PDLJMPR Web Magazine, October 22, 1998
Two prefaces are in order before writing about the British Invasion of 1998. First, 1997 was a complete wash out at Stowe. Torrential rain on Friday kept a lot of people away and turned the show field into a sea of mud. I had brought my ’58 Bugeye but broke a driveshaft on the way down. I subsequently decided to tear the Bug apart when I finally got it home and the restoration continues to this day. I really wanted to have something else to drive to Stowe this year so I purchased a 1964 Mk3 Sprite that was in a million pieces (another story, another time). The second preface deals with the fact that this Sprite had not been run in 32 years. As a matter of fact, I had only gotten it running one week before the British Invasion and had only managed to put 100 test miles on it.
The weather report was good for the big weekend and, for once, they got it right. I left home (Montreal) on Friday afternoon wearing just shorts and a T-shirt as the temperature rose to 75 degrees with blazing sunshine. The car was running very strong with good oil pressure and holding the right temperature. Despite not having done any sort of wheel alignment or toe-in the car tracked straight and true and steered beautifully. I had more than enough power to cruise at 65-70 m.p.h. Once the first half hour of superhighways was out of the way it was into scenic, rolling countryside with 3rd and 4th gear roads all the way.
No matter how many times I travel cross-country in a little british convertible I never cease to be amazed by the sensory overload of it all. Besides having the warm sun shining on your head and the wind blowing your hair backwards, there is the cornucopia of sounds and smells. Who can forget the sound of a fully-laden 18 wheeler lumbering up beside your ear on the freeway? When is the last time you drove the family car and were startled by a loud "MOOO". Speaking of cows, it is truly amazing what smells can come out of them, not to mention the interesting positions they assume when excited J
Saturday dawned as warm and sunny as Friday was. I got up at the crack of 9 a.m., fired up the LBC and headed for the show field, which was only half a mile away from my motel. First thing I realized was that shoe-horning 1000 cars into farmer’s field meant waiting 20 minutes in traffic to get in. The organizers do a great job though, first class and friendly all the way. As usual at Stowe, there were lots of cars of every kind. Given the bad weather last year, a lot of people opted for the parking lot as opposed to the show field. The most numerous were the MGB’s and A’s, as well as the Triumph TR’s. Lots of E-type Jags, as usual. Unique to Stowe (I think) is the very large turnout of Land Rovers of every description. Good to see so many Minis as well (mostly from the Montreal Club). I was disappointed to see the Midgets and Sprites separated on the show field. There were about 15 Midgets and 5 square body Sprites including mine. I was also disappointed in the turnout and quality of Bugeyes. There were only 4 (I think, not including the square body w/Bug bonnet). All of them were local cars. Where are all the enthusiasts with Bugeyes? Get in those cars and drive! If anyone on the list comes up to Stowe next year I will personally buy a round at the bar.
I did meet fellow-lister Mike Nolan with his Midget. Very nice car!! He obviously put a lot of love into it and it looks quite fast too. Mike himself was seen to be leaning against his car snoring loudly. Something about too much spirits the night before.
There is another tendency I noted at these "people’s choice" meets. They group all Sprites (Bugeye and later) into the same category for voting. Basically, if you don’t have a Bug, forget about winning a trophy. Bugs are cute and they get all the votes, period. Oh well, I’ll come back with mine another year and blow ‘em all away!
The car ran perfectly all the way home. We took the really scenic route back and, although the sun was not shining, the drive was beautiful. I got a little braver and ran the back roads at 75-80 m.p.h. (remember, totally stock 1098 w/ribcase). Car seemed to love it. Good thing it did not rain as I had no top and only some plastic sheeting with duct tape to protect me J
See you there next year!
Daniel Thompson
AN5L 612
HAN8L 40474
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