British cars keep you humble and happy, collectors say

Jul. 23—HUDSON

For 26 years, this town has experienced a British invasion. The latest happened Saturday.

Bentley, Triumph, Rolls Royce, MG, Austin-Healey, Land Rover, Jaguar, (pronounced "JAG-u-er" in proper English). Their grilles, boots, bodies and bonnets dotted the Alvirne High School parking lot at the 26th annual "Show of Dreams" British car show, a yearly fundraiser for the New Hampshire Food Bank, a service of Catholic Charities.

Two hundred twenty-four autos in tidy rows forged a landscape of luxury and industry. Some looked sleek like James Bond's getaway cars, others like miniaturized runabouts built to carry hobbits or Rowan Atkinson, star of the British comedy, "Mr. Bean."

Vintage wheels reminiscent of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "The Crown," "Austin Powers" and "Downton Abbey" glistened like museum pieces. A 1955 cream-colored Jaguar XK 140, capable of cruising at 140 mph, rumbled down an aisle, turning heads and widening eyes. A nearby teal blue 1994 Jaguar flashed the license plate "Grrrowl."

Whether historic, chic or impish, they broadcasted the same message: "Yes! I'm fun to drive!"

Over a thousand owners and spectators meandered, ogling, over the course of the five-hour event. The goal was to raise $25,000 for the food bank, or a bounty of nearly 50,000 meals.

"It will benefit a lot of families," said Eileen Liponis, executive director of NH Food Bank. "We're grateful for events like this."

There was no denying the cars' appeal.

Geoffrey Bird of Atkinson, wearing a T-shirt lettered, "It's a British Invasion," stood beside the 1969 MGA he bought for $350 when he was in high school. He still drives it three or four times a week, thanks to maintenance bordering between love and obsession.

"The top's down. The wind's in your hair. There's no such thing as power steering or power brakes. Girls loved them in the 1960s," he said. "If I had a motorcycle, they'd be scraping me off the pavement with a spatula. I'm much better off driving something like this.

"It's reminiscent for me," said Tim Davidson of Weare, a native of Leiscester, England, displaying his 1974 MG-BGT, a car he said was similar to his father's. He drives the no-frills sporty compact even in winter. "It's entertaining. It's just fun."

British Cars of New Hampshire, a club with councils on the Seacoast, as well as in the Monadnock region and southern and northern New Hampshire, was started in 1991 by Mike Sweet of Weare and six couples. The club now boasts more than 300 members who get together for car shows, car parades and to share an abiding passion.

"I think it's the feeling you get, the things you're thinking about when you're behind the wheel. It's the style. It's a lifestyle. It brings memories for a lot of people," said Sweet. "You think of England, narrow roads, hedgerows, The Beatles, the royal family. Most people, if they're into British cars, have a relationship with the U.K."

Sweet bought his first MG at age 16, after a childhood with Matchbox cars and James Bond movies.

"I watched these cars drive around and said, 'I want one of those,'" he said.

Today, Sweet serves as "prime minister" of the British Cars of New Hampshire club.

"If you have a British car, you can go to a meeting every month," he said.

Tristan Davidson, 16, of Weare, a junior at John Stark Regional High School, recently bought a similar model to his dad, Tim's, a 1970 MG-BGT. He racked up 4,000 miles between driving to work and school.

His fellow students asked, "Is it fast? Is it fun? Is it reliable?" to which he replied, "'It's English. It depends on the day.'

"If you take care of it and maintain it well, they're pretty much bomb-proof."

They're a departure from American highway stereotypes, a novelty on wheels, he said. "You see them going down the road and say, 'What is that?'"

"It's like a time capsule. We're preserving history," said Tim Davidson. "When you're driving, it seems like you're going way faster than you are."

In Britain, driving is both a hobby and a pastime, Sweet said.

Low-slung British sports cars zoom through the countryside, hugging turns and accelerating on straightaways, while their drivers experience a sound that switches between revving, rumbling and roaring.

It was hard not to gape at the lineup on display: A pale blue 1965 Ford GT40, built in England as a race car, was the same model featured in the movie, "Ford vs. Ferrari."

A Hillman Imp from 1967, considered England's version of the Corvair, wore the New Hampshire plate, "Impy." Not far away sat a gleaming navy blue 1947 Bentley. Further down, a 2012 McLaren supercar, purported to be in the same league as a Lamborghini. A 2014 Aston Martin Vantage, a car Daniel Craig might have owned as Agent 007 was parked, looking ready to go.

Diana Stanley of Center Barnstead, the co-director of "Show of Dreams," owns a 1969 Triumph GT6, a 1974 Triumph TR6, and a 1983 Jaguar SJ6. She didn't hesitate to expound the appeal of timeless British wheels.

"They're quirky. They're the first sports cars that were ever built. They're a labor of love. Most of them have no electronics. They're where cars today come from."

The Jaguar E type is thought to be the most beautiful car ever designed, she added. Plus, they're considered relatively affordable among high-end collector cars.

Forty years ago, Roderick Gilbert of Brookline, Mass., bought a 1962 forest green Jaguar E type, an open two-seater, for about $6,800, then invested nuts, bolts and screws, plus paid and do-it-yourself labor that amounted to roughly $100,000 over decades.

"It's still the cheapest toy I've ever owned," Gilbert said.

John Gallagher of Amherst bought a 1965 London taxi made by Winchester for $750 in 2015. He found it on craigslist. Some $15,000 and four years later it looked brand-new, and still does. Today, it's a visual treasure.

"This car, there's maybe a half-dozen left in the world," Gallagher said. He declined to say what it's worth. That's taboo among collectors.

British cars, he said, "keep you humble. They always need attention."