There were also a wide selection of current projects in the workshop and body shop, in various stages of
repair or restoration, with a further selection of cars in the showroom and storage building. The latter was
where Ian Barkaway and staff members gave a welcome address, together with an update on the company’s
record and achievements over the past twelve months, concluding with the presentation of three recently
completed projects, a lustrous metallic red Iso Grifo, a Dino 246 GT, resplendent in period metallic purple,
and a spectacular rally liveried Lancia Stratos.
Amongst the cars on display in the workshop were a very pretty pale blue Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider
approaching the end of a lengthy bare metal restoration, and a 250 GT S2 Cabriolet, which was elevated on
one of the pillar ramps so that people could see the underside of the car, and the detail that they go to in their
restoration work. There was also the MG Metro 6R4 rally car, in which the late rally legend Colin McRae won
the National Category in the 2006 Donegal International Rally partnered by Nicky Grist. Whilst a lot of
attention focussed on the colourful livery of an ex-Nelson Piquet Benetton F1 car, which was started and run
after lunch, the whooping Cosworth V8 engine symphony proving a great hit with everybody – ear plugs were
available for those who wanted to suppress the shrill sound!
A symphony of another sound, one could say more classical, was provided by a string trio who played
adjacent to the workshop entrance, providing soothing background music to the proceedings. The gathering is
always family orientated, and they always try to ring the changes with peripheral entertainment, so to this end
there was also a Scalextric track to be enjoyed by young and young at heart alike, together with a wandering
magician, who always had a crowd of interested, and baffled, people around him. Then there was the always
eagerly awaited splendid buffet lunch (for many the high point of the day!), and if you still had space for more,
there was the ice cream man, ready to help you fill that little void.
Keith Bluemel
06/2016
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