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Hot Rod Hayride

With at least four major events happening over the last weekend of July, all of which appealed to some cross-section of American car owners, one could possibly be forgiven for being somewhat confused as to which event to attend. In fact, it’s a credit to the size of the current UK scene, that all four events were strongly attended. Whether you chose Santa Pod for the Mopars and muscle cars, Knebworth for the classics, or Old Warden for Street Rods and Custom cars of all descriptions, there was something for everyone. Since this writer (and our photographers Nick Grant and Neal Reed) have a preference for traditional-styled rods and customs it was the Hot Rod Hayride which won the day for them, as it’s an event that combines music, lifestyle and cars like no other.

A change to the organising team this year had a few regulars wondering if the event at Bisley, Surrey would be as successful in content and atmosphere as previous years. However, they needn’t have worried, although it was different in some respects, it was not detrimental and everyone seemed to have a great time and accepted the changes as the natural evolution of an already successful and unique weekend of pre-’66 retro-style fun. Sure there were more motorcycles than at previous Hayrides but 99% of them were period modified machines and blended well with the established theme of the weekend.

There’s a big following for trad-style cars in Europe too, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the Hayride didn’t attract more visitors from the Continent than any other weekend run of the year, most of them bringing some cool machinery with them and covering some serious mileage to get there, especially the two hot rods that drove up from Spain.

While there is always plenty going on at the National Shooting Range where the Hayride is held, over the whole weekend, the drive-out on the Saturday is a particular highlight. After several years at the dirt track oval, this year saw the rods and customs heading down to Dunsfold airfield (home of TV’s Top Gear) for some old time flag start, eighth-mile drag racing courtesy of the Detonators Car Club, aka the SLTA, (the newly formed, South London Timing Association). Run strictly informally, with no timing lights, but lots of hay bales, and with a backdrop of a Second World War military Dakota aircraft, for a while there, it could just have been a dusty strip somewhere in California in the late Fifties. Well, give or take a couple of orange traffic cones that is...

Sunday saw the now established soapbox derby once again, some more impromptu live music on the balcony of the pavilion, and new for this year, a Sunday flea market as well as all the regular traders. There’s just never enough time to see and do all the fun stuff. Fortunately, at the Hayride, this means you rarely see anyone frantically polishing their car all day, or sitting around in lawn chairs, or planting flags all around their car, or even worrying about the show judging, and y’know what? Long may it remain so, ’cos life’s much too short for all that!

Words: Keith Harman 
Photography: Hot Rod Photographers Alliance