Thirlestane Classic Car Show

Depending on who you talk to, the BVAC Classic at Thirlestane next Sunday the 8th of June is the biggest classic car show in the country, or it could be the two day Scottish Transport Extravaganza at Glamis Castle on 12th & 13th July. I’m not sticking my neck out either way, but safe to say they are the biggest such shows in Scotland and certainly in the top ten of such UK shows.

Both will have around 1,000 classic, veteran and vintage cars gathered in one place plus marque and club stands along with other shows and exhibits to appeal to the family and whilst Glamis is a two day show, Thirlestane has the added attraction of the Tunnock’s Scottish Summer Hill Rally which is based right beside the showfield on the weekend of the 7th & 8th June.

Apart from the cars and displays both shows have other added attractions and whilst partners and weans will be happy eating burgers and ice cream and watching the show ring attractions and entertainments ‘certain other members’ of such family groups will be attracted to browse the trade stands and auto jumble offerings around the periphery of the show – amongst which will be a certain ‘booktique’ selling books on Scottish rallying!! I have booked a stand at both shows this year although the two day Glamis will be a first.

I’ll have copies of both Scottish Rally Championship books (the 1980s and 1990s) plus the Mull book and also copies of Eric Dymock’s authoritative biography of Jim Clark.

Work on the third book in the Scottish Rally series (2000-2009) is well under way but if anyone thought writing the third book in such a series would be a dawdle, having already written two, then such thoughts should be junked quicker than a Verstappen tantrum. And it’s all your fault. After the first book folk wanted more words and more pics, so the second book was bigger, and guess what? Folk wanted yet more again with the suggestion being made that more pics could be included at the expense of fewer words. Oh, and could I make the photo captions longer and more informative? Oh, and another thing, more stories too?

Over the past three weeks I have been looking through books of over 4,000 negatives, scanning almost a 1,000, plus thousands more digital images and come up with a ‘short list’ of around 800 photos which will have to be reduced by half. Picking what goes into the book is the easy part, it’s choosing what has to be left out that is the most difficult.

Some folk also wondered if full results lists could be included but that would fill a book on its own. As it stands, each individual rally report names the top ten drivers and co-drivers and the class winning drivers and co-drivers. So if you did finish in the top ten of a championship round or won your class, your name is in the book. I did think about making it the top twenty, but even that would take me over my page limit.

Anyway, the first draft of the text is now with the proof readers so I’ll see what they make of that while getting on with the foties, but in the meantime, if you visit the show at Thirlestane Castle just outside Lauder on the A68 this Sunday, I’ll be there.

https://bvac.org.uk/bvac-classic/tickets/