Tag: 1966 OX

When Is a Classic Mustang Really Beyond Saving?

There is something slightly dangerous about calling an old car “beyond saving” too quickly. To somebody who does not restore cars, a missing floor, rotten quarter panel or engine that has not turned in years can look like the end of the story. To a restorer, it can just look like a very long list of jobs.

That difference matters with a Mustang. These cars have one of the best parts networks in the classic world, there is a huge amount of knowledge around them, and people routinely rebuild examples that would make a normal used car buyer run a mile. Rust is serious, obviously, but rust on its own is not a death certificate.

So I would frame the question a little differently. Instead of asking, “When should a classic car be scrapped?”, I would ask, “At what point does this particular car make more sense as a donor than as a complete restoration?” That’s a much harder question, but it’s also a much fairer one.

A rusty Mustang is not automatically a dead Mustang

You only have to look at the history behind this site and my Mustang to understand why. The 1966 coupe that became One Man And His Mustang had been neglected, set fire to inside, left rusting for years and eventually needed a bare metal, nut and bolt rebuild. My car was not saved because it was easy, it was saved because it was still a worthwhile car to save. The restoration story behind the Mustang is probably a better argument against quick scrap yard decisions than any checklist could be.

Structural corrosion absolutely changes the size of the job. Floors, inner panels, quarters, chassis sections and suspension mounting areas all need to be assessed properly. But on a classic (not Just a Mustang), the important question is not simply whether those areas are rusty. It is whether sound metal can be restored around them, whether replacement panels exist, whether the shell can be put back together accurately and whether somebody has the skill, time (money) and patience to do it.

That last part is important. A job can be possible and still be completely wrong for the person who owns the car. There is no shame in deciding a project is bigger than you want. That decision is very different from saying the car itself can’t be restored.

What is actually left of the car?

Before deciding anything, take stock of the car as a complete object rather than staring at the worst rusty corner.

Is the shell identifiable and reasonably complete? Is the original engine still there, or at least a useful period correct drivetrain? Are the glass, trim, gauges, seats, brightwork and small fittings present? Does the car have unusual options, paperwork or a history worth preserving? Those details can change the answer very quickly.

A rough but complete Mustang can be a much better starting point than a cleaner looking shell that has been robbed of every hard to find piece. Anybody who has restored an old car knows the silly little parts can waste more time than the obvious big ones. A missing bracket, switch or piece of trim is cheap, until you discover nobody has one!

The maths matters, but it is not the whole decision

There is no point pretending restoration costs do not matter. Bodywork, paint, chrome, wiring, brakes, suspension, engine work and interior trim have a habit of arriving one after another. Once a car is stripped, it normally finds a few extra mini projects for you as well.

Hagerty’s own restoration guidance is blunt about the risk: the cost of a restoration can exceed the value of the finished car. That does not make the restoration a bad decision. It means the owner needs to know whether the goal is profit, preservation or simply owning the car they want.

If buying a project purely to make money, I would be ruthless with the numbers. If it’s the car that I had always wanted, or one with family history, I would accept that the dreaded spreadsheet is only part of the story.

Rarity and provenance can outweigh the spreadsheet

The calculation changes when the car is rare or especially well documented. A genuine 1966 Shelby GT350H from the Hertz rental programme or a 1969 or 1970 Boss 429 is not judged by the same standards as an ordinary Mustang. These were scarce cars when new, and the correct identity, original specification and surviving components can make a difficult shell worth preserving even when the restoration bill is likely to exceed its finished market value.

Paperwork matters here too. Original registrations, invoices, build records, photographs and registry history can help prove what the car is and how it has survived. The Official Shelby Registry describes proper documentation as essential because desirable Shelby cars are frequently copied. On a rare example, that history may add more value than a casual observer would assign to the rusted metal in front of them. The documents should support the identity of the original car, not become a shortcut for giving another shell a valuable identity.

There are also restorations that never need to make commercial sense. A Mustang may carry family history or strong sentimental value, or the owner may simply want the challenge of bringing it back to life. A long term project can be worthwhile because of the knowledge, satisfaction and story it creates or a sense of satisfaction. That is why a cost estimate should inform the decision, not make it on the owner’s behalf.

