# White Waltham Retro Festival 2014



## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Just back from an enjoyable meandre round the annual White Waltham Retro Festival. All the girls dressed up in period '50s and '60s dresses and looking stunning....but some seriously nice cars and trucks on show...this is just a small offering to take up a couple of pages...all American, but I've also got some classic British cars as well (Triumph TR6, Morris, XR3i, E Type jag...etc.... if you want to see some of those, just ask)

Corvette 'Stingray'.....





































A customised Pontiac...


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Some trucks...

Ford F100...










Ford F150...










A couple of Chevys...



















My personal favourite, and the 710 standing next to it...the glorious Dodge Ram...










...and one of many shots of vintage American old style cars....this one hitched to an Air Stream caravan......










If you want to see more, just ask.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Yes please



Some nice old trucks there.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Try not to drool on the computer, Mr. Bond  :lol:


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Here you go, Bond.....a few more American gas guzzlers!

Oldsmobile...










Chevy Bel Air...










A pink Cadillac...










A Pontiac...










Not sure what these next two are...



















...more to follow...


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

More trucks...


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

...and some British stuff...

Good old Morris Traveller...










Couple of TR6s...



















MGBGT and an MGB roadster...



















E Type Jag...










Still a few more if you want them....XR3i, Ford Corsair, Mini...etc....


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

yes please :thumbup:


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## RTM Boy (Jun 1, 2011)

That Chevvie Bel Air is a cracker but I have a soft spot for TR6s.

More please! :yes:


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## Adrian73 (May 20, 2014)

Great photos Roger.....More please....(especially the Americana....) how 'bout the guys and gals in retro too?


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Thanks for the kind comments, guys....Adrian, sorry, I didn't take any pics of the folk in their reto gear....just the cars. These are the last few...a bit of a mix.

Ford Escort XR3i Cabrio...



















Mk 3 Ford Cortina XL...



















A beautifully restored original Mini...










Bright yellow Morgan...


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Last few...

Triumph Herald Vitesse...










Ford Consul...










Another Ford Consul (I think) with a massive V8 and blower installed...










Don't know what this is, but it looked pretty awesome...



















...and especially for RTM Boy....not taken yesterday but way back in 1975....yours truly sitting in my pride and joy at the time...the mighty TR6. I bought this for Â£750 back then....and it had the old style black and white number plates...but I changed them for the new style white and yellow ones that had just been introduced, because I thought they looked 'cooler'. Eventually (and unfortunately), I had to sell it because it needed four new tyres to pass the MoT, and I couldn't afford the Â£120 they were going to cost. If only I'd known then what a classic this car would become...... :sadwalk:


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## RTM Boy (Jun 1, 2011)

Thanks Rog, lucky you, those were the days, eh?! Originally from 1970/1 I see, but Â£750 was still alot of cash in the hyper-inflationary days of the mid-1970s, and Â£120 for four tyres, ouch. Did you keep the original B&W plates?

Despite my personal hankering for a TR6 with its lovely straight-six my mum first had a mini, which she decided was too flimsy, and then an MGB for a short time and in 1973 an Mk1 Escort Mexico (boy was that quick) that had its bolt-on front lights nicked, much to my dad's annoyance. I got no joy with persuading my dad either, he had a various big Volvos although his business friends had all sorts of E-types, Alfasuds, Stags, etc., all far more exciting most of which I got rides in...but sadly never a TR6, which made me like it even more. Rightly a classic that doesn't look old fashioned even today I think.

According to the DVLA in Q1 2014, around 2,800 are still on the road and another 1,400 are SORN, which when you think that only 8,400 were ever sold in the UK (over 86,000 were exported) is a remarkable 50% survival rate given that the last one was made in 1976. Who knows, perhaps yours is under a dustsheet in someone's barn somewhere


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

What appalls me is the lowered vehicles. What is wrong with people?

Later,

William


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Will...I assume you''re talking about the Chevvy trucks sitting on the ground.....I thought this was normal and an aid to unloading, and that they all had either mechanical or pneumatic systems to raise them into the driving position. Perhaps you could enlighten me....and while we're at it, can you put a name or maker to any of those models that I haven't been able to.....Cheers ol' Pal...


