The team’s on-site workshop (Chris Cuss).
The team in the Paddock awaiting a morning briefing last summer, left to right standing Keith Barry, Graham Appleyard, Brian Williams and Richard Andrews, front Max Hart, John Davies, Tim Dabbs, Steve Broadbent, Peter Allin and John Farrant (Chris Cuss).
vintage-style four-seat tourer using a pre-war Hillman Aero chassis with MGB running gear. Our cars lead a hard life. Driving on the Banking with its bumps and slope takes its toll on suspen- sion and tyres. Thankfully we have an on-site workshop where we undertake maintenance, all of which is done at our own expense. We also buy our own overalls and coats as well as all the spares that the vehicles require.
Originally drivers chose their own route. Graham Appleyard aka ‘The Guvnor’ (Chris Cuss).
Apart from the odd special occasion, wedding or corporate event, the rides timetable evolved to coincide with weekdays during school holidays and half-terms with the exception of Christmas and New Year. Most drivers brought their own classic and vintage vehicles. Over the years we have seen an eclectic mix that included a few MGBs, a Sunbeam Tiger, a Chevrolet Corvette, an Aston Martin V8, a Lotus Seven, a Teal Bugatti replica, a classic Mini, a Lotus Cortina and many more. However some drivers preferred to purchase cars specifically for use at the Museum. Chris Ralls obtained a Jago jeep kit-car which had started life as a Ford Escort. The advantage of such vehicles is that they use readily available spares. Peter Allin went even further and built a
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Typically this was along the bottom of the Banking past the air raid shelters and up to the Members’ Restaurant buildings and then back along the higher Banking to the Aircraft Park. Tickets to ride were issued from the Museum Shop which was then situated where the Café’s soft-play area is now located. This relaxed state of affairs eventually became overtaken by the Museum becoming busier and the dreaded ‘Health and Safety’. In consultation with the local authority, several fixed routes were agreed. The long route goes from the Clubhouse, up the Finishing Straight, turns right along the bottom of the Banking and up to the Members’ Restaurant. There is a pause for a chat with the passengers there before returning to the Banking and taking a higher line to exit onto Shell Way and past Concorde to return to the Paddock. The short route involves a brisk ascent of the Test Hill then a short drive on the Banking to exit onto the Finishing Straight. Depending on the route, marshals are required to
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