This long running annual event musters all that’s best from the world of  late 1950s and early 1960s  period kit cars and specials, from the many low volume manufacturers of the day, ostensibly catering for owners who wanted to avoid the swingeing purchase tax levied on new cars. Thus a  whole new range of predominently two-seater sports based  cars hit the roads, a good many of which used GRP bodies  with Ford sidevalve engines and Austin Seven running gear being very popular.

Dave Malins who is Registrar for Tornado Cars built at Rickmansworth, Herts, brought along his unique 1961 Tempest MK1. The car was modified by Tony Smith a couple of years after it was built, with fastback style bodywork, which makes the car very practical indeed with a huge boot for luggage. David purchased the Tempest around 20 years ago and decided to retain its unique fastback bodywork, rather than revert it back to standard specification.. Nowadays the Tempest is a rare model, and only four others are known to exist, with one in the USA, one in Spain and the other two in the UK, one of which is a Competition Tempest. Co-founder of Tornado Cars Bill  Woodhouse also brought along his Talisman, a four-seater GT that proved popular in competition as well as being a fine road car.

In amongst the various Buckler Cars on display was the Buckler Car Register Chairman Chris Johns’ MK5 that’s been in his family ownership since 1960. Buckler cars were advanced in design and one of the first to use a production tubular spaceframe chassis. Derek Buckler’s aim was to bring motorsport within the reach of the man on the street, and many of his cars produced between 1949 and around 1965 were used in a variety of competition, from circuit racing to trials and hillclimbs.

Martin Collins’ Fairthorpe Electron Minor MK1 was purchased as a kit by his father Frank in October 1958 and built in four weeks. Frank and his car then went on to become part of a three car works racing team that won many trophies. In the 1959 July Eight Clubs Meeting Frank picked up a 1st and 3rd placing and a week later drove the car to Italy with his new bride Audrey on their honeymoon! Martin has completed much restorative work on the Electron and next on the list is a respray.

Part of the Turner sports car line-up included Dr Tony Goodwin’s 1958 950S that was raced many years ago by his son Chris. Austin Seven based Specials at Burford included Ken Turner’s Speedex Silverstone and Gerald Dawson’s Hamblin Deluxe with an aluminium body. The kit was made in 1957, but the car wasn’t assembled until around 10 years ago, and appeared at the Historic Specials Day in 1990 still as a kit of parts. Tom Hamblin, son of Sidney Hamblin brought along a GRP bodied Cadet that’s been superbly restored.  Other cars taking part in the Specials line-up included Rochdale Olympics, an Ashley Special, a Super Accessories Super Two, Falcon Bermuda and Falcon MK2, plus many more.