Herbie Rides Again!!
Despite the adverse weather conditions a group of intrepid club members met up at Sprucefield on Saturday 7th September for a club run to Omagh. The itinerary for the day was a stop off at Donnelly’s M1 Superstore for light refreshments before continuing to Omagh to visit the Abingdon Collection, a unique mixture of items, from classic cars, enamel signs, motorcycles and military memorabilia collected over the last forty five years. The day wouldn’t be complete without a bite to eat to keep our strength up so we booked a table in Mellon’s Country House Hotel and enjoyed a first class meal before going our separate ways and heading home.
On arrival at Donnelly’s we were welcomed by the staff who showed great interest in our selection of Italian metal and also treated us to tea/coffee and sandwiches – delicious and much appreciated. Terence Donnelly talked to members and we were delighted when he advised that he was keen to strengthen Donnelly Group’s link with our club. Pouring rain did not deter us as we set off to Omagh, picking up a Ferrari at Ballygawley. Before too long we arrived at the home of Philip Faithfull, owner of the Abingdon Collection. There was ample parking for our cars and Philip then ushered us inside where our tour of his impressive mix of memorabilia would begin. Philip was the perfect host, telling a range of fascinating stories about how he had acquired certain items. The variety of items on display was truly amazing. As a group of car enthusiasts we were particularly interested in his collection of vehicles, from a selection of MG’s – a concours condition 1953 MGTD and 1968 MGC as well as a 1957 MGA Fixed head coupe and a 1980 MGB. In addition to this Philip also had a variety of other cars on display including a 1978 Porsche 911SC, a 1986 Opel Manta GTE and a 2010 Mazda MX5 20th Anniversary. A totally original 1983 Ford Capri 280i in black drew many admiring glances and the collection would not have been complete without an Italian model a 1989 Fiat X1/9 Gran Finale.
The visit wouldn’t be complete without a few photographs – Philip had raised the Italian flag on the flagpole in his garden and also showed us his 1968 BMW Sidecar Unit – quick as a flash Herbie jumped onto it and set up the perfect photo opportunity to round off a memorable visit (we didn’t know Herbie was so agile and with typical Herbie quip he reminded us that he’d never had any difficulty getting his leg over!!). As a token of our appreciation to Philip (and his wife who later joined us) we made a club donation to Philip’s chosen charity Cancer Research UK to support them in their continued research in all aspects of the disease.
The pangs of hunger were getting greater so after bidding farewell to Philip we travelled the short distance to Mellon Country House Hotel were we rounded off the day with a tasty meal.
All in all it was a very enjoyable and worthwhile outing for the club – Donnelly Group and Philip Faithfull deserve our special thanks. Hopefully next time we pay them a visit the weather might be kinder to us.
Tim Logan
Club Secretary
