It was no surprise waking to the sound of rain on the roof, it was a winter Breakfast Club morning and anything but cold, wet and windy would seem out of character following the pattern of recent events. I had the Sprite earmarked for this month?s gathering, but without the time to find, fit and erect the wet weather equipment, it seemed much easier to fire up the Fiat 124 coupe. The coupe also had three-quarters of a tank of juice showing on the gauge ? the left-overs from the Fiat Car Club?s EcoDrive last month, and we know fuel goes stale if left to sit in the tank too long!
By 7:30am the rain had cleared, so we set off taking the longer route into town giving the car a chance to warm up all those rotating and reciprocating parts despite the chilly 4-degree ambient temperature. As usual, the devoted regulars had already secured their positions on the sunny (!) side of the car park by the time we arrived. John Fowler was chamoising down the red MX5 whilst John Cobbledick had changed a flat tyre on his XJR Jag, discovering in the process that despite the car?s enormous boot, the spare was a skinny little space saver restricted to 80km/h. John was not looking forward to the slow trip back to Wonthaggi and I?ll wager a full-size spare will soon take its place.
The car park filled steadily and by 9am there were about 60 special vehicles on display. It was an eclectic collection spanning at least six decades of automotive design and development. Classic open sports cars such as MGBs and Triumphs lined up beside MX5s and 370 Z cars. Forty-year-old Mercedes SLs still impress, but look overwhelmed by the current generation from Jaguar, whilst classic and contemporary Porsches show the degree to which the iconic design has evolved. Add in a dune buggy, a handful of local and American muscle cars, some family sedans, a ute, a classic four by four, pocket rockets and even a motorcycle – is there any wonder this event draws in participants and onlookers from far and wide.
The weather remained fairly bleak, but at least the rain held off until later in the afternoon. Several Breakfast Club participants took up the invitation to visit Mike Jacobson?s Spyder Automobiles workshop in Olympic St on their way home. The business is celebrating 60 years and two generations of the family specialising in servicing Porsche cars and other special vehicles. To mark the occasion, Mike has recently revamped the workshop with new lighting, office d?cor and a coat of paint which certainly gives the place a lift. On display in the workshop were several British sports cars, a Nissan-engined Clubman and a couple of Porsches, one of which was a stunning early 912 undergoing a complete restoration. The delicious morning tea was an unexpected bonus and especially appreciated by those of us who had been standing out in cold all morning.
Thanks for the great pictures as always! Regards Grant Buck – Mazda MX5 (red).