Boots and Bonnets!
British Best ....
Spent a cool September morning at the, Picture 1, Autry Western Heritage Museum enjoying ‘Boots and Bonnets’, an auto show featuring English cars.
A ‘bonnet’ on an English car is what Americans call the hood, and the ‘boot’ is the rear storage area or trunk.
Gene Autry was a well-known country singer/actor and owner of the now Los Angeles Angels baseball team, the museum is as classy as he was.
I have always been a fan of British cars, have owned several Triumph Spitfires, and wondered if any might be here.
The turnout was great, there were at least 100 cars or more, and one, just one, bright green, Picture 2, Spitfire. The owner told me he has owned it for 41 years, just recently had it painted, the engine is original, and he drives it weekly.
The show got even cooler from there.
Standing above the cars was a perfectly preserved, Picture 3, British double-decker bus, complete with livery markings front and back, still used for tours around Hollywood.
Then the most amazing display, a beautiful blue Picture 4 Cobra, #1 of 1, the very first, a prototype. Didn’t get a chance to talk to the owner but my guess is the value is 7-figures and up.
Next, Picture 5, a 1969 British Green Aston Martin in flawless condition. You can just feel James Bond in it.
The most common display was early MG’s and MGA’s, a dozen or more, including Picture 6, a perfect 1958 MG. MG’s and Spitfires are small cars, relatively inexpensive, were mass produced, and make great collector cars.
A surprise in the middle was this tiny, colorful, Pictures 7 & 8, Mini Woody in flawless condition, including a surfboard on top. No chance to talk to the owner, he had a crowd around him, this was a show pleaser. Beautiful.
Next, just one car, pretty rare, Picture 9, a Nash Metropolitan show car, every detail perfect, including on the bottom as the mirror reflects.
In keeping with the show tradition, there were several Picture 10 ‘long-nose’ 1968 Jaguar XKE ‘E’ types, like this white one in original condition. These cars were noted for their luxurious interiors and awful mechanics, always needing repair. Still, every guy I know would like to own one.
For race enthusiasts, this Picture 11 super-sporty, and a little gaudy, Lotus. There were four or five Lotuses in the show, all in superb condition.
Finally, Picture 12, this stunning 1968 MGTC with a Daimler (Mercedes) engine, an 8-year renovation and a first place in the Grand National Roadster Show.
These cars represent a small sample of the overall show cars, including Rolls Royces from several decades, stunning new Bentleys, and a variety of cars long loved by their owners, owned in some case for 50 years or longer, many imported from England – right hand drive – and all kept in almost original condition.
Nice to see cars that are no longer manufactured, sad to know as these owners pass on, there are few who will appreciate them. As one man said, “Today the cars are built from the same template, are all electronics, and are not good for the hobbyist. I’m afraid when we ‘old folks’ pass on, these classics will become museum pieces.
He may be, sadly, right.