Among all the hubbub surrounding Brexit, the far-from-settled departure of the United Kingdom from the rest of Europe, the real question for us here in The Colonies was, how would it affect The Queen’s English car show, held once a year in sunny Van Nuys, California?
Well, as of last weekend’s splendid gathering, it appeared … not at all.
The lovely show was actually held, for the first time in years, on real green grass. In that regard, the show was just like the Cotswolds, the Lake Country or like Life in a Northern Town. After six years of drought that turned the show’s venue, Woodley Park, into a dust bowl, Southern California finally got a real winter with actual rain. Thus the shady confines of Woodley looked like a genuine slice of the storied sceptered isle herself. At least if you ignored the freeway hum from the nearby 405 and the private jets of the movie stars taking off from Van Nuys Airport.
“Mother Nature won, everything’s green,” marveled show organizer Tina Van Curen. “The park has not been green in I don’t know how long — and walking around, it’s actual grass! It hasn’t been that way for years. It’s wonderful.”
Onto that grass rolled the finest wheeled instruments Great Britain has produced in over a century of making cars. There were rows of Morgans, Austin Healeys, MGs, Minis, Triumphs, Jaguars and Lotii. There were little marques you’ve never heard of, like JEM, and others you never see, like Daimler, Singer, Morris and Hillman. And all of them ran! At least ran well enough to make it over the Sepulveda Pass and down into The Valley, the catch basin for everything in Southern California that doesn’t fit near the beach.
“We had a really good group,” said Van Curen. “I mean, two Daimler SP 250s! The second guy rolled in and I said, ‘My God, there’s two of you?’ and he said, ‘Oh is that Leno’s?”
No, it wasn’t Leno’s. Jay Leno drove over in his Merlin V12-powered Rolls-Royce that he has brought to other car shows around town. He is generous with his collection and genuine in his enthusiasm. What a guy!
Another guy brought a 1927 Rolls.
“What’s cool is that the guy with the ‘27 Rolls, he drove it there, he drives it all the time, which is really cool because most people who own those cars don’t ever drive ‘em,” Van Curen said. “Then we had a couple of real Rover cars, you don’t ever see those. Did you check out that funny little race car, the JEM? It’s made on Mini running gear but it’s called a JEM. He races it in VARA!”
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