I had looked forward to Brooklands for a couple of reasons, one being marked on the calendar as the weekend i would get my hard top off and go topless for the first time this year and be properly BlueStu again (my hard top is red from my previous red MGF for those that haven't seen it). The second reason being i really enjoy brooklands as the variety of cars in a small space is great and with the museum there is plenty to see.

So Saturday, car washed and polished inside and out and wheels cleaned, I now just needed to remember the way there as I've only ever followed in convoy before. Map book out! I set off Sunday at 9am down the M1 - Not the best drive but quickest route. All was ok until I hit the M25 which was a disaster 'stop and go' all the way and extremely hot and bothered, so much so that when I got off the motorway I was keen to press on and missed the exit off,  having to turn round and come back. Needless to say I found it in the end and it was worth it when I got there!

I found it to be very busy and difficult to drive round and find where the F/TF parking was, what with all the people walking about. It turned out to be up by the banking and I'm glad to say plenty there. I parked up next to a silver TF and didn't leave the area for an hour as my exhaust on arrival caused quite a bit of interest, which was unusual as I always spend a lot of time looking at everyone else's car! Several wanted to hear it start up again as they heard me turn up and it turned out a few were using the event to decide on what exhaust to buy and it was good to get positive comments. People either love it or hate it, like Marmite!

Next, a wander round the older cars and there were a lot of beautifully turned out classic MGs on display. I spent a lot of time here as my photos reflect as it's not every day you get to see and hear these cars up close. The high point of the day was the test hill and I watched all the cars go up. Again, seeing the older models go up was the highlight for me with some old racing machinery as well as touring cars, complete with picnic basket, making their way up the hill which proved to be quite steep for some of the older cars. Of the modern cars, a great sounding V8 ZT blasted it's way up the hill spinning wheels as it changed gear - Some grunt there! Quite a few Fs and TFs went up the hill and it was a perfect day for convertibles looking fantastic. It made me think that if I go next year I too must go up the hill...

The afternoon went by incredibly fast as I made my way round to the Midgets and took a look at the Zeds on display and finally ended up back at the F/TF area chatting about our cars and looking at several stunning LE500s and a stunning 85th Anniversary model. It was whilst chatting to someone about their LE500 and how he found it compared to the previous VVC MGF that we both noticed a white LE500 had a big dent in the rear wing and a closer look revealed a footprint on the dent as though someone had kicked the side of the car! Unbelievable and the owner must be gutted. I can't help thinking there must be a story to tell about this but the owner didn't appear so it remains a mystery.

Time to head off and once on the M25 again it was horrible traffic so I got off at the Amersham junction and came home via Chesham, through some villages and dropped into my parents for a cuppa, This made for a great drive through country roads and perfect top down driving to finish off the day. I'm looking forward to going again next year and can recommend it to anyone who hasn't been. We just need a better route down as it doesn't make for a nice journey in an F on the M25!

Stuart Farley aka BlueStu