The 'E' Type Forum

We all like a trip to the seaside. Last night I took a little bimble down to Poole. Each Friday evening during our pityfully short summer, Poole harbour front hosts a classic car event, free to enter, free to view, for tourists and visitors. Poole is Friday evening, Bournemouth Sunday afternoon...

Each Poole night has a theme and last night was Best of British. A lot of cars turned up - probably more than 100 - and a huge variety. Most common were MGs of mostly '50s to '70s varieties. One, a rubber bumpered B, was in pristine condition. It had 7912 miles showing on the clock, and the owner assured me he had documents to prove that was genuine. (It's in the first photo.)

There were only four Es. A 66 coupe, a '67 2+2 left hooker in very shiny black, a S2 coupe, and mine, parked some distance from the rest.
Sometimes it was quite lonely.



Sometimes someone had a look.



Sometimes two or three...



Sometimes so many they had to queue to take photos of the naughty bits.



Fish and chips, a tasty beverage and around two hours later, it was all over and everyone went home.

All except some poor chap driving a Triumph Vitesse, who had a HiViz helper from the AA looking under the bonnet as I drove past.

It all sounds rather pleasant Chris, and yes, a trip to the seaside is always worth it :) It reminds me of the local classic car meets we have in Derbyshire at various locations on Tuesday evenings. First Tuesday of every month is usually the big one at a pub nearby with a large car park sort of in the middle of the countryside. Always an excellent variety of cars on display and well worth turning out for. Triumphs, MGs, Rollers, all sorts of jags including Es, even army vehicles and (believe it or not) someone turned up in an immaculately restored Allegro last time!

I'm sorry Simon, but you should never ever mention Allegro and restored in the same sentence, at least not without advance warning. Crushed, yes. Left to rot, certainly, but never restored. It only encourages those who never had any taste. Heavens, it'll be restored Marinas next, and then where will it end? (I'll admit to knowing someone, who has an E, and a Vanden Plas badged Allegro. I've offered aversion therapy but he declined.)

There's another local classic car show today, but I dont feel inclined to park my car in a field all day surrounded by the same cars and the same drivers as Friday. So I'm off for a long drive to find a remote pub instead.

I shall not mention what else was there but on the basis of your previous post you can probably guess. My advice would have been to put it into a very small cube too!

I see you're parked across a disabled bay - no reflection on your car I hope?

Some people love Allegro's and Marinas too!!!!! No accounting for taste but what ever floats ones boat....Here is (or was) an Allegro owners club and they are far rarer than E types!!!!! Looks like a good meet though....

malcolm wrote:I see you're parked across a disabled bay - no reflection on your car I hope?

I just parked where I was told by one of the hiviz walkie talkied organisers. Others parked on double yellows, hash marked areas, even around a roundabout. Other traffic was turned away, including (one assumes) anyone with a blue disabled badge!

cactusman wrote:...they are far rarer than E types!

There's a good reason for that ...!

And I've just remembered. This made me giggle quietly to myself.
One family were looking around the car when the young tacker said " Is this just like a Lamborghini only from the olden days?"

Chris...yes...I know.. Allegro's are crap cars.....never the less it would be sad if they vanished completely as there would be nothing to laugh at.....those square steering wheel and the van den plas abomination with fake rolls Royce rad nailed on the front. Love em or hate em ( and most car aficionados hate em,) they have a place in our car Heritage . I would never want one but I can admire those nutters who keep a few from the scrap yard so we can have a laugh!!!

You'll never know the true meaning of 'plough-on understeer' 'til you've had the privilege of driving an All-aggro....