Vehicle Archives - Page 4 of 8

Made In Scotland – Exhibition At Transport Museum

Jun 052015

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

The Grampian Transport Museum in Alford is looking for surviving examples from the Scottish Motor Industry to take part in a one off event which is taking place in July.

Vehicles produced, designed or with major components manufactured in Scotland will be eligible to enter Made in Scotland – an event which will bring alive an exhibition of the same name in the museum building.

Made in Scotland tells the fascinating story of the Scottish motor industry.

Having had a great start with the famous 3 A’s (Albion, Argyll and Arrol-Johnston) the industry was once considered the envy of the motoring world, in fact Argyll’s factory in Alexandria was often referred to as ‘Palatial’. Sadly the fortunes of the three manufacturers took a turn for the worse in the depression years between the first and second world wars.

There was a brief revival in the 1960s thanks to the volume production of the Hillman Imp at the Rootes plant at Linwood, Paisley. It is anticipated that the largest number of preserved vehicles at Made in Scotland will be Imps, or their derivatives.

One of these will be a 1973 Davrian Imp racing car, owned by Dave Cooper from Midhurst in West Sussex. Dave plans to drive up for the event and will also be giving a talk to the museum’s Young Engineers club and advising them on how best to restore the museums own 1965 Hillman Imp.

It is also hoped that commercial and specialist vehicles, for which Scotland is well known, will be in attendance in large numbers.

Pride of the museums collection is a Glasgow built 1914 Sentinel Steam Waggon – the oldest fully operational example remaining – which will play a key role in the event, offering museum visitors a rare chance to ride onboard this venerable veteran! The Sentinel will also demonstrate the difference between steam and motor lorries of its era, with the results likely to surprise a few onlookers!

Mike Ward, museum curator, explains the rationale behind the event.

“Grampian Transport Museum pursues a policy of ‘ringing the changes’ with seasonal exhibits, in order to constantly engage with its catchment audience. We often take the opportunity to bring exhibits to life by building an event around the same subject.

“One of the main themes this season only is Made in Scotland which looks at the fascinating story of the Scottish motor industry and this new event echoes the indoor exhibition. It gives us the chance to show these amazing vehicles on our specially developed site.“

There is no vehicle entry fee for Made in Scotland, however entrants will receive complimentary museum admission and 2 vouchers for a special entrants BBQ. Entry forms for Made in Scotland can be downloaded from the museums website – www.gtm.org.uk/whatson

Made in Scotland.
Grampian Transport Museum
Sunday 19th July 2015 from 12noon – 4pm

Supercars Return To NE Scotland’s Premier Motoring Event.

Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information No Responses »

May 292015

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

Outlaw Anglia dragster.

Enthusiasts will soon be heading to Aberdeenshire for the annual SpeedFest, ready to be thrilled by the largest gathering of rare supercars, exciting performance cars, and historic racing cars in the North East of Scotland.
The Organisers are delighted to welcome back Park’s Motor Group of Hamilton who will be showcasing another iconic collection of McLaren, Bentley and Maserati sports cars.

They also wish to welcome back Town and County Porsche who are returning with a very exciting stand for 2015.

Additionally, the Organisers are thrilled to welcome The Leven Car Company (Aston Martin & Rolls Royce), Murray Motor Company (Lotus) and Sytners (Lamborghini and Ferrari) to the event for the first time.

SpeedFest is an established flagship event organised and hosted by Black Dog Events and held at the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford. SpeedFest always generates a huge amount of excitement and this year will showcase over 100 specially selected and invited cars to make up what the Organisers believe will be the best entry list ever seen in the North East.

All cars participating in the event shall be made as accessible as possible to the public.

The hub of the event is the short oval road circuit, which will play host to the famous ‘Alford Pursuit’ along with a new event for 2015, the Kinghorn Bodyshop-sponsored ‘Alford Drag’. As well as seeing the cars being put through their paces, spectators will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of on-track action for themselves by riding ‘shotgun’ in some fast car rides (available for the first 150 ‘Early Birds’ through the gate before the event gets fully underway).

However you can ensure you get an Early Bird Fast Car ride by purchasing a advanced ticket via our website www.alfordspeedfest.co.uk.

