I was surfing the web looking for something to do over the Labor Day Weekend and my Google search turned up a terrific automotive event. Portland International Raceway was holding a British Swap Meet and races. It’s a 20 minute drive from my house, and it only cost me 10 bucks!
It’s kind of hard to believe but this is the first time I’ve ever been to a car race in my life. For a 59 year old gear head that loves photography, I made up for lost time by taking over 1000 photos. It was one of those great days for taking car photos. The light was nice and the location was beautiful for the swap meet. There is something about weeping willows that always makes cars look classier.
While I am very comfortable with a camera, I’m neither an expert on British Automobiles, nor am I much of a writer. So I will present this collection without much commentary. Hopefully many of you viewers can provide some information and stories about these beautiful cars.
Part 1 will cover the Swap Meet and Part 2 will look at some of the race action.
Let’s start with some Mini’s and Morris’s. This place was thick with minis. There was a convertible mini attacking the autocross course, and I had never seen so many tiny pickup trucks. I would love to photograph one of those next to a modern full size truck.
This Morris Minor 1000 obviously shares many body parts with its pickup sibling. Were these ever common on U.S. streets? I had never seen one in person before.
This appears to be a Riley RMD. I guess the reason I’ve never seen one before is that they only made 502 of them between 1949 and 1951. These were powered by a 4 cylinder 100 HP inline 2.5L four.
When I think of British cars, my mind always summons up images of cars like like this Austin Healey 3000. I would be happy to drive any of these beautiful automobiles.
It’s easy to think of SUV’s as an American thing, but the large number of interesting Land Rovers at the Swap Meet reminded me we aren’t the only ones that make these things. It’s interesting how many people camp on top of these.
And finally the luxury makes. I didn’t notice any Grey Poupon Mustard nearby, but this Rolls looked right at home under the trees.
While not exactly luxurious, this racing Bentley was definitely unusual. I’m counting on you viewers to tell me what we are looking at here. A Facebook friend said it reminded her of the movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” To me it looks like something Sotheby’s would be auctioning off to an anonymous billionaire on some collector car show or one of those ultra rare cars on the fairway at Pebble Beach. I know there can’t be many more like this.
Like any swap meet, there were parts and cars for sale. I didn’t buy anything, but I took a lot of pictures. Stay tuned for part 2 with road racing and autocross action photos.
A fine selection. British cars still pull at my heartstrings thanks to my commonwealth upbringing. (Besides, it’s pretty dull to be a Dutch or Canadian marque car enthusiast)
I am always struck at how small an E-Type Jaguar is when you see one in real life. Morris Minors are a semi-common old car here, there is actually one in my neighborhood.
Peter Egan wrote a great article about vintage racing a Morris Minor against hordes of Minis
Think beyond the old DAFs with their suspender belt drive. From 0-100 km/h in 2.7 seconds isn’t pretty dull…
Nice selection but untill I saw the racing Bentley nothing I dont see most days, I did see a traditional 97 anniversary Mini on the Picton wharf a couple of days ago sitting on a transporter.
Morris Minors were popular in the states, my second car was a Minor 1000 coupe that had a MG-A Twin-Cam engine with a ram air set up, a roll cage, the original leather interior, was lowered, with rally rims and tires–for $100. I got it from a college girl, her father built the car for himself, to rally, he put it in her name so she wouldn’t have any problems. She didn’t like the stiff suspension, shifting and all that. So she sold it, I had the feeling there would be an emotional cloudburst when he found out. I loved it. A stock Morris was listed at 0-60 in 34 seconds, and 72 mph top speed. Mine did 0-60 in 10 seconds and had a top speed over 110, and still got 40 mpg. At my high school alone there were around 20 of them.
There were two Riley’s in town, one pale yellow and one British Racing Green, the green one owned by an elegant young woman in her 30’s, who knew how to drive it. It had quite a bark to it’s exhaust.
The Bentley appears to be a three liter (also known by the label, Red Label, Blue Label, Green Label). the first Bentley produced, beginning in 1920, in six model series, with some capable of over 100 mph. The first Bentley to race at LeMans was a 3 liter. After the 3 liter cars they had 4 1/2 liter, 6 liter and 8 liter capable of over 140 mph and could cost over $7000 in 1931.Bentley’s won at LeMans in 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930. Because of the economy Bentley was going out of business in 1930, and was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1931, who decided to make it a companion car to Rolls-Royce and not race.
No Hillman Hunters For USA?Or There Is None Available In This Particular Event?
Plymouth Cricket in North America. I can’t imagine there are any left, even in the PNW region..
The Cricket was a Hillman Avenger. I don’t know if the USA got the Hunter (I suspect not) but a Canadian market version was featured on this site. (It was badged Sunbeam Arrow)
I think it was the same here, but was replaced by the Avenger (Plymouth Cricket) and Mitsubishi Galant (the original Dodge Colt) which were a size smaller and offered a base MSRP below $2000 to make the upsell to a Dart/Valiant less tempting.
As recently as about three years ago, there was a Plymouth Cricket on Long Island. The weekly automotive section in the local newspaper had a small article about it and I even saw it in person shortly thereafter at a mall
The Hillman Hunter/Minx series was available for a short time in the US as the Sunbeam Arrow! Imported by Chrysler as well as Simcas from France!
Beneath the Riley’s traditional styling, its engine was an advanced design for the period, with a cross flow hemi head, and two camshafts, high in the block, one each side, with short pushrods and rockers.
There are references to a U.S. Manufacturer, can’t remember which one, testing and studying this engine for its unusual efficiency .
Previous, smaller Rileys actually had this same layout from the early 1930’s, and were mucho successful in motorsports.
Nice ! .
To be a proper British Car Swap Meet it’d be an “Auto Jumble” .
Always interesting parts to be found, nice seeing _two_ BMC engines there ! looks like ‘B’ series to me (?) .
from the late 1950’s through the mid 1960’s Morris Minors were very popular in College towns….. they pop up here and there all across America, still make good daily drivers and weekend fun cars, cheap to buy, repair and operate , rarely less than 30 MPG no matter how badly you drive it .
-Nate
While they look almost the same, the two half-timbered Minis at the start would have quite different names the green one being a Morris Mini Traveller and the blue one an Austin Seven Countryman. Such are the wonders of BMC badge engineering.
I really like the later Minis with the wider tires and fender flares. That cream-coloured Riley and cream-coloured Rolls are particularly lovely.
The pick-ups are sweet but the woodies are what really get my juices flowing. The cutest of all minis by far. Not many of them left and the ones that are around go for big bucks. Same for the pick-ups – doesn’t matter how rusty and abused (and minis get VERY rusty), there’s no such thing as “uneconomical to restore”.
Great pictures – very nicely framed and balanced. If the Bentley would have been colored BRG, I would have expected to see John Steed behind the wheel….
That Mk I Sprite is a dead ringer for mine.