Kim Henson reports on this year’s Beaulieu Spring Autojumble: Here’s his own story of the event…
(All words and some photographs by, and copyright, Kim Henson; remaining photographs by, and copyright, Chris Adamson, as individually credited. Grateful thanks to Chris for providing his photographs).
Once again I attended the Spring Autojumble, held within the grounds of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, this year over the mainly dry, warm and sunny weekend of 18th and 19th May. Once more, as always, I was looking forward to my meanderings among the stalls, and hoping to tick off several items from my list of components required for my various classic vehicle restorations.
The event was supported by ‘Practical Classics’ magazine, with Editor Danny Hopkins and other enthusiastic staff in attendance and happy to chat with show visitors. The magazine has been helping classic car owners restore, maintain and enjoy their vehicles for some 44 years (and, incidentally, I first started writing for them in 1988!).
First things first, and for visitors who had not been to Beaulieu since last September’s Autojumble event, there were a few surprises in store in terms of the site layout. Notably, gone was the ‘famous’ grass bank running east-west through the centre of the site, and new to the grounds were some very smart fresh wooden buildings, accommodating a new site office and some substantial public toilet blocks.
Having got used to the new, more ‘open’ appearance of the site, I set off around it to do the rounds of stalls, and to see what I could discover.
For me, as with many enthusiasts in attendance, the Beaulieu Autojumbles are as much social events as they are about work aspects, including buying or selling vehicles and components, although of course these core activities are vitally important.
Therefore I did spend much time chatting with ‘car’ folk I see only once or twice a year, as well as scouring the wide variety of stands for elusive components.
It was evident that this year (as in previous years) there were a great many stands devoted to the classic car club scene, including owners’ clubs catering specifically for enthusiasts of Armstrong Siddeleys, Austin Tens, Austin A30/A35 models, Ford Cortina Mark Is, Maestros and Montegos, Mazda MX-5s (a celebration of 35 years of this modern sports car classic), Morgans, Rovers, Saabs, Singers, Standards, Triumphs and pre-War Wolseley Hornets, among many others.
‘Moggyfest’
Notable again this year was the very special ‘Moggyfest’ display organised by the Dorset Morris Minor Owners’ Club. Without exception, they always put on a superb display, and this year’s main theme was a brilliant celebration of 70 years of the Minor Traveller and light commercials (vans and pick-ups). The display included the oldest Minor van known to survive, a 1953 example shown in ‘as found’ bodywork condition (but with sound chassis and mechanical aspects). I was also drawn to a lovely line-up of three ‘split screen’ Minor Travellers; these are rarely encountered these days so it was great to see three together.
In total there were more than 200 Minors and contemporary classics on display in the Moggyfest area.
I should add that it is amazing to me just how much hard work (and time!) goes into putting on a display like the Moggyfest arranged each year by the Dorset Morris Minor Owners’ Club. With superb artwork around the perimeter and such aspects as a dealer showroom and a 1950s tea room on show, all with minute attention to detail having been built-in, I take my hat off to all those involved; well done indeed! A well-deserved special mention for Roger Kellow, who created the wonderful artwork for this year’s Moggyfest, as he has done over many years.
Automart
The Automart section of the Spring Autojumble was devoted to complete vehicles (ranging from restoration cases to concours examples) for sale, with prices varying from affordable to ‘expensive’ to ‘optimistic in the extreme’!
I spent some time here and enjoyed browsing the cars, although personally I am not looking for any more classics at the moment…
Some of the vehicles that attracted my attention (and shown in the slide show below) included two Austin A35s in need of some restoration work (but by no means ‘basket cases’), priced at £1,500 and £2,000 plus, respectively, a superbly turned-out Hillman Avenger Tiger replica, asking price £17,500 o.n.o, a 1987 Ford Granada Scorpio, with a £6,500 asking figure, a very tidy 1965 Triumph Herald saloon, priced at £5,500, a 1951 Sunbeam Talbot 90 four seater convertible, with a £15,000 o.n.o. price ticket, and a 1963 Jaguar Mark II 3.4 saloon, offered at £14,950 o.n.o. There were also three E-Types in various conditions, including a ‘brave restoration’ red project vehicle priced at £35,000…
My colleague Chris Adamson additionally selected the following vehicles among those for sale, to highlight, including a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster, priced at £9,500 o.n.o, a 1975 Series 3 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 L, carrying a £19,995 o.n.o. ticket, a 1986 Ford Capri 1.6 Laser, offered at £10,500 o.n.o, and a 1954 MG TF, priced at £21,500. Please see slideshow below:
Rare Components galore
Among the rare component goodies that I spotted during my tour of the stalls, I noted a pair of new old stock genuine BMC sill panels for the Austin A55/A60, two body side pressings for the front wheel drive BMC/BL 1100/1300 estate car, an unused front grille for an early 1950s Ford Consul Mark I, and new old stock front bumper and grille for a Vauxhall Victor FB, plus panels for Rootes Group vehicles. Later classics were also well catered for, and, for example, I noted many electrical parts for 1980s models including BL/Austin Rover cars, Fords and Vauxhalls.
Automobilia, motoring literature, motorcycles/parts…
In addition to the car components, there were motorcycles and parts to browse, motoring books and workshop manuals, enamel signs and vehicle models to survey – I especially enjoyed investigating these…
Sunday-specific aspects of the Spring Autojumble included the ‘Land Rover Rummage’ (it does what it says on the tin) and ‘Trunk Traders’, with sellers able to offer parts for sale from their car boots.
VERDICT
Spot-on.
For me the Spring Autojumble is a highlight in my diary – of course it’s not as huge as the ‘main’ Beaulieu International Autojumble in September, but consequently time-wise it is easier to see and enjoy more of the Spring event in the available time, and at less of a gallop!
Personally, in addition to some small tools that I was in need of, I was fortunate to be able to buy a large quantity of paint required for one of my cars, plus rarely-found and much-needed tie bars for another classic, and an upgraded axle shaft for an Austin project (I already had one such shaft, and needed the second one!).
Minus points? In conversation with some traders it was clear that many are still missing buyers from overseas, many of whom used to attend but who have stayed away from visiting Britain and buying here, since Covid 19 and trade complications have made life more difficult for them in recent years. Of course this is not the fault of the organisers, but doesn’t help the traders…
That said, the show had a happy buzz, I felt, no doubt helped by the generally excellent weather over the weekend.
I am now looking forward to this year’s Beaulieu International Autojumble, to be held over the weekend of 14th and 15th September. Of course there are many other excellent events being held at Beaulieu during this year. For more information please go to: beaulieuevents.co.uk
Stop Press/Update
Beaulieu tells us that more than 13,500 people visited their Spring Autojumble this year.
The Best Stand Award tropy, donated each year by Lolly Lee in memory of her late father and avid autojumbler Terry Lee, was awarded to Jacqueline and Adrian Carter, who have been exhibiting at the Beaulieu Autojumbles for more than 30 years. The award is given to the stand which best represents the spirit of the autojumble, and was judged and presented to the Carters by Editor of ‘Practical Classics’ magazine Danny Hopkins, Chief Executive of the National Motor Museum Dr. Jon Murden, and Lolly Lee.
Happy memories of the event…
I will leave you with a few more ‘souvenir’ images from my visit to this year’s Beaulieu Spring Autojumble…