professionally upgraded. Then cars arrived in covered trailers. Then cars became real racing cars in covered trailers. Then really expensive racing cars arrived with spare wheels, special fuel and a whole workshop inside the trailer, pulled by a huge Winnebago; at least half a million quid's worth.

On Friday evenings before a hillclimb weekend I see them pass my cottage and on Saturday and Sunday I see the spectators arrive in expensive BMWs or supercars, all going a bit too fast in the 20mph area.

There are classes for classic cars, lots of Minis, Austin Healeys and old Brabhams, but I've never seen an SP250. The majority are special racing cars.

Meanwhile, I've just heard two combine harvesters pass my cottage. I like to get on my mountain bike, find them and watch them because the noise, power and slow munching of a crop fascinate me. I have been to the hillclimb, but without knowing the drivers it doesn't hold much interest for me.

The hillclimb course holds events several times a year as part of a national competition. It is an unusual course because the first part is downhill, a long sweeping left-hander on an adverse camber where cars reach 100mph then find they are approaching a hairpin too fast. The hairpin is a 360 degree turn changing from downhill to uphill, then there's a hump where cars leave the ground, then a left-hander, then a long uphill straight where cars reach 150mph.

The classic car restoration scene seems busier than ever and rallies and shows seem to get more and more visitors. There's a lot of money around, luckily.

Stan Thomas
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Re: Wealth in the motoring sector

Post by Stan Thomas »

Speaking of hill climbs - what was the greatest number of people who ever gathered on the hills at Shelsey Walsh?

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