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Walsh Morgan Plus 8
Leese Lotus Elan
Hampton BMW M5
Renfrew Mazda CZ5
Main Scirocco
Murison Triumph TR6
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Loch Ness
Classic - 8 June 2024 Report by Ormond Smith
The
Loch Ness Classic Car Tour run by the Rotary Club of Inverness Loch
Ness ran successfully on Saturday 8th June despite blustery winds and
squally rain showers, indeed the weather was in fact a lot more
pleasant than the forecast had predicted.
Although the organisers had hoped for a larger entry, the quality was
on show with cars ranging from the 1950’s through to a brand new
Alpine A110GT. The Keir brothers from Dufftown had their usual
immaculately presented 1959 Austin A105 Vanden Plas and of the same
vintage, Fraser and Wilma Hutcheson brought their beautifully restored
Morris 1000 van, both vehicles never missing a beat all day. Brian
Garden and Alan Fyfe from Inverurie were in their splendidly growling
1968 Austin Healey 3000 and Tony Leese took his well prepared 1968
Lotus Elan from Elgin.
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Two
local crews of Patrick Walsh/Gordon Leitch and Graham and Liz Rae
appeared in their respective Morgans, the Plus 8 of Walsh/Leitch
sounding quite magnificent and to their credit, the hood stayed down
all day, despite the showers! Another sports car of the
70’s was the rare Bristol 412 of Donald and Margaret Campbell
(only 97 ever produced) and they had to cope with a jammed
driver’s door window all day – did it put them off, not a
bit.
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The Triumph range was represented by David and Lorna Murison’s
TR6 from Tain and the Stag of Alan and Angela Radin from
Dingwall. More modern “desirables” included Gordon and
Jane Syman’s Jaguar XJ8 all the way from North Berwick and the
father and son crew of Neil and Max Hampton in their recently acquired
BMW M5, making the trip down from Dornoch.
Flagged off by Jackie Hendry, the Depute Provost of Inverness City
Council, the route of this year’s Tour left the Inverness Ice
Centre base and headed east through Cawdor to the A939 and up to
Ferness where the crews took in the loop around Lochindorb and its
impressive ruined castle. Skirting Grantown, the B9102 was driven as
far as Marypark before the participants turned south up Glenlivet to
the lunch halt at the Clockhouse Restaurant in Tomintoul, the parked
entry in the nearby public car park drawing a lot of
interest.
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Suitably “refuelled”, the crews headed back north over the
moors and through Nethybridge, Boat of Garten and Carrbridge before a
short blast down the A9 took them past Moy, under, yes under, the A9
and down Strathnairn to Gorthleck. It was then a short scenic drop
down to Foyers and the run to the finish along the iconic Loch Ness,
and without any sightings of “Nessie”!
This year’s Tour was raising monies for CHAS (Children’s
Hospices Across Scotland) and the Highlands and Islands Blood Bikes,
both charities doing sterling work in the Highlands and both
representatives were very impressed and grateful for the sponsorship
raised by the crews on the Tour.
After the awards were handed out, there was one additional award this
year. CCHMSC member Louise Wall from Burgundy, the widow of the
late Ranald Bruce who will undoubtedly be remembered by readers,
contacted the Rotary Club to donate a Fair Play award, two engraved
wooden charcuterie platters with cash donations to the recipients and
also both charities.
The
organisers, in the absence of any “on event” incidents to
fulfil the criteria of the award, decided to give it to a crew who have
supported the Tour since its inception in 2017, always entering in a
classic vehicle from the 1930’s to the 1950’s and their
cars are pristinely presented and the brothers themselves are
enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoy their visits to the Highlands
George and Ian Keir from Dufftown received their awards from Andy
Cowan, a close friend of both Louise and the late Ranald, and as Andy
remarked “no doubt that Ranald would be nodding his
approval”.
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Published 12 June 2024
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