Sunday 29 May 2011

Classic cars

Every May bank holiday, classic cars purr and roar into town for a pageant. This year, although there were other cars there, the spotlight was on America in the 1950s – think Cadillac; think Thunderbird and Mustang; think Giant Beasts of Power. I donned my best rock-out fifties swirl dress (in my head only as it was bloody freezing) and set off to admire the chrome.




I've decided 'just roam in your chrome' might be my new favourite saying in times of stress, replacing the usual coping tactic of quoting dodgy lines from the film Predator.

I was also over-excited to realise that 'hydra-matic' is a real word, and not just made up to rhyme with 'automatic' by the film Grease. But what is a hydra-matic drive? Is it one stage better than a dramatic drive? Is it somehow powered by hydrogen? Is it... *runs to google*... Ah. Automatic transmission. That was the next thing I was going to guess, of course...


At these events I nearly always get stopped by somebody (local press, organisers, old blokes with beards) who will tell me that it's quite unusual for a girl to be into classic cars. It’s true - you don't often see females wandering around admiring the dashboards. But they are so pretty!



It's the shapes, the styles, the throaty roar of engines – all the glamour and romance of an era long-past. For me this is the attraction with classic cars – these vehicles tell stories.





I am also rather fond of pondering over which classic car best suits a wicker picnic basket. I've now decided it may be this E-type Jag. Let's see it from the front...



Yup, that wins my Wicker Picnic Basket medal for this year. I bet the owner is well pleased. What better accolade could there be?

The other car that caught my eye was this bad boy below. Just what on earth is it? And where can I drive one? :)

18 comments:

Old Kitty said...

Sorry lovely Jayne but that last car belongs to Darth Vader.
:-)

You rockabilly chick you!! I'm off to watch a clip of Jeff Conaway doing his Grease Lightning song now - seems appropriate!

Take care
x

mshatch said...

loved that blue/white interior. What model did it belong to?

Unknown said...

Your May Bank Holiday coincides with our Memorial Day. In Lincoln they have a "Cruise Night" where everyone brings out their babies for a ride out on the town and spectators line the main street. We saw a lot of the same beasts riding around out here that you did, though there are a lot more classic trucks in Lincoln because it's a farming community. It's neat to know London has similar activities.

Aubrie said...

"Just roam in your chrome" I love it. Great pictures. Blue ones are my fav.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I hate to sound like an old crank, but really... they just don't make em like they used to!!

Wendy@FabNouveau said...

This reminds me of the antique show which is no longer on our cable offering (drat), if only I could live in England for that.....love the idea of your best frock on your head....freezing, i thought its summer already for you. SA is icy cold, we're not used to this.

Deana said...

I am loving those cars! When I was little my Dad had a T-Bird with red leather seats. I thought I was soooo cool riding in that car:)

snafu said...

They called it a hydro-fluid clutch in the UK, but not many blokes bought automatics here because we are real 'ard and know how to double de-clutch thou knows.

Rowan said...

Cars like Mustangs and Cadillacs from the 1950s/60s are part of the glamorous life of American teenagers that I visualized when I was a very ordinary and unglamorous English teenager. My own favourite cars are actually from the mid 1930s which definitely go with wicker picnic hampers:)

Millie said...

The local Mayor in our small Aussie country town had a white Impala when I was growing up. He rented it out as a Bridal car on the weekends. Oh that car was so cool!
Millie x

Al said...

I'm not usually a fan of cars, but that old chrome looks fascinating.

Talli Roland said...

Lovely photos, Jayne! The colours are so vibrant.

Unknown said...

Lovely pictures :). I wish I could go to events like these!

Julie@beingRUBY said...

HI Jayne
Well 'roam in your chrome' sounds good to me... I'd love some sort of convertible.. but of course it wouldn't be practical..

I recently found a dealers magazine for my dad's car that he bought in the 60's [i think].. the cover is so cute and makes the car looks abundantly better than it was..

Hope you are having a lovely week.. ciao xxx Julie

Carol Kilgore said...

Wow! Love these photos. I like your favorite car, too :)

Julie Musil said...

Wow. My husband would be in heaven among all those cars. Amazing pictures.

Pat Tillett said...

Those old cars (including the dashboards) are purt art and built to last. Today's cars, not so much...
Nice photos!

Laurence Modithre said...

Man, those are some smooth pics! And no doubt those cars look much better in person. Something about the restoration of a classic car is quite sexy. All that effort to transform an old vehicle into something that looks brand new is so worth it.