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Terenure Classic and Vintage Car Show Report

8th of July 2012

Second year running I volunteered to organise the Terenure show but not without the best wingman you could ever have our PCI-Member and Friend Derek. As you may know Derek used to drive a black 911 Targa 1997 a beautiful car but alas he parted and some lucky person bought her and now has the joys of owning and as far as I know he is a Club member as well. Anyway like I said I had to have Derek in the team and to replicate last year’s show I asked Ciaran to cater for us with his now famous BBQ. Ciaran obliged to my request and so I was set with the team I needed and I was looking forward to the show.

I still had all my contacts that Derek gave me from the year he had organised before me and so I got cracking in making contact with the Jag Club to book our place or better plot in the Terenure arena. As the year before I did organise block booking with the Jag Club by means of getting all the information needed from our Members who would like to give them to me and I would submit electronically their entries before the published deadline. Of course Members could enter themselves and some have done so since they have done that for years and AXA the sponsors would send them an invite and entry form every year.

With all that in mind the Forum was kicked into action and plenty of chatter generated entries, ideas and not to forget banter was well alive. It wasn’t too long before we were up on numbers and it looked like a busy day out and all I was hoping for was that the weather would be kind to us.

As it happened it didn’t, if you recall on the morning of the show it was heaving with heavy clouds in Co. KK as I was staying the night in our PCI-member Bill’s house as he had asked me to bring his 911 E 1972 to the show while he drove up in his E21 BMW. We had a pleasant drive up to Dublin and I was hitting 80 mph now and then with a 40 year old car that didn’t show any lack of participation in my driving. Oh contraire I could hear the engine singing to me “give me more give me more” and only me not wanting to loose Bill on the M9 I headed. By the time we arrived at Terenure around 9 am the heavens had opened and as the day before it was lashing at us and while driving to our plot in the arena, I thought if the grass had been cut the day before it would be a mood bath. I had never been faced with that kind of weather on the day and all I could think of the year that Derek organised it some 2 years before it was a bit like that and it turned out a great day after all as the weather abated then.

With that in mind I organised our plot while we were the first ones to arrive putting up our flags and our courtesy tent. Needless to say Derek had arrived around the same time and he helped effortlessly like everybody else did. Ted had our Tent and flags in storage and supplied them to us as his company set up further away in the arena. By then GarC and other’s had arrived and duly all hands were willingly offered to put up our utilities. Not before long we were organised and I greeted everybody arriving and advised them for their parking spots as we like the year before had themes to show the public the generation / evolution of Porsche models year on year. Around 10.30 Ciaran arrived with a van full of BBQ gear and most important food a plenty. He was helped setting up and it didn’t take long before the grill was going and the smell of food circled the plot and beyond. Our Secretary Paul had arrived and he was in charge collection Entry fees and BBQ charges. It was all in hand and I was looking forward to a great day at this stage with the rain easing off and eventually stopping.

Before long and to my pleasant surprise everybody who booked arrived and our plot started to fill making it an impressive display from modern Porsches to all older models 928’s, 944’s, 968’s, 911’s, 911 Targa’s etc. Boxster’s, 993’s of all models, 911 Supersport and all in outstanding condition. It wasn’t too long either that plenty of the public were interested in our cars and flocked between our steads for a close-up look as I noticed that many admired our BBQ set-up. Ciaran our master-chef had us eating in no time and by 12.30 we all started cueing for our burgers or chicken wings / fillets or as in my case, sausages. Delicious I can only describe it and I would have come to the show just for them but of course to this show there is much more to it but the BBQ makes it the complete experience.

Not long after and letting lunch settle for a while our judges went out to adjudge our cars in individual classes and an overall winner for the now second time of the Terenure Perpetual Trophy. In total 8 classes were adjudged and our Christy’s 911 Supersport won the overall price and the Terenure Perpetual Trophy for his first time. It was only fitting that last year’s winner Eamon presented the Trophy to Christy. His car stood out amongst all of them with as good as Show room condition, while Christy only had the fuchs-wheels refurbished and looked just incredible.

A more relaxing period was now afforded to Derek, Ciaran and me as all the official parts where over, leaving us just to enjoy the rest of the day. Before we knew the day was over and as the rain started to come back a trickle of traffic started to leave the arena as around 4.30pm participants of the show slowly started to make their way home amidst wet roads and increased traffic especially traffic from the Hurling match in Croke Park. I made sure as the last ones from our Club had left that all rubbish was in bags that could be collected by the organisers not before everybody helped to dismantle our utilities and incredibly it was a fantastic day once more and time to go home. I fired up Bill’s 911 E and made slowly my way home to deliver the car back to Bill in KK and have a quick chat before I left tired but happy in my 95 Merc (my current day to day stead) and headed for home.

So it is time to thank everybody for coming though it didn’t look a promising day, made incredible efforts to have their cars looking like they were new and to Derek and Ciaran for unbelievable professionalism which only befits our Club and I am proud we pulled off a great day once more.

Many thanks to all and maybe we see you again next year,

George


08/07/2012