Helmingham Hall Car Show 2026 (part 2)

Part two of the Festival of Classic and Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall, takes us into the privateer field on the other side of the hall. After taking in some liquid refreshments and a few calories Craig and I set off to find some more nice cars. This was the view that greeted us as we emerged from the tea and cake. It was reported that there was 1,200 cars and 8,000

The cars that parked up on the Tollemache area are here, it was a relentless sea of people swarming around the cars.

There is a red Lamborghini Countach here which is in fact a replica or tribute car as they tend to be known as now days. It was interesting to hear the people saying that it’s a real one, a simple look under the mid engined hood would see a v8 and not the glorious V12. Don’t get me wrong it’s a beautiful looking car, but the real thing wasn’t allowed on the Tollemache, more on that a little later in this post.

As the privateer field was not a club stand field, it was divided up into into various decades. Sixties, seventies, eighties etc. Although looking at the mixture of cars, it looked to be good intentions for organisation, but it didn’t work flawlessly. The field was full, but as we got out around two thirty some of the cars were leaving early, so we missed a few of them, nothing spectacular was missed.

Each of these little galleries was supposed to be the decade, but I have just left them in the order of walking up and lines of cars which was a little chaotic at times it has to be said.

This poor chap was having issues with his car, but what was nice to see is a number of people that gathered around him to help out. It was refreshing to see regardless of the make of the vehicle, people were helping out. I did hear some dubious suggestions for the potential problem not used to old school carburettors, but also some very valid next steps for trouble shooting.

In the previous post I mentioned that there was an issue with the Tollemache entrants area. As we pulled into the event’s main gate there was a car in front of us who was clearly trying to blag his way into the Tollemache. It was quite obvious that he hadn’t booked so wasn’t allowed to park up which was a good thing, but that left a problem the marshals who couldn’t turn him back down the drive. They had to work out where to send him as he wasn’t on a club stand either. Due to this person’s attempts to get somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, it caused a queue of traffic behind him, that’s me included and load of others who were getting a bit frustrated. This guy had clearly paid to get on the Tollemache and had his ticket in the windscreen, but wasn’t allowed to park at the Tollemache for what ever reason, these privileged tickets ain’t cheap and I hope he got his money back. This Lambo is the real deal.

With the field completed it was time to head back to the car, but via some of the gardens. The gardens were busy and we decided not to go all round them. Such a shame that the heat has ruined the lush greenery and vibrant colours of the flowers.

There was some stalls, but no autojumble which was a bit shocking to be honest, after all this is a car show. There was home made jewellery, cakes and some artworks you could buy should you need to. I had taken some cash with me as I wanted to buy some detailing products and a few microfibre cloths, but no I couldn’t which was typical. There was no car oil stalls, car parts for the rest of us petrol heads, such a prestigious event like this I was expecting more car related stalls. However there was one car stall, but it was the Hot Wheels type. Outside one stall there was this lovely ol’ thing, I have no idea what it is and would genuinely love for somebody to tell me what it is, apart from stating the obvious of being old.

Mart’s Car Of The Show.

This is an MG Y (I think) from 1952. I don’t know why this caught my eye, it was battered and well used which was the appeal to me, a 1250cc or 76.3ci for my friends on the other side of the pond. This was in the club stand field with the MGs. A great little car with plenty of character that I bet could tell a story or two.

We took a another well earned break and done some mandatory people watching. I had one guy stop by to say hello and I couldn’t place him. We got to talking and it turned out that he was a neighbour over the road from me who had seen my car way back when as a wreck being worked on up my drive before it was stored at Mustang Maniac where I could work on it properly. Matt and I reminisced for a while and caught up on what we had been doing since we had lost touch. I said that I would mention on my post that Matt has a really good app that I do use called ‘Shaboodle’ link here and this is not a sponsored plug by the way. It’s a great (secure) app for storing all sorts of information, car details, documents, itinerary etc. all in one place online or via the app. I like it so you may want to check it out.

I mentioned that Lee is a good friend of Craig’s and I have gotten to know him as too meeting up at the car shows. He, like Craig is a keen photographer with a good eye for a shot. As I pulled into the event making my way down the drive I slowed right down as Craig had spotted Lee who appeared right on cue to take an action shot of us coming up the drive. It was now my turn to hold the traffic up as you can see behind me! The difference was I only stopped for a few seconds. Lee sent me these cracking photo’s and I said I would also give him a shout out for his Instagram: s2kathome or the link here https://www.instagram.com/s2kathome/ again this is not a sponsored mention.

