Duchy Capri Club :: News and Events ::
The Latest Club News and Event Reports
Season Premiere Run, Sunday 18th September 2010
View Route for 2010 Season Premiere in a larger map
Route for first run of the year announced!
The route for the first run of they year - and indeed decade has been revealed!
We will be meeting on Sunday 18th April at our regular monthly meeting pub - The Bird in Hand in Hayle, then heading down the A30 to Penzance, then up across the A3071 to St Just and the historic Mining landscapes of Botallack for one of Tris's Photoshoots.
Once everyone's been suitably frozen, we'll head along one of the most spectacular roads in Britain, the infamously picturesque B3306 from St Just to St Ives and then on to the Balnoon Inn to defrost and enjoy lunch, before heading back to the Bird in Hand.
Give us a beep and a wave if you see us out and about on route!
Season Finale Run, Sunday 27th September 2009
19th & 20th September 2009
On Sunday 27th September, George, Tony H, Mark, Steve, Winston, Paul, Anthony, Tris & Sam, John, Carl and myself (Sabrina) met at Chiverton roundabout for the start of the run.
Steve asked me if I wanted to drive his yellow Capri.......mmmmm it was a toughie but after 5 years of nagging him for "a go" I thought it only right that I snatch the keys off him (in case he changed his mind).
We left at about 10am and drove to Carland Cross roundabout where Steve wanted to fill the Capri and we also met Nigel in his Mk1 Cortina. Winston had had troubles with his Capri dropping water at Chiverton so took it home and met with us again en route at Tresillian in the flying Mondeo.
We all drove down to St Anthonys Head with Tris following on behind in the Puma armed with a camera, God only knows what he got on the lens if he was following George with his petrol/diesel mix going through the system.
I'm guessing it would be cloudy, maybe even a bit oily. [You weren't wrong! - Ed.]
We arrived at the National Trust car park Steve went and called on the previous owners of his Capri. Tris was doing some rather strange things in some bushes and the rest of us were playing musical cars. The Capris all parked together whereas the other Fords... Tony's Mk1 Escort and Nigel's Mk1 Cortina were parked on the end, just past the nasty Vauxhall Omega.
Once we'd all had our pretty piccies taken, or the cars pretty piccies I should say, we drove to the King Harry Ferry. The entry on and off the Ferry was fine for some of us, although Tony managed to bend his front panel...ooops. He wasn't a very happy bunny after that (I didn't think it was even that bad).
Once off the ferry, swinging wide around the corner and off towards dry land, we were on our way to the Punchbowl and Ladle pub for lunch. They had very kindly kept a large space available in the car park for us all.
The meal was very good, although they had some troubles with getting the right desserts to the right tables. Jan met us all here, as she had bypassed the run via Matalan. Some of the group left us at the pub and the others made their own ways shortly after.
I was kind enough to drive Steve's Capri back to his garage. Where Tony picked me up and I got to drive his Escort home, so a good day had by me then.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Henry Matthews & Friends Annual Rally 2009
19th & 20th September 2009
This was held at Todpool, near Chacewater.
Mark, Steve and Carl arrived at around 3.30pm on a glorious Saturday. We were directed to our area, where we met Anthony, his family, John and Alex. Being a local show, we spent the rest of the day having a natter with the organisers and some familiar faces.
As the evening approached, Mark,Steve and Carl setup camp while the rest of the club preferred the comfort of their beds! A bar and live music went on until the early hours, although the burger van shut early. (No cheesy chips AGAIN!)
Despite this, a good night was had by all, with Mark & Carl eventually chauffeuring Steve back to the tent.
Sunday morning dawned with the return of Anthony & John, shortly followed by Winston. A total of six Capris on the club stand looked really good with Anthony's freshly painted 2.0(ish) and a rare appearance of Winston's concourse 2.8.
Andy, Lee and family arrived and parked with one of their Cortina friends. The two Cortinas, one modified and one original, did draw the crowds with the difference of their stance.
This was a very interesting show with steamers, tractors, motorcycles, cars and various traders and stalls.
Thanks to Anthony for representing the club in the car parade.
To sum up, a well worth visit next year and one of the driest shows of the year!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Boconnoc Steam Fair, Boconnoc House, near Bodmin
24th, 25th 26th July 2009
Nice show - shame about the weather!
Members of the club had initially arranged to go to the Sunday of the show, the majority of us hadn't been before so didn't really know what to expect.
However, the forecast looked awful for Sunday, so Mark & Julie, Carl & Sally, Gary & Caroline and Tris decided to head up on the Saturday, with Gary & Caroline intending to camp over the Saturday night.
So, with the now fairly familiar grey skies above us, we left Chiverton Cross and headed for Truro to make our way to the show. Our route took us through St Austell and Lostwithiel and almost to Dobwalls when we picked up the trail of signs.
What a location! Set in the grounds of a stately home, there were a good 3/4 fields full of various different historic steam and agricultural machinery, along with hundreds of classic cars and ex-forces/services vehicles. Along with craft tents, stands and stalls, a fairground, helicopter rides and a 'Wall of Death', it was far bigger than we expected!
