Once a year the Vauxhall Heritage Centre opens its doors to the general public. The rest of the time, the museum, on the site of Vauxhall’s head office in Luton, is a functioning vehicle restoration and display environment that is inaccessible (unless you work at Griffin House).
I have written about the Heritage Centre a few times before (see below). The first post dates back to October 2012 and was about that year’s open day. The second, dated May 2014, was about a DSG event that was held there.
1) http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/vauxhallrsquos-heritage-centre-ndash-a-nostalgic-trip-to-luton.html
2) http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/the-droopsnoot-celebrates-its-40th-birthday
On 10th April, I once again made my way to Luton, armed with my enthusiasm and my trusty camera, to participate in 2016’s open day. The event organisation followed the format shared in the first of the posts above so won’t get repeated here.
The experience was certainly entertaining.
On the upside, amongst many other vehicles, a family of HC Viva derivatives was present (albeit dispersed all over the site). See the photos - don’t they look so much more appealing than the new model?
On the downside, my overriding memory will actually be about a lack of them.
Back in the mid-nineties when I worked at Vauxhall, I used to spend my lunch breaks in the Heritage Centre with the vehicle restorers. Bernard Ridgeley and Ray Cooper were the custodians of the car collection - both ex-production line workers of retirement age and full of character.
I hadn’t seen either of them for a handful of years admittedly, but when I strolled up to say hello, I had expected that they might remember me. But Bernard looked a bit confused and Ray had to ask me to remind him who I was.
I’ll confess to feeling a sense of deflation. Still, I’ll admit that I am struggling to maintain my youthful good looks (20 years haven’t been as kind as they might) and the fellas are now of an age where they might be struggling to maintain their mental/physical faculties.
But most likely, they just had more of an impact on me than I did on them.
Having mentioned a few things that would have helped them place me, and asked a few questions that evidenced that I genuinely knew them, I beat a hasty, and rather embarrassed, retreat.
Memory Lane tends to be perceived as smooth tarmac all the way. But like roads everywhere, it has its pot holes.
I remember my Vivas and Firenza with much fondness…
…and forget that they never seemed to work for long, didn’t keep the water out, drank lots of fuel and one needed muscles to steer and to stop them.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
I have written about the Heritage Centre a few times before (see below). The first post dates back to October 2012 and was about that year’s open day. The second, dated May 2014, was about a DSG event that was held there.
1) http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/vauxhallrsquos-heritage-centre-ndash-a-nostalgic-trip-to-luton.html
2) http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/the-droopsnoot-celebrates-its-40th-birthday
On 10th April, I once again made my way to Luton, armed with my enthusiasm and my trusty camera, to participate in 2016’s open day. The event organisation followed the format shared in the first of the posts above so won’t get repeated here.
The experience was certainly entertaining.
On the upside, amongst many other vehicles, a family of HC Viva derivatives was present (albeit dispersed all over the site). See the photos - don’t they look so much more appealing than the new model?
On the downside, my overriding memory will actually be about a lack of them.
Back in the mid-nineties when I worked at Vauxhall, I used to spend my lunch breaks in the Heritage Centre with the vehicle restorers. Bernard Ridgeley and Ray Cooper were the custodians of the car collection - both ex-production line workers of retirement age and full of character.
I hadn’t seen either of them for a handful of years admittedly, but when I strolled up to say hello, I had expected that they might remember me. But Bernard looked a bit confused and Ray had to ask me to remind him who I was.
I’ll confess to feeling a sense of deflation. Still, I’ll admit that I am struggling to maintain my youthful good looks (20 years haven’t been as kind as they might) and the fellas are now of an age where they might be struggling to maintain their mental/physical faculties.
But most likely, they just had more of an impact on me than I did on them.
Having mentioned a few things that would have helped them place me, and asked a few questions that evidenced that I genuinely knew them, I beat a hasty, and rather embarrassed, retreat.
Memory Lane tends to be perceived as smooth tarmac all the way. But like roads everywhere, it has its pot holes.
I remember my Vivas and Firenza with much fondness…
…and forget that they never seemed to work for long, didn’t keep the water out, drank lots of fuel and one needed muscles to steer and to stop them.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
RSS Feed
