If it’s variety you are looking for, there can’t be much more to be found than at the Ardingly Vintage Vehicle show. As the name suggests, the core target audience for this show appears to be the flat capped, driving-gloved, concours-shine- inducing owners of traditional classic cars. But refreshingly there seemed to be as many, if not more, owners of the more unusual, strange, and downright bizarre. The more conventional marques seem to deploy to the central display areas around the main bar (a coincidence?), with the displays becoming less glossy and more active as the visitor gravitates out to the further reaches of the grounds. The whole atmosphere was one of relaxed fun and good humour, from the waving marshal on the gate to the friendly booking in and arena volunteers.

I arrived early on Saturday after a short drive over the South Downs to find Hugh Phillips had arrived on Friday and staked a claim to a great spot for EMLRA. Hughs journey from his home 20 miles or so away is probably a story of its own, but suffice it to say that when I met him I think he was regretting offering his recce-stripped “Dougal” 109 as the support vehicle to a vintage tractor which required it’s plugs be removed and cleaned every five miles.

The LandRover show organiser allocated us a large area 50 yards from the main arena, which Hugh had attempted to defend from incursion by judicious deployment of 109 and pup tent. Saturday saw us able to make a tactical redeployment using the second recce 109 / pup tent combo. EMLRA lines successfully established!

After a brief doubling of numbers whilst the FC101 Club pitched up alongside us (at our invitation), we were reduced back down to stripped 109’s and pup tents after the 101’s were “organised” into a more distant plot. The numbers were boosted again by the arrival of Eddie Johnson in mine-plated 109 (he arrived via the MV section, and also managed to complete two consecutive tours of the arena). Is this a first? The entire EMLRA display consisting of only stripped down 109s? Thank God it didn’t rain….. Our recce-revelry was shortly interrupted by the fourth vehicle, a IIA ambulance to lend the display some much needed height and colour.

Things have come between Eddie and Jamie	"You'll never pull in that tent..."

The event itself is a well-balanced mixture of vehicles and family oriented displays. The overall atmosphere is laid back, with plenty of activity and vehicle movement to keep interest levels up. We were placed opposite what appeared to be a 19th century living history farming display. Luckily the Beltring Health and Safety inspectors weren’t around to pay close attention to the Thomas Hardy era threshing machine and three wheeled tractors doing the rounds. The ferret racing arena held out the promise of heart-stopping excitement, but turned out to be furry and four-legged, but still potentially heart stopping for some of the elderly gents oiling their static steam engines nearby.

Other significant displays included fire appliances, the ubiquitous steam engines of all sizes, motorcycles, buses, bicycles, tractors, and several dozen light and medium military vehicles from MVT and IMPS areas. The weather and show couldn’t really have been bettered, but the icing on the cake had to be the CAMRA beer tent. More than adequately sized, highly recommended by Hugh, and with more beers than the show had steam engines (possibly!) it presented a compelling reason for an overnight stay in 2004!