It’s the greatest show on British wheels

by Keith Morgan on Thursday, June 2nd, 2016

You don’t need to be a British car nut to enjoy the Vancouver All British Field Meet (ABFM) but it helps!

The sight of more than 500 classic British-built vehicles and motorcycles on the Great Lawn of the gorgeous VanDusen Botanical Garden is spectacular.

The event celebrated its 31st year the other weekend more than 5,000 walked through the lines of gleaming classics.

MGA Roadster

1954 Nash Metropolitan Convertible

1934 Aston Martin Ulster

Morgan Plus 4 Drop Head Coupe

Morris Minor 1000 Convertible

1967 Wolseley Hornet

Triumph TR2

Morgan Plus 8

Jaguar XK150 Fixed Head Coupe

1986 Morgan Plus 8

1972 Triumph GT6

1957 Nash Metropolitan Station Wagon

1956 Triumph TR3

1952 MG TD MkII

 

 

The 2016 show continued the tradition, with 60 vehicle classes displaying everything from early pre-war Rolls Royces to the latest models from Jaguar, Bentley, Aston Martin, Land Rover and McLaren.

“This much-anticipated annual show gathered together in a beautiful garden setting provides the perfect opportunity to kick-off the summer classic car season,” said Patrick Stewart, event co-chair. “Owners and the general public experienced a huge helping of nostalgia created by magnificent displays of automotive design from the golden age of motoring.”

Many cars were perfectly restored to their original condition but there were some interesting eyebrow-raising modified cars too!A Triumph TR2 was fitted with a Nissan Engine and the entire car had been widened. A 1967 Wolseley Hornet arrived fitted with a Japanese Twin-Cam Engine and a John Lennon Rolls-Royce Phantom V paint scheme!

Not surprisingly, given my surname, the Morgans figured among my favourites.

Our good friend Nigel Matthews, from Hagerty Insurance, described a 1972 Triumph GT6 as the poor man’s E-Type!  The various Nash Metropolitans drew much attention from experts and car gazers.

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca