The OMOC comes through for me!
Further to my post about this year’s VBOA National Rally, I am very pleased to be able to report that the gaps in my hoard of VBOA Billing Aquadrome plaques have been filled thanks to a thoroughly enjoyable trade of notes with Paul Brennecker, the vice chairman and regalia supremo of the Opel Manta Owners Club (OMOC). I have attached a picture of the plaques (to the left) just in case you are interested.
Clearly I am chuffed with the result but the fact is that getting the plaques is only a small part of a story that has all sorts of interesting elements to write about.
The first is that the internet is a brilliant tool for finding out information and tracking down things that you need/want – I know that the world-wide-web needs some caveats and health warnings associated with it but there is no better way of conducting research quickly. I have spent years going to Billing and have not managed to have the right conversation with the right person at the right time and yet Google helped in the handful of seconds it took me to plug in the search routine.
In the pre ‘www.days’ there were only two possible outcomes; one, you took years to track something down by going in and out of shops until you got lucky; two, you never got lucky!
After writing my earlier event review, I Google searched for the 1997 plaque and ended up being presented back a page from an old Yahoo Italia Grupp (group) page supposedly representing the Opel Manta Club Italia but presenting details dating back to 2000 from the UK club.
The OMOC current club site didn’t contain the information shown on the Yahoo page but then that is hardly surprising given that we are in 2012. Paul’s details were provided and so I took a chance and sent him a note.
My second point is that the note was well worth sending because it turns out that Paul and I live within a handful of miles of each other, that we were born in the same year and have all sorts of things in common including cars, music, and an appreciation of vinyl records. The geographic closeness meant that Paul was able to drop the plaques around and that meant we got a chance to meet.
Paul was on his way out to a pub meet of the OMOC in Warwick and given that it was pouring with rain yesterday evening, he left his classic Manta at home and drove up to my home in a V8 beast of a Vauxhall Monaro. I heard the car pull into the close and rushed out to look – the yellow monster you see before you was growling menacingly. My nine year old lad was impressed enough to come out into the rain, in his pyjamas to take a photograph and drool! To be fair I was impressed too and took the picture that you see before you. When Paul left he blipped the throttle on the way out of the close, the Monaro roared and disappeared into the night. There is something deeply satisfying, powerful and elemental in the rumble and howl of a V8 – simply put, it’s a sound that makes you happy.
The third element of this story is that in my efforts to track down a few small plaques I have made contact with a thoroughly decent chap that I hope will become a friend of mine. In my Billing post I mentioned that classic cars are great for bringing people together and here is some more evidence to justify the claim.
Return to Reviews and Recommendations Home
Clearly I am chuffed with the result but the fact is that getting the plaques is only a small part of a story that has all sorts of interesting elements to write about.
The first is that the internet is a brilliant tool for finding out information and tracking down things that you need/want – I know that the world-wide-web needs some caveats and health warnings associated with it but there is no better way of conducting research quickly. I have spent years going to Billing and have not managed to have the right conversation with the right person at the right time and yet Google helped in the handful of seconds it took me to plug in the search routine.
In the pre ‘www.days’ there were only two possible outcomes; one, you took years to track something down by going in and out of shops until you got lucky; two, you never got lucky!
After writing my earlier event review, I Google searched for the 1997 plaque and ended up being presented back a page from an old Yahoo Italia Grupp (group) page supposedly representing the Opel Manta Club Italia but presenting details dating back to 2000 from the UK club.
The OMOC current club site didn’t contain the information shown on the Yahoo page but then that is hardly surprising given that we are in 2012. Paul’s details were provided and so I took a chance and sent him a note.
My second point is that the note was well worth sending because it turns out that Paul and I live within a handful of miles of each other, that we were born in the same year and have all sorts of things in common including cars, music, and an appreciation of vinyl records. The geographic closeness meant that Paul was able to drop the plaques around and that meant we got a chance to meet.
Paul was on his way out to a pub meet of the OMOC in Warwick and given that it was pouring with rain yesterday evening, he left his classic Manta at home and drove up to my home in a V8 beast of a Vauxhall Monaro. I heard the car pull into the close and rushed out to look – the yellow monster you see before you was growling menacingly. My nine year old lad was impressed enough to come out into the rain, in his pyjamas to take a photograph and drool! To be fair I was impressed too and took the picture that you see before you. When Paul left he blipped the throttle on the way out of the close, the Monaro roared and disappeared into the night. There is something deeply satisfying, powerful and elemental in the rumble and howl of a V8 – simply put, it’s a sound that makes you happy.
The third element of this story is that in my efforts to track down a few small plaques I have made contact with a thoroughly decent chap that I hope will become a friend of mine. In my Billing post I mentioned that classic cars are great for bringing people together and here is some more evidence to justify the claim.
Return to Reviews and Recommendations Home
The Opel Manta Owners Club site is worth a visit. I have borrowed this picture to act as a link – this image, eminently suited to my site, is of a club member called Mark
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The yellow monster Monaro - apologies for the rain spot on the lens!
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Evidence of 16 years of pilgrimage to the VBOA All Vauxhall Car Club Rally at Billing Aquadrome. New plaques included!
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