simca | Mario the Multipla

We’ve had a very busy few weeks. Starting with the Goodwood 74th Members Meeting, which was great and we promised you a post but we’ve got so many photo’s to sort from the event that it’ll have to wait for a short while.

However, better news is that Mario is out of his Winter Hibernation and has been out and about. We started him up on the Thursday before Easter and took him for a careful first drive. One of the front brakes was stuck on and got rather warm but a gentle drive and some sharp breaking seemed to free it off, James also took the wheel off and it would appear the problem is caused by the brake shoe adjusters not adjusting so that will be a future project. I took him round to the local hand car wash for a bit of spruce up but he embarrassed himself by refusing to start after his wash. The battery which had seemed fine that morning just died completely but at least it was easily rectified.

On Good Friday we set off for Wheels Day organised by the Surrey Street Rodders at Rushmoor Arena near Aldershot. Following the problems a couple of years ago, you now have to pre-register and Mario had been selected and was in possession of a shiny pass. Unlike previous events we practically drove straight in, much better organised. By far the best day of the Easter Weekend, it was lovely, warm and sunny, although it was a shame it had rained so much the night before making the ground rather boggy. Mario got his usual attention and lapped up the compliments while we wandered around the exhibits and stalls, picking up a great one-man vintage lunch box/picnic set which is destined to become a ‘Gin Caddy’. We had a great day and Mario certainly enjoyed the run after being cooped up for the Winter.

Very subtile paint on this woodie rod, flames and checkers but in muted colours which unfortunately don’t show too well in the photo. This Saab pickup was great. For those old enough to remember, Rainbow’s Zippy and George in a rod! Needs a bit of work but the horns were a great extra. Favourite car of the car (apart from Mario of course). The ‘paint work’ was fantastic and appears to be real, James made a guess at about 17 or so layers and rubbed down in an amazing nearly symmetrical pattern before being matt lacquered. A beautiful little Simca which had a rather stompy engine. Hopefully the owner Des will be bringing it to our car show in May. It won a prize at Wheels Day. Lovely immaculate VW Pickup with a mini VW bus in the back. Easter Monday dawned pretty bright after the horrendous night of Storm Katie and we were going to take Mario to the GRRC Spring Sprint at Goodwood but it was cancelled due to weather damage to the grandstands. However a friend from Derbyshire was staying in Chichester so we took Mario to pick her up and out for an afternoon tea and bubbles at the Kennels. With a ride in Mario she had the full Goodwood Experience! We had a few problems getting home as travelling cross country we came across several lanes blocked by fallen trees and floods.

So all in all a pretty good Easter. The Members Meeting blog will follow shortly.

Good Friday traditionally means a trip to Wheels Day. Organised by the Surrey Street Rodders this show has been going locally in various venues for 40 years and these days incorporates everything from the original Hot Rods and custom cars to American, Classics, Sports, trucks, buses, bikes and to be honest quite a few dreadful vehicles which shouldn’t be allowed near a show!

Mario has been attending regularly since we have had him and as always is very popular, his cuteness, shape and colour scheme seems to bridge the gap between the various genres and appeal to everybody. This year for the first time the event was held at Dunsfold Aerodrome, home of ‘Top Gear’. It’s a good location for us as it’s nearer and a lovely cross country drive which brings us in on the southside which seemed much less crowded. We arrived around 10am and drove straight in but the good weather and the 40th anniversary had brought cars out in droves and we spent some time being parked up!

The rest of this post will be a series of pictures of things that caught our eye. Over the years we have witnessed the changing fashions in hot rods and customs, the current style seems to be what I’d call ‘Sheddy’. Stuff made to look (in most cases) in an unrestored condition with ‘rust’ and bare metal showing. Lots of the cars are ‘slammed’ and ‘chopped’ e.g. the suspension when stationery lowers the car so the sills are barely above the ground and the roof line is lowered so the windows are long and thin. The immaculate and heavily painted, flamed and chromed cars of previous years are quite few and far between these days with a much smoother and simpler single colour look being dominant.

Mario was again used to advertise our forthcoming car show. An immaculate classic – 4.0R Vanden Plas

1950’s Plymouth Station Wagon A really cool Batman ice cream/snack wagon, think it was based on a Mark 3 Escort, love the glass bubble in the top so the vendor can stand upright! Allegro Police Car – bit worried about James’ growing love for 70’s and 80’s ‘shitters’ the thing is they were pretty unloved at the time and hence very few have survived making them rare and quite ‘desirable’ these days!! We will not be adding any to the family though. A ‘sheddy’ slammed Citroen Dyane, big wheels and big engine We bumped into a guy we hadn’t seen for years. Thirty odd years ago we were all in the venture scouts together and Geoff sold James his first ‘classic’ a Ford Cortina Mark II 1500GT complete with a roll back roof and a fur fabric headlining. Geoff was showing off his recently finished project another GT Cortina. Absolutely immaculate the new white paintwork was dazzling. This Mini had a very original bonnet – copies of the Beano. I loved this bus, afraid I know nothing about it other than it had been converted into a motorhome, and it had a fantastic New York Liberty Tours paint job Now this is the car that really took our eye, think it would make a stunning BIG brother for Mario, although I’d never be able to park it! It’s a Hudson Hornet and it was for Sale… if we win the lottery tonight! The second one parked behind is in race spec and has competed at Goodwood. This Mercury was amazing, subtle in two-tone cream and white with great lines, room for all your friends too. Probably the rarest car at the show – A Mazda MX4 twin rotor wankel engine and again totally immaculate. Another Hudson, maybe this colour scheme would fit in better with the ‘family’. The interior was blue and black zebra fur! Simca 1100, the engine is fitted with ‘twin webers’ in a better conditions than it would have been new inside and out. Classic Capri Chevy Bell-Air. Station Wagon’s are increasingly popular On the way home we stopped to take a few new pictures of Mario. Happy Easter Love Mario xx