Bob Thompson’s gorgeous 1935 Bentley 3.5 litre next to Rich Delahay’s interesting 1932 Ford Model 18 cabriolet.  Right hand drive, designed in USA, and manufactured in Canada, it was owned in the mid-1930’s by motor-cycle world land speed record holder Eric Fernihough.  Later in 1938/39, it was campaigned by Eric Thompson and won major awards in the Exeter and Lands End trials. It was rebuilt to original specification in 1998 by Syd Sheppard.  Both captured here at Pre-War Prescott 2017 by Phil Jones.

We are delighted to confirm the date for Pre-War Prescott 2018 – Saturday 21st July.  The Vintage Minor Register’s Navigation Rally and parallel Scenic Tour will take place the following day.

We can’t wait!

Pre-War Prescott 2018 will mark two historic Centenaries – the Armistice, ending the Great War and the founding of the Royal Air Force on 1st April 1918.  We will be celebrating both of these key events in British history in fine style.  This year we enjoyed a tremendous turnout of early and Edwardian cars and cyclecars and plan to have an even bigger gathering in 2018 to mark these two key Centenaries.

Entries will be open shortly – watch this website for the announcement and further details of the weekend as they emerge.  See you there!

 

 

Just very briefly.  What a great day!  SINCERE thanks to everyone who came along to make this the best ever Pre-War Prescott.  We had some rain, but nothing to dampen the spirits, and there was lots of sunshine as well.  I just arrived back in Seattle last night, and Jayne and I are off on our travels again this afternoon (it is Jayne’s Birthday tomorrow, and she was desperately disappointed that she couldn’t be with us at Prescott this year.  Her Birthday treat – four days in Hawaii!).

There will be lots more news and photos next week, but in the meantime, don’t forget Pre-War Shuttleworth this Sunday.  All welcome!  Please e-mail me if you have any questions about the day.

Everyone has been asking me the same question – the answer is … Saturday 21st July 2018.  See you there!

(Photo above:  Keith Foster)

 

The Pre-War Prescott is just FOUR days away!  EVERYTHING is in place for another superb weekend in the glorious Cotswolds.  We have a fantastic entry,  all the backroom work is complete and I will be flying from Seattle to London tomorrow (Wednesday).  I will continue to be in e-mail contact (vintageminor@gmail.com) for any last-minute queries, entries, etc.  You can STILL enter by simply turning up on Saturday.  Spectators also most welcome, of course.  The gate opens at 9 a.m. and the first climb is at 10 a.m.

Reminder – Friday arrivers are invited to come along to the Royal Oak at Gretton on Friday evening.  Any time after 6 p.m.  We have inside tables for 40 reserved.  Plenty of good food and ale awaits us.

See you soon!

Quick news item this morning.  We have changed the venue for our Sunday evening Farewell Run from the Pheasant at Toddington to the Shutters Inn at Gotherington – just along the lane from Prescott.  The Pheasant could not offer meals after 6-30 as their chef has broken his leg!  We have gathered at the Shutters several times in the past.  It is under new management and we are hearing great reports.  Food will be available until 7-30.  All very welcome of course!

The Friday venue remains the same – the Royal Oak at Gretton.  40 seats inside have been reserved and there is plenty of additional space on the patio.

https://prewarprescott.com/?p=1395

A courageous entry – Pre-War Prescott 2015.  The true spirit of Pre-War Prescott!

Pre-War Prescott is A WEEK TODAY!

Everything is now in place for a super day, and a truly great weekend!  As of this morning, we have a fantastic record 160 entries for Saturday, and more are expected in the next few days and on the day.  We have 42 climbs allocated, so just 54 to go.

It is NOT too late to enter!  At this point, use the online entry form at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=161 and you will be ticketed immediately.  Anyone entering after Monday will have their tickets waiting for them at the gate.

And of course you can simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate, but there will probably be very few climbs left by the day, so turn up early if you want to climb the hill.  The gate opens at 9 sharp.

Spectators can also just turn up and pay at the gate.

If you require BBQ tickets, these will be available at the VMR marquee on the day.

Sunday – we have ONE slot left!

We are delighted to welcome our friends at Motor Wheel Services once again to Pre-War Prescott.  They will bring a range of tyres, tubes and accessories with them.  If you require anything in particular or want to pre-order any products, please contact us via email info@mwsint.com or give them a call on 01753/549360.

(Please bear in mind that they will not be bringing their trailer with fitting and balancing facilities.)

They will be accepting cash and card payments on the day. 

We can now confirm three of the four supercars that will be in attendance at Pre-War Prescott 2017.  Cotswold Motorsport confirmed this morning that they will be bringing a Merecedes GTS, a Jaguar F Type and a Ferrari 458.  For the first time this year, we will be raffling a fast and furious climb of the hill in each of these cars on the day.  100% of the funds raised will be donated to the RAF Charitable Trust.  In addition, our friends at HR Owen are providing a car – very probably a very special Aston Martin.  This is your chance of a lifetime to experience Prescott in a supercar!  There is also a rumour that there will also be an opportunity to win a run up the hill in something illustrious and historic.  Watch this space!

