Ripon Old Cars Gathering

29 July 2007

by Andrew Coulson

Recipes for disaster at a Y Register Event usually involve bad (or uncertain) weather; an untested new venue; organisers who have been away instead of checking the proposed new venue; mechanical breakdowns; etc. Luckily for everyone then that Ripon Old Cars Y Register stand managed to dodge these ingredients (in part at least!).

The previous few weeks of floods in Yorkshire (including parts of Ripon) meant that until three days before the show there was a real possibility of a 'no show' this year. Not that Andrew & Arlene Coulson would have known much about it as they were spending that Thursday attending a centenary concert at Troldhaugen (the Bergen house of Edward Grieg!) However, the weather gods were kind enough for the 9 cars — representing more variants of the Y-type than at any other location this year (we think?) — who attended the 60th Celebrations in Yorkshire. In addition to several 'regulars, Barbara and Alan McCormack travelled over in their late YB which they have owned for 28 years — and their previous car was another Y! With an interior which belies its 20 plus years since refurbishment, Barbara's car attracted the usual excited cabal of Y owners discovering a new relative.

With mostly sunny weather, the typical view from the Y stand was of rear ends and the grand stand at Ripon's Garden Racecourse. With visitors calling by for advice, offers of help, requests for help or perhaps some of each, we enjoyed a full eight hours of food, drink and gossip.

Roy & Sue Clapham arrived early in their prize winning YA, with Frank Knox's YB and the Coulson's YA in quick follow up. Michael Nicholson brought his "cream cracker" car and demonstrated just how 'cream crackered' he really was by using Andrew's YB pick up as a day bed! In reality he was trying to show that the pick up would be ideal for taking on a future Peking to Paris run since you could sleep (almost) in it as well! Among the other cars were the Coulson YT (still in rally trim from June's Gordon Bennett Rally in Ireland), Dennis Greenwoods modified YA, and Bernard Meynell's beautiful and almost silent car.

In reality however, it was the 12 good men (and women) who flew the flag for the day who really made it a "Grand Day Out" — even down to the Wensleydale cheese and crackers! They were (from left to right): the Ladies; Barbara McCormack, June Greenwood, Sue Clapham, Margaret Meynell, Arlene Coulson; the Gentlemen; Roy Clapham, Alan McCormack, Dennis Greenwood, Bernard Meynell, Frank Knox, Michael Nicholson.

And as if that wasn't enough, an original radiator muff for the Y-type, fully fitted and tailored, was revealed to everyone there — it's going to be a bit longer before the pictures go global, but watch this space!!

To enlarge the pictures, double click on them.