The Leyland was pretty much what I expected. I've spent some time in the back of these things and I remember the sharp brakes sending unsuspecting people flying, so the grabby brakes were no surprise. Good levels of grip though. All in all, it was a fun (and informative) couple of hours!
There's a good variety of vehicles displayed, from vintage cars and vans through to rare sports cars and a stand dedicated to Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness.
There's also a room dedicated to Donald and Malcolm Campbell and their land speed record attempts and vehicles.
Gallery below.
I only had my phone with me, but I grabbed some photos (shown below).
Check out the gallery below.
Check out my gallery of pictures below.
With the arrival of my Civic Type-R it's time to say goodbye to my trusty Mazda MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition. I've owned it from new and, in that three and a half years, it's been a brilliant little car. When I sold my BMW M4 I wanted something very different, and it was certainly that. Once you drive one it's difficult not to like them; small, light, excellent weight distribution, rear wheel drive and loads of driving feedback. What's not to love?
The orange paint scheme might not be to everyone's liking but, with only 3,000 worldwide (of which 550 came to the UK), it was never going to be a common sight. The excellent upgraded Brembo brakes, Recaro seats, engraved forged alloys and alcantara interior meant that it was more than just a colour change for the limited edition car. So, as one driving chapter closes, I move onto a new one and raise a glass to the plucky little underdog from Japan that more than paid for itself with the smiles it provided.
I rectified that last night and was treated to a taut crime thriller which simply made me kick myself for not hunting it down sooner. Directed by Walter Hill (who also made The Warriors, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs. and produced the Alien films, amongst others) there is no fat in this film. It's dialogue light and action heavy and, coming in at 91 minutes, it's a far cry from some of the cumbersome three hour marathons which are churned out today. The car chases are excellent and easily stand up to anything produced today. They are, to coin a phrase, worth the price of the entry ticket alone.
If, like me, you're an avid film fan you'll be pleased to note that it's just been remastered in 4K. It was poorly received at the time but has gone on to gain something of a cult status, being praised by the likes of Tarantino and Edgar Wright (who was heavily influenced by it when making Baby Driver).
No film of this type would be complete without some notable vehicles so I've grabbed a few stills from the Internet Movies Cars Database and stitched them together. On display is a 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 S, a 1977 Pontiac Firebird, a 1965 Ford Mustang, a 1973 Chevrolet C-10 and a 1974 For Galaxie 500.