Organisers James Parker and Tony Yule comment that Alford SpeedFest15 is ready but are keeping their lips (mostly) sealed regarding what spectators can hope to see at the event:

“It’s going to be a pretty full programme of on-track activities,” says James. “We will be featuring some old favourites such as the Drifters, the dragsters and the aerobatic display, but we will also have some new and exciting things to showcase too – such as karting and mini-moto demonstrations along with a rather special finale – a specially designed rally super special stage featuring some very impressive rally cars!”

“We don’t want to give too much away,” adds Tony, “we have to keep our powder dry a bit… But we are just so excited by this year as it should be one to remember – we have gathered together a fantastic range of manufacturers to display their current models, along with some interesting and exciting trade stands…. Not to mention all of the on-track stuff which has taken months to organise and arrange. We’ve ordered good weather for the event!”

Colin Millar from ‘Flyin Fyfer Drag Racing Team’ will be on hand to demonstrate his 1150bhp nitrous powered ‘Outlaw Anglia’ dragster in an ear splitting, earth shaking and tyre burning display of POWER!! The Anglia can cover the fabled quarter mile sprint in an amazing 7 seconds.

SpeedFest15 will also play host to 2 returning cars loaned to the event by Mr E. Dean Butler: the ‘Jim Robbins Special’ Indycar which took pole at the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the ‘Charles Bang Special’ slingshot dragster powered by a flathead Ford V8 with Offenhauser heads which set the US ‘D’ class quarter miles record at 10.32 seconds in 1966.

Historic racer Chris Williams returns to SpeedFest15 with another unique and powerful Bentley.

Fresh from his demonstration of the ‘Packard Bentley’ in 2014; Chris will unleash the might of his ‘Napier Bentley’ vintage racing car.

The Napier is a one-off special built on the chassis of a 1929 Bentley. It features a 24-litre Napier Sea Lion W12 boat engine that develops approximately 550bhp through the rear wheels (which are almost constantly smoking!!) whilst the stubby exhausts emit sparks, flames and smoke! The sound of this car is not to missed – having been likened to a World War I bi-plane or a cluster of mortar bombs being detonated!!

Both James and Tony promise a great day for enthusiasts and families with exciting non-stop action on the circuit, and a range of side stands and activities for families.

Local and national companies are providing support for the event, including Park’s Motor Group, Sytners (Edinburgh), The Leven Car Company, Town and County Porsche (Aberdeen), Murray Motor Company, Kinghorn Bodyshop, Glack Attack mud run, EDB Racing, Autoglym, Quantum Remapping, Aberdeen Alarm Company, AM Details, Fennel Media and Terraclean.

Alford SpeedFest15
Sun 5 July 2015: 11:00am- 5:00pm
Grampian Transport Museum, Alford, Aberdeenshire AB33 8AE
Adult £10, Child £5, OAP £7, Family £25

How Many Left? This Sunday At GTM

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

May 222015

Final preparations are well underway for an exciting new event at the Grampian Transport Museum. With thanks to Martyn Smith.

How Many Left? will celebrate mass-produced vehicles which are now considered ‘endangered’ – those which have less than 500 of any specific model still licensed, according to DVLA statistics.

More than one hundred entries have been received for the inaugural event, including vehicles once considered every day cars – those which played an active part in many people’s day to day lives.

How Many Left? will feature static displays which will be further complimented with the addition of two vehicles believed to be the only examples of their type left; a 1976 Ford Granada Ghia Coupe and a 1978 Opel Commodore Coupe. The Opel has been owned by Alan Norrie of Longside, near Peterhead, for the last four years and was fully restored by a previous owner.

Visitors will be encouraged to take a trip down memory lane, with a number of vehicles taking to the museum’s road circuit for the ever popular passenger rides sessions at 12noon and 3pm. The light hearted event will feature further track activity including a grand vehicle parade (1.15pm – 1.45pm) and parallel auto test (2.00pm – 2.30pm), complete with expert commentary, will also add to the occasion!

There will be a presentation of awards at 2.35pm for the rarest vehicles of the day, assessed by the museums unique Rarity Index; a calculation which takes account of numbers known to exist and the original production run.