A donor car is not necessarily a failure

This is the part that often gets lost when people talk about scrapping classics. There is a big middle ground between “restore everything” and “crush it.” That middle ground is the donor car.

Sometimes a shell has been stripped too far, badly modified, damaged in a serious accident or robbed of so many important pieces that rebuilding the complete car no longer makes sense. If another, better shell is waiting for exactly those surviving parts, using the first car as a donor can keep far more original material in the hobby than forcing a restoration that nobody is ever going to finish.

Hagerty has written about the odd situation where a supposed parts car turns out to be the better restoration candidate once both cars are properly inspected. That feels very true to the classic car world, the label(s) should come after the inspection, not before it.

And before anything goes near a crusher or the great scrap yard in the sky, I would remove what can genuinely be reused. Engines, gearboxes, axles, glass, switches, trim, brackets and even good original fasteners can all matter to another owner who wants originality. A car can stop being a viable whole project, yet still have years of useful life spread across its parts.

Scrap value is a floor price, not a verdict

Only after all of that would I look at scrap value. It is useful because it gives you a bottom number. In a North American market, the things considered by scrap car removal services include the vehicle’s weight, completeness, current material prices and whether reusable components are still present. That tells you what the car may be worth at the very bottom of the chain.

For a classic Mustang, that figure should be treated as context only. A usable 289, an original set of trim or a hard to find piece of factory hardware may have enthusiast value far beyond its metal weight. Even a rough shell may be worth more to another restorer than it is to a recycler.

This is also where I would be wary of a neat little online rule saying repairs over a certain percentage of value mean the car should go. That makes sense for ordinary transport. It does not translate cleanly to a classic where value is affected by originality, rarity, specification, history and the owner’s reasons for doing the work.

If it really has reached the end of the road

There are cars that genuinely do reach that point. A shell may have lost its identity, been destroyed in a severe fire, twisted beyond a sensible repair, or been reduced to little more than a collection of poor panels after years of being picked over. Sometimes the remaining structure is so compromised, and the useful parts so few, that keeping it as a complete vehicle serves no real purpose.

If that decision is made, responsible recycling matters. The Automotive Recyclers of Canada describes a process where reusable parts are identified first, fluids and hazardous materials are dealt with, and only then is the remaining vehicle processed for its ferrous and nonferrous metals. That is how I would want an old car to leave the road: useful pieces saved first, raw material recovered last.

It’s not the romantic or ideal ending, but it is better than letting an empty shell rot outside until the parts that could have helped another restoration are ruined as well.

So when would I finally give up on one?

Not because it has rust. Not because the engine is seized. Not because the restoration bill is uncomfortable. All of those can be normal parts of owning the wrong classic at the wrong moment.

Start thinking about donor status when several things line up at once: the car has little special historical or specification value, major parts are missing, the shell needs enormous reconstruction, a better candidate is readily available, and the surviving components would do more good keeping another car alive.

Even then, I would sleep on it before cutting anything up.

Classic cars have a habit of surviving decisions that would finish ordinary vehicles, that’s part of their appeal. Somebody sees a rusty shell, somebody else sees a winter’s work, and a third person sees the exact donor parts needed to put another Mustang back on the road.

For me, that is the sensible order of things: restore the whole car if it deserves and can justify it; use it as a donor if the complete project no longer makes sense; recycle what is genuinely left only when the enthusiast value has been taken out first.

Old metal certainly has a scrap value. A classic Mustang usually has a story, and potentially another life, long before you get down to that valuation number.

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Another Damp Start (part 2)

At the end of this post I’m seriously considering attending any more Car Shows, I will explained it all and then you can tell me if I’m over reacting!

Continuing on from the previous post Another Damp Start (part 1) on 31/8/2026 I started wandering down the next couple of lines of cars. The quality of cars at this show was great and lots of nice people to talk to, as I alluded to in the first sentence everything wasn’t good.