I especially love this shot.

Once I had parked up Lee had taken these as well.

Thanks for letting me use the photos Lee.

Although there was 1,200 or so cars there, I was a little selective and hope I captured the spirit of the show. So, that was Helmingham Hall all done for another year, a great show as ever, well organised and it was nice to have some company with me for a change at a car show, now I’m looking forward to next year.

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Helmingham Hall Car Show 2026 (part 1)

The biggest car show I attend and my favourite took place last weekend at Helmingham Hall, or to give the show it’s full title ‘Festival of Classic and Sports Cars’. The show was booked up for 1,200 cars with the expected foot fall of 8,000 people. I think it was a little more than that as it was properly wedged with people all day. This show my mate Craig was coming with me and we made a time to leave my house at eight in the morning, an early start for Craig. We loaded the car up and set off bang on time and took a leisurely drive to the event. My ticket was Tollemache 110 which means we have nice parking spot in from of the hall and lunchtime tea and cake. We parked up and we got a waft of bacon. That prompted a mission to go find some breakfast, we didn’t have to travel far to find a hotdog stall, we got a couple which was £7 each or the best part of $10 dollars! That’s just a a rip off I’m afraid, but demand will command the price. I paid it so I can’t complain, but it was a good start to the day for sure. We booked our time for tea and cake and caught up with another friend Lee and his daughter who had an MX5 who was also on the Tollmache area and was going to do a run down the main driveway and back again for crowd entertainment which is always popular part of the day.

The event is split into two fields, to the left of the hall is the club stands, and to the right is the privateers on display. We decided to check out the club stands first. This was taken early before the public were allowed in and shows the hall and some of the cars for the Tollemache. The fields are brown and no green grass as half of the UK is now in ‘drought’ conditions with hosepipe bans everywhere. The dry fields is a nightmare for dust in the air but I somehow coped with the stress of the dust!

Due to number of cars I have taken pictures of many cars together to save umpteen scrawling pages, I decided to split the show into two parts with around one hundred and seventy photos on each post, just to make it easier on the eye. With the sun being so bright I tried to get the best pics I could without glare.

Of course there was a Mustang stand, but not a single old school classic Mustang on their stand sadly.

More American Muscle.

The first few pics here are of a genuine Lamborghini Countach, this is relevant for a couple of cars a little bit later on.

We finished the field as the announcements for the driveway run were announced. Lee was due to be up first but a unmarked police car went first, yes I did make a note of the number plate! Here we have Lee in his car being interviewed before he set off and made his return back up the drive.

I’m not quite sure what Lee has done to his car, but it sounds like a flat four boxer engine or even a V8. Regardless it sounded pretty good with a pop and bang overrun compared to most MX5s.

I only have a my Samsung phone so the zoom is a little pixelated on the way back up the drive (sorry Lee), but a few action shots of him anyway.

The start of the driveway run was perfect timing as we were now at the top of the drive and near my car. We watched the cars, me from the top and Craig wandered a bit further down to get some head on shots. After the runs, I needed to put more sun screen on as I was getting hot and get a cold drink was needed. Craig, Lee and his daughter wandered of to get some food which allowed this poor ol’ timer to sit his ass down and take that well earned drink and rest! Craig got back looking pleased with himself holding a nice pot of noodles. We ate our food while we people watched for half an hour or so before we went for our tea and cake in the courtyard.

The area for the refreshments is in a quiet little courtyard with a dozen or so table spaced out for little peace and quiet from the ‘car’nage (see what I did there) of people walking around. We found some shaded area and enjoyed our cakes, mine was a Cherry Madeira and Craig had a full on triple chocolate job. As I don’t drink tea or coffee, as I don’t like the taste of either, Craig had my tea as well.

Part two will be tomorrow at the same time where I name my car of the show, and have some great shots of my car. The second field walk around to look at the privateers.

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Sticky Fingers

The next town to my little village hosts an annual carnival with a classic car show as part of the day. I attended this event a few years back and I haven’t been since due to other better car shows or rain. The Stowmarket Carnival was scheduled on the 19^th July, the weather was looking good and I didn’t have any other shows to go to. So I thought I would give it a go again as a day out. This isn’t a huge show so there was no need to get up early and avoid the queue to get in. The usual drinks and a snack were packed and I set of for the show and arrived at the field fifteen minutes later, all cars had to be in place before nine forty five ready for the public to arrive. I was directed straight in and that was pretty well organised to be fair. once inside I was directed to area ten by a marshal and was shown my position to park adjacent to a concreate footpath which ran across the middle of the field or recreation field, a nice location in fact. By the time I had gone over the dry and dusty field the car needed a wipe over. I wouldn’t do that until after the other cars had all been parked up as they too were putting up plumes of dust.

