Twenty-seven Club cars from Central Southern and Wessex Sections enjoyed a privileged position on the lawns adjacent to the arena at the National Motor Museum on Lord Montagu’s Beaulieu estate on a breezy autumnal day - or so it felt! The previous day had witnessed some of the worst rain storms of the summer across the southeast so we were relatively lucky. Picnics were still the order of the day and the weather certainly did not put off the visitors or the wasps.

The museum kindly brought out their 1909 Silver Ghost Roi de Belges for an airing and parked it at the head of our display adding an additional attraction to an already varied assortment of pre and post war examples of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars.

The National Motor Museum holds an interesting array of classic vehicle exhibits through the ages that includes a number of Rolls-Royce motor cars, but also several land speed record vehicles, formula racing machines and motorbikes. A rather distasteful version of a Bentley Mulsanne - called a Mentley Insanne - was on show as part of a 'Custom Cars' exhibition.

Visitors were able to stroll around the gardens and grounds of the abbey ruins, visit Palace House (home to Lord Montagu) and the Secret Army exhibition and see several old vehicles in use such as a 1904 De Dion Bouton.

Towards the end of the day, Lord Montagu kindly came to review our display, and to thank the organisers, on his charmingly motorised 'shopping buggy' proudly bearing the Montagu red lozenges from his coat of arms.

Simon Buck - Section Committee Member