Public admission to How Many Left? is £5 for adults with children under the age of 16 and gtm+ members are admitted free! Museum admission will also be discounted on the day with adults £5, concessions £4 and students £2. 2 children are admitted FREE with every adult.

How Many Left? gets underway at 12noon and runs until 4pm.

How Many Left? Museum Appeals For Forgotten Gems

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

May 072015

Vauxhall Cavalier MK2

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

With just under three weeks to go entries are still being accepted for the inaugural How Many Left? at the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford.
‘How Many Left?’ is open to any mass-produced car from the 1960s onwards, which has less than 500 licensed examples left, according to DVLA records.

The event, which takes place on Sunday 24th May from 12noon – 4pm, is designed to celebrate some of the not quite classics of the motoring world.

Take, for example, the Vauxhall Cavalier MK2. First introduced in August 1981, the car was considered a huge success, challenging the Ford Cortina as the front runner amongst company car fleet buyers.

By 1982 Cavalier sales topped 100,000 effectively establishing a two horse race between Vauxhall and Ford. Ultimately over 800,000 examples of the second generation Cavalier were sold, making it the third most common car on Britain’s roads. Staggeringly there are now as few as 1,300 of the 800,000 on the records of the DVLA!

Appearing at How Many Left will be a great example of the Cavalier, restored by current owner Robert McLean, of Banchory in 2010. His special edition Antibes – only ever available in red, blue or white – is now reduced to just 7 examples in the UK and will be appearing at How Many Left.

How Many Left will feature prizes awarded to the rarest survivors, assessed by the museums unique Rarity Index; a calculation that takes account of numbers known to exist and the original production run.

The event will feature static display areas as well as the ever popular public passenger rides, where visitors can jump into participating vehicles for a trip down memory lane. There will also be a chronological vehicle pageant and parallel autotests with expert commentary to enjoy.

Commenting on the event Martyn Smith, Marketing & Events Organiser said:

“It’s fascinating to look at some of the vehicle entries we’ve already received, the original production numbers and then the latest DVLA figures. Cars which were produced in their thousands and were once a common sight on the roads are simply disappearing!

“‘How Many Left’ is bound to rekindle lots of memories – some good, some perhaps not so good, but the ethos of the event is to celebrate these cars with light hearted track activity and of course our Rarity Index where we’ll identify the rarest car of the show”

Entries for How Many Left are being accepted until Monday 18th May. As well as entry to the event, vehicle owners will receive free museum admission and free BBQ. Full information and entry forms can be found online at www.gtm.org.uk

Rover SD1 Vitesse on ‘For the Love of Cars’

Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information No Responses »

Apr 232015

Grampian Transport Museum vehicle to feature on Channel 4 this Sunday. With thanks to Martyn Smith.

A former Grampian Police vehicle will be the star of the small screen this weekend when it is featured on Channel 4.
Now in its second series, For the Love of Cars is presented by Philip Glenister (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes) and Ant Anstead of Evanta Motor Company as they set about restoring iconic cars to their former glory, before selling them on at auction.

The Rover SD1 Vitesse – the only such example operated by Grampian Police – was in operation from 1985 to 1988 and would patrol the then new Stonehaven bypass, checking for speeding vehicles. Along with six other vehicles which were also restored for the series, it was put under the hammer on 10th January at Coys auction at the NEC in Birmingham.

Commenting at the time, curator Mike Ward was delighted to be able to bring the vehicle back to Aberdeenshire:

“We’ve been aware of this particular vehicle for some time now – it’s no stranger to our museum and in fact has appeared here before. When we found out that it was up for sale it was always our intention to try and bring this rare example ‘back home’. The hammer went down at £9,750 which is a new world record for a Rover SD1 at auction.”

The Rover has been on display at the Alford museum since the start of the season and was the star of the recent ‘Emergency Vehicle Rides’ afternoon, driven by former police driver Ian Slorach.

Series 2 of For the Love of Cars continues at 8pm on Sunday 26th April on Channel 4.

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Ode To A Bon Accord Ale Loon

Aberdeen City, Creative Writing 1 Response »

Apr 102015

By Julia Ghisoni.

