British Car Day 2004 Columbus, Ohio
 

Hey all,

Took my TR6 up to this meet which was one helluva show....Here are some pics, enjoy!!

more..

Healeys...

A DB5

It's an overcast day. Did any of them actually start? :D

;) ;)


Oh, nice DB5.

Doh! I didn't hear anything about it. Where was it at? I can't tell from the pictures....

A vintage Aston Martin is on my list for someday, when I have a garage like Jay Leno's. As for British cars I've owned (and in MY price range) were there any Sunbeams there?
Any Hillmans or Ford Cortinas?

Happy Motoring, Mark

I don't understand you British Car people. I have a friend named Colin, after Colin Chapman of Lotus because his father had to sell his Europa to pay the hospital bills for his birth. He now has an Elise. It is tons of fun, and tons of headaches...

It's not considered "headaches", it's called "charm";) :D

All those Healey's! Would love to have seen those:cool:

It looks like it was Easton maybe?? Too bad, I missed it also.

Geez, I wish I knew about this. I would have liked to have gone.

It was at Easton......Probably over 200 cars there. Everything from Triumphs to MGs to Sunbeams, Healeys, Minis, Jaguar, Damiler, RR, Hillman, Vauxhall, etc...

Nuts, missed this one completely due to a trip. Then again, I really dislike the traffic to, from, and within Easton.

Being a former British car obsessed person and a present enthusiast and appreciator, I have often reflected on what it is that draws certain people to british cars. Here is what I think British car fanboys such as myself like about them, and I include myself in all descriptions.

1. These cars evoke more than they are, which is to say they are more than the sum of their parts. Evoke is a good word here, because they conjure ideas and feelings in the way they look, sound and drive, more than they actually look, sound and drive. So, we are idealists in a Platonic kind of way. There are other cool cars that perform better and are more reliable (although this is arguable, owner depending), like 240Z's, Datsun Fairlady's (?), older Celica's, and BMW 2002's, but except for the 2002, they don't conjure the vibes. An old 911/912 would be a good compromise. But then there's the relative cost.

2. We enjoy having some kind of relationship with objects. This is not to hint at some kind of underlying pathology, but to simply suggest that we enjoy tinkering with them and in some perverse way like to put up with the finnikiness in exchange for a unique and totally cool way to get somewhere. So, we are somewhat masochistic and eccentric. My brother hated it, he drives a first gen Dakota with the V8. But he loved cruising around in the 'GT because it was so undeniably cool.

3. We value the feelings associated with antiquated "performance". For example, flying an older P-51 might be more fun than flying an F-22 or whatever. Kind of like cable controls might be more appealing to some than "fly by wire", or whatever. A friend of mine had a '98 M3, and we used to swap cars. I never liked it because I felt like the car was doing the driving, and it was a manual, too. Something about the tactile pleasure you get from extending your motor skills into the world.

4. There is a fundamentally romantic power in the British design style, on the outside and the dash/interior. British style is great for just about everything, a really cool sensibility. I always liked that Belgium MGB-GT variation, and Italian design is cool, but lacks the grace and "appropriateness" of British design. There is just something poetic about the perfectly integrated look, aesthetically speaking. So, there is a sentimental and romantic quality to the fan as well.

Any other qualities I'm missing?

Also, nice photos. Wish I were there but it would only make mne want to buy another one, which I just can't afford right now!