Mercifully, the weather just about held for the day, though the fields were fairly muddy from all the previous rain. Former member Nigel Wiles showed us his new pride and joy, a tidy looking Mk1 Cortina and rejoined the club too.
The majority of us left at about 4.30, leaving the grounds through what felt like a rally stage, along with an articulated low-loader lorry providing some 'interesting' moments of fun when he barged his way past us all with barely a cat's whisker between his lumbering trailer and our wing mirrors.
Gary & Caroline stayed on for the night but received a soaking the next morning when they decided to finally leave at 1.30 in the afternoon.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Crash Box Club's 36th Historic Vehicle Gathering - Powderham Castle, near Exeter
10th, 11th, 12th July 2009
On Friday, Tony and I made our way up to Powderham, with Gary, Sabrina, George and Tony following on a bit later in the day.
We had a look around the traders and a few of the early arrivals on display. Later we went down to the village pub for some food but as there was a 20th Party on, there was none being served. We only stayed for one pint then we went back and had a burger followed by a few more beers in the beer tent where we met a couple of the Old Skool Ford chaps.
On Saturday morning, we got up and went down to the Powderham cafe, where we had an excellent cooked breakfast and very reasonably priced too!
We pottered around looking at the other cars and traders who had arrived and waited for Mark, Lewis and Carl to arrive.
We also met up with Malcolm, Griff(OSF) and the RS boys and had a good old chinwag.
In the evening, Gary did his usual barbecue for us and then he went to the beer tent.
Rolled back to the tents late!
On Sunday, we got up and went to the cafe again for breakfast. We organised Mark, Steve, Tony, George, Carl and Gary's cars on the display stand.
We were soon joined by Tris & Sam, Paul & Marlene and Roy.
Roy sold his XR3 at Powderham for a good price.
While we were wandering around, we met Paul and Wendy from Exeter. Paul said he had sold his 2.8 Capri to someone in Germany and he has now joined a new group called "Obviously Ford". He now only has his Escort but will be looking for another Capri at a later date.
We saw some traction engines and some military vehicles which were interesting. It was very warm but showery but we still managed to see everything on display, dodging the occasional wet stuff.
We packed up late afternoon and got back home early evening.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Cornwall RS Owner's Club Show - Stoke Climsland Football Club
Sunday 21st June 2009
Mark, Carl, Steve, Carl & Sally, Andy and 2 of the clan, Winston & Malcolm met up at Chivvy at 8.30 on the Sunday morning and arranged to meet with George and Sabrina on the way to Stoke Climsland, the new venue for the Cornwall RSOC Show.
Sadly, Malcolm's cat took ill on the way up which meant he and Winston had to turn back. So, Tris manfully took the lead (with a little help from his mate TomTom) and dragged the club members down some of the narrowest lanes in East Cornwall - then drove straight past the gate for the show. So much for technology!
Once in the showground, we were given the hump - which was a good thing, as we were arranged around a hump near the main parking area - we had a resplendent view of the whole proceedings.
The sky looked fairly heavy at the start of the day but the cloud broke at around lunchtime and it was lovely and hot for the rest of the show! Perfect weather for admiring the wide range of Ford Rallye Sport vehicles that had travelled to the show from afar afield as Wales and Swindon.
The raffle and prize giving was done at 3.30 and the Duchy club left at about 4.00, on a gorgeously sunny drive home.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Sprys of Launceston Ride and Drive Day
Sunday 7th June 2009
The Duchy Capri Club were invited to a new event that Ford dealership Sprys of Launceston were holding, a "Ride and Drive" day, where a selection of current Ford vehicles were lined up on their forecourt and anyone could test drive them as they wished.
So, we arrived in the morning and were greeted by the very friendly and helpful staff, who allowed us the use of their valeting bay if required. Once spruced up, we took our place on the forecourt next to a growing number of other local classic Fords that were also invited.
The members were able to try any of the display vehicles and at lunchtime, a hog roast was organised to satisfy everybody's hunger.
The weather didn't help on the day but amidst a few heavy showers, there were some bright spells. Mr Spry parked his Aston Martin Vantage on the forecourt but sadly, no one was allowed to take that for a test drive!
Roy Atkinson won the "Car of the Day" cup for his Escort XR3i - congratulations Roy!
It was a very enjoyable day and we would like to thank Sprys for their kind invitation and hospitality. The event is hopefully to be held twice a year from now on, so we hope to see you at the next one!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Ford Capri Club 40th Anniversary Celebration at Castle Combe Race Track, Wiltshire 2009
Saturday 6th June 2009
An early start for this one. We left Chivvy Roundabout at 6.00am, Tris & Sam, Trevor & Tyler, Mark, Steve, Carl & Arron.
On route to Exeter services we met George & Sabrina, Paul & Marlene. As we pulled into Exeter Services we spotted Simon & Kath from Torbay Capri Club who was joining us for the day. Our final Capri a gorgeous Mk2 3.0 Ghia with John & Alex had caught us up after leaving later. We left with 8 Capri's and rejoined the M5 and faced heavy rain and some of the worst driving conditions, with poor old Capri wipers on fast speed it was a very hazardous few miles. Once clear of the rain we had a trouble free run to Castle Combe.