Continue reading “Another Damp Start (part 2)” →
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Another Damp Start (part 1)

Today is a Bank Holiday in the UK so we have a long weekend and most of the time there is car show somewhere. Todays event was thirty minutes away from me, pre booked cars only at a cost of £10 per car, as this show was raising funds for a Cancer charity I didn’t mind paying it. The weather was predicted no rain for the day, apart from a little shower at silly time in the morning. I got ready for the show and inspected the sky was a little grey, but I could see blue bits in the distance. The roads had dry patches, but were mostly damp from those early morning sprinkles of rain. The main roads had dry lines which I kept to, but the roads were drying up pretty quickly.

I needed fuel on the way to the show stopped to fill up with Shell’s finest offering V-Power. The fill up was just shy of £80, more open wallet surgery performed without anaesthetic as our tyrant government continues to laugh at us motorists. I arrived at the venue at eight thirty and then I remembered just how bad the organisation is for this event. In order to get to the field where they parked us up, you had to travel across another field which was more like a WWI battle front complete with bomb craters and trenches. To keep the cars from backing up in the main road, some bright spark decided to put us into double rows from one side, and another coming in from the left, that’s three rows of cars nose to tail all trying to get into a single gate. I spotted my mate Steve in his silver ’67 Coupe (first pic below to the right) in front of me. As I got double stacked I drove right past him with a cheery little wave. I had some marshal trying to hurry me up and go faster. Sorry pal, I ain’t dragging my exhaust over your fields, would he pay for them if I ripped it off? Of course not, with that in mind; I will drive as slow as I want, I’m in a classic 60’s car and not a tractor!

Eventually we got into the field and parked up, Steve pulled up some five or so minutes later a few cars down from me.

I spotted a couple of my favourite people, looking at the cars. I like to think that they were admiring the cars and not taking notes on who to give a ticket to.

I eventually got out where Steve and I had a catch up and expressed our displeasure at the poor organisation to get in. Then it was time to clean the car from the water splashes and stuck on bits of grass from the field(s).

Cars were coming in thick and fast and the place was getting busy, I took over three hundred photos, but reduced it down to two hundred by removing the Tesco car park cars that were only a few years old and some of the cars I spotted from the Lavenham Car show yesterday. With the amount of photos I have taken in the past and posted, WordPress advised me to reduce the number of photos in one post, thus speeding up load times. Taking their advise I will split the event into two posts, this is obviously Part 1.

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Damp Start At Lavenham Classic

Bank holiday weekend here in the UK, I could have had a car show on Saturday, Sunday and the Monday a hat trick. I didn’t attend the show yesterday as the rain was forecast and sure enough it did, not a lot, but just enough to make me not get the car out. Considering we’ve had three ‘heat waves’ in the UK now, I wasn’t upset about missing one show to be fair. Todays show was at a beautiful village of Lavenham in the middle of Suffolk about half hour away from me. My alarm, woke me, the dogs and the wife. Before I got out from my pit, I checked the weather, rain was due at four this afternoon. OK, I decided to go and leave a bit early to miss the promised rain. I stumbling out of bed and seemed to stand on every dog toy between the bedroom and bathroom. I took a careful look at the sky and the roads, they were damp with the odd puddle.

I got in the car and set the destination in Google maps. My co-pilot was going to direct me down some back roads, that wasn’t going to happen as I know these roads. The route would have been quite wet as the roads aren’t used that much early on a Sunday morning. So on one of my (very) rare occasions, I overrode the map and turned onto the main roads instead. My route would be six minutes longer to get there, but these are main roads and would be used. That way the water would be removed much quicker by traffic and the sun trying to poke through the clouds, which means my car wouldn’t get as dirty on the way there. The show was due to start at eleven until four, with the event letting in cars at eight thirty. My timing saw me arrive at nine twenty and I was shown to the field for the marshal on the gate. The display field is arranged into a circles with outer ring for some club stands, and then inner circle(s) for the private entrants. I parked up next to a white Triumph and a couple of minutes later a white Morris Minor turned up. I was in a white car sarnie. I wasn’t best pleased about the ‘Moggy Minor’ as there is some history between me and their owners club! I have documented it here quite a bit in the past.