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

RTM Boy said:


> ..... but Â£750 was still alot of cash in the hyper-inflationary days of the mid-1970s, and Â£120 for four tyres, ouch. Did you keep the original B&W plates?
> 
> . Who knows, perhaps yours is under a dustsheet in someone's barn somewhere


 Back then, I was 21....and yes, Â£750 was a fortune....I was working for ICI then and my monthly wage was about the same....so a whole months wages blown on a car....that was about 3 years worth of hard saving...( I had a Mini Van before that....and even that's worth a fortune today). The TR6 had 15" rims....not many cars had those back then...the only other I can think of was the Jaguar XJ6....and the new rubber was Â£30 a pop....which was a lot back then, seeing as you can get a part worn for the same price today....no wonder I sadly had to pass it on due to lack of funds. I wish I still had it...


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## Muddy D (Nov 16, 2013)

Great pictures, thanks for sharing them


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## RTM Boy (Jun 1, 2011)

Roger the Dodger said:


> RTM Boy said:
> 
> 
> > ..... but Â£750 was still alot of cash in the hyper-inflationary days of the mid-1970s, and Â£120 for four tyres, ouch. Did you keep the original B&W plates?
> ...


I genuinely feel for you Rog and wish you still had it too. I know you shouldn't get too sentimental about cars, but a TR6 was...is...something special. Depending on condition, your Â£750 TR6 would would have turned into circa Â£20k's worth of classic car today 

At least there are still plenty around to drool over...even if it's not the same as owning one :wallbash:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Roger the Dodger said:


> Will...I assume you''re talking about the Chevvy trucks sitting on the ground.....I thought this was normal and an aid to unloading, and that they all had either mechanical or pneumatic systems to raise them into the driving position. Perhaps you could enlighten me....and while we're at it, can you put a name or maker to any of those models that I haven't been able to.....Cheers ol' Pal...


All of the old North American trucks had some arrangement of coil, leaf or torsion bar suspension. Air or hydraulic was not used as they were made for farm, construction, delivery and tradesman use. It wasn't until the 70s that they started putting carpeting and air con in from the factory. A fad developed in the late 80s for lowering trucks, thus making them useless. Kits became available with reshaped control arms and lower lift springs. It's too bad more of those trucks at the show didn't have the proper steel rims and high profile tyres.

The one vehicle in those pictures that most likely had factory Air Ride suspension was the Cadillac pulling the Airstream. In the early 60s they were proper luxury vehicles (at least by North American standards  ).

Later,

William


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Great pictures, looked like a good day out. And William is right most of these trucks will have aftermarket air bags or hydraulic systems fitted they never came like that from the factory, it's the latest fad in the car world. The brave go for static which is notched chassis and coilovers but most of them are borderline unforgivable, hence why I had to give up on my Golf not only was it breaking my back I also had to plan my route around town carefully as there were some roads with speed bumps I couldn't get along.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Cool pictures & it looks a good day but American cars leave me cold - many/most seem to be vast unwieldy things that are totally unsuited to our small island - having said that I do like the Corvette 

I know the lowering thing (or giving the car "stance") is popular but it's gone to the extreme with the air suspension systems fitted. Lowering cars used to be about improving the handling of a car by fittiing shorter, stiffer springs - so lowering the center of grvity & reducing the roll in corners - being able to lower your car on air suspension so that it's virtually undriveable seems stupid to my somewhat old fashioned eyes. Please don't get me wrong I love modified/customised cars - witness the Reliant SS1 sitting in my garage fitted with shorter, stiffer springs & a more powerful engine - it's great fun to drive, goes more than fast enough to get me points on my licence  & handles extremely well - but it's still perfectly ok to drive over 99.9% of speed bumps (which are a fact of life nowadays especially in towns). I can't stand unneccesary complication in cars & air bags/suspension is just something else that will eventually go wrong meaning that you can't drive your pride & joy anywhere. If the compressor, or whatever it is that's used to raise/lower the vehicle, conks out when it's down on the ground then I doubt if you'd be able to get it on a tow truck never mind drive it anywhere :taz: Rant over!

I don't doubt the time/effort that's gone into building the cars & I take my hat off to the builders but it's not the route I'd take. It's great to see them out & about though rather than locked up in a garage or displayed in a showroom - thanks for sharing :thumbup:

P.S. I'd have a TR6 in a heartbeat if I could afford it & I was only recently looking on Ebay at an MOT'd (but slightly dilapidated) Triumph Vitesse (not a TR6 but still a 6 cylinder) wondering if I could get away with it with the wife (the answer to which is a definite "NO" )


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