Car Club day out.

It was unusual to have a club run on a Saturday, but 16 cars, plus a few 'tin tops', still turned up at the old toll gates at Berowra on the 23rd October. It was a nice warm day but the forecast was for thunderstorms later in the day, but we should be home by then.





Jumbo standing guard!!





The conga line starting to move off, heading up the Old Pacific Highway to Central Mangrove.



Our destination was the Vintage Motor Garage at Central Mangrove. A couple of cars turned back due to other commitments but 14 cars still lined up.

These old sheds house a wonderful collection of vintage vehicles from all over the world in various stages of restoration.


Check out the web site:- www.vintagemotorgarage.com/



Not just cars but a number of motor bikes being worked on. An old Indian.




The photos tell it all! A Speed Six Bentley undergoing a mechanical overhaul.









A beautiful Alvis.






My only claim to fame is that I have a copper headed mallet like that one in the engine bay of the Alvis. Mine has seen more hard work though. It was part of the necessary tool kit for my first car, a 1934 MG PA, for the removal of the wheel retaining wing nut.





Most of these old vehicles are being built from old photographs as obviously no drawings survive.





This is the wood machine shop. The frames are made from Australian hard woods and the smell of the timber was to die for!!



Not only vintage vehicles are worked on. Next door there was an Alfa Romeo, a Triumph TR5 and the chassis in this photo is for a Morgan V8. The engine is to the right of the chassis.



A lovely old Bentley. This is just a few of the photographed vehicles we saw but I am always reminded that only a few of us like cars!

When it was time to leave we all split up to find our own ways home. As there were big black clouds building up in the direction of Wisemans Ferry, I decided to head for home, and joined a group of 4 clubbies and an MX5. The road through Mangrove Mountain and Spencer, following the river, is a great 'clubbie' road full of twists and turns. The closer we got to Wisemans Ferry, the darker it got but I was assured by my navigator that he had spoken to the weather gods and we would stay dry. He must have spoken to the wrong god as just as we arrived at the ferry, the heavens opened!! On a ferry there is no where for an open car to go so despite a mad dash for wet weather gear, we all got saturated. It had its funny moments though..... Jeff and Marie sitting in their car trying to console themselves by repeating the mantra, its only water, its only water, its only water. Joe in his 'hairdressers car', the MX5, couldn't help but crow as he put up his hood and boasted about the radio, heater, demister etc. Once across the river we headed for the Wisemans Ferry Pub to dry out and have lunch. As is Murphys Law, the remainder of the journey got dryer the closer we got to home. Still it was a great day out!