On arrival we handed our passes and were sent to a grass area to park up. One problem was apparent though, we seemed to be the only club there. During a walkabout Carl found more Capri’s and our club area, we were parked in the wrong place! Once re parked we could see plenty of other clubs, best display was the Capri Mk1 Owners Club with 25 cars on their stand, and we had never seen so many Mk1's.
During the morning each club had to pick 2 cars for a 38 car parade around the track with Vince Woodman's race Mk1. It was decided that Mark's 2.8 special and John's Mk2 3.0 Ghia would line up for Duchy and Simon's 280 Brooklands for Torbay. As we set off the pace was quite rapid and it was clear that we were in for 2 quick laps, with speeds up to 85mph down the main straight, Woo Hoo!
Following the 2 laps we lined up on the main straight again and waited for all Capri's who wanted to join in for a further 2 laps. Paul, George, Trevor and Carl made their way along with many Capri's to the track. (The organisers were hoping to break a record for the most Capri's on track) Big thanks to Tris who sacrificed not taking his Capri on track to take some stunning pics.
Unofficial reports indicated 119 Capri's took part, unfortunately a little short of the 200 they had hoped for. Once back at our club area we spent the rest of the day between looking at cars on show and track action.
We left at 4.00 pm and had a trouble free run until the outskirts of Exeter, heavy rain again and in the same area, unbelievable (hope the weather will be kinder to us at Powderham Castle) As well as the bad weather, George heard a knocking from his steering, after a quick look he decided to drive on curiously and made it back ok. Inspection next day revealed a collapsed wheel bearing!! How lucky was that?
A big thank you to everyone who attended.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Duchy Capri Club 10th Anniversary Weekend at Hendra Holiday Park, Newquay 2009
Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th May 2009
Duchy Capri Club has always been able to rely on the weather.
NOT!
Having said that, despite the forecast in the week preceding the weekend being that of gales, wind, tornados, hurricanes, hail, rain, typhoons, twisters, frogs and anything else that can be thrown out of the sky, we actually had some good sunny spells and dry weather for the most part.
Steve, Mark, Carl, Tony, Gary, Tris, Sam, Martin, Sabrina and George arrived on the Friday night and set up their camping accoutrements and proceeded to hit the nightclub, wherein Gary nearly got us thrown out for shouting "House" in an inappropriate manner during the bingo and Carl got Tris a tad lightheaded. Tris then dazzled everyone as he threw some of his more dangerous shapes in the club, impressing the members who hadn't seen him strut his stuff in such a funky way before.
Steve and Martin then rolled up with beefburgers the size of a small child's head and proceeded to demolish them manfully. After many shandies were imbibed, a small stagger back to the campsite was needed before everyone hit their sleeping bags.
Saturday dawned bright and breezy and other club members arrived in time for the late morning car run, from Hendra out to Summercourt, back around to Newquay and the Kings Head for lunch before heading up the coast towards Mawgan Porth. Here we all stopped and Tris performed another contortionist act while getting some photos.
We then carried on up the coast to Bedruthan Steps, where the members parked for a while, taking in the beautiful stretch of National Trust protected coastline.
Back to the campsite in the evening, Gary the club's "Catering Core" broke in our brand new barbecue in great style, with some absolutely delicious burgers and sausages supplied by Paul and Marlene (thank you very much!) Jan had organised a quiz for the members and a fantastic evening was had by everyone.
As the evening wound down, several members, on hearing of the impending night's poor weather packed up and trekked their way home, leaving a hardy Tony, Mark, Gary and Steve to brave another night's camping.
An excellent weekend, not hampered by the weather and a great trial run for our future shows, as we have now confirmed that we will be holding our future Classic Ford shows at Hendra! (Click here for more details about 2010's show)
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Duchy Capri Club Classic Car Show 2009: Cancelled!
The Duchy Capri Club wishes to announce that due to the loss of our regular showground, regrettably there will be no Classic Car Show this year.
HOWEVER, negotiations for a brand new exciting venue for 2010 are at an advanced stage and we will reveal the full details once they have been confirmed.
We would like to apologise for any disappointment but hope you will continue to support us as we strive to make the show bigger better and brighter than ever before next year!
Duchy Capri Club 10th Anniversary: New Website Launched!
To celebrate the double whammy of Duchy Capri Club's 10th Anniversary along with the 40th Anniversary of the Ford Capri, we've launched a brand new updated website!
We'll still be publishing news about our most recent events and shows and adding lots of pictures and videos too.
If you'd like to get in touch with the club with details of your show, please go to our Contact page.
:: 2008 ::
Duchy Capri Club and Cornwall RS Owners Christmas Bash Saturday 13th December 2008
At Cliffdene Hotel, Newquay, Saturday 13th December
The Duchy Capri Club would like to thank the Cornwall RS Owners for a fantastic joint Christmas Bash in Newquay again!
Although fewer people attended, a large section of the Wiltshire RS Owners came along. A highly entertaining quiz of "guess the baby picture" had everyone entertained for the entire evening, with Jan doing her best Hercules Poirot impersonation by interrogating just about everyone - including the Hotel staff - just in case!
Mark also won "cutest baby" award from the Duchy Capri Club!
