Ripon Old Cars Gathering

26 July 2009

Records broken ... everywhere

by Andrew Coulson

For the 10th occasion, Ripon Old Cars hosted an MG Y type stand courtesy of Andrew & Arlene Coulson, and set a new benchmark for everyone!

The weather started grey and cold before settling to grey, cold and very wet — a truly memorable English summer's day — but this did nothing to dampen everyone's spirits. For the first time we reached the maximum (set by t'committee!) number with 10 Y types on the stand, despite the YB pickup still being truly an 'off roader' with local garage and Malcolm Hardy having an oil leak which worried him into coming to the show in his modern motor!

The next first (if you can have a second first) was the arrival of Barbara Goodyear's black 1949 YT, having driven up the 100 miles (complete with Marti the greyhound) from Lincolnshire to be there. Parked beautifully alongside the Coulson YT, these are the two oldest YT's currently on the UK road! (Surely another first?)

Andrew & Diane Jackson from Burnley were first timers with their newly acquired car — and bringing not only the car but some excellent pork pies to add to the communal lunch which features at Ripon. Also crossing the Pennines — still safe to do even in these days of woe and despair — were Roy & Sue Clapham in their now well used and familiar green/cream car, and Dennis & Joan Greenwood in his modified YB (see earlier reports for some of them!)

Brian & John Arkley brought their two cars down from Hartlepool — and rumour has it that another chassis is being worked on in their (almost) secret workshop! With Bernard & Margaret Meynell cruising effortlessly down from Middlesborough, the stand was so full that it had to be twice extended to cope with the cars, the gazebos (essential equipment every year!) and the dogs! (The Goodyear's, Clapham's, Greenwood's & Arkley's all brought real live mascots with them and all were well behaved (dogs at least))

Having talked, fed, and exchanged a variety of parts — 15" wheel to Dennis; gaskets to Malcolm; windscreen winder screw fixing, etc — the second Ripon Y type quiz was issued by Sue. Having won last year, she and Roy had the duty of care for us all and set a series of Y related facts and figures which was won — in another first — by Barbara and Andy Goodyear! They now hold the challenge cup and have accepted to set next year's quiz at ROC'10!

The show may not have had the glorious sun of last year, but as usual the general consensus was another "Grand Day Out" for those intrepid cheese eating, dog loving people and their grommets!

To enlarge the pictures, double click on them.