I was hungry and decided that the now becoming obligatory sausage in a roll was required, and very nice it was too.

The car was given a wipe over and walked around the cars, maybe a hundred or so for the day.

There was some nice American muscle there, although I was the only 60’s Mustang.

I was almost fooled by this Chesil Speedster that was a replica of the Porsche 356 Speedster. To find a real 356 is hard enough, let alone find one at a carnival considering their value is around £300k to £560k, some rare models can command up to £800k.

I had seen all the cars, in the last part of the field were some amazing motorbikes and trikes. I was talking to a couple of great guys and spent a little with them. Two or three wheels are not my ‘thing,’ but I can certainly appreciate the mechanical engineering on these bikes and how proud the owners are of their creations.

Mart’s Car Of The Show

I have some good memories driving one of these Land Rover Series 3 in their iconic green. I have never seen one get stuck anywhere, such an amazing go anywhere work horse vehicle. Not fast, not that comfortable, not that quiet, but it will pull a house over.

I made my way back to my car and sat in my chair for a bit of people watching. I started to notice the families were arriving en masse; no doubt the nice weather, the attraction of traditional fun fair rides calling to them. Around lunch time I could see that many kids were eating ice creams while wandering around looking at the cars. I could see the parents just letting them stroll up to the cars, lean on them while holding their ice creams and putting their dirty sticky fingers all over the car. It’s a real pet hate of mine, I decided that I wasn’t going to leave my car unattended for the remaining time I was a this event.

The problem with ‘family’ focussed events like this one, is that some parents simply don’t care about your property. Your pride and joy is there on display just for their beloved little brats to climb over and have a nice time. Harsh I hear you say, maybe. But, to us car owners, dropping a bit of ice cream, a greasy hamburger morsel on a fabric seat or onto the carpet can ruin it, especially if it’s all original. I was really nervous about pushchairs being dragged through small gaps between the cars. Young kids were riding scooters around on the uneven ground, it wouldn’t take much for one of them to hit a divot in the ground and send them flying into the side of a car. In that damaged car scenario, would the parents pay for the repair and a paint job, of course they won’t. I was not enjoying this show once the general public turned up. However I do like to see families have a great day out and enjoy the cars, but sadly it was the minority that day. I hardly spoke to anybody during the time I was there, not by my choice, but nobody came up to me which was unusual, not that I ever expect people to engage with me no matter what the show. The cars seemed to be just a side line for the fun fair rides, fast food, cake and sweet stalls. Some parents were great and lifted their young kids to see the cars, which was nice to see.

Petrol heads (gear heads for those on the other side of the pond) who attend ‘proper’ car shows for fellow enthusiasts respect the cars, they don’t touch them or eat and drink near them. At those shows I feel comfortable enough to wander around without worrying about my car being trashed by the time I get back to it. We owners even look out for each others cars.

After a few hours into the early afternoon I had enough of stressing myself out watching people, near my car. I was determined to make sure my car left the same way it arrived to the event. As for this show I won’t be going again, purely for the reason of some, (not all) uncaring families, the parents were leaning on the roof of cars looking inside them, there’s no need for it. A shame, but when young children are around it’s not always their fault as they don’t know any better. If they don’t know any better they should be guided by the parents or maybe not as the case may be. I was fortunate enough to get back to my car and keep an eye on it. I did see finger marks on cars and bits of food on the floor by the cars as I was looking at them too. In my eyes and from what they saw, my little rant is justified. My car did have finger marks on a the glass right where my Krooklok sticker is, somebody had obviously pointed to it. I checked the rest of the car thoroughly which it was OK, thankfully. I guess I have upset a few people and been a bit controversial with my closing words. Do you agree with me, or am I just being a grumpy old man? This post will prompt me to write a little another little piece on ‘Car Show Etiquette’ in the near future, would it be even worth my while?

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Classic Car Show Culford 2026 (part 2)

Welcome back to second instalment of the huge Classic Car Show Culford School 2026. I finished yesterdays post with the glorious GMA T.50 an automotive work of art. But this show has so much more to offer and now it was time to work my way back up the other half of the field. Towards the end of the post I reveal one of my very earliest memories as a kid if not the first memory I have which was triggered by something on a table that I saw at this show.