My car got a good wipe over, which surprising wasn’t that bad. You can see from the picture above, the field behind me was quite empty. By the time the car was cleaned some forty minutes later the field was getting busy. It was going to be a good show.

The marshals were great and kept everything moving and parked us up quickly, but not wedged us together, a refreshing experience it has to be said.

I could smell food, there was an army truck that pulled into the middle of the field which was serving hotdogs. I asked for one only to be told that everything he had was vegan, I put my money away and looked for other vendors. Now, I don’t know it was my imagination or not, but the vegan van had a few people queue up at one point, but the bacon stand which was only selling bacon rolls, had a constant queue of people waiting in a line. I didn’t fancy the bacon although it did smell amazing. There was nobody else selling hotdogs, so I had to settle for a burger. Not a cheap experience, but I was assured it was a proper burger. As it was nearly mid day I talked myself into it which took all of about two seconds. The burgers were cooked to order and I would have to wait for my order! The waiting time was mitigated by giving me a gadget with a number on it. When it bleeped and flashed I was to go and get my burger.

What a fantastic idea and it worked, I handed my gadget over, got my burger and promptly returned to my car and sat down to enjoy my lunch. They were right it was a pretty good burger, better than some restaurants I have been too.

While I was waiting I decided to wander around the cars and take some photos, so working counter clockwise here are the cars.

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Burwell Village Car Show 2026

Last weekend was one of those rare weekends where I had a choice of car shows. I could have gone the Stonham Barns or Burwell. Stonham I tend to go there a few times a year, all be it with different parameters, all in classic cars, or Americana etc. So I though I would go somewhere different for a change, Burwell Village. I haven’t been there before so it was a punt on what it would be like. They had restricted the number of cars to attend and advised not to attend if you weren’t booked in. We had to be in place ready for the museum to open at 10am and then the public could come in and see the museum and the cars.

If you ever find yourself out by the Cambridgeshire fens on the Suffolk boarder, Burwell is one of those lovely villages that just feels completely tied to its landscape, especially with the old waterways or ‘lodes’ running right through it. Tucked away at its heart of the village is the Burwell Museum, which honestly feels less like a traditional museum and more like a miniature, open-air village frozen in time. You can wander past old-fashioned shops and a blacksmith’s forge which was being worked for the day, all lovingly maintained by locals. But you can’t miss the real centrepiece: Stevens’ Mill. It’s a gorgeous 19th-century tower windmill that looms over the site, and it complements the history of the museum, giving you a genuine feel for what rural farming life used to be like around the village.

I set of at quarter past eight with Google maps telling me it would be thirty five minutes later. The email that was sent to us described how to get there, as in the lane would be easy to miss so look out for it, they weren’t wrong. I got there a few minutes after the scheduled time and see a sign to pointing down the little lane, not to bad at this point.

Down the end of the lane was another little sign – turn right, so I did which wasn’t that easy with the turning circle of an aircraft carrier!

I thought somebody was taking the stuff that turns the snow yellow! It was a dirt track through an allotment. The ruts in the track were low and the centre mound high which scrapped on my low exhaust headers, I wasn’t best pleased. I ended up having to drive on the higher parts while trying to dodge the plastic vegetable tunnels, and s ticks with shiny stuff hanging of them. Thought ran through my mind; if I was going to be told to park on some cabbage patch the conversation wasn’t going to go well for the poor soul that would deliver me that news. After what seemed like two miles of hell (actually more like a couple of minutes), I pulled onto an opening of a ‘field’ area. I was greeted by a lovely guy who mentioned me by my name and said ‘you’re from one man and his mustang .com’, a really nice touch. The fact I turned up in a Mustang might have been a clue though.

Being a little on the early side I was guided to back up to a wooden fence that was more like a dumping area for the allotments. We were forced in tight next to each other. More cars followed me in about fifteen minutes or so later and they were told to park in front of me starting a new row. If I wanted to go early it wasn’t going to happen, I was boxed in.

