The holy grey grille

It's all about that Base...

It's amazing how certain car registration marks become memorable considering they're just semi-random combinations of letters and numbers. Take GVG 510Y for example. This may not be particularly famous and probably means nothing to most of you, having never been owned by a celebrity or featured on television, but the car spotting community on Flickr will recognise it immediately as a legend among them, and those lucky enough to have encountered it speak of it in hushed tones of reverence.

Why are those guys looking so happy to see a crusty old Sierra?

So what is the vehicle this ordinary-seeming numberplate belongs to? A priceless supercar? Maybe a unique prototype? A car involved in an historic event? Nope, to the casual observer it's nothing more than a grotty old Ford Sierra that looks fit for scrap and isn't remotely exciting, so what's so special about it? Well, it's the only known surviving example of the rare early base model with the unpainted grey plastic front grille, long thought to be an extinct or mythical beast that existed only in the brochure and was never actually built, so the discovery of this specimen in the wild a few years ago caused a sensation among those who appreciate the underdogs of the motoring world.

Shitefest shenanigans

I've just returned from a fantastic weekend at a festival in a muddy field attended by people from all corners of the UK and beyond. No, not Glastonbury - I'm talking about Shitefest, the annual get-together for members of the Autoshite.com forum. Past Shitefests have been held in Wiltshire, Yorkshire and Wales, but this year I was able to attend for the first time as it took place not far from home at a secret location in north Buckinghamshire.

So what is Autoshite and what is Shitefest all about? The forum's ethos is hard to define but it sits on the fringes of the classic car movement and encompasses aspects of bangernomics and what the Germans call Youngtimers. Some members have cars that are true classics but it's mostly about unloved everyday transport of the recent past, with cars present dating from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Shitefest first came about in 2012 and is a very informal gathering where forum members get together to admire each other's cars and have a good time, usually with at least one optional visit to somewhere nearby of transport-related interest.

Corgi disappoint again

Six months ago I bemoaned how disappointing Corgi's release schedule for the first half of this year was, and predicted that the Original Omnibus Company models to be released in the second half would be little better. The full release schedule is due to be announced tomorrow but the list of OOC releases was made available by another website today and it gives me no pleasure to say I was right and the first words that came to mind on viewing the list were 'dismal' and 'pathetic'. I was hoping this was incomplete and there would be more to follow, but nothing was omitted so there is even less variety than last time and this batch of releases is far worse than I imagined it could ever be. If you don't like modern Wrightbuses then there is nothing here for you.

Rainy Gaydon and the Truck Show

The British Motor Museum at Gaydon seems to be something of a second home for me at the moment, this being my fourth visit in a year. Just a fortnight after last time I was back again for a repeat of the Classic Truck Show, and in case you're wondering this was a deliberate decision so I could have plenty of time to look around the Collections Centre on my previous visit and wouldn't be rushing around this time trying to see everything in one day, knowing the size of the truck show.

The most apt numberplate of all?

Nora Kudrjawizki's World of Violin

A look through my music library can be an interesting experience. Alongside some world-famous artists that everyone knows are a growing number of obscure and unfamiliar names, and my ambivalence towards the modern mainstream chart scene means I take great delight in seeking out rare gems from lesser-known artists. You may have thought Ray Wilson was an unknown, but he is practically an A-lister compared with the subject of this piece, the delightful Nora Kudrjawizki. I guess that name means nothing whatsoever to you, and until recently it meant nothing to me either. Allow me to enlighten you.

The lovely Nora. So much more than just a pretty face.

Genesis play Polo

Remembering a rock band special edition

The late eighties and early nineties were the golden era of the special edition, with manufacturers and dealers alike jumping on the bandwagon. In those days when base models really were basic and had little more than a full set of wheels, many of these 'specials' involved simply taking the base model and tarting it up with some stick-on stripes, maybe a sunroof or a better stereo if you were lucky, and a daft name (who remembers the Nissan Micra Wave? Yes, it genuinely existed and was a factory-built model!). There were a few better ones though that really were special with decent performance and/or luxury upgrades, and a recent sighting at a show reminded me of an interesting but forgotten example that neatly combines my interests in cars and music, but the version we got in the UK sadly wasn't a patch on that available elsewhere.

In the mid 1990s, Volkswagen became the major sponsor for European tours by several of the world's biggest rock bands, and a suitably-named car was produced as part of this sponsorship deal. The first of these was Genesis, who in 1993 were at the height of their commercial success with the line up of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, and were embarking on a mammoth worldwide tour following the release of the We Can't Dance album. This tie-up with Volkswagen led to the production of the Polo Genesis, not just any old special edition but one endorsed by the band themselves. What more could a fan want? Now you could listen to your new Genesis album while driving around in an official Genesis car...

All change at Gaydon

What was the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon has recently been through one of the biggest upheavals in its history, closing late last year and reopening in February with a new name and a new building, so the time had come to pay another visit and see what had changed. I have been there several times over the years and seen the place develop since it first opened in 1993 in the ownership of the Rover Group; it was included in BMW's sale of Land Rover to Ford and is now owned by Jaguar Land Rover. Following a refurbishment and the opening of the brand new Collections Centre it is now known as the British Motor Museum and is responsible for three principal collections, the original British Motor Industry Heritage Trust assets being joined by those from the Jaguar Heritage Trust and the former James Hull collection.

The Jaguar Heritage Trust collection is now at Gaydon. I like this XJ6 estate but it never made production.