Jones’ Van from the classic TV Comedy Show ‘Dad’s Army’ was there again. Some members of the museum that looks after the van were dressed up as the TV characters acting out a scene or two from the shows.

I was now at the super car stand with lots of relatively new and classic sports cars.

Some Americana works of art to enjoy. Some I have seen at shows before and always a pleasure to see.

Then it was back up and down the lines again to take more photos I actually took over four hundred on the day. Near to me was a burger van selling burgers, hot dogs and bacon rolls. I wasn’t hungry until I smelt the food, a proper hot dog with cheese and onions had my name all over it! The picture doesn’t show it was a foot long sub, I found a bit of shade and enjoyed my breakfast.

With a full stomach it was back to the cars.

A previous winner of my car of the show, this achingly beautiful Aston Martin

A car that love, but my 6’4″ frame prevents me from getting in it sadly.

The paint job on this 1930s Ford was amazing, again the photos don’t do it justice.

There was a couple of old school pedal cars on tables which were amazing and beautifully restored. Kids of today don’t know the pleasure of going as fast as you can in a pedal car. An Xbox game may look great, but it doesn’t give you sense of speed by dragging your back side a couple of inches of the ground. Brakes – oh yeah, you stopped peddling and jammed both feet hard to stop the peddles, get it right and you could skid the car into a corner like a racing God, sometimes!

I was lucky enough to have one as a kid, nothing branded or fancy like those ones above. Mine was just a generic box shape in dark green, a bit like this one, I was gutted when I couldn’t get in it anymore. I was so very young, but my earliest memory was driving that pedal car into a fence at the bottom of a little hill. It was bent up a bit after that, (so was I), but it still drove good! When my ol’ man used to wash his car, I was given a little bowl to wash mine as well. Cars must have been in my blood at such a young age, or the flies in my eyes when travelling at such great speeds, those were good times.

Things were getting busy and the stalls were doing well, especially the overpriced ice creams and the beer tent!

Shame this isn’t a real GT40, but it’s still a stunning car to look at.

Mart’s Car Of The Show:

This 1913 Rambler was stunning. The woodwork, the brass and the paint, such intricate little details.

I wandered back to my car at a very leisurely pace ready for a well deserved sit down and long cold drink, that 1ltr bottle of chilled water was downed in one.

A couple of months back I added a small addition to the rear window of my car. I wanted to something super subtle that didn’t ruin the look of the car. Before anybody says anything, the glass is actually green as my car was an original factory optioned Air Con car, but from a distance you don’t really notice the tinge of colour. After market or dealer fitted air con had clear glass, it’s a real quick way to tell if original or after market. The stencil was stuck inside the glass just above the rear parcel shelf. When you look at the back of the car you don’t really see it, look from a slight angle you can see the white lettering against the black. Best of all, when the sun comes out it throws a nice shadow. This turned out even better than I hoped it would. In my mind if it didn’t work I could soon remove it, for now it will stay as it took me quite a while align it up in the middle and get it straight.

A great show where I spoke to many people and had a chilled day in the lovely weather, I soaked up the sun and enjoyed a few hours of people watching from the comfort of my chair. I can neither confirm not deny that I may have sneaked in few minutes of shut eye behind the sunglasses, I don’t think anybody noticed. Either I did get a quick nap in, or my smart watch said that I was sitting very still!

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Classic Car Show Culford 2026 (part 1)

The heatwave is still continuing here in the UK and we can’t cope. There are roads melting with long diversions to avoid the stick tarmac swamps, trains running at reduced speeds due to the track conditions, hose pipe bans, grass that is brown and a wife that is bending my ear as the flowers are struggling in the heat. The heat itself peaked at 37^oC a couple of weeks ago, but recently it been early 30^oC and UK moans about a bit of sun for a few weeks, but if it rains we moan, winter nights are long we moan, snow we moan. Britain is obsessed with the weather, I on the other hand like a bit of sun even though I start to melt and burn easily. The photo’s I took this year 12^th July 2026 don’t look great due to the Culford School’s grounds brown grass and dustiness which is shame. This is probably the second biggest car show in region that I attend. The night before I packed a new bottle of SPF50 which was going to be needed for sure, plenty of drinks, chilled water and extra ice in the cool bag. I left earlier than usual to make sure I didn’t have to sit in traffic trying to get into the show.

