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Despite having a rather busy weekend, I managed to squeeze a little bit of Classic motoring into my week.

It started with a familiarisation drive in one of the latest cars donated to the museum – a 1997 Rover 820 kindly donated by Stephen Yates, having been in long term family ownership. These luxury Rovers benefitted from the British Leyland collaboration with Honda and sold well, replacing the ageing SD1. This particular car has been cherished by Stephen and his parents and drives very sweetly providing a very comfortable ride.

On Monday, I briefly drove another car donated to us by Peter Mathers, a 2007 Ford Ka 1.3. making it a late version of the car launched in 1996 and substantially changed in 2008. I owned a SportKa back in 2004 which I used as a runaround and thought back then that it was a fun drive which could definitely have handled more power. The styling was not to everyone’s taste but it was distinctive which I think has really stood the test of time. Sadly in my view the last iteration of the Ka which was discontinued in 2019 looked like just another small euro-box and had lost the distinctive character of the original car. We would like to thank Peter for this ‘modern classic’ and one of the last Fords to have a really distinctive shape.

On Thursday I drove home in my A40 Farina which is always guaranteed to raise a smile. This car was supplied new by Kennings in Loscoe in 1963 and I am only the second owner. It has covered 250,000 miles and now has a 1275cc engine with twin carbs. Needless to say it is a sprightly little thing. The reg number is original as in 1963 before going to the A suffix , Derbyshire County Council decided to use up some old numbers. My Mum learned to drive in an A40 so I have early memories of listening to her instructor, Mrs Parker, giving her lessons as I stayed quiet in the back!

Finally, I am delighted to announce that we have bought a really rare HB Viva from Great British Car Club member Paul Simpson. This SL variant has a 1600 OHC engine with 83 bhp on tap. It’s in great condition and drives really well. This was a real alternative to an Escort GT and I think drives rather better with its coil sprung back axle with trailing arms. I have driven it round the site but can’t wait for an open road trip!

So… another varied week of motoring down at Great British Car Journey and we personally have a Porsche Cayenne on loan at the moment as Mrs Usher’s Macan is in for some work. The Cayenne is all that’s wrong with modern cars, its huge bulk makes it feel really heavy (which it is) and if you drive with any enthusiasm, it’s actually quite hard work and very hard on the wallet. Does anyone really need such a big lumbering thing to take the kids to school? I cant wait to get our diesel Macan back.

Richard Usher,
Founder and CEO, Great British Car Journey

We enjoyed a fantastic weekend at Great British Car Journey as April moved into May last week. Both Saturday, Sunday and Monday (May Day) were really busy and I would like to thank all the team for their hard work and dedication. Thanks also to all the organisers from Jaguar Drivers Club, Morgan Sports Car Club, The Imp Club and Aston Martin Owners Club for visiting and being so complimentary about our venue.

A belated Happy 60^th Birthday to the Hillman Imp – that clever little car built by the Rootes Group in Scotland which deserved to be a bigger success back in the 1960s. I was particularly impressed by the variety of different Jaguars which attended the Breakfast Club and was pleased to hear from the Club Chairman, Roger Kemp, that the club is enjoying good growth with plenty of owners of current cars signing up too. The Club magazine edited by the indefatigable, Gaynor Cauter, is a very well-produced publication which I would say is worth the club membership fee in its own right.

Similarly, Roy Blunt, Chairman of The Imp Club affirmed that interest in the Imp and all its variants remained strong and they had enjoyed a good weekend celebrating this significant anniversary.

On Monday, we entered a new month with our second Great British Car Meet in three days and a fantastic turnout saw the car park full and the café as busy as ever. My absolute favourite car of the day was the pristine Austin Paralanian Camper Van. The name Paralanian came from the fact that they were coach-built in Parry Lane, Bradford, so not quite as exotic as it sounds. However, it was a very luxurious Motor Home by the standards of post-war Britain and this particular example was a real credit to its owner. I hope we will see it again.

Visit our calendar for the full list of future classic car events at Great British Car Journey.

Richard Usher
Founder and CEO of Great British Car Journey.