Fae Greyhope Road, fully stowed,
The wagons crossed the toon,
Fae hoose tae hoose, wi’ crates o’ juice,
The Bon Accord ale loons.

Fae Auchinyell tae Counteswells,
Tillydrone tae Seaton,
Mass distribution o’ sugar solution,
For kids tae rot their teeth on.

They delivered Cream Soda an’ Bona-Cola,
In their orange motors,
Baith affa fine, for loons an’ quines,
Tae mak’ their ice cream floaters.

Syphons of soda, sweet Red Kola,
Orangeade like nectar,
No contest, they were always the best,
In the fizzy drink business sector.

Amongst fit they made, wiz Pineappleade,
Lime and Tropic too,
Peppermint cordial, that I thought wiz horrible,
Although the blackcurrant would do.

They drove their loads on a’ the roads,
Fae Summerhill tae Torry,
Throughout the ‘deen, there would aye be seen,
A Bon Accord ale lorry.

Image: Bon Accord Lemonade Bottles by Stevan Hogg. Creative Commons Licence

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Emergency Services Return To Transport Museum

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Apr 032015

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

The emergency services will be returning to the Grampian Transport Museum on Friday 10th April for the annual ‘Emergency Vehicle Rides’ afternoon.

The inaugural event, which took place in 2014, proved extremely popular with over 900 visitors flocking to the museum for the opportunity of a ride in a police car or fire engine and there are even more vehicles confirmed for this years event!

The museums recently acquired Rover SD1 Vitesse police car will make its first public appearance since returning to the North East in January. It will be driven by Ian Slorach, a former officer with the Grampian Police Force.

Ian will be taking to the wheel and chatting to passengers about the vehicle, which was a one-off in the Grampian fleet when commissioned in 1985.

A privately owned 1970s Commer Fire Engine, which made its debut appearance at the first Emergency Vehicle Rides event, is also set to return.

Other vehicles already confirmed include a Mountain Rescue Land Rover and Green Goddess fire engine – the type originally used by the Auxiliary Fire Service and latterly held in reserve by the Home Office. The Green Goddess famously made a return to service during the fire fighters strikes in 1977 and, more recently, in 2002 when they were operated by members of the Armed Forces.

Emergency Vehicle Rides take place from 2pm to 4pm and are included in the museums standard admission. Due to popular demand there will be a second Emergency Vehicle Rides afternoon taking place on Thursday 6th August.

On Wednesday 15th April the Easter fun continues with a Spring Activities afternoon. There will be fun activities, crafts and quizzes for all of the family plus face painting and performances from local magicians ‘Allan’s Magic’

Enzo Ferrari At The Grampian Transport Museum

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Mar 312015

Rare supercars and steam car on display for 2015 season. With thanks to Martyn Smith.

A million pound supercar is to go on display at the Grampian Transport Museum, Alford, this season.

The Enzo Ferrari – named after the company’s founder – is the only such example in Scotland and has been loaned to the museum for the duration of the 2015 season.

With a price tag believed to be in the seven figure mark the Enzo was established to commemorate Ferraris first Formula 1 title of the new millennium and initially just 349 were produced.

However, after numerous requests from enthusiasts, Ferrari gave the green light to an additional production run of 50 vehicles. In 2004 one final Enzo was built and donated to the Vatican for charity – this example later sold at auction for $1.1 million, taking the total production figure to 400!

Another exclusive vehicle to feature in the museum this season is a 1910 Stanley Steamer.

This unique example is one of just three Stanley steamers in Scotland – and almost certainly the only one of its kind. This is believed to be the most original Stanley in Britain having not been subject to any restoration work to date. Stanley, of America, were the most successful steam car manufacturers and in fact held the world land speed record between 1906 and 1910, reaching an astonishing 127.65mph!

As part of a ‘Made in Scotland’ display for 2015 only, a rare Scottish supercar will also feature this season. The Argyll name was brought back in the mid 1970s by a new company who produced a mid-engined sports car, the ill fated Argyll GT, in Lochgilphead. Founded by Bob Henderson this new car was named in honour of the grandfather of one of the investors, who worked in the original Argyll factory at Alexandria.