I got out to clean my car from all the dust and debris from the path on the way in. I could smell food, and decided to go and get some breakfast once the car was clean again, the now obligatory sausage roll. The guys asked me if I wanted cheese and salad with it and of course I said yes, it was a good choice. The local butchers supplied the food and was it was top notch, delicious and filled a hungry hole.

By the time I had finished breakfast, the cars were all pretty much in place, with only about thirty cars there in total for the day, a few nice mixtures of cars.

I wandered around the cars and took some pictures of my little ‘field’ area.

There was an opening in the fence which takes you into the museum walkways itself and a few more cars were parked up there.

I thought that this 1953 Citroen was going to be my car of the show, but as I wandered around the museum, I found something much bigger and better. There wasn’t a lot to choose from to be fair for my pick of the day.

Through the path ways there was various little rooms and working exhibits. I will add each little room or display as it’s own gallery starting with some Roman pottery.

The lower right was a hand written transcript from the 15th Century, in a display case which was in incredible condition.

Between each little exhibition room were barns of stored agricultural stuff and equipment.

The forge was working and a blacksmith was making something, I couldn’t tell at the point I took the pictures as it was in the early stages. All the equipment was used as it was back in the day.

There was a large barn that was over two floors, the upstairs being fairly small in comparison. There were mock up from different era’s.

Upstairs you got a view of a victorian bedroom.

The rest of the upstairs featured medieval dig finds in display cases.

A view from the upper floor to the windmill.

There was some World War I & II exhibits, the baby gas mask was kinda freaky!:

This brought back some memories as my grandparents had one of these in their back garden, an Anderson shelter. Made of corrugated metal I’m not sure what they would have stopped during an air raid.

Then into the windmill itself. There were guided tours around the working mill at little extra cost. I thought about it, but the very narrow stairway would have been snug for my 6’4″ frame. The guide also told me that it gets progressively narrower as you go up to the third floor. I decided against it for fear of having to have the emergency services cut me out from the narrow stairwell!

I walked back to the car for a rest and some people watching. I spent a fair bit of time talking to the guys who parked up next to me which passed time away.

Mart’s Car Of The Show:

This Tucker-Terra Sno-Cat K23 was a beast, not a car but a vehicle so it counts as I make the rules up! This was a genuine British Antarctic Survey vehicle used on the ice cap. I spent a fair while talking to the lovely guy telling me all about the vehicle.

I doubt I will ever see one again, so therefore just by rarity alone, it had to be the star of the show. He even let me sit in it which was pretty awesome.

Did you know?

These vehicles run on ‘AVTUR’ or Aviation Turbine Fuel which is used to prevent the diesel waxing up in the cold. To get round that problem of lubricants missing within the Avtur that normal diesel have, they have to inject the additives back in the fuel to allow the engine to work properly.

An incredible bit of machinery and a privilege to see it and sit in it one.

Being wedged in, I had to wait for the cars in front to leave before I could. This started to happen around three in the afternoon, with a gap eventually opening up in thew rows, with a little manoeuvring I was able to get out. The trip back down the dirt track again was just as bad as I remembered it a few hours earlier. I got home after about 45 minutes as the roads were a little bit slower. Arriving home I got out and looked at the state of my car, there was no way I could put it away without another good clean.

Would I go again? Probably not; one, the path to get there wasn’t fun, two, there wasn’t much to do with a max of thirty cars to look at. On the plus side, I enjoyed the museum and had some amazing memories triggered of my grandparents. Nostalgia vs cars? On this occasion the nostalgia won and I treated the ‘car show’ as a Sunday drive out for me with a few other like minded guys. I certainly didn’t hate it, but a few more cars would have made it a much better day.

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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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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 18th 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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Culford Classic Car Show 2025 (part 2)

Continuing on from part one I was now standing by the performance car stands of Porsche and Ferrari. The stands are always popular with some old school examples along with some newer models. One Porsche in particular that caught my eye was the camping version on top of the car. Knowing the Porsche engineering it would be well made, but if I paid that amount of money for a car I don’t think would want to sleep on it.

