Dream day out for rodder dads at Beaulieu

BEAULIEU, England - Fans of hot rods and custom cars and motorcycles flocked to historic Beaulieu in England on Father’s Day (June 21 2015) for the annual Drive-In and with them came about 450 custom, hot rod and classic American wheels.

They cruised into the grounds of England’s National Motor Museum along with around 6500 visitors.

IMAGE GALLERY: 2015 Beaulieu Drive-In

The show, held in association with a UK American car club Solent Renegades saw stripped-down hot rods parked alongside ‘slammed’ (lowered) American classics and pristine custom cars.

V8 HEAVEN

Motorcycle fans strolled among a multitude of machines that ranged from beautifully crafted custom bikes to custom V8 trikes. Bands performed songs from the 1940's and ‘50s, others blasted out classic rock ‘n roll. Traders were there with motoring memorabilia, a Vintage Village was filled with period-perfect items.

Solent Renegades put on an excellent display of club members’ cars ranging from ever-popular Chevy Day Vans and Ford Mustangs to rarities such as a 1967 Plymouth Satellite Sport Wagon with its eye-catching wood-effect trim.

Elsewhere in the show, the lowered bare-metal bodywork and race-tuned V8 engine of a 1931 Ford Model A drew a sizeable crowd, as did a pristine mint-green and cream 1930 Model A hot rod, powered by a 354 Hemi V8.

CLASSICS GALORE

Other highlights among the rows of remarkable machines was a weather-worn Chevrolet 3100 truck and a 1957 Plymouth Sports Suburban estate. Classic American ‘woodies’ were represented by a 1925 Ford Model T Beach Wagon and a 1946 Ford Long-Door Super Coupe Deluxe street rod with a V8 under its stock-looking bodywork.

Among the American cars on show were numerous modified British classics, among them a Ford 100E Popular body over an air-cooled VW chassis and a 1960 Vauxhall Victor F-Type with a tuned 3.5 Rover V8.

A real crowd-pleaser was a Jetsons-style 'Cosmotron' roadster based on a BMW Z3 equipped with an aircraft-style dome roof and windows. It took its owners two years to build.

Best In Show award went to Neil Jewell’s V8 Ford Popular, the owner having taken seven years to create it for his wife Mira “who had always wanted one”.

The Hot Rod and Custom Drive-In Day will be back. Can you hang on until June 19 2016, Dad?