The Argyll GT was based on a sturdy box section chassis and fiberglass body shell. The museum is displaying the original prototype that features a turbocharged Rover V8 engine however later examples used a non-turbocharged version of the Douvrin V6 which was featured by Renault and Peugeot.

Mike Ward, curator, is delighted with the latest additions to this years exhibition.

“The GTM is well known for its policy to change at least 33% of the exhibitions every season. This rate of change is very high and accounts for our high visitor numbers – visitors come back every season to see what’s new.

“This year has seen significant changes: virtually all of our motorcycles are new, including for the first time ever a Brough Superior, we have our first ever steam car and a section devoted to the surprising but rather sad story of the once great Scottish Motor Industry. I wonder how many people remember the Parabug which was made in Aberdeen?”

Engineering And Science Careers Event At GTM

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Mar 272015

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

The Grampian Transport Museum (GTM) is holding a Careers Morning on Saturday 28th March from 11am to 12.30pm.

The event is targeted at Academy aged children from S2 to S5 from Aberdeenshire who are interested in finding out more about the subject choices and career stories from a number of people.

Our speakers will each cover a range of questions including:

What did they do at school?
What were their reasons for choosing science or engineering?
What’s their current job and what do you do?
What do they know now which you wish you knew when you were at school?

Short presentations from the GTM Young Engineers Club, which meets regularly on a Saturday morning at the Museum, will also take place.

Commenting on the event, Trustee Paul Lawson, who has helped oversee the Young Engineers team, said:

“The Grampian Transport Museum, as an educational charity, is here to help do its bit to address the current skills gap in the UK and Scotland in engineering disciplines.

“We are here to explain to local youngsters through real life experiences how interesting and rewarding a career in science and engineering can be. Our Young Engineers club has definitely inspired several young people to choose engineering and we feel we can do more!“

Please note that all school aged children must be accompanied by an adult.

Anyone who would like to attend should email youngengineers@gtm.org.uk.

Exciting New Displays At Transport Museum

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Mar 242015

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

The award winning Grampian Transport Museum in Alford is preparing to open for the 2015 season with exciting new displays and a packed outdoor arena programme.

The museum has been closed to the public since the end of October, allowing the team of volunteers and staff to refresh and update the exhibition.

Following on from last years Independence referendum the museum will be unashamedly showcasing vehicles produced in Scotland with ‘Made in Scotland’.

Few people realise that in the dawn of the last century Scotland was amongst the world leaders in car production – Argyll’s palatial factory in Alexandria was often described as being amongst the most modern and advanced in the world!

Made in Scotland will include examples of each of the famous 3 ‘A’s (Albion, Argyll and Arrol Johnston) and will be brought forward to the modern era with the evocative Linwood story. Included is the very first Hillman Imp to be produced in the plant, which was sent to the national motor museum and has been loaned to the Grampian Transport Museum for the season.

The sense of lost opportunities is captured by the Proclaimers 1987 hit ‘Letter from America’ playing in the background.

A Rover SD1 Vitesse Police Car, a unique addition to the fleet of the then Grampian force, will also be on display and is due to appear on the forthcoming second series of the Channel 4 show ‘For the Love of Cars’ Presented by Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes star Philip Glenister. Commissioned in 1985 the vehicle was bought at the Coy’s auction at the NEC in Birmingham at beginning of the year for a world record price of £9,750.

The vehicle will also be making a star appearance at the museums first activity of the season ‘Emergency Vehicle Rides’ which takes place on Friday 10th April.

The majority of the motorcycle display has been changed and for the first time in the museums 32 year history is headlined by one of the rarest and most sought after of all vintage motorcycles, the Brough Superior SS80.

Another key exhibit for the forthcoming season is a Foster Traction Engine – affectionately known as Olive – so named as it was new to the military in WW1 and has been repainted by the museums volunteers into War Department olive green livery.

Every year the museum aims to refresh around one third of the vehicles on display, however a few old favourites remain. Billy Connolly’s famous Boom Lowrider Motortrike, as seen on his ‘World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales’ TV series, can be enjoyed for another season. The popular Pop Icons collection, charting the rise of popular culture

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