A few hardy souls managed to stay up all night and were at the breakfast table, knife and fork in hand ready for their full English...
Season Finale Run, Sunday 28th September 2008
Our final Car Run of the 2008 season
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
We met at the Seafront Car Park at Marazion mid-morning on Sunday 28th September. The weather was fantastic for once! Once assembled, we headed down to Lands End, where we congregated for Tris to take his usual 2,000 pictures of everyone.
Once completed, we headed back to the First and Last Inn at Sennen for a hearty roast with some of the best gravy you're ever likely to taste! Once consumed, we headed on our merry way.
A huge thanks to Carl and Sally who organised the route and destination for the run!
Blue Ridge Runners - September 5th - 7th 2008
Another "Mildly Moist" show.
At the beginning of September we made our way up the M5 up to Bridgewater for the Blue Ridge Runners Annual show at the B.I.B.I.C. site. We had plenty of rain on the way up and over the weekend. Yes, another Powderham! We set up the new tent in our usual spot and it pissed it down - bringing a river straight through the tent, great! This was a wonderful start to the weekend, but, when we thought it couldn't get much worse - it did! There were a few tents/caravans there already but not as many as usual. I wonder why!
After setting up and deciding not to put the bedding compartment up, we thought it best to sleep in Tony's Transit. We did get to have a look around while there was still some grass left in the field, not all yet turned to mud, but it will, believe me. There was not a great deal to look at anyway. After that we made our way up to the pub and booked a meal for Saturday night, we did not even stop for a drink and that's a first! We headed back to the campsite and sparked up the barbecue. After we made our way up to the beer tent where there were plenty of seats & tables. We grabbed a table & there we stayed for most of the evening, listening to the disco. That finished early due to someone falling into the disco equipment, whoops... not any of us, luckily. The rain had cleared up by that time, but it would be back.
Saturday was just as bad, except when we got up, we had a cooked breakfast which we managed to rustle up. The mud got worse. We did get stopped for driving too fast across the field (quagmire), we tried to explain that we were only trying to keep the car going without getting stuck but the marshal was none too pleased. The cars were covered in mud...
Well!... You can imagine, this just got worse. Anyway, later in the day we went up the pub and after went back to the tent to pick up some supplies, and made our way over to the beer tent for a couple of drinks... as you do, we then learned that the show had been cancelled for the Sunday. So we decided to pack up first thing in the morning & sod off home where I cooked breakfast.
Wadebridge Wheels - Sunday 19th July 2008
Held at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Mark & Lewis, Will, Martin, Steve, Trevor & Tyler, Tris & Sam (with Tilly in tow), Roy, Carl & Sally met initially at Chiverton Cross services at 1000hrs.
We met Paul & Marlene in the showground itself and set up the stand.
It was sunny but breezy and we wondered whether the gazebo would take it but it stood brave and firm, sheltering us all in our hour of need.
We were in a different spot this year after a little confusion with letting us in, which saw us ending up quite near the main entrance.
There was the usual wide array of vehicles on display, with everything from static steam, diesel and petrol engines, through to traction engines, vintage cars, motorcycles right through to Smart cars and even an Audi R8!
Bodmin RS Show - Sunday 22nd June 2008
Held at the Football Club at Bodmin.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Mark, Tris, Tony and Roy met at Chiverton Services for 9.00am. We set off and met Sabrina and George in the layby near Summercourt in Sabrina's minty fresh Mk 1 Fiesta that she'd picked up the day before. Paul, Marlene, Lee, Andy and Gary T arrived and parked up alongside the rest of us.
We carried on to the football ground to be told there had been a bit of a problem with the showground. There had been a gig in the car park the previous night and the huge marquee was still up, meaning the car park was effectively unuseable!
However, with cars arriving rapidly, the organisers took the brave decision to park up on the grass area outside the car park instead!
Everyone agreed that this was actually a much nicer location for the show and with the weather being very pleasant, it made for a very nice day.
Duchy Capri Club once again won the best club stand of the day and Andy won the best in class with his gorgeous Mk 1 Cortina.
Classic Ford Show - Sunday 1st June 2008
Club members assembled for the journey to Santa Pod at Chiverton Services at 0500hrs
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event (Part 1)
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event (Part 2)
The day started misty which didn't bode particularly well but it seemed to brighten as we set off.
After stopping for breakfast at Bridgewater, we arrived at Santa Pod at 1130hrs after a good clear run.
The gates were opened at 1200hrs and we continued through to the campsite (AKA "The Quagmire"). Finding a dry enough spot seemed to be the challenge of the day, as the field was obviously drenched and muddy from previous events.
Once we'd found an island to pitch the campsite on, we ventured off to sample the delights of the pod on a warm and humid 'Run What You Brung' day. The rain managed to stay away allowing some good runs down the strip - arguably the most memorable being the huge motorbike that covered the quarter mile in about 6 seconds - equaling the time the jet car completes the run in!
The evening wore on and after much beer and merriment we eventually managed to catch a few hours sleep before the main event.
Sunday morning broke and with the club stands field too wet to use, the stands were all moved to the opposite side of the strip, on the tarmac area. Much better and hopefully where they will stay for future events, particularly as the Duchy stand was a minute's walk from the cafe! Ideal!
