Mid-Summer Murder, Madness, or Majesty...

07/06/2011

We had a great warm up for the Mid Summer Drive-In with the Breakfast event on Saturday 14 May, 50 cars parked on the beautifully manicured croquet lawn... and no damage reported by the groundstaff! Fun and informal, we enjoyed a great buffet breakfast and were on our way by 11.00am, just as the clouds rolled in.

The weather was also kind for last week’s Mercedes-Benz celebration with a capacity audience enjoying the perfect display (1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, 1955 300SL, 2010 SLS AMG, 2011 CLS 63 AMG) and a very entertaining history of the marque. Now we need sunshine for the 10th anniversary Drive-In (Wednesday 22 June) and then a fresh event from an all-new auction house.

The Channons Classic Car and Memorabilia Auction will be staged on the Cedar Lawn on Wednesday 29 June from 6.30pm with a preview from 3.00pm the day before. Items include an Aston Martin V8 built for the 1986 British International Motor Show, a selection of exquisite Aston Martin and Bentley watches and some early rare Ferrari Yearbooks. If you would like further information call 01932 590343 or see www.channons.com for the details.

It’s been a little hectic at Pall Mall as well with the Le Mans preview dinner courtesy of Peugeot. The 2009 race winning 908 Hdi was there, as were the team – all in fine form and looking forward to next weekend’s battle with Audi. Anthony Davidson, who could have been an F1 star had he been there at the right time, was charming and deserved particular thanks – he’d just become a dad for the first time the day before.

Then there was a champagne reception to celebrate Sir Stirling Moss’s 50th anniversary of his classic 1961 Monaco GP victory with our hero in great form. When he arrived at the clubhouse, his first words were: ‘I hope the sides are off...’ a reference to him removing the side panels before the race to overcome the heat generated by the pipes which ran right down the driver’s sides. Ben Cussons, our Motoring Chairman, was quickly into action just as owner Kevin Wheatcroft arrived wondering why the Club was dismantling one of the Donington Museum’s most cherished possessions! If you have never been, plan a visit and enjoy the world’s greatest collection of Grand Prix cars. And if you want to enjoy some rare footage from that race head for You Tube and search Moss Monaco 1961.

Members have been especially busy over the last couple of months. The Donington Historic Festival was a successful new event on the calendar and the result of Duncan Wiltshire’s commitment to classic motorsports. John Retter, a regular supporter of the Woodcote Trophy, recently published a book on last year’s series in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust and presented the cheque to them for £4,000 at Pall Mall. John is pictured here with Hailey Acton DeBoick.

Further afield, Gio Cantarella headed for the Amelia Island auction in Florida (but did not admit to buying anything) and I need to thank Anthony Spooner for telling me about his tour through northern Argentina covering over 2,500 miles in classic style. If that sounds fun, then you need to know that Anthony joined fellow member Geoffrey Herdman for one leg of a round-the-world-trip in his 1956 Bristol 405DH. Accompanied by wife, Hilary, they have completed around 20,000 miles and are due to re-start the next leg this month, the car having been shipped to Adelaide and then the long road north to Europe and London for the end of the year.

If you need adventure but can’t spend the time, then our friends at Goodwood have the answer and it’s not just available at the Festival of Speed next month. Their Aero Club has just added some new state-of-the-art four seat Cessna 172 Skyhawks and they are offering special deals for club members click here for the Motoring web site and the full offer.

The next Club Life will have details of the Veteran Car Run, the Future Car Challenge and the Regent Street displays – all taking place on the first weekend in November. Plus a Jaguar evening and news of how you can be part of the Beaujolais Run, enjoy the champagne region and bring home the wine. And it will all be on the motoring website www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk.

And finally... I was lucky enough to see the Senna film that came out on 3 June. It has made some cry, but it will certainly give you a unique, emotional, insight into one of motorsport’s greatest heroes and it’s unmissable. On screens, throughout the country, now. Let me know what you think.

Peter