Markethill Classic Show, Co. Armagh

[Colin Lindsay]

An excellent show organised by Co. Armagh Vintage Vehicle Club - free entry, voluntary donations to Air Ambulance, but all entrants were given a small card entitling the bearer to a free burger and drink at one of the local stalls. Makes you wonder how a club can do that, plus have stewards, portaloos, all kinds of stalls and an autojumble and not lose money. 

Some amazing cars and tractors including a Panther Rio, a few large Triumph saloons and some great tractors, which I always love as some of them are even rustier and tattier than my Herald.

Sadly the music was doleful and belted out all across the field all day at top volume; if I heard one more fake American accent droning on about how TeddyBear was 10-4'ing to an 18 wheeler that his daddy was a drunk and he was crippled I'd have committed hara kiri with a plastic fork. 

I must have done something right as, on leaving, one of the stewards shouted to me that if ever my car wanted a new home he was up for it. They have good taste in that part of the world, except in music.

...and this sad lonely structure which I called the 'Little House on the Prairie' but which was very welcome!

 

[Firefly]

 

     Was the tractor a Massey Fergy 65 not seen one for years. The black car UBJ 599R something built on a Dolomite? 

[Chris A]

Good turn out. Bit of a walk to the loo with the looks of it!

[Colin Lindsay]

10 minutes ago, Firefly said:

 

     Was the tractor a Massey Fergy 65 not seen one for years. The black car UBJ 599R something built on a Dolomite? 

Some lovely tractors, many ages old and some just about roadworthy but great to see. We seem to have more 'tractor runs' over here than classic shows and some of those will still be trundling their incredibly slow way home by midnight tonight. The Panther Rio was an upmarket Dolomite which was very expensive and so very few ever sold. 

There were some amazing stationary engines that probably only Pete will recognise:

...and even a guitar for Doug, in his favourite colour.

 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

5 minutes ago, Chris A said:

Good turn out. Bit of a walk to the loo with the looks of it!

Plenty of loos, but I liked that one, too far away for the screams to be heard.

[Firefly]

 

    Thanks for those Colin, learnt to drive on one of those Fordson's as in your pic in 19** I was about 10 years old, would be illegal today.l Yes Rio Panther.    Mac.

[Badwolf]

Colin - Are you sure that was a loo and not the TARDIS with chameleon circuits actually working. Guitar is right handed so no good for Doug.

[Peter Truman]

Good to see a Rio actually still exists

Re, loo a real walk of shame that one! Maybe the result of the free burger!

I had a R8 Gordini in Canada around 67, a real hot machine got pulled over several times by the men in blue, they didn’t like my international licence!

[mark powell]

We have a local Transport Rally that I attend every year (Hellingly Festival of Transport).  It's usually well attended with all the usual displays and stalls.  Booked my Midge in (free) and have since ruptured my Achilles tendon....  

This 2CV cabriolet caught my eye last year.

[Colin Lindsay]

That is BEAUTIFUL!! Love it. My daughter is fed up with me telling her that if she'd been born 20 years earlier she'd have had a 2CV as her first car.

[GFL]

On 06/08/2022 at 17:22, Firefly said:

 

     Was the tractor a Massey Fergy 65 not seen one for years. The black car UBJ 599R something built on a Dolomite? 

Yes

A Panther Rio, here's a link

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjzwruW5Ln5AhVtQUEAHeQIAboQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aronline.co.uk%2Fcars%2Fpanther%2Fpanther-rio%2F&usg=AOvVaw30N5eE7yAOLKdbfOV31rh1

Regards

Gary 

[Firefly]

 

               Thanks for that Gary,  bit marmite and not to my taste, shades of Volvo and Rolls which is the customer they were aiming for?  The original is usually the best.

                                                                                                                                         Mac

[Colin Lindsay]

We all seem to forget these days how good the Dolomite was in its' day; it was sold as a 'BMW beater' and for a time, actually did, but as usual the men in suits fumbled the ball and almost every other manufacturer in the world stepped in and did a better job. A car based on the Dolomite was probably viewed in much the same way as a special edition Mercedes or BMW these days. It would probably appeal to footballers and the like nowadays with too much money but not enough taste...

[andybeau]

Yep, great car. Trouble was it was still the same car in 1980 when BMW and Saab had carried on developing. BL all over sadly

[trigolf]

You've just reminded me how ugly the Panther Rio was. Rather have a Dolly Sprint any day!😆

[Chris A]

24 minutes ago, trigolf said:

You've just reminded me how ugly the Panther Rio was. Rather have a Dolly Sprint any day!😆

Dolly Sprint. Yes!

[Peter Truman]

I have a Sprint for my sins the second we’ve had in the family very fast car all Sprints were imported into Aus by Leyland Aus of which 49 were modified with Limited Slip Diffs so get homologation for racing Sprints at our big race at Bathurst 1000 around 1976.

[Firefly]

 

       Remember watching Andy Rouse racing the Sprint, main opposition was usually 3 litre Capris, and he was most often top dog.