The joy of this show is the sheer variety of Classic Fords on display and even thought there seems to be an increasing number of more modern Fords it's good to still see the older metal so well represented.
From Concourse to stripped out Nitro cars, there really was a little bit of everything. One of the more notable entries were 3 Taunus Transit vans (never sold in the UK and bearing more than just a passing resemblance to VW Camper vans). These had travelled over from Europe especially for the show!
Rain did stop play for a short while during the day, which meant a couple of hours of drying out time but once accomplished, the drag strip re-opened, allowing a couple of runs for the ever-popular Jet Funny Car.
We eventually packed up and headed for the gates and the long drive home at 1600hrs. The most arduous part of leaving was getting out of the pod itself!
Once on the motorways, we again made good progress and all were home by midnight at the very latest.
The best show of the year and we cannot wait already for next year!
Duchy Capri Club Classic Car Show - Sunday 18th May 2008
What a way to bow out!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event (Part 1)
This year was sadly our last year at Flambards - but what a swansong!
Despite a murky start, the sun came out and shone all day for us - resulting in a few sunburnt noses and heads!
With well over 100 cars in attendance, there was something for everyone.
Duchy Capri Club would like to thank EVERYONE who made the day very memorable and special thanks to:
• St Ives Motor Company
• Emlyn Stone
• Flambards Theme Park
• Auto Glym (Simon White)
• Richard Brothers Ltd
• Phantom Screen Print
• Feather Ya' Nest
• Liam Slade
• Cornwall Air Ambulance
• Classic Ford Magazine
We managed to raise a grand total of £220 for our nominated charity The Cornwall Air Ambulance this year. A huge thank you to everybody who made this possible.
Duchy Capri Club Season Premiere Car Run - Sunday 27th April 2008
Our first car run of the 2008 season!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event (Part 1)
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event (Part 2)
Organised by Tony and Steve, we met at Portreath Car Park for 1030hrs. It had been raining overnight so everyone was quite nervous about the weather but fortunately all our fears were unfounded as we had bright sunshine for the whole tour!
Once assembled, we set off down the North Cliffs road through Hayle and Carbis Bay and down to St Ives, where even numerous sets of traffic lights couldn't break up the entourage!
We paused briefly in the car park above St Ives and continued back on towards Penzance.
By the time we had emerged at the dual carriageway near Penzance, the convoy was split, so we tried to catch up but Tris ruined everything by blatting past everybody who had by that time managed to get back in line. (He was apparently intending to go round the roundabout and rejoin the group) but by being in the wrong lane, confused everybody, who then went into the wrong lane and ended up eventually in the B&Q car park!
a bit of confusion ensued but we managed to get back together for a cruise along the promenade at Penzance and then headed for our final destination, the main car park at Marazion, where we parked up for a lovely roast in the Station House pub.
A huge thanks from everybody to Tony and Steve for a great start to the season!
Duchy Capri Club gets it's own YouTube page!
As we have now got several video from various events, Duchy Capri Club has created it's own YouTube account!
Videos from shows we have attended will be added there, building up an online archive of the club's activities.
To see the page, click here:
www.youtube.com/DuchyCapriClub
:: 2007 ::
Duchy Capri Club and Cornwall RS Owners Christmas Bash Saturday 8th December 2007
For the second year running, Cornwall RS Owners invited us to join them at their Christmas bash.
Held at the Cliffdene Hotel, Newquay, we had a 5 course meal followed by a disco and an all nightbar. As night turned into morning, a handful of members from each club had the previous year's record of 5:34am in mind. We actually called it a day at 5:50am...
and still made it for breakfast.
We would like to thank the Cornwall RS Owners for a fantastic night!
Classic Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham - Sunday November 11th 2007
Members from Duchy Capri Club made the long journey to the NEC for the annual classic motor show.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Once again this was a fantastic day out with even more to see and do. We spent most of our time in the hall with the Fords.
There were loads of Ford clubs representing every classic Ford, but our favourite stand of the day was the Capri Mk1 Register. they had 3 cracking cars, a 1969 pre-facelift 1300 automatic, a pre-facelift 2.0GT and an RS3100.
Mike Brewer and Ed China were entertaining the crowds, while Mike spoke to car owners on stage and Ed restored a Mini.
If you are a classic car fan, this is well worth a visit. We can't wait for next year.
Duchy Capri Club Season Finale Car Run - Sunday 30th September 2007
The weather was pretty good for the final run of the season for the club.
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event
About half of us met at Chiverton services as usual but at a fairly leisurely 1100hrs. The pub, the Harvest Moon at Looe had double booked on the day and couldn't fit us in to eat until 1430hrs.
So, we cruised over to the main meeting point in the car park at the Kingsley Village at Fraddon for about 1130hrs.
After chatting for a while, we grouped and went on our way towards Looe, via a pretty scenic route.
We arrive in Looe safely and took residence in the main large car park (which was a pay and display - which everybody b*ll*cked Tris about) and meandered over to the pub, where everybody had a good, if not well overdue lunch.
After which, the club left Looe via a different route and unfortunately got split up on the way back.
