Beaulieu 4x4 Show 13-14th July 2002

The Beaulieu 4x4 show is probably one of the best all round shows if 4x4 is your thing. Set in the capacious and historic grounds of the national Motor Museum deep in the New Forest the setting is almost perfect.

The event staged by the Shires Land Rover Club included many of the area’s vehicle and off-road clubs which, in turn, presented everything from race-spec Mercedes G Wagons to a rather interesting tracked amphibious landing vehicle.

EMLRA where there for the first time since local member Chris Broadbridge had suggested it as a fixture for this year’s calendar. (Chris unfortunately did not go or failed to make his presence known to those there - where were you?)

Given this is only a one* day show, by lunchtime both Rex and Mark were starting to wonder where if any were the rest of the club members. Carl Honeysett arrived in his Series III Lightweight and was immediately invited on to the display were he set about removing most of the removable parts on his vehicle. Chatting later to Carl, he claims he is to restore it to that of a Para Recce vehicle so the parts will be coming off on a regular basis. Sue Cummings arrived shortly after in her Lightweight complete with the BDR trailer that was also squeezed on to the display. With the netting in place and Rex’s comms tent “on air” the display of four vehicles and three trailers was an added attraction to the road and off-road-going majority there.

Having spent the Saturday watching the S.A.D. Land Rover Club (Southampton and District) erecting piles of railway sleepers and other ramps to best display the axle articulation of their vehicles, it came as a total surprise when late on the Sunday afternoon representatives of the Museum and LRE Magazine (commentator Diane from Eastnor Castle and later the London to Brighton Run) arrived on the display to inform us we had won “Best Club Display” and to present us with the National Motor Museum Trophy.

The club is defiantly on the “up” with regards to the display layouts so a big thank you and well done to Carl and Sue for making the effort in going, but more so to the unstoppable Rex Hunt and his child-friendly radio display that was busy all day long.

*Since attending the show in July, the organisers were met at LROI Peterborough and it looks like next years event (2003) will be a 2-day show. I would recommend this as a must for anyone that fancies a trip South and into the Museum. Here they have probably the best collection of vintage cars and motorcycles in the country including Donald Campbell’s Bluebird and some of the F1 cars raced by the likes of Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi in the ‘70s and ‘80s along with so much more.

Report by Mark Buddle