Capesthorne Hall Classic Car Show

I had this on the radar for the last week but hadn't planned on going until Sunday evening when I saw some pictures of that days show over on Retrobeutes. With rare cars a distinct possibility, weather looking good for at least the morning (not bad for a Bank Holiday Monday in the UK) and my little one suitably bribed with the promise of ice cream and sweets we loaded the Scirocco and made the hours’ drive over to the stunning Capesthorne Hall first thing in the morning. This was not only a place I’ve never been too but also a show I'd never been too so I was looking forward to it.

Boschet B300 Gullwing

So what do you do when as a yuppie in the late 1980’s you wanted to stand out in the company car park while demonstrating how much money you earned? Buy a Mercedes 300CE I hear you say. No I said show how much money you earn, surely a bespoke tuned Mercedes 300CE, and Boschet could sell you one of the most memorable. Harking back to the original 300SL with its gullwing doors, Boschet would taka a standard 300 move the c-pillar forward 25cm, then graft these doors too it and sell it to you as the Boschet B300. The car was actually sold in both normal and gullwing variants, most sold being the conventional tuned doored version. But a small number of the good ones were built from 1989.

Mercedes VRC

In 1995 at the Geneva Motor Show Mercedes introduced the world to its VRC (versatile automotive concepts) concept. A car that could be anything and do everything for everyone. The 2 part car encompasses a standard base part that holds the running gear, seats, doors and windscreen, basically everything from the waist down. Added to the top of this was a variety of bodies from people carriers, pick-up to convertible and coupe. These were held in place with electric magnets and rear power connection which also lets the base know what car it is for each body.