One good thing was that Tris's mum, driving back from Liskeard on that day, did comment that she saw 3 lovely looking Capris on the A30, red blue and grey, which we ascertained to be Del, Gary and Trevor.
Morris Minor Classic Show, Crealy Adventure Park, 16th September 2007
Everybody met initially at Chiverton services at 0900hrs
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event
We left for Crealy and cruised steadily up there, with most of us ignoring the advances of a Porsche driver on the dual stretch after Carland Cross.
When we finally caught up with Martin and Steve after they had pulled off the A30, we continued onto Crealy.
After being ushered into our usual space, we all set off to explore the thrills of the park. Sadly, this year there were not as many cars on display, due to the fact that there was a Steam Rally at nearby St Mawgan on the same day.
The weather held though, with the odd smattering of rain, but not half as much as was available on the log flume. Gary managed an absolute soaking this year and followed up by offering everyone hugs immediately after, which, for some strange reason, most declined.
Tris even managed to avoid doing his knee in like he did last year, by acting like a kid in the house thing that houses a demon drop and the ball pool.
It's interesting to note (if you like that sort of thing) that Kim Henson from "Classics" magazine was in attendance at the show, driving down in his Austin A60 Cambridge from Poole in Dorset. He won the "Furthest Distance Travelled in 2006" and there's no reason why he shouldn't have done the same this year.
After admiring the cars that were there and taking full advantage of the rides (please don't ever let me go on the pirate ship again - especially after a chicken and bacon roll and full pack of Tesco's rip off prawn cocktail Skips) the group eventually chose their time to leave.
Sadly, on the way home, Sam and Tris saw what looked like quite a bad accident, involving the minty green coloured Ford Popular SSK 702, where it was on it's side in a layby on the opposite side of the road. The Police were in attendance and it looked like everyone was fine - except the car though.
Ford Fair - 5th August 2007
Held at Silverstone
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event
The members made the long trip to Silverstone for this year's Ford Fair.
There were a total of 8 Capris on the stand and we were joined by a Sierra, 2 Mondeos and a S2 RS Turbo Escort.
The highlight of the day was Martin's track session, eventually making it 2 second place in his group (though against an Evo, it doesn't really count...) and entertaining everyone as he did it.
Bodmin RS Show - 24th June 2007
Held at the Football Club at Bodmin
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Gary, Tony, Tris, Nigel and Mark met at Chiverton Services and we collected Sabrina & George en route.
Arriving at the venue for 0930hrs, we were pointed to our stand location, near the far end of the car park on the left. We set the stand up and had a wander. Martin and Will arrived and joined the end of our line up. The rain sadly set in at about 1200hrs and was pretty persistent from then on. In between soakings, Andy arrived with his gorgeous Mk 1 Cortina, and promptly won 2nd in class. Duchy Capri Club were again awarded the best club stand of the day.
Plus Tony won a set of posh wheel trims for his Shogun in the raffle.
Classic Ford Show - 9th & 10th June 2007
Held at Santa Pod Raceway, Northants.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Sadly, the weather wasn't fabulous for the show but it certainly didn't dampen anybody's enthusiasm!
Most of the members arrived on Saturday to setup camp for the night and indulge in the pre-main show atmosphere.
As the Sunday dawned, the rest of the club arrived and the stand was setup. After breakfast, it was time to explore the hundreds of classic Fords in attendance. Many different clubs had come from all round the British Isles and the variety of cars was excellent, from mint, standard Anglias through to highly modified Sierras and Escorts.
The drag strip was an undoubted highlight though, with several different classes being run, from RWYB ("Run What You Brung") through the funny cars right up to the fantastically noisy, crowd pleasing jet-car, which achieved a top speed on the day of 260mph and covered the 1/4 mile in only 6.175 seconds.
We reckon even Martin would struggle to match that.
Duchy Capri Club Classic Car Show - Sunday 20th May 2007
2007 was our biggest and best show to date!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event
With well over 100 classic cars, the majority of them being classic Fords and the weather being good for most of the day, it truly was a cracking show.
We had show cars travelling from as far afield as Preston and Kent. The turnout was superb, with an extremely high standard of cars being presented for judging.
Duchy Capri Club would also like to thank Flambards for hosting the event and all the traders who turned out on the day.
Duchy Capri Club Season Premiere Car Run - Sunday 29th April 2007
From Fraddon to Bude - via Davidstow on Bodmin Moor
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Mark, Gary, Tris , Dave, Steve, Martin, Carl and Barry met at Chiverton, then we carried on in convoy to the arranged meet point at Fraddon, where we met Sabrina, George, Paul & Marlene, Nigel W, Nigel B and new member Mike in a gorgeous 3.0 litre Ghia.
From there we went in convoy up to Davidstow (via a "very scenic" diversion round Camelford) where Tris wanted to take some pictures of everybody and their cars for the website.
After what seemed like hours, we left and carried onto Bude, parking in the main car park and indulging in a very welcome roast dinner.
From there, we regrouped in the car park to talk Capri for a while, before making our way back home.
The good journey back was only marred by some stupid old numpty in a diesel Fiesta who seemed hellbent on overtaking everything on the roads that day and pushing his way in and out of the convoy.