I arrived at the venue with a queue at five hundred yards at eight in the morning, but at least it was moving all be it slowly. When in traffic I tend to sit back a fair way from the car in front so I don’t blow their hot exhaust gases onto my engine making the situation worse. This gap does tend to annoy a few people that I don’t move up the twenty foot or so, like it will get them there quicker. Sitting in your car waving your hands about doesn’t make me move. I’m waiting for somebody to actually say something to me at the car’s window and we will be having a short discussion about why they’re being a silly sausage! Inside the show grounds I then took advantage of the tree shade while waiting, to fair quite a few other did the same.

I took a lot of photos again this year as the place was packed, so I split this show over a couple of posts to make it easier to digest and save scrolling across lots of photos thinking when will it end! The grounds of the school are stunning normally, but a little sun parched this year.

I found the Bury Retro Car Club stand and parked up on the end.

I took a while to wipe the car over as it was dusty, had a drink and started to wander around before it got too busy to take photos. The first batch of photos are from the club itself.

I started to walk up and down in a sort of clockwise direction to work my way round the field.

At the end of this line there was two old cars, one of which was my car of the show, but I will post that in tomorrow’s post. Here is the other one, a 1906 Brasier with a 3054cc with a 15hp engine. I thought I had a mission to clean my car, but the brass on this car was beautifully polished, stunning.

The sun was getting hotter and and the public were starting to join the show.

A beautiful 60’s classic Jaguar E-Type, a super car of the times, with looks that still look as good now as they did then.

Then we have a short sixty years later and Mclaren is now firmly in that crowded super car league. Given the choice, I would still have the E-type!

Another car that caught my eye was this 1974 Alfa Romeo Montreal whic was a contender for the car of the show.

When you speak of hyper cars this must surely be there in the top five. The Gordon Murrey Automotive T.50 with a custom made 3.9 litre V12 engine revving to an ear splitting 12,100RPM in a car that weighs less than a tonne, that is Formula 1 territory – on the road! The cost? Just a mere £2,360,000. I doubt I will ever see another one so I stood there for a while just day dreaming. Not many cars would make me want to swap my Mustang out, but this I could be tempted, just a little bit tempted.

What a way to end a post. I heard many people saying that it was their favourite car of the show. The value and rarity of the car would make it an easy decision for my car of the show. But that’s not my overall criteria, there is no doubt that this is a hand built master piece of design and engineering and would destroy everything on display at this show. Did I want it, without a doubt.

Part 2 tomorrow.

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Wallpapers To Download

I have decided to create a little section for photos that I think would make a great desktop backgrounds, or mobile phone backgrounds. Of course I’m biased towards my own car (at the moment), but I have created some wallpapers for other beautiful cars. The balance will even out as concentrate on getting a more varied selection of cars to turn into wallpapers. The images don’t look that impressive when tiled together in the montages, but when opened in full resolution they are so much better.

I have done a montage for each of the categories so you can see the various pictures so far, and not just of cars:

Desktop Wallpapers here.

Alternatively just click on the Menu above ‘Screen Downloads’, for the pages and the download links. All these images are free to download and use.

Mobile Wallpaper here.

Alternatively just click on the Menu above ‘Screen Downloads’, for the pages and the download links. All these images are free to download and use.

I will get more photos and turn them into desktop and mobile wallpapers going forward. If there is a particular picture you have seen and would like the full sized image for download, let me know ands I will add it for you and anybody else who would like it.

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Spraying Oil

At a recent car show I was asked about my air filter, more specifically how it looks clean and where did I get it from. Originally I had a single use white paper filters that were 1 1/2″ tall compared to the S&B (a K&N clone) which is 2 1/2″ tall which I now have. So I thought I would give a walkthrough step by step guide on how I clean and look after my air filter.

My old style disposable filter on the left (white) and my S&B on the right (red).

I purchased my S&B filter from Mustang Maniac here. The taller height allows a higher air flow for better performance and smoother engine response. Due to the unusual size not many manufacturers make them, secondly being a large size it can be expensive, depending on the make and of course the quality the filter.

