Sunday morning started out brisk--cool but not cold, with a hint of sunshine and a promise of warming up. The Queens English annual car show, held in Van Nuys, always promises to be a blisteringly hot event as it is in the upper end of the San Fernando Valley.
However, because of the early date, this day provided pretty good cloud cover for a nice big crowd, and a bonus was the temperature topping out at a very moderate 82oF.
Check in was smooth as can be--pre-registered QR codes sped the process dramatically. Parking was a bit different this year, but excellent signage made this very easy. As usual, the grass surface was "lumpy" at best. Admission for show vehicles was restricted to begin at 8:00 AM, a bit later than expected, and chatter was heard that this was due to local municipality regulations. One food truck showed up mid- morning, and surprisingly there were no vendors selling all those old treasures that trigger eye-rolling from our long suffering spouses.
A personal aside: I committed to "caravaning" with a fellow LBC ("Little British Car") enthusiast, who is not an Austin Healey owner, but I don't hold that too much against him. At his request we kept speeds below 60 MPH, and from Huntington Beach to Van Nuys, this meant a solid hour-plus commute. Previously I would take my "big Healey" into the carpool lane and wind it up to the speed of traffic. Typically, this meant high 70's, low 80's and maybe squeezing it a bit more when the mood and circumstances dictated. But travelling at a modest 55 or so was a different experience: I spent less time actively (sometimes frantically) piloting and more time just sitting back and enjoying the ride. This also led to a more comfortable experience: lying back and just taking a relaxed hour-long "stroll" on the 405. An added bonus was the dramatically increased mileage--that 3 liter engine drank a lot slower at the gentler speed! Between 300 and 400 British cars attended the show, including MG's, Triumphs, Jensen Healeys, Cortinas, Lotuses, Jaguars, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Land Rovers, a Marcos, Aston Martins, Morgans, Sunbeams, Minis, a Moke and some exotics such as an HRG and an Alvin. A Daimler with a small V8 had twin SU carbs, side draft of course, but mounted at 45o angles! Clubs represented were the Southern California MG Club, the Central Coast British Car Club, the Jaguar Owners Club, the Triumph Club of Southern California, the Morgan Plus 4 Club, and the Rolls Royce Owners Club. And of course, the Austin Healey Association of Southern California.
The Rolls Royce group had their own separate judged contest, and were judging over 20 vehicles. MG's and Triumphs were both very well represented, with well over 40 of each brand in attendance. About 25 Jaguars were parked in the north (shadier!) section, and 17 Morgans showed up. Minis? Too many, I lost count. The Lotus people displayed some 20 versions, including 4 Model 7's and 4 Elises.
Our Austin Healeys took the middle of the South section, with 8 Sprites and over 15 "Big Healeys".
Club members included Paul VanWig, Chuck and Barbie Meng, Greg Aden, Dan O'Neill and Tim Weston, (all with their "bug eyes",) David Mosely, Bob Bolling, Phil Caliva, Cary MacMiller, John Hummer, Dan Burrola, George McHarris, Bruce Borella, John Hamo, Tim McNiff, Lou and Bonnie Fisher, Steve and Jan Beck, Joyce Maeda, Russ Thompson, and myself, Jim Bennett, and my copilot/ navigator Sandy were driving “big” Healeys.
Members attending who didn't bring their AH's were Mike Biss, Tom Biss, Tom Colby, and Peter and Alex Roses, (whose Healey broke down on the way and had to be towed home, sorry!), and Hema and Ravin Ratnayake.
Music? We were promised music! But, no show. Also, no motorcycles. Ah well, once the sun came out in full force, the crowd began thinning, and by 12:30 PM about half the cars had left. I too pulled the plug around then and joined the car show called the "405" through the Sepulveda Pass and spent a robust half hour watching my temperature gauge climb while enjoying only first and second gear. Here's looking forward to next year's show!