Rushden Classic Car Show

Following on from a great Sunday in Rockingham, I next headed over to Rushden, my hometown, for their annual Classic Car Show!

Armed this week with a couple cameras, I walked down the road and into Hall Park, conveniently only 5 minutes from my parents house. I was stunned to see the park totally swarming with cars, ranging from very, to old, to sort of old and so on. Crazy to think that a Peugeot 106 can now be considered a classic!

Full Gallery at the bottom of the page!

I’d gone from having 40 or so cars to photograph, to over 400 fantastic motors this week starting off at 1920s all the way through into the modern classics of the 90s! Now, it’s very easy to get burnt out on a shoot like this, that amount of subjects can be quite overwhelming. Plus, with each of these cars, comes an owner, each of which with a story to tell of how and why they’re now in possession of such amazing motors. With each car, I would roughly take 5-8 photos, times that by 400 and I’ve got a lot of work on my hands for a quiet Sunday at the park! So, with this I had to be strategic to avoid giving myself too much editing to do, which I HATE!

I took a walk round with my Dad, a couple of my mates and of course my dog Luna, who was less than interested in the cars sadly. We wandered about scouting out some of my favourites, of which I would head back around and photograph after we’d stopped for a pint. Kindly provided by Rushden’s best watering hall, ‘The Railway Station’, not to be confused with ‘The Railway Inn’.

The first natural stop off for me was the Alfa’s, who had arrived in full force. I love them, I can’t help it and I won’t hear a bad word said about them. With my photography, I like to get up close to really show off the finer details. Plus, at events like this, those wider, fuller shots are sadly infested with people. These Alfa’s had plenty of details to show off. In particular the wood grain gear stick and cigarette lighter of the Alfa 620, completely original. Whilst not a classic, yet, the Giulia Quad was a sight to behold for me. I’d never been up close to this beast, but Steve (owner) was more than happy to give me a full tour, along with a solid Rev of this 2.9 litre V6 engine.

You’ll notice I definitely have a thing for Red cars. This BMW E30 was highly elegant and distinguished in this colour. The BMW E30 has become somewhat of a cult classic thanks to famous musician Frank Ocean, he himself owning an orange one. With this, has come its serious increase in value. I remember a friend of mines dad had one of these previously, in the same colour. He would be probably quite shocked to find out how much some of these are selling for now!

Unlike last week, I did manage to choose a favourite. It was this Peugeot 106 Rallye owned by Mikael. Hailing from Le Mans, the Frenchman, (I know, the perfect stereotype!) was clearly very proud of this machine. In immaculate condition, I absolutely loved the striped detailing and the original interior on this one.

The 106 was one of my first cars and after only a few months, I stupidly passed it on for a more modern Seat Ibiza, although I loved that too. The 106 for many of us 30 somethings was a first car and with that they hold a lot of memories. Seeing this, despite not having a Rallye version, did bring back the fondness of owning one. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but was happy to stand and admire this one.

Having never been to car shows prior to last week, with this week being my second ever. I’ve been so grateful as a photographer to how welcomed I have been at these events. Cars have always been a passion of mine and to be given the access I have, thanks to these kind owners, is a dream come true. Each week, I learn more and make new friends along the way. Maybe one day, I’ll have something smart of my own to show off! Until then….

Full Gallery of my photos from the day below!