He achieved a lot too - apparently Gary caught up with him at Chiverton Cross and hopefully wupped his crinkly ass on the bypass...
Old Skool Ford Run - Exeter - 26th January 2007
Cruise up to Exeter with the Old Skool Ford boys and girls.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
:: 2006 ::
Birmingham NEC Classic Car Show - 27th to 29th October 2006
One of the biggest classic car gatherings of the year!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Vospers 60th Birthday, Marsh Mills, Plymouth, 5th October 2006
Thursday 5th October
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Meeting at Chiverton for 1600hrs, we had Mark, Steve, Martin, Gary, Tony, Tris and Trevor. We then met up with Nigel W and Sabrina en route. A good run up was slightly marred when Tris's 280 refused to start outside the showroom. After a push, it fired up and was moved inside where it would share floorspace with many other Fords old and new from throughout the years. After the grand unveiling of a brand new Ford GT, we browsed around the other cars on show and left for home.
In the rain.
Again.
Duchy Capri Club Season Finale Car Run - Sunday 24th September 2006
Run from Truro to The Lizard
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Meeting in Truro was possibly not the brightest of ideas on Tris's part, as the half-marathon was taking part that day, which meant the rendezvous car park was nearly full! After finally gathering in Staples car park (much to their customers' surprise!) We chatted for a while and then departed for our ultimate destination - THE LIZARD!
Tris and Del took the lead, pulling of with bizarre wigs (which seem to have become a bit of a club fetish this year!) looking like a freakish Bo and Luke Duke.
We arrived in the village after a good run, to find that the area we expected to be roped off for us wasn't! Still, there was plenty of space at the other side of the car park where we all re-grouped.
After a fabulous roast lunch in the Top House pub, we mingled and finally headed off again. We traversed from The Lizard to Helston, then proceeded towards Penzance, before hooking up with the main A30 travelling back up through the county.
Morris Minor Classic Show, Crealy Adventure Park, 17th September 2006
Sunday 17th September
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
We all met up at Chiverton roundabout as usual at 0930hrs. We then went on to the showground at Crealy Adventure Park near Wadebridge. Just for a change, it was raining, so we arrived, were shown where to set up and took shelter as soon as possible. As the day wore on, the clouds broke up a little, even allowing a little sunshine through at one point. A slightly disappointing turnout of cars around the park, but a good day out nonetheless. The added bonus of a log flume and raft rides meant that anyone who hadn't been caught in the rain ended up soaked to the skin anyway!
Blue Ridge Runners, Bridgewater, 10th September 2006
Held at Bridgewater, Somerset
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Ford Fair - Silverstone, 5th & 6th August 2006
Saturday 5th August
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
We left in two groups, 5.00am and 6.30am. The 5.00am group contained Gary S, Steve, Tony M, Martin, Sarah, Will, Dave and Adam. They had a trouble free run to the Travel Lodge in Towcester. The 6.30am group were Mark, Lewis, Trevor, Tyler, Sabrina, George, Nigel, Kate and Gary H. We were going fine until Bridgewater when Sabrina's Sierra 4x4 overheated and had to be recovered. With the Sierra on its way back to Cornwall, Sabrina carried on in her Capri, which George was driving. The rest of the journey was fine and when we arrived we met up with the others. Tony and Mike then arrived with Mike's Mondeo's.
Sunday 6th August
We were all up early and left the Travel Lodge at 6.30am for the short drive to Silverstone. Once inside we parked the cars in an arch shape with the Mondeos and an Escort RST (which had joined us from Camborne) in the middle. Paul arrived from Exeter which made a total of 9 capri's, our best ever at Ford Fair. After a look around the autojumble it was time to watch Martin who was due on the track for his 20 minute session. He had a wicked time and came off the track with a big grin on his face. The rest of the day was spent between the trade stands, cars on show and the track action. There were loads of great Capris on show, but the highlight of the day had to be the Old Skool Ford stand.
We were all thinking about heading back to Cornwall when Marc Stretton and photographer Simon Dodd from Classic Ford turned up for a group photo of the club for the mag, Bargain! a big thank you to Marc and Simon and a great way to end an excellent show.
Perranporth Classic Car Show - Monday 24th July 2006
Seafront Car Park, 1930hrs.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Mark, Steve, Gary, Tony, Dave and Tris met at Chiverton Cross services at 1845hrs and headed the short distance to Perranporth in convoy. At one point en route, Gary was waylaid when an unwelcome visitor arrived in his car, in the shape of a wasp. Once dispatched, we continued to the venue, a small green in front of the Perranporth surgery. We all parked up safely (a few exhausts scraped on the way in) Paul arrived with his gorgeous 280 and we were then joined by a fellow enthusiast who had just bought a Capri a few days before! Ian dashed home (locally) and arrived back at the venue with his new acquisition. Many people enjoyed the spectacle of the Capris parked up and we were happy to chat with them and answer any questions. After a few of us had a fish and chip supper, a stroll along the seafront to view the other attendees was the order of the evening.
A small but intimate show, this is a pleasant evening spent in a great location, fortunately with perfect weather.