A little bit further up the line was an individual entry, perhaps my favourite Porsche of all time, the beast which was the 911 Turbo, a stunning example in black which makes it even more menacing.

Some more of the Porsches from the private entries.

As much as I love a Ferrari, seeing nothing but red ones can make the area look a little samey. The 308 which got plenty of my attention was the best looking model there in my humble opinion. I may see an F40 in real life, then I might change my mind, maybe!

The longest vehicle (in total) was this big Chevy and a boat hanging off the back of it, well over forty feet long.

I’m not a huge BMW fan, but they made a couple of iconic cars, the M1 again, which I have never seen in real life and there is this legend, the original M3.

Moving past the club stands onto more individual cars.

Mart’s Car Of The Show:

My favourite of the show wasn’t in fact a car, it was a van and a very famous van as it was part of much loved and ever popular comedy series Dad’s Army. This is that original van from that show.

A vintage 1935 Ford BB van painted in blue and yellow with the name 'J. Jones Family Butcher' displayed on its side, parked on grass with a historic building in the background.

A little history borrowed from Wikipedia:

Dad’s Army is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom’s Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total; a feature film released in 1971, a stage show and a radio version based on the television scripts were also produced. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still shown internationally.

The Home Guard consisted of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, either because of age (hence the title Dad’s Army), medical reasons, or by being in professions exempt from conscription. Most of the platoon members in Dad’s Army are over military age and the series stars several older British actors, including Arnold Ridley, John Laurie, Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier, many of whom had served in World War II in real life. Younger members of the cast included Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn (who, despite being one of the younger cast members, played the oldest guardsman, Lance Corporal Jones) and James Beck (who died suddenly during production of the sixth series in 1973). Other regular cast members included Frank Williams as the vicar, Edward Sinclair as the verger, and Bill Pertwee as the chief ARP warden. Following the death of Lavender in 2024, there are now no surviving principal cast members.

Corporal Jones driving the (his) van.

A Porsche and Ferrari display at a classic car show, showcasing both older models and newer versions, including a distinctive camping car on display.

The rest of the cast with the van:

The series has influenced British popular culture, with its catchphrases and characters being widely known. The Radio Times magazine listed Captain Mainwaring’s “You stupid boy!” among the 25 greatest put-downs on TV. A 2001 Channel 4 poll ranked Captain Mainwaring 21st on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. In 2004, Dad’s Army came fourth in a BBC poll to find Britain’s Best Sitcom. It was placed 13th in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, and voted for by industry professionals.

The series is set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea, located on the south coast of England, not far from Eastbourne. The exterior scenes were mostly filmed in and around the Stanford Training Area (STANTA), near Thetford, Norfolk. Walmington, and its Home Guard platoon, would be on the frontline in the event of a German invasion across the English Channel. The first series has a loose narrative thread, with Captain Mainwaring’s platoon being formed and equipped, initially with wooden guns and LDV armbands, later on with full army uniforms; the platoon is part of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment.

The van is a 1935 two-ton Ford BB, one of the first commercial models produced at Ford’s Dagenham factory when it opened in 1931. It was discovered in a dilapidated condition in Streatham in London by Frank Holland, an assistant property master for the BBC. Such was its condition that the van was on the verge of being scrapped. Holland contacted Fred Wilmington, whose company supplied vehicles to the BBC; he purchased the van and restored it to full working order.

Later Paul Joel, a designer working on Dad’s Army, spotted the van among Wilmington’s stock of vehicles and obtained it for use in the series. The van was repainted and had “J. Jones Family Butcher” sign-painted on its side panels. The van still has its original engine from 1935.

I spent a fair while talking to the guys who look after the van at the Dad’s Army museum in Thetford. Ford took the van and handed it their apprentices to restore it, all for free! Hats off to Ford on that. As a kid I just loved this program, it was harmless and such a well written comedy.

I particularly remember the side of the van which had little port holes that swung open where the men could poke their rifles through. You can just about make out the swinging covers here just above the “Family Butchers” writing.

An image from the program where the port holes were used.

A variety of performance cars on display, including Porsche and Ferrari models, with attendees admiring the designs.

The van was used to carry all the items to the show so was pretty full up. You can see the port holes clearer on the right.

Interior of a vintage van filled with various items like wooden boards, bags, and tools, reflecting clutter and preparation.

Up front cab.

The fully rebuilt original engine:

An antique vehicle's engine is exposed with various mechanical components visible, set against a backdrop of a car show.

To round of the show I have saved a few Mustangs, although there wasn’t that many there.

Close-up of a blue 1966 Ford Mustang, showcasing the front grille and headlights, with a Michigan license plate.

It was a great show with lots of people there. The sky did cloud over a little early afternoon. I left about half an hour before the end of the show to miss the inevitable line of cars trying to getting out. Unfortunately quite a few had decided on the same idea, it took around fifteen minutes to get out of the grounds. The journey home was a pleasant cruise, although I sped up little due to a few spots of rain on the windscreen, I needn’t have worried as it came to nothing which made a nice change.

A well organised show with some great cars.

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Hedingham Castle

This car show took place in 2nd August 2021 on the outskirts of Colchester which is the oldest town in the UK. This was a new show for me and I was looking forward to it especially as I hadn’t been there before.

The weather apps said there was a round thirty percent chance of rain later in the day. When I got up the sky looked grey but felt dry, so I decided to go for it. I got the car out and set up the Sat Nav for a scenic route and set off for an unknown journey.

When I got to the castle there was a board outside that said “closed to visitors no entry”, I was not impressed. I couldn’t see any cars inside and and also couldn’t see any cars arriving.

I backed out onto the road to drive around and look to see what was going on. I saw a guy walking his dog and asked him if he knew anything about it. Lucky for me he did. He said that they put the sign up to stop castle visitors but the car show was on. So I drove back again and past the sign. A very slight curve and I saw the marshals and a few cars parked up. I was directed to the field that was on a bit of a slope and wet. I was having trouble trying to get traction where they parked me and said I could move over a little on the flatter part of the field. I was grateful for her consideration and said thanks, but I mentioned if it rains I would have trouble getting out.

The plus side is that I had a great view of the castle from below.

I got out to speak to the guys next to me a couple of nice guys I knew who were walking over to me who are also in the Bury Retro Car Club that I’m a member of. About ten minutes later the head marshal came over to tell me that a car club had cancelled (around 125 cars) and would not be coming due to the potential weather, would I like to move?

I said yes and pointed to the main walkway which was on a path where my two friends had just come from. She agreed I was allowed to move and parked up near them with a fantastic backdrop.

Then it happened, a few spots of drizzle! Rain wasn’t due for another three hours or so. As I stood looking up to the sky another friend who owns a newer Mustang pulled next to me.

The area where I was parked is such a nice place with walk ways and a large pond.

I decided to walk around and take some pictures before it started to rain.

I was quite taken with this truck and would be my a project I would like to do next.

Walking up the slight incline the was a little bridge over to the castle on the left.

I reckon my car would have looked good under these arches but it wasn’t being allowed from what I could see, a real shame though.

Towards the top of the incline there was a house with a few big luxury cars.

Turning to the left you walk over the bridge to the castle which was planted in the middle of a large green and the cars were parked around the outside, mainly clubs from what I could see.

Towards the back of the Alfa Romeo there was a drop and an opening where you could look down on where I was parked.

With a little bit of zoom.

By the time I got back to the car there was a few new cars arrived, this brand new 2021 Mustang Mach1. Why this is even in a car show i don’t know, I can see this in any Ford car showroom that stocks them.

A little further down I had a childhood flashback, my first bike, ‘Raleigh Chopper’. This are now holding stupid silly money like £1,000 for the early models.

The rain started to fall and I found a nice shaded area under a tree where I could keep dry. Obviously I had to close the hood.

When the rain stopped the hood went back up along with the show board.

There was the occasional spells of sun but more frequent and longer rain showers. With that in mind I decided to leave, I was only there for a few hours in the end. The drive home was getting wetter by the minute, it was a good choice to leave I’m sad to say.

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