LOTUS ELAN M100 [ CASTLE COMBE ] 2018 JOB DONE.

[rip]

Oh and can you pass this one on to Iain?

[clemo]

Castle Combe 2018 - What a great weekender .

Over 32 elan M100's present in our featured car area. The sun came out for our M100 convoy track parade. The Teas and coffee were flowing under the LEC gazebo. Thank you and well done to everyone for making it a great day/weekender.

Lots of chatting to LEC members old and new. Much pointing and looking under bonnets and even a game of spot the difference between Justin's IB10 and the next closest car.

IB10 was the historic track parade pace car with Club Lotus Alan as the co-driver.

Having spoken to most of the M100 drivers and passengers present the things that got mentioned most was "What an underrated overlooked car the M100 is " and "where can we get these seals from"

All in all our Lotus Elan Central and Lotus Elan M100 was well represented.

Meanwhile back at the campsite we had the bottom half of the field with an "us lot" section. A few beers were had before we moved off to the pub which every year hosts a "cider and ale event " in the garden of the Friday evening . Saturday is LEC curry club night up the top part of the village .

A thoroughly decent weekender was had by all.


AS FOR NEXT YEAR. Well if the was the biggy then next year is the COLOSSUS .

LEC is 20 Years old
The Lotus Elan M100 is 30 years old.

With Plenty of notice and lots of plans in the pipeline next year will be the best ever. If you can be part of it the please think of coming along. We will have our own section for camping or rooms are available in the village. We will have a great LEC curry club night and a visit to the local Ale and Cider festival

BUT ABOVE ALL , we will be the featured car with CLUB LOTUS magazine Celebrating 30 years of our car. A featured article for the magazine ,
Sectioned off parking , Lead Parade lap and other shenanigans.

IN THE MAKING - should we pull this off then you would not want to miss it. Aiming for a very special guest. One that you would really want to have standing next to your car for a photograph.

Watch this space for further updates.

TRACK PARADE 2018 ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEvUR_Lcnpg

M100'S
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gavd9rbl5v1v ... NzCGa?dl=0

[dapinky]

Whilst I applaud Clemo for pulling off this years event, there is much to do for next year......

..... with the close supervision of having Geoff in the UK, Pete back in Chippenham, Jonathan in Malmsbury - we have a strong 'local' connection to get all those special arrangements sorted (or Rambo will do it on the 'phone 'cos no-one has bothered).

No date has been officially anounced yet, but it is safe to presume that it will be the last weekend in May (Bank Holiday weekend) - and I would encourage (or even plead) with anyone who is unsure, to make the effort.

Suffice to say than Rambo is unlikely to win the award for the 'longest distance travelled' to get to the event (and possibly even the one for the haircut).....

..... Lotusflasherman is unlikely to win the award for the most knowledgeable member at the event.....

.... and the only thing I'm likely to get is 'most cider drunk on the Friday evening'...

Anyone who is fancying the trip, but would need to fly in to the UK - I'm fairly sure that airport pick-ups may be possible (or if you want to rent a car, then passenger rides on the day will be no problem).

If you don't want to camp - there are many B&Bs in the area, also Travelodge/Premier in Chippenham and other options.....

....so, get your car drivable (or make alternative arrangements), book a weekend off work, and be there - you will NOT want to miss this one - it will be the closest to the 'hights' of Donington, crossed with the Lotus 60th anniversary at Hethel - and anyone who was at that event will tell you how good it was.

[Steve A]

I've just got a new tent so for that reason alone I should be there WITH Mrs A !

[Kathryn]

And maybe Clemo’s JC Special will turn up!

[John_W]

And maybe Clemo’s JC Special will turn up!

But seriously,
It’s an important anniversary and I want to be there. Having visited Castle Combe I have a couple of concerns which I would like to have dispelled:

1 The place is thoroughly mobbed with tourists and it is impossible to park. Is the track completely free of this Cotswold tourist madness?
2 No way am I camping. Is there a decent hotel within walking distance of the planned revelry so that I can attend and join the toast?
3 It’s a bloody long way from Aberdeen. Can it either be moved nearer or can English roads have fewer cars/lorries/caravans/numpties on them?

Probably nothing can be done about the last one, but reassurance and advice on the first two will get me twisting arms north of the border.

John

[Saltire]

But seriously,
It’s an important anniversary and I want to be there. Having visited Castle Combe I have a couple of concerns which I would like to have dispelled:

1 The place is thoroughly mobbed with tourists and it is impossible to park. Is the track completely free of this Cotswold tourist madness?
2 No way am I camping. Is there a decent hotel within walking distance of the planned revelry so that I can attend and join the toast?
3 It’s a bloody long way from Aberdeen. Can it either be moved nearer or can English roads have fewer cars/lorries/caravans/numpties on them?