Just a quick note about the engine’s air filter as it’s probably the most easily overlooked and simplest part of the car’s service, yet it’s a critical component for a number of reasons:

Prevents Engine Damage: The primary role is to trap dust, dirt, and other debris from the air before it enters the engine. Even small particles can cause significant wear and tear on engine components, potentially leading to costly repairs.
Enhances Fuel Efficiency: A clean air filter allows for optimal airflow to the engine, which is essential for efficient combustion. When the air filter is clogged, it restricts airflow, causing the engine to work harder and consume more fuel. Regular replacement can improve fuel efficiency by up to 10-14%. With modern engines the electronics can cope with rich mixtures better – to a point. Not such the case for a set fuel flow of a carburettor. The dirtier the filter the richer the mixtures becomes causing running issues.
Improves Engine Performance: A clean air filter contributes to better throttle response and overall engine performance. It ensures that the engine receives the right air-fuel mixture. more miles to the gallon of fuel.
Reduces Emissions: A properly functioning air filter helps maintain the correct air-fuel mixture, which is essential for the vehicle’s emission control systems. A clogged filter can lead to increased emissions and may trigger warning lights on the dashboard, not the case on our old classics. We just ‘feel’ the car and know it’s not right.
Cost-Effective Maintenance: Replacing an engine air filter is a relatively inexpensive maintenance task that can prevent more significant issues down the line.

Whichever style of air filter you use there are pros and cons for each type of filter:

Reusable Air Filters

Long‑term savings – You buy once and reuse for years, reducing replacement costs.
Lower waste output – Cleaning instead of discarding cuts down on landfill impact.
Regular maintenance required – Must be washed and dried properly to maintain airflow and performance.
Slightly lower filtration efficiency – Some reusable filters don’t trap ultra‑fine particles as effectively as paper options.

Paper (disposable or single use) Air Filters

High filtration efficiency – Excellent at capturing fine dust and debris straight out of the box.
Zero maintenance – Simply replace when dirty; no cleaning or drying needed.
Higher long‑term cost – Frequent replacements add up over months and years.
More waste generated – Single‑use design increases environmental footprint.

Then there is the look you want to go for (if you can see it), the crimson red or white or yellow. K&N have a good reputation and proven performance gains, even if it’s a slight horsepower gain. Some even use their K&N filters as bragging rights for their engines.

The original cost of my air filter was a little over £100 at the time. But, it has now gone up over the last few years due to the stupid costs of import charges and raw costs of materials. The equivalent replaceable filter which isn’t as tall in size as mine (2 1/4″ vs 1 3/4″) , is now £55. I would only need to replace the paper style a couple of times and it would be cheaper in the long run for the reusable style.

The downside to the reusable style is the regular cleaning yearly or 25,000 miles depending on climate (dusty) conditions and miles driven. To clean this style of filter there is a simple and easy to use kit which provides a cleaning solution and the replacement oil for the filter element pleats. The cost is a reasonable at around £15 for the aerosol kit.

This is what the kit looks like that i use. This is the Aerosol version instead of the squeeze oil version, which is slightly cheaper:

Inside is a instruction leaflet which can be downloaded here and two bottles, one an aerosol ‘Air Filter Oil’, the other a pump spray cleaner ‘Power Kleen’.

The principle is the same for what ever shape your air filter is, mine is oval and fairly long. Remove the air filter and tap out any loose debris from the elements, away from the engine.

Shake the cleaning bottle and pump the spray’s contents liberally onto the inner and outer elements of the filter to give it a good soak. I use a rubber (Wellington) boot storage tray which is perfect for the job. The tray has ridges that keeps the filter slightly raised.

The pump spray was good and directional, however the top of the screw cap leaked and ran down the bottle and over my hand. Not a huge amount, but annoying all the same. Perhaps I got unlucky with the bottle.

Leave the cleaner to work for ten minutes.

To remove all traces of the cleaner from the filter take the filter to low pressure water outlet and run the water both outside and inside to wash the debris out of the filter. I used a garden hose with a gentle directional jet by a drain.

The red oil was washed away pretty quickly, leaving the naked white cotton pleats underneath.

Flushing from the inside out was the majority of my cleaning which loosened the debris which can be seen running out from the pleats.

Keep running the water until all traces of the cleaner are gone. Below right you can see the cleaner being washed away to the side.

The filter is now clean and needs to be left to air dry naturally for an hour, or however long it takes to dry.

Once dry I was back to the tray to apply the aerosol oil to the pleats. Shake the spray can and apply the spray until an even coverage is achieved.

The fully sprayed filter should be left for at least twenty minutes where the oil will soak down the filter’s pleats and can be seen from the inside of the filter.

The aerosol was even and easy to apply, but a little messy on the nozzle.

Once the filter has been left to dry for twenty minutes and the oil has penetrated all the way down the pleated fabric it can be placed back in the car.

