Yes that's right, what the muck is going on, where is the sun? We are into the 13th day of May and I think the sun was out one, maybe two days and the rain has everything saturated and muddy. On the 13th and 14th of May, the BCCCB has a car show planned at the Mayflower and today, the Thursday before, we had to prepare the cars for the show. I was home doing my thing in the garage when the phone rang.... Don. Barc was moving his great looking MG TC to another bay to prep for the show when........ it stopped dead on his nice green, wet lawn, sunk to it's axels, a little assistance may be required, Don said on the phone. When I arrived at Barc's this is what I saw but as far as assistance goes... good ole Barc had it covered. He had a block and tackle set up to pull the ole girl out of her mud pit. An extra 250 lbs of a weak mind and strong body on the rope and out she came. Unfortunately the car wasn't going to make the show, as the lawn was just to wet to allow her to pass to the driveway, so inside the nice dry garage she stayed.

The plan was to arrive at the mall's back entrance and a hose would be waiting if we needed it. Good ole Don covers everything when he runs the show and yes the hose was waiting. We all took our turns soaping up our cars and well.... we didn't need the hose to wash them off, the rain could have did that but we hosed them down just to make sure the mud from the road leading to the back of the mall was all washed off.

Once cleaned, inside they went where members gathered to dry them off. Don's car is done, time for Joe's Bugeye to come in from the weather. I am not sure what it is about Paul's Lotus, if it's the color or the car but it always looks showroom clean. I think Paul just had to dry off  this eye catching piece of automotive excellence when he brought her through the doors

We filled the corridor with cars after we dried them and boy did they shine. Just look at Don's MGB LE and Alan's Jensen Interceptor 111 glistening under the mall lighting. We'll talk more about the Interceptor shortly but for now it's time for the drive through the mall.

Driving through the mall may not be a big thing for most people but I find it rather fun. Paula jumped in with me (in her car) and we followed Alan through the mall. The Jensen, even at idle speeds, one can tell that there is a huge power plant under the hood. Anyway, as we pass the closed stores, the remaining staff peer through the store's closed gates as we pass.... love it! Above you also see Brian and Arlene's Spitfire sparkling like new jewellery as he passes Future Shop.

Next in line we have Alfred Dinaut in his great looking B. The new paint and the Minilight wheels surely sets this car off. Arriving at our designated spot, Don has the task of aligning the cars for display. The small Healey and the Bs are easy to manoeuvre but the huge Interceptor may require a little more work to get into place.

The Jensen is now tucked neatly in front of the huge window and Alan has to pop the hood to disconnect the battery, a great chance to snap a photo of the beast that lays beneath the hood. A 440 is wedged between the wings of this animal and thank god I don't own it. I would have this car high speed tested many time on any straight stretch of the Trans Canada. All that power and right-hand drive to boot..... a disaster waiting to happen in my hands.

The good folks at the Mayflower Mall are very obliging they only had two rules, disconnect the battery and place a piece of cardboard under the car to catch and leaks. We did that, as you can see Joe going through his tool kit to find the correct wrench, as for the cardboard to catch the leaks.... not all of us needed that but I put it under all the cars anyway. The funny thing here is, after placing cardboard under all but the Lotus, it was now time to do so, as it was the last to be parked. I laid under the front of the car....... no oil pan! I totally forgot that the engine was in the rear. I am sure this car, as the rest, will attract a lot of interest indeed.

The cars are set into place to look like a British Car showroom, add the large picture window and the mall lighting and you can't help put to be drawn to this section of the mall by the brightness of the reflecting light. Once again Don's LE captures my eye, what a great looking car, and the shine.... well... you could read the words on the sign on the wall reflecting off the paint.

Above you have Alan Hayter and Barc together for a chat, a meeting of the minds so to speak. We don't get to see Alan very much but as always, a very interesting guy to have a chat with. Being originally from across the pond Alan has a vast amount of knowledge about these cars and to connect with Barc... I am sure these two reengineered the workings of entire British Automotive fleet. Part of the British Automotive Fleet is Paul and Estelle's rare and beautiful Lotus. This car really is something to sit in. It took a little coaxing but we managed to talk Bonnie "A MG GIRL" to get in, she loved it, and doesn't she look good in it. Look out Francis, there is a twinkle in her eye, and it's a very expensive twinkle indeed.

I mentioned in other stories how most of us at the BCCCB, when at a show, allow the public to sit in our cars just to see what a part of the British Car Experience is all about, this show was no different. Many took the time to enjoy the cars but C.J Macdonald and Anastasia Putt looked so good behind the wheel that I asked if we could post their picture on our site, not a problem they said. So we have CJ in Brian and Arlene's bright red Triumph Spitfire and Anastasia in  Joe and Jean's Austin Healey Sprite. Just a little tidbit of info to tell your friends Anastasia, the car your sitting in has another name. Here in North America we call them Bugeye Sprite, in the UK, they are referred to as Frogeye Sprite. I am sure you girls would love to be zipping off to collage everyday in one of these.

When someone expresses interest in a car we usually offer them a chance to sit in them. Above we have three young ladies, two with Paula's B and one 6 foot young lady in Brian's Spitfire. I am sure most don't get this opportunity to sit in a classic.

Donna, a new "B" owner, tried out all the cars just to see what they were like. Above I caught her checking out Chris and Dianne's 1980 B... A big smile was on her face when she caught me taking the picture. Thinking that Chris and Dianne, as well as Ray and Georgina. don't get much of a chance to travel with us, and therefore rarely get a chance to get their car on our site, so I though now was a great opportunity to post a photo of their cars.  

Another very successful Mayflower Mall show comes gracefully to an end. Some of our members were there for the duration and many popped in to spend some time showing and explaining the cars. All the viewers loved the cars and had a lot to say but the show stealers, I have to say were the Lotus, The Healey Sprite, and the Jensen. I heard one or two say that they never heard of a Jensen before and one guy even said that he thought a Lotus was a German car.... now you know, these great looking cars have British roots.

We didn't have any visitors say that they have any parts tucked in their basement, nor did we have anyone say that they have an old British car tucked away in their garage but one day, at one of these shows, we will. Perhaps we can entice anyone with one of these great cars that they have tucker away, to get to work and ready it for the road. We have a super British Car Club and it would be a sin to miss any activities we have planned. 

To close out this story I have to thank Don for organizing the show. Don and Barc for the photo contributions and to all those who participated, be it including their cars or stopping by. You all helped make this show a success. Here is a little You Tube video of us leaving the mall.    Mall drive

UPDATE

There were a few jokes floating around concerning Barc getting stuck in the  MUCK in the yard. Barc in his own charming and witty way wanted this photo posted in retaliation.

SNOOT TO YOU