The thing with staging events on the car scene, Bobby has noticed, is that when the organisers are consistent, the crowds get bigger.
Flash-in-the-pan events have their own appeal, much like flashmobs do. They fill up a zone for a few minutes or hours, then disappear as fast as they arrived. But it’s the annual events that take some doing.
Usually they start small, then by year three people come to expect the event, getting their cars ready. Grand Spring Auto, hosted by Team DAF, is one of those. Now in it’s fourth year and nicely positioned on the calendar for koppe to bring out their winter mods for the first time in the coming show ‘n shine season.
An outdoor Spring event can be risky though when it comes to the weather, and Bobby is sure the organisers had a moment or two of doubt, with wet and cloudy days followed by glimpses of sun in the week leading up to the show. The weather turned for the best early the morning of the event and brought sunny skies with mild temperatures. Phew.
Grand Spring Auto went down at Thornton Primary last weekend and, in short, it was a blast. Spectator Christopher “Bear” Kalie had this to say: “I loved it all, though I hung out mainly at the sound-off where I could find the biggest noise.
“Team DAF pieced toge- ther a solid line-up of features so it’s hard to say what you might consider to be the main attraction for this event; was it the banging sound off, the limbo, or inter-club challenges? Everyone brought their A-game. One club even brought a bus.
“Whatever way you look at it, all the attractions made it an enjoyable day. The organisation was top-notch, everything ran on time, and the show is getting bigger each year. I believe there were over 600 cars. Also, we got to see cars you don’t usually see, like the Camaro. I wonder what’s in store for next year?”
Club display winners were Cape Deutschland, followed by DUBstance in second place and then Krazy Krew in third. Zuheir Mowlana took best of show with his epic bagged Quantum. Another notable mention goes to Charles Mullony with his black Chevvy Camaro taking Best Old School Custom and Old School Prestige.
Shamiela Kader, part of the team, tells an unusual story, saying: “There were plenty of eye-poppers on the day, but for me what really stood out was this: An elderly couple came cruising past the show in their classic car, on the way home from their outing. They asked us what’s going on, and ended up entering their Triumph and coming second in their class. Now that doesn’t happen often.”
Organiser Joe Klein ends off like this: “Indeed, another good event done and dusted. Thanks to Thornton Primary School, for having trust in us to host this charity show. Our thanks must also go to the petrol heads, show and sound, who have supported to make this event such a huge success.”