Optional: One final step before fitting that I tend to do is to spray a small amount of Gibbs Brand Lubricant onto a clean cloth to make it damp, then very lightly wipe the cloth onto the inside mesh of the filter to give it some extra protection. You don’t want anything else on the pleats other than the K&N oil. The wipe over was a seriously light brush to add a thin film and that’s all. You don’t need to do this step, but I like to do it.

Once refitted the filter looks really good and was left overnight. The next day the car fired up nicely and seemed to idle a little smoother, psychological improvement? No, it did run smoother and the process is well worth it.

How long, well not long but most of the process was waiting. The total minutes actually doing the cleaning was around thirty minutes. Total time for the whole procedure was about two and half hours including the waiting.

That’s it, a pretty simple process, but it does make a difference on these older mechanical engines which rely on a good balance of fuel and air. If your car starts to run a bit erratic, check the air filter for a quick fix.

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Grace & Gears Photo Shoot

Last Sunday there was an exclusive photo shoot arranged by Grace & Gears two great guys, Henry and Matthew. The event is organised to allow photographers and content creators full access to vehicles without anybody getting in the way of their photography. The venue was at Hedingham Castle which is located between Sudbury and Colchester. There was twenty or so cars which were hand picked and invited by Matthew and Henry for the few hours four till eight in the evening. It was a hot day so a few hours in the evening was a welcome change to the all day event. The cars we positioned all around the grounds in strategic positions for space and aesthetically pleasing backgrounds. I ended up taking over two hundred photos many of my own car of course, but also the other cars. I was able to play around with my phones camera settings for the changing light conditions. They looked great on the phone, but when I uploaded them onto my PC they didn’t look so great, many were unceremoniously dumped. The guys kindly arranged for some food and drink trailers as well for us all too which was appreciated.

The Venue, Hedingham Castle.

I arrived a bit early, but this is where I parked up for allocated space on the Castle’s field before some of the other cars arrived.

The lower field by the picturesque lake had a few cars in lots of open space, which is where I started my photos collection of these lovely cars.

Walking back up to the main driveway as the booked in cars had already arrived, they parked them on the main driveway up to the house and the castle. Three black cars, the ever stunning Lambo, a Ferrari and an Audi.

To the left of the field was a couple of white cars.

Up at the main house was a modified photogenic beast.

Under the bridge we went back to the future

Walking back to the Castle this Ferrari was parking up, but later moved to the side of the Castle.

The little group where I was parked, we did spread out to give ourselves a bit more room. There was three blue cars this time flanked by a Prowler.

A couple of behind the scenes photos:

Then to finish of I took a few shots of my car, at various lighting conditions, I was trying to be artistic and sure it worked. Some of these images are large files and look so, so much better when opened up by clicking on them.

I will add some of these photos, not just of mine but also of the other cars and a couple of scenery shoots added to the ‘Screen Downloads’ menu in their full size resolution so you can manipulate them as you wish. The images are free to download and use, you never know you may find something you like.

Under the top menu heading ‘Screen Downloads’ where there will be two options:

‘Desktop Wallpaper Downloads’ click here for the link.

‘Mobile Wallpaper Downloads’ click here for the link.

Special thanks to Matthew, Henry, all the photographers and content creators who took part to make a great evening.

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Tostock Twilight: Cars On The Green

This is the first of two posts this weekend as I had two shows in one week. Last Thursday 18^th June 2026 my wife sent me a couple of messages with classic cars in them. I asked what it was all about, she didn’t know, so I thought no more about it. She got home about an hour later and started to tell me that she took a detour home because of traffic and spotted a number of cars turning up on the next village to us in Tostock. I knew nothing about the show, (so I blame ‘Frosty’ for that). I did a quick online search to find there was indeed a car show just a few miles from us which started at five in the evening. I wanted to go as it was a nice evening and would only be a for three scheduled hours. For the first time my wife actually agreed to come with me in the Mustang to a car show for an evening out.

We arrived a little after five thirty and it was already busy. There was a lot of people walking around with cold beers in their hands which they had just gotten from the pub which was adjacent to he green itself. I wanted to have a cold drink too, but as the wife didn’t want to drive us home, which is understandable, I certainly won’t risk it. Cars were still turning up after my fashionably late arrival and were just parking up where there wasn’t spaces, just like me. The cars started to arriving at four in the afternoon, hence why the wife spotted them on her way home.

I was greeted by my friend John on the way in trying to find a space, he directed me into a space that wasn’t supposed to be a space. I was considerate enough to leave space should anybody want to leave before me. There was few regular cars that I recognised, and a few new ones to me too.

