35th Footman James Bristol Classic Car Show

15 Jun 35th Footman James Bristol Classic Car Show

The Wolseley Owners Club put on a stand at the Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June 2014.

Present on the stand were two large black and shiny Wolseley 6/110s. Large Farinas are rarely seen at shows, so to have two together was certainly a crowd stopper.

Congratulations to Adrian, winning an award for ‘Best Interior’ with his 1965 Wolseley 6/110.

With set up being on the afternoon of Friday 13th, and with a full moon that night, what could possibly go wrong? We arrived to find the organisers had moved us from our usual space, with only just enough room for two big Farinas, and no wall behind for the planned projection of pictures. After much jiggling around with the cars which included dismantling and re-assembling the partition boards, we were ready for whatever the rest of the weekend could throw at us.

Saturday arrived, with some final adjustments made, a TV was brought to show the pictures, and the complimentary copies of Wisely along with club leaflets placed out on the table. The public came in and we were pleasantly surprised by the attention we were getting. The comments were very favourable and ranged from the usual ‘I/my dad/granddad had one of these’, to ‘you don’t want to know how many of those I raced around the banger track’.

At one point during the day, we were visited by one of the show judges who was very interested in the interior of Adrian’s’ Wolseley 6/110. Saturday drew to a close, and after a final polish of Conrad’s car ready for the next day, we went home tired but pleased with proceedings.

Sunday, Adrian arrived to find that a pigeon, caught inside the shed overnight, had decided that Conrad might want to change his black car for one that had large white spots on one wing, and liberally covered the area! Adrian worked his magic, and all was well by the time Conrad and I arrived.

Another morning of strong interest in the cars and the Club followed. We handed out many leaflets, application forms, along with complimentary issues of Wisely – the magazine of The Wolseley Owners Club.

About mid-day, the call came from the organisers for representatives to attend the prize giving. Conrad and Adrian went and it was a very surprised Adrian, who received the award for ‘Best Interior’. The judges had appreciated his subtle restoration, whilst keeping the authentic patina of fifty years of wear.

A nice reward for Adrian, and good publicity for the Wolseley Owners Club as a whole. A good end to a tiring weekend, with a successful raising of the club profile amongst the classic car fraternity at large.

Report by Wolseley Owners Club member, Malcolm, who, along with Conrad and Adrian assisted with the smooth running of the Club stand over the weekend.