Thornbury Founders Day Show

Thornbury Park

On Saturday afternoon Charlene and I took the MG to the Thornbury Founders Day Celebration Show at Thornbury Park.  This was a small invitational show put on by HCCP for about 20 cars.  Jim Mooney had secured and invitation for us from Bill Kinnett so we were able to show Montse there.

The show began at 17:00 so we headed out of the house at about 16:30 to go to the Liberty Station on the West Chester Pike and Winding Rd for a refuel.  When we made the right at Winding Rd there was a green Tesla waiting for the light on the left turn lane.  I'm starting to think that Teslas are as thick as fleas around here.  At the gas station there was a white McLaren fueling up right next to us.  The guy was fueling up and I wanted to take a picture of the car but he looked a little sour faced so I didn't ask.  At the pump the odo read 3854 miles for 160.8 miles since the last fuel up.  The tank took 5.410 gallons at 3.699 a gallon for a total of $23.71 and a mileage of 29.72 mpg.

From there we headed up the Pike for the left at 926.  We followed 926 across 352 and made the left on Tanguy.  We stayed on Tanguy until we reached Cheney University and made the left onto Cheney Rd.   I had planned on taking Thornton off Cheney but I missed the turned and continued on Cheney until we reached Glen Mills Rd.  I made the right but soon found the road blocked.  I turned out that the blockage was part of the Founders Day Celebration, they make people park at outlying lots and ferry them in, so the guy just let us right through.

The Turners 1910 REO

When we got to the park most of the cars from the club were already there so we found a spot and parked.  We pulled out our chairs and set out to join the rest of the club.  We met the Turners (1910 REO) and the Alexanders (late 40s Chevy) and sat with them.  They were really nice and welcoming and we really enjoyed talking to them about car shows, tours, and the car life.  Also got to finally meet Jim Mooney in person, another great guy and very interested in photography so we had a ton of stuff to talk about.


Later on in the afternoon, Jim pointed out that there was an MG parked at the edge of the park.  It wasn't in the show area but evidently they let him in to the park.  We could see it from where we were standing and I could tell right away that it was a replica.  We walked over and took a look at it.  It was a white London Roadster, which I determined before I saw the plaque.  It was in good shape but not as good shape as Montse.  One of the things I noticed is that it had a Pennsylvania Antique plate, this is something that I want to get for Montse so I will have to do some research on that.  I had a huge brain embolism and didn't take a shot of it.  I don't know what I was thinking about but I didn't get a picture and I didn't leave a note with my number.  I would have liked to talked to the owner about the car.

We really enjoyed the picnic, there were some food vendors and we got a roasted pork sandwich form Duffer's that was really good.   We have passed this place quite a few times on 352 but have never stopped.  We are going to put it in as one of our food stops in the rambles.

We didn't stay until the fireworks, leaving early at around 20:30 to avoid darkness and mosquitoes.  It was a great time and we are definitely planning to do more club activities.

We took the same route in reverse and enjoyed the early evening ride.  I could tell that some grubby fingered ankle bitter had put his little mitts all over the hood because I could see sticky hand prints everywhere.  Not a big deal, simple wipe with McGuire's Ultimate Quick Detailer and it was good as new again.

The exotic tally stands at 15 Ferraris, 14 Teslas, 11 Maseratis, 4 Bentleys, 3 Cobras, 3 McLarens,  2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.

For the rest of the show photos, see the Thornbury Show Set on Flickr.

Thornbury Park

1960s Excalibur Roadster

Jim Mooney's 1970s Blazer

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Historical Car Club of Pennsylvania Show

At the HCCP Show

On Sunday, the wife and I went to the Historical Car Club of Pennsylvania's show on Sunday at the Delaware County Community College campus.  This is a yearly show at this location and we went to see the show last year but did not have a car to enter.  This year, we entered Montse in the show.

The organizers put her in the VW paddock.  I don't know why, maybe since she was the only replica there that was VW powered they felt that she should be in that paddock.  The show registration form said that there was a class for replica cars and that is what I entered but was not placed there.  The only other replica in the show was a 1936 Mercedes Benz 500K built on a Lincoln Mark II frame and powered by a Cleveland engine.  That car was in the 30s and 40s paddock.  Who knows how they figure this out.

In the VW Paddock

One of the funny things about being the VW paddock was that people kept asking why I was not with the English racing cars.  There was a red 1948 MG TC in that paddock and most people could see the resemblance to that and not to the VWs.  We talked to the owner of the TC and he came down to see Montse and compare her to his car.  He was very knowledgeable about MGs, as should be expected, and he was happy to talk to me about my replica.

MG TC in the British Car Paddock

Heritage? Mercedes Benz 500K

Before I left the show, the owner of the 500K drove down to the VW paddock to talk to me about replica cars.  He is a really nice guy that bought that kit in 1984 and worked on it for 26 years before getting it out on the road.  It sure is a beautiful car.  He told me who the maker was but I didn't recognize it.  One of the guys from the TD Replica Owners Club told me that it may have been a Heritage.  Whatever it is, it sure is awesome.

We really enjoyed the whole experience and are both looking forward to doing it again.  If the Parcae will it, I would love to enter this same show again next year.

Me and my new buddy with his MB 500K in the background.

We left the show at 15:00, an hour before the closing bell, and took a ride out to Valley Forge to enjoy the fall foliage.  It is really starting to look pretty out that way with a lot of the trees already changing color.  Another great ride with beautiful weather to accompany it.  The twists and turn at the Park were just made for this car.   

National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge Park

To see more pics of the HCCP car show, checkout my Flickr page Cars album.

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