We decided to wander from one end of the green to the other and in no particular order I (we) just wandered up and down the lines.

There was a little section of military vehicles which was quite cool.

Apart from my car these were other Mustangs that had got parked up for the show, I managed to catch up with David who I hadn’t seen for a while which was great and the banter started immediately. The others I missed, but I will catch them next time out I’m sure.

The biggest vehicle there by a long way was this monstrous CAT that trundled down the road. Used for ‘heavy earth moving tasks’ according to Google, but now had seats in the back and brought a few people along with it. The wheels were a little under six feet tall.

That leaves Mart’s Car Of The Show. This amazing 1940/1 pick up. My wife also liked it and said that one like it would be a good candidate for another project. I think she wants me out the house, again!

After a couple of hours we left as I didn’t want to push my luck and make her regret coming out with me to a show. Will there be another show with the wife? I hope so, it’s only taken her fifteen years since I have owned my car to turn up to a show with me. Saying that, I do like my occasional nap at the odd car show, needless to say that wouldn’t happen if the wife is with me! 😀

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A Lonely Show

Last weekend was new venue some sixteen miles away at Whitton Football Club’s training field. The show wasn’t that well advertised, but it was worth a go to support a new venture. The show was advertised as 10am, was that for cars to turn up or public to enter? It was for public to attend, I think. I knew where this field was, but not actually gone in there. I arrived just after 9am and couldn’t see the entrance which was marked up by a single A4 ‘sign’ pegged into the ground pointing to a narrow lane between a row of gardens on each side. I took this picture at the bottom in the ‘car park’ looking up to the top once I had parked up in the field. There was only one way in, and the same way out. If this was to be a busy show I can imagine this would be a real pain to exit or even queue to get in.

Forgive the quality of the pictures, this was my backup phone camera’s efforts and struggled a bit with the colours.

I was shown where to park passing through the gravel public car park which I reckon could hold around forty cars max. There was a big field which was fairly flat and would be great for a show. There was one side of the field with around a dozen club members, and on the other side near the entrance to the field about ten cars where I parked.

I parked next to newer Mustang just for the old vs new look, just as I was taking the photo a Ford Escort Mk 4 Cabriolet parked on the other side of me.

Wandering up the row and back down the other side of the field took all of about twenty minutes at the most.

Then the other side of the field.

I got back to my car got the chair out and waited for the public and the other cars to arrive. I waited, then waited even more, nothing. At the very most I counted twenty seven cars, a couple left at around eleven and couple came in. The entrance fee was £20 for a family ticket which was well steep. You couldn’t see the cars from where the payment was made until you walked around the corner of a hedge to see the field. If it was me; I would have wanted my money back! There was supposed to be a live band, it turned out that the live band was a couple of speakers playing 50’s & 60’s music.

The wide variety of stalls was a hot dog stall, a bloke selling hats, another selling metal plates, a race car simulator, a van selling Hot Wheels cars with a few cheap plastic Marvel figures, oh and an ice cream van.

It was a dire situation – first time I was bored at a show. The guy who owned the S197 Mustang next to me was the only person I spoke to about cars. There wasn’t many cars to chose from for my favourite.

Mart’s Car Of The Show:

The Ford Escort Mark IV Cabriolet, the irony is that this guy turned up only to fix the ice cream van that wasn’t working, technically this wasn’t part of the show. I’m just glad he was there to prop the numbers up.

A little after one I decided to go home, what a waste of time to sit in the field. Next time I may take my tablet with me to write up car show report to pass the time. But, I enjoyed the drive there and back, so it wasn’t all bad. However, this venue had potential to host a lot of cars. They needed to get their act together and get the event out there to get attendance up and more cars. The people that paid for their pitches to sell their goods would have made a loss, the guys selling the toys started to pack up at twelve and was ready to leave about the same time as me.

I wanted to leave before the big rush to leave the venue, while I was waiting in a massive long queue to get out (as it was that busy), I took a final picture before my twenty minute drive home.

On a serious note, it was a shame and I hope the organisers return next year where the event should be better supported if there was a bit more effort. The afternoon nap made up for the lost Sunday morning lie-in. The wife was pleased that I as home early though, waking from my forty winks she had found a load of ‘jobs’ for me in the garden. Of course I would, but only after I cleaned the car in the garage, which took much longer than I had expected so I was only able to do a few of the jobs 😉