by Yvette Barratt
  
The sixth annual Bank Holiday Rally brought a long-awaited club show back to the Belvedere. After a disappointing Easter, we had almost forgotten the procedure... But, we all soon got back in the swing of things, and for a short while it was as if we had never been gone...


Being the last full scale American show of the year - a year that has brought too many disappointments to the calendar, we were really praying for a great weekend. Come rain or high water, determination would surely win the day.

Some truly beautiful cars gathered in the late August sunshine to enjoy Sunday's altogether quieter affair. So anyone thinking the six awards on offer to first day exhibitors were easy picking, could think again, and rarity spotters were in for a treat. Two Ford retractables competed for attention, among a '54 Buick Skylark, '58 Chevy Impala convertible, a mighty sharp '65 GTO and many more.

Monday's exhibitors began their steady stream onto the Essex site before 9.00am. By 9:30 things were really taking shape: traders in place (including two from Holland), club stands ready to show - and with so many eager to enjoy the day, we spun the DJ into action and let rip... Well, hadn't we all waited long enough!

Once again the Rally attracted members from all over the UK. Representative, Phil Streets and his good lady Christine, travelled from Manchester for the weekend in their very smart Camaro IROC-Z, and were quick to inform us that several of their friends had journeyed even further to join us.

Compere for the weekend, was our Kent Representative, Steve Edwards, who also organised a Kent Area club stand. Joining him were the Pontiac Drivers', Pontiac Owners', Mustang Owners, Classic Corvette, LA Roadsters and Mopar Muscle Association, all of which put on impressive displays of members' cars.

While classics in general were extremely well represented, it was a rare treat to see cars dating from the early part of the last century - the most elderly among these being a 1914 Studebaker 2-door Landau. This one-off special order right-hand-drive model was sold new by Ansteys Garage of Maidstone, Kent, and still bears their trade plate on the dashboard. It was one of the first examples to be equipped with an electric starter generator and full set of electric lights. The four-cylinder (3159cc) Studebaker was in regular use until 1923, when, showing 8,000 miles, it was retired to a barn, where it remained until after the Second World War. Discovered in 1947 by an enthusiast, the vehicle was then restored. Today, the car has covered some 18,000 miles.

Another early gem was Terry Tribe's Graber-bodied 1937 Packard convertible which tried desperately not to be overshadowed by husband Keith's stunning 1932 Model 905 Packard Twin-Six Dual-Cowl Phaeton. This glorious example of 30s American opulence attracted immeasurable interest at the show, as I'm sure it will at the NEC in November when it graces the Classic American stand.

Muscle cars are always well represented. The might Mopars alone would have seen to that! The pleasure of spotting Stuart Keens Chrysler Letter-Series was somewhat heightened by the fact that just 12-hours before the show, Stuart was still polishing down his new black paint, in the hope that it would indeed make the show. Not to say the old paint was bad... But, if a job's worth doing...

Not to be outdone, Ford too had its powerhouses on display, featuring two Shelbys and the late Saleen model among the many pony cars to be found throughout the showfield. Fresh from a three-year ground up restoration, Bruce Strachan's 1966 Mustang fastback GT-K series saw it's first ever Musa show. The result is as dangerously close to perfection as you could ever wish for... a credit to Bruce who undertook many of the tasks personally. So refreshing to see a concours car driven, especially in not-so-perfect weather. It was also a great pleasure to see so many Camaros, both classic and modern, making it to the show.

It seemed all was just going too well for a 2000 show and right on cue, the wet stuff started to force its hand. Perseverance (or sheer arrogance) willed it away and the arena events continued unhindered. (Full credit to the exhibitors and Steve Edwards). Both Steve and our DJ (aka Big Daddy Mad Dog) did a spectacular job keeping the whole weekend upbeat and entertaining for car owners and public alike - not an easy task, but they both assure us they enjoyed it. Prize giveaways were very popular, with donated goods finding new homes every 30 minutes on Monday. The traders donate many of the prizes on the day as part of an arrangement; these included some really worthwhile prizes of model cars, metal signs and lots more, proving you don't have to own a trophy-winning vehicle to trundle off with a prize.

We must also thank the following club officials and members for their help: Keith Kentish, Brian Sparrow, Simon Waters, John Daniel, Keith Tribe and new Essex South Representative, Paul Warren... Not forgetting the Essex Monitors for marshalling the event, and Trevor's son Dylan and his mate Neil who took the weekend off from their girlfriends (although the mobiles took an ear bashing!).
1914 Studebaker Landau
1929 Packard model 633
1937 Packard Graber-bodied convertible
1946 Cadillac series 62
1958 Packard Hawk originally owned by the King of Belgium
1967 Buick Electra 225 convertible
1987 Camaro Z28
1958 Chrysler 300 D - pure '50s muscle