The raffle will take place in the lunch break (1 p.m. to 2 p.m.), immediately after the vintage auction and just before the arrival of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s C-47 Dakota at 1355 hours.  So make sure you buy your raffle tickets in the morning.  If you are lucky enough to win, your climb will take place IMMEDIATELY as these cars will be opening the hill for the afternoon climbs!

 

 

Looking through the entry list it is interesting to note that we have over fifty Vintage Minor Register members booked in for Pre-War Prescott, representing about 20% of our worldwide membership across 19 countries.  Of these 50 odd (!) members, just a dozen are entering Minors.  The rest are entering all manner of pre-war cars that reflects the recent opening up of the Register to owners and enthusiasts of all those cars that survived the War.

One of the reasons for the recent surge in membership is that members enjoy a hefty £15 discount on their Prescott entry, so their £30 annual membership is effectively half refunded while they benefit from the superb quarterly Magazine and all of the other Register services.

But if you have already entered and paid full price, do not despair, all is not lost!  All you have to do is bring along your Paddock entry ticket to our Register marquee on the day and we will sign you up for a piffling £15 – just as if you had joined before entering!

Seriously, membership of the Register is the best possible way to support not only the Register, but Pre-War Prescott, Pre-War Shuttleworth, Pre-War Australia and all of the other tremendous initiatives we have in the pipeline to help owners of pre-war cars enjoy proper motoring well into the future.  The club is a subscribing member of the FBHVC and we have encouraged the driving, rather than the polishing of our cars since our founding 17 years ago.  The Register has no concours trophy.

Join us on the day, or simply sign up right now at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=283 and check in for your refund on the day.  You know it makes sense!

A shout out for Prescott Ales!  As many of you know, Jayne and I are English but now live and work in Seattle – a far-flung outpost of vintage motoring … and real ale!  So each year, I look forward lovingly to that first proper pint of the year on Friday evening at the Royal Oak.  The Landlord of the Royal Oak assures me that he has ordered in sufficient supplies for us and I cannot wait to help you all drain the first barrel.

Prescott Ales will also feature on Saturday throughout the day in the Prescott Clubhouse (thanks Ciaran) and of course will help lubricate our evening BBQ buffet and jazz night on the hill as the sun slowly sets over the Malverns.  Their core brews are all fittingly-named – in ascending order: Hill Climb (3.8% ABV), Horse Power (4.0% ABV), Chequered Flag (4.1% ABV), Track Record (4.4% ABV) and Grand Prix (a hearty 5.2 ABV).

And as usual, all of the marshals that have generously offered their time on Saturday to make things work will be provided with FREE BEER CHITS to cash in at the Clubhouse bar in the evening.

As their website explains, “Established in 2008, Prescott Ales combines our passion for both ale and classic motor sport, with striking branding and close links to the world famous Prescott Hill Climb race circuit, providing pure refreshment from start to finish.“

Nice.

A quick word about Sunday.  Pre-War Prescott is just a part of the Vintage Minor the Register’s Summer Rally weekend and on Sunday we hold a Navigation Rally and parallel Scenic Tour around the Gloucestershire countryside.  We traditionally start early on Sunday morning at Prescott where bacon butties and hot tea and coffee are available, just in case you didn’t have time for breakfast before heading out!

Right now we have 58 entries across a superb variety of marques for the day – 20 taking part in the Navigation Rally and 38 booked on the Tour.    So if you would like to enter, please do so without delay as we can only accept a total of 60 entries in total

Navigation Rallyists will require OS maps 150 and 162 (any edition will do), while the Scenic Tourists will be provided with a copy of the Tour Handbook which will contain clear route directions and a number of informative notes about various stops and points of interest along the route.  The Navigation Rallyists will also be provided with clear route instructions – but sealed in an envelope.  If anyone becomes hopelessly lost along the way, they will be able to open their envelope and transition seamlessly and silently to the Scenic Tour!

This year, our run will take us west from Prescott into some hidden regions of the county as we wend our way down forgotten byways and through sleepy hamlets to our lunch stop which will be at the fascinating and welcoming Penny Farthing at Aston Crews, near Ross-on-Wye.

The afternoon route will loop us back to the incomparable Stanway House where cream teas and a range of other tasty cakes will await us.  Here we will be treated to TWO special private viewing of the launching of the incredible 300’ gravity fountain while results are calculated, after which we will shower gold upon the victorious.

We have a number of annual awards that will be competed for.  The Roy Hogg Trophy is awarded to the best performance by a vintage Minor.  The Lewis & Nicholson Compass is always hotly contested for between two teams – the Morris Minors and the Austin Sevens, and then there is the Hereford Vintage Auctions Trophy (a wonderful art deco bronze statue) that is awarded to the winning team.  Other awards may be bestowed at the discretion of the powers that be.

The weekend will draw to a close on Sunday evening at the nearby Pheasant at Toddington where we are expected.  Good food and fine ales will be available and the landlady has once again generously arranged for the kitchen to remain open an extra hour for us.  What better way to say farewell to old friends and new.? Everyone is most welcome to join us for the evening.