| 
Line-up waiting work
E
type engine ready to start
XK chassis
awaiting restored bodies
David's
Porsche 914 on the ramp
Richard Campbell
with special gearbox
Richards secret
modification fitted....
Now, could we afford this one?
Now, that should keep her cool!
| | |  | Barbecue
Weekend at Classic Autosports - 10 July 2010
Report
by Jim Paterson
 David Barnett hosted his annual
BBQ at his Classic Autosports restoration centre at Inverkeilor, near
Arbroath, on Saturday 10 July. The weather forecast was unfortunately
correct and a great swathe of wet weather traversed Scotland that
weekend. At least David was able to host the BBQ in the garage, the
actual BBQ stove was outside I hasten to add, which was more than the
Glamis extravaganza or T in the Park, which ran on the same day, could
do!
This was
my first trip to one of David's barbecues, and I was impressed at the
tables heaving with goodies to eat, including the hot delicacies from
the barbecue grill, and plenty to drink as well, though as a driver I
was on the soft drinks of course.
I was also green
with envy at the
sight of so many gorgeous Classics in various stages of restoration.
David specialises on Jaguar, with XK's in their various formats, XK120,
140, 150 and E Type, being the main thrust of the business. Of course
David and his son's Gareth and Innes, together with John Scott will
restore, repair, and service any
make of Classic, with David's own Porsche 914, a rare piece of
machinery recently imported from Texas, being a prime example.
As
you can see from the photo line-ups there are Fords, MGs and
Triumphs in the various states of restoration.
CCHMSC
President Douglas Anderson who joined around 150 visitors during the
day, has his two Triumph Herald's, a coupe and a saloon with David to
make one
good one, the unusual and rarer coupe. It is planned that the
restored coupe will be the opening car for the centennial Monte Carlo
Historique
Glasgow start in 2011 which Douglas has been instrumental in
negotiating with Automobile Club
de Monaco.
As
well as cars, David has a huge
selection of photographs of both previous work done, and events he has
taken part in, both as driver and navigator, and much memorabilia in
his "museum" section. The collection of racing
helmets in the office pay homage to his competition career, including
an old "pudding basin" style helmet from the fifties that I was hoping
had a Stirling Moss signature on it. I was dashed when David told me
that it was picked up as a novelty in a Portuguese gift shop on a
holiday trip!
Richard
Campbell turned up in his low drag E Type Jaguar, and collected a
gearbox that David's team had been working on. When I saw it in the
passenger footwell I thought it was a new go-faster modification, using
twin gearboxes, one for each rear wheel!
 In
the workshop was a lightweight E Type, similar to the Richard's Low
Drag version, fully kitted out for racing. Complete with dry
sump
as it was so low, it looked fantastic. Hate to think of the price tag.
However
it was not all plain sailing for me. I decided to take my Lotus Elise
for a run up to Davids, but about a mile from the centre my throttle
pedal dropped away from my foot and the car of course cruised to a
halt. Throttle cable snapped was my first thought, but where did the
nut/bolt and washers on the floor come from? Turned out the pedal
linkage had come undone. Ever tried fitting a nut and bolt above you
when upside down? Gravity is relentless and several single
handed
attempts were made before I managed to effect a temporary repair, which
David kindly fixed properly while I enjoyed his hospitality. Now thats
what I call service.
I wasn't the only one to
experience David's
skills. Steve Craig, Scottish coordinator for the TR Register, brought
his TR6 along complete with knocking from below. Up on the ramp and it
was traced to worn rear UJ. Unfortunately they aren't as
straightforward as some cars to replace, and David had no spare in the
cupboard either.
Quite a few of the CCHMSC members
dropped in,
including Graham Cox and Maurice Millar. The pair are often seen either
in Graham's Morgan or marshalling on events. Maurice is an old hand at
navigating, marshalling and timekeeping, having made several "working"
trips to the Mille Miglia. His dream is to take the navigators seat in
a Mille Miglia event. Maurice has already taken John Stuart in his
Austin A40 Farina to a class win on the Rally Costa Brava
earlier this year, so is a good bet if you are looking for a navigator.
Celebrity Duncan Massie, recently seen on the International Autoecosse
teaching BBC
Scotland's Landward driver Euan Macilwraith how to drive and repair an
MGB, brought his newly completed bright yellow Lancia along
for
the day.
Jim
Hendry also popped in and showed me his TR4 bodyshell, tucked in a
corner of David's workshop, awaiting a respray job. Jim, who also
drives a mean Triumph TR2, and has had the TR4 for years, has
been restoring the chassis and running gear and is ready to put both
parts together and complete the final build stage.
If
you
delight at the sight of exotic cars being restored to their former
glory, and enjoy a natter with like minded colleagues, while feasting
on a good old barbecue, then look out for next years event. Come rain,
snow, hail or shine, you won't be disappointed. You never know you
might just see something you have been looking for for years, or just
pick-up a bit of information that will help you enjoy your Classic to
the full.
|
| Updated 14July 2010
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