Probably nothing can be done about the last one, but reassurance and advice on the first two will get me twisting arms north of the border.

John

1. Castle Combe village and Castle Combe circuit are some way from each other. As long as you travel to the circuit by the right route (which we did on the convoy this year) you won’t even see the touristy bits. However
2. The only reasonable hotel close by is this one, which is about a 25 minute walk from the CC paddock where we congregate. In any case, no-one stays near the circuit, so you’d be Billy No-Mates for most of the weekend. In Malmesbury and surroundings, where people camp and eat, there are plenty of local B&Bs from which you could be collected and chauffeured.

If you want to chat or discuss options, feel free to PM

[John_W]

Collected and chauffeured are two words which might allow spousal permission to attend.

So nobody stays at Castle Combe and Malmesbury is where I should seek a hostelry?
If so, I’ll send you a pm.

John

[Rambo]

John - Malmesbury is a fantastic wee Cotswold village and Maggie would love it. There are plenty of options available without living it up/slumming it with the posh campers of Burton Hill

PS And I can recommend the chilli venison sausages washed down with a pint of Old Rosie at the Smoking Dug

[Rambo]

I've also heard that Jonathon, as an ex pat, does very favourable rates for haggis bashers

[Saltire]

I've also heard that Jonathon, as an ex pat, does very favourable rates for haggis bashers

Considering my wife’s maiden name is Murray, and my grandfather came from what he described as “the rough end of Paisley”, you wouldn’t expect anything less, Rambo, would you?

Perhaps we should host the whisky tasting?

[John_W]

Well, my son's name is Murray and I come from Thornly Park, but if somebody is offering whisky tasting I'm there.

In your grandfather's day I don't believe that Paisley had a rough end (unless you include Love St).

P.S.: You omitted to mention that the walk from the hotel was up-hill.

[Rambo]

Perhaps we should host the whisky tasting?

Good idea. I can supply a lovely Royal Lochnagar malt which, ironically, John and Mags bought down to us when they visited. But it is a year away so it might just be an empty bottle

[dapinky]

They do a quite presentable Welsh Whisky which I could bring.... I brought the Brecon Gin this year, but no-one else wanted any at the campsite.......

[Fredjohn]

On my first trips to CC I stayed at a hotel in central Chippenham, as did a few others. There used to be 2 hotels in the main square. May still be there 30yrs later?

I have also stayed at the Castle Inn in Castle Combe itself. Pricey but wasn't over crowded, but it was back in the days of Graham Arnold.

Both locations are a short drive from the circuit.

[Saltire]

Well, my son's name is Murray and I come from Thornly Park, but if somebody is offering whisky tasting I'm there.

In your grandfather's day I don't believe that Paisley had a rough end (unless you include Love St).

He later admitted that most of Paisley counted as the rough end . . .

P.S.: You omitted to mention that the walk from the hotel was up-hill.

But it’s downhill going back

[Saltire]

Perhaps we should host the whisky tasting?

Good idea. I can supply a lovely Royal Lochnagar malt which, ironically, John and Mags bought down to us when they visited. But it is a year away so it might just be an empty bottle

At the time of writing, I can offer The Macallan, Laphroaig, Auchentoshan and (my personal favourite) Bunnahabhain. The Royal Lochnagar sounds terrific.

[clemo]

And maybe Clemo’s JC Special will turn up!

It does exist honest ...

[muley]

On my first trips to CC I stayed at a hotel in central Chippenham, as did a few others. There used to be 2 hotels in the main square. May still be there 30yrs later?

I have also stayed at the Castle Inn in Castle Combe itself. Pricey but wasn't over crowded, but it was back in the days of Graham Arnold.

Both locations are a short drive from the circuit.

Yes, but what is really needed is a place within staggering distance of Malmesbury.

Jim

[Saltire]

On my first trips to CC I stayed at a hotel in central Chippenham, as did a few others. There used to be 2 hotels in the main square. May still be there 30yrs later?

I have also stayed at the Castle Inn in Castle Combe itself. Pricey but wasn't over crowded, but it was back in the days of Graham Arnold.

Both locations are a short drive from the circuit.

Yes, but what is really needed is a place within staggering distance of Malmesbury.

Jim

If the panel desires it, I’ll come up with a list of possibles local to Malmesbury (some of which I may even have stayed at)