Wadebridge Wheels - Sunday 9th July 2006
Royal Cornwall Showground.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Mark, Gary S, Dave and Tris met initially at Chiverton Cross services at 0930hrs. We then left in convoy for Wadebridge, meeting Nigel W and Sabrina en route. We arrived at the showground a little after 1000hrs with heavy skies and a hint of drizzle in the air.
We met Paul in the showground itself and set up the display. 12 Capri's in total were on display, with new member Jenny arriving in her recently restored Laser, and Trevor arriving later on. Wadebridge Wheels is one of the largest of it's type in Cornwall, with a wide variety of vehicles old and new. Traction engines and static display engines were there, along with American vehicles and custom vehicles of every description!
Cornwall RS Show - Sunday 25th June 2006
Held at the Football Club at Bodmin.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Mark, Gary S, Dave and Tris met initially at Chiverton Cross services at an ungodly 0830hrs. We set off and met with Nigel W at Carland Cross and arrived at the Football Grounds at Bodmin at 0900, where we met up with Neil and Paul. We set our stand up and made the most of the few hours of sunshine - just before it clouded over. We enjoyed watching everyone else polishing their cars and felt slightly guilty that we weren't doing the same! Judging came and went and approaching 1500hrs, we packed up ready to leave (Well, it was an England Match in the World Cup that afternoon!) As we were leaving the grounds, Mark was stopped and told that we had won the "Best Stand of the Day!" Everyone was ecstatic! A perfect end to a great day.
Classic Ford Show - 10th & 11th June 2006
Held at Santa Pod Raceway, Northants.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
SATURDAY 10th June
We all met up at the layby opposite Kessels for 0730hrs. A total of 5 Capris, A Ford Mondeo and a Vauxhall Zafira made their way up the A30/M5 to our first stop at Taunton Services. After a brief stop, we soldiered on but Sabrina had an overheating problem on the M4. We pulled in to do some running repairs, aided by a very nice AA man! Steve, Tony, Martin and Will (in the Vauxhall) had already gone ahead hoping to put up the tent and although they arrived 2 hours ahead of us, I had the tickets so they couldn't get in! We got going again, with Sabrina, then left her and George as they were staying with friends. After a 'slight' detour at Silverstone, we finally got to Santa Pod and set up camp. Later on, Nigel, Paul and girlfriend from Exeter turned up with 2 more Capris. The evening was spent looking at cars, auto jumble and a few beers.
SUNDAY 11th June
We were up early and met Sabrina and George on our stand just after 0700hrs. All the cars were neatly parked and the club kit was put up. By now the sun was out and a load more cars were turning up. After a good old 'english', the day was spent equally between the drag strip, the auto jumble and the cars on show.
During a visit to the Classic Ford Feature Cars, I bumped into Marc Stretton for a chat and he said he really liked our website. We saw some great cars go down the strip; the Harris Escorts, Capris and the awesome Mk 3 Cortina but the highlight of the day had to be the 2 runs by Fireforce 3. Unfortunately, it was soon time to pack the cars and ready for the off. We left at around 1730hrs and came back a different route via the M6, led by Paul, our newest member.
Best show of the year - can't wait for 2007.
Duchy Capri Club Classic Car Show - Sunday 21st May 2006
Our main show of the year!
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Held at Flambards theme Park near Helston Cornwall.
Despite the skies opening and wind howling first thing in the morning, by 1100hrs, the clouds started to break up in perfect time for the judging to start at 1200hrs!
We would like to thank everybody who made the effort to come to the show and brave the elements and we hope you agree that the results were well worth it!
We'll see you again next year!
Duchy Capri Club Trophy Winners 2006
Best Mk I/II Capri
Jessica Hutchinson - Mk I Capri 1600
Best Mk III Capri (4 Cylinder)
1st Place: Neil Sanford - Mk III Capri 1600 LS
2nd Place: Steve Hunt - Mk III Capri 1.6 (ish!)
Best Mk III Capri (6 Cylinder)
1st Place: Paul Marshall - Mk III Capri 280
2nd Place: Tristan Barratt - Mk III Capri 280 Turbo Technics
Best Working Class Capri
1st Place: Sabrina Tankard - Mk III Capri 1600 LS
2nd Place: Gary Stevens - Mk III Capri 2.8 Injection
Devon RS Owners Show - Sunday 7th May 2006
Was held at Crealy Adventure Park near Exeter
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Duchy Capri Club Season Premiere Car Run - Sunday 9th April 2006
Duchy Capri Run from Fraddon to Bude
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
>>CLICK HERE for a VIDEO from the event
We had 10 Capris turn up for our first Car run of the 2006 season and what a fabulous day it was too! We were blessed with a dry day, fairly cloudy and not quite balmy conditions, but a wonderful run was enjoyed by all members who took part. We enjoyed a very pleasant roast dinner at our destination and then retired to the car park to admire all the cars.
:: 2005 ::
Rolling Road Session - Saturday 17th September 2005
The Duchy Capri Club held a successful rolling road session in Redruth.
>>CLICK HERE for some IMAGES from the event
Held at the newly installed facility at Richard Brothers Ltd on Cardrew Industrial Estate, it was an excellent opportunity for members to see how their cars performed.
