Hot Weather and Cool Cars – Our Best Ever Show!

ALL ITALIAN MOTOR EVENT – LAGAN VALLEY ISLAND – Saturday 26th May 2012

As we arrived at Lagan Valley Island at 8am on Saturday morning there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was already shining brightly – we were hopeful that there would be plenty of brightly shining Italian vehicles as well and we were not to be disappointed.
First task of the day was to put up the Italian bunting and flags to make sure that no one was in doubt that this was the place to display their Italian pride and joy.  The membership tent was also soon erected and other last minute tasks were sorted with military precision (and with the help of some cable ties and gaffer tape!)

We then set about arranging the club members cars that had already gathered – Paul’s Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider took centre stage on the front row and the other vehicles lined up behind it creating a fan effect as more cars arrived.  One of the first visitors from Southern Ireland arrived shortly after 9am – Damien, his friend and his dad arrived in their Alfa 166 2.5 V6 24V. They had left home just after 4am to make the journey to Lisburn – a fantastic show of enthusiasm and interest in our event and if there was a prize for the people who had made a special effort to join us Damien and co. would have secured my vote.

Soon after the Donnelly Group cars arrived – my thanks and appreciation to Richard Sinton who had pulled out all the stops to support our event by supplying 6 of the latest cars from the Fiat, Alfa and Abarth ranges.  Thanks too to Charles Hurst Specialist Car Division who provided 2 supercars (both of which made a super noise) for everyone to feast their eyes on. They supplied a Ferrari 458 Italia and a Maserati Gransport both in stunning white and both the epitome of Italian style and flair.

We anticipated a healthy turnout but the range and quality of the vehicles that arrived exceeded our expectations – some old, some new, some familiar cars and some very rare examples too. None could eclipse the rarity of Cyril’s Fiat Samantha. I could barely believe my eyes when the striking Samantha appeared in front of the Civic Centre.  Cyril bought the car 11 years ago and set about a painstaking restoration project. Until last week the car had not turned a wheel since 1977,  some 35 years ago, so bringing it along to display it to an appreciative crowd was a proud and emotional day for Cyril. The quality of the restoration is a testament to his attention to detail and of course his patience. Everyone was suitably impressed with this example of a car rarely seen in the UK let alone further afield.

As we approached ten o’clock the vehicles started to arrive thick and fast and there was no shortage of variety, from a humble and original 1985 Fiat Uno to the exquisite and much admired Ferrari 330 GTC and Dino Ferrari driven by father and son John and James McKay.  Stuart brought a true Italian icon, his small but perfectly formed Fiat 500 and Paul added further wow factor with his white Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider – the car that most children (and their dads) wanted to be photographed beside.

The variety of other cars was breathtaking – we had no fewer than 10 Ferraris in total  –  in addition to the three mentioned above we also had a Mondial Spider, a 348, 355, two 360’s, 458 and California. We also had eight Lancia Delta Integrales, a Lancia Beta Montecarlo and two Lancia Beta Spiders as well as numerous Alfa Romeos, including Spiders, Breras, GTVs, Mitos, Giuliettas, 147’s, 155’s, 156’s, 159’s , 166’s and Ricky Busteed’s superb Giulia Super.
Fiat’s were well represented too – from Herbie’s 1964 1500 Cabrio to 500’s,  Pandas, Puntos, X/19’s, 131 Mirafiori Sports and several Coupes, not forgetting Frank Connolly’s immaculate Fiat 128 Special.   Thanks also to Robert and Mark for bringing along their Maseratis – Gransport and Quattroporte respectively – both contenders for best sounding car of the day.

In terms of the two wheeled attractions Ducatis and Motto Guzzi’s were the most popular bike on display but we even had a Lambretta Special 65 and a Laverda Jota 1000 (which I had never heard of!) amongst the other bikes.

Other interesting non Italian models included a Ford Classic, Mini Cooper, Lotus Cortina, Nissan GTR, Karman Ghia, a Mk1 Golf Cabriolet and several Porsches.

In total we had 86 Italian cars and 12 Italian motorbikes on display as well as over a dozen non Italian vehicles – a superb turnout.
Apart from the quality of the cars and bikes it was pleasing to see a number of old friends of the Club as well as a considerable number of new faces, many of whom have now signed up and formally joined the club. The opportunity to enjoy the sunshine, mingle and chat with fellow owners was    perhaps one of the most enjoyable aspects of the day. Another enjoyable aspect was the food – the Italian theme was extended to Lighters restaurant and those attending had the opportunity to try the special breakfast menu or sample the delicious Italian cuisine from the lunch menu. Tea/coffee, snacks and ice cream were served throughout the day and Martina, the manager and her staff wer delighted with the business that we generated for them and ensured that everyone was well fed and watered.   Everyone agreed that this year’s show had all the right ingredients – fine food, fabulous cars, glorious weather and a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

We were privileged to be joined at our event by Matt Zollo from the national magazine Auto Italia who is doing a feature of our event in a future edition of the magazine. Despite having attended many car displays and motoring events it was very pleasing to hear him comment on the standard and variety of vehicles and the obvious passion of Northern Ireland owners for their Italian beauties.

The only formal element of the day was the prize giving for the best in class. Four prizes were awarded. Honours were as follows;
Best Italian Car sponsored by Woodstock Autoparts – prize Autoglym products
Won by Paul Gray’s Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider

Best Italian Motorcycle sponsored by Derek Fullerton –  prize Meguiars products
Won by Barry Craig’s Ducati Paul Smart

Best non Italian vehicle sponsored by Eddie McNeill – prize car accessories by Lisburn Autoparts
Won by Thomas Campbell’s Lotus Cortina

Overall award for Best in Show sponsored by Nubawax – prize Ioncoat Naviwax and chosen by Matt Zollo from Auto Italia magazine.
Won by Cyril McMullen’s Fiat Samantha

Our thanks to the exhibitors who attended to demonstrate and sell their products and for their generosity in donating the above mentioned prizes to the award winners.
As the event drew to a close and everyone started to depart there was still a real buzz of excitement in the air – as we tidied up and removed the bunting we reflected on the enthusiasm and support from all those who had attended and we all headed home in fine form after a memorable day.
Overall it was another successful event for NIIMC and a real team effort. For now I think it is time for a well earned rest for everyone before we think about how to make next year’s event even bigger and better.  Now there’s a challenge!!

Tim Logan
Annual Event Organiser
28th May 2012