A Wonderful Summer with the Devon Group 

What a wonderful few months of hot summer weather the Devon Group has enjoyed. Perfect weather for trips in our open-top TRs! 

We had two last-minute picnics, one to Roadford Lake and the other to Meldon Quarry. Both were very enjoyable, with members driving out to meet up for a relaxing day together, accompanied, of course, by plenty of TR chitchat. 

The annual Historic Vehicle Gathering at Powderham Castle was another great success. This large two-day event is always popular, and Devon members are very enthusiastic and proud to display their TRs to the many visitors. We had a fantastic turnout, with 15 TRs on Saturday and 11 on Sunday. 

In July, we met at the Holt Café at Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club. After coffee, we drove a few miles to the Digger’s Rest for Sunday lunch. Thank you to Rob Waldron for organising such a great day and an interesting route. The sat-nav took everyone down a very narrow Devon lane, creating a film of dust over our freshly washed and polished cars! 

In August, we headed up the M5 towards Malvern, stopping for lunch at Fromebridge Mill before continuing to the Malvern Premier Inn. Fourteen members got together for an evening meal and an enjoyable evening of TR conversation. 

The following morning, after breakfast, we headed to the Morgan Motor Company for a factory tour. Everyone was very impressed by the knowledge of our guide and by the fantastic working factory, situated on its historic site. The tour gave us an exclusive insight into the craftsmanship, heritage and excitement behind Morgan cars. 

No one was persuaded to order a Morgan, as far as I know — but it certainly made for a very interesting and enjoyable visit! 

After the Morgan Factory we headed on to Carfest to set up the Devon Camp. Everyone agreed it was a fabulous fun weekend with loads of cars and plenty of things to see and do. 

Congratulations to Andrew Willmott who reports: 

“I had some additional focus at this year’s international TR gathering at Malvern, now re branded as Car Club Fest, as I had been persuaded to enter my TR3 in the Pride of Ownership concours competition. Having entered, Phil and Martin gave me some invaluable advice about what the judges would be looking for. The Pride of Ownership class is specifically aimed at cars that see regular road use so the underside is not judged. Points are awarded for cleanliness of the exterior, interior and under-bonnet area, with additional points for evidence of regular use like MOT certificates and photos of trips in the car. Points of interest like an original tool kit, the history of the car and long-term ownership also add to the tally. 

After the 140-mile drive and an overnight on a dusty campsite the car needed sprucing up before going on display. An hour’s work assisted by Martin and Graham saw the car ready for judging.  

Having viewed the high standard of the competition I wasn’t expecting any awards to be coming my way so at Sunday’s presentations I was surprised to find that not only had we come second in class, but had also been awarded the Sophomore Cup for the best second place across all classes. 

There are a number of cars in the group which are more than good enough to go one better”.