America is known for its love of excess. Everything is larger than life and the performance cars it produces are no exception – they have enormous engines, obnoxious exhaust notes and extravagant movie star styling. While the rest of the world focuses on building economical, sensible, practical vehicles, the US is busy doing burnouts and drag racing.
Due to this, these monstrous motors haven’t just developed an immense following in their home country, but throughout the world. American cars, both old and new, continue to charm enthusiasts everywhere, prompting various car shows celebrating them.
However, countless events across the globe have had to be cancelled, postponed or forced to heavily adapt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This includes car shows and the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, the New Forest, know that fact all too well, with the devastating effects of the virus taking a firm grasp of its extensive events calendar.
Four major gatherings within its grounds, including the popular annual Beaulieu Supercar Weekend, were scrapped for 2020, while its popular ‘Simply’ plethora of events were pushed back.
After these decisions were made, one of the first of these Simply events to take place – and the first of its kind for this year – was Simply American on Sunday 16th August. It allowed owners of US-made cars to bring their prized piece of Americana onto the museum’s grounds. The powerful muscle machines were then displayed for both owners and visitors to admire, all the while conjuring up images of Route 66, open roads and/or various Hollywood car chase scenes.
So why are American cars so popular and constantly idolized? Take the iconic and sought-after Mustang, for example. With the fifth-generation car, Ford acknowledged significant demand in other markets outside the US. So, for the first time in 50 years, the manufacturer began taking the Mustang global during the mid-2010s.
In its first year of production, the ‘Blue Oval’ sold approximately 27,000 right-hand-drive Mustangs across the world –around 4,400 of those sales were UK-based – according to Automotive News Europe.
During this period, Ford UK declared the Mustang to be its most popular model rated above 237bhp. The model came with either a 420bhp 5.0-litre V8 or 310bhp 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.
More recently, in 2019, Ford sold a remarkable 102,090 Mustangs, claiming the title of the world’s best-selling sports car for the fifth consecutive year. In Europe alone, the model sells very well, as the following shows.
Speaking to Fred Shepherd, acting manager of Bill Shepherd Mustang – the self-proclaimed ‘only one marque Mustang specialist dealer in the UK and possibly the world’ – he believed the model’s success, at its heart, can be attributed to its heritage as “the original pony car”, as well as its wide range of appearances on the silver screen.
Mr Shepherd, on US cars in general, also referenced the intense appeal of the V8 engine. He said: “In a world in which cars have become more and more civilized, people find the raw nature of an American V8 refreshing. They’re also a cheap and accessible route to performance.”
Though even with an abundance of enthusiast endearment for all kinds of four-wheeled machines; as you can imagine, getting Beaulieu’s remaining events back into gear was no easy feat. With many safety measures and significant changes put in place, the regular Simply rally petrolheads know and love had to be made simpler. Simply American was no exception.
Richard Morgan, marketing manager for the National Motor Museum, said: “There was a lot of planning that went into it just to ensure we were in a safe position to [go ahead].
“We’ve stripped [the events] back and taken away things like club bookings and people’s choice award. But once we found the right formula, they are relatively straight forward to manage.”
Commenting on other steps that have been taken to ensure safety throughout the museum, Mr Morgan described having to wear a facemask in all indoor attractions – as per government guidelines – implementing hand sanitizing stations across attractions and cleaning toilet facilities more than usual, to name a few.
He said: “We are doing everything we can for our visitors to feel safe.”
On the other hand, the cars have always been the shining star of any Simply event and this core component is still very much intact despite changes introduced because of COVID. This was particularly apparent upon arriving on the day of Simply American, as around 100 modern muscle cars and cool classics could be seen lining Beaulieu’s two large fields. Revving engines and Hollywood looks were plentiful, drawing smiles from eager enthusiasts as they explored with great awe and amazement.
From Corvettes to Camaros, Chargers to Challengers, the range of cars from across the pond was an exciting sight to see – not only in make and model but also in age.
For example, I spoke to Martin Farwell, owner of a 1929 Ford Model A pickup. The petrolhead had driven his pride and joy around 30 miles to Beaulieu and the classic black truck remains in its original condition from when it was new – rather remarkable for its age.
The Model A began production in 1927 and is the successor to the iconic Ford Model T. Unlike many modern muscle cars built in America, this ’20s classic isn’t particularly powerful – its 3.3-litre four-cylinder engine produces only 39bhp.
Despite the car being in great condition, Mr Farwell was very much mindful of the fact his Model A is still a 91-year-old automobile. He said: “It’s made it here and let’s hope it makes it back.
“I’ve really enjoyed the event. It seems to draw cars in from quite a wide catchment area, so you see stuff you don’t normally see at the smaller car shows. So, it’s worth coming.”
On Simply American in general, Mr Farwell also described a few benefits in the event being limited due to COVID, such as reduced crowds and queuing, making it “just as enjoyable” as pre-pandemic Simply events in his opinion.
However, not everyone believed Simply American had weathered the negatives of the pandemic. Though appreciative of owners rallying together, visitor John Smythe wasn’t too content. He said: “The event is good. Shame about COVID, that’s let it down.
“Some beautiful machines here today, but maybe next year we’ll have more cars, more people and better fun.”
Furthermore, evidence of the pandemic’s weight on the event was always apparent – all the cars were significantly spaced out, for instance. Not only that, despite there being many cars on show, previous Simply gatherings I had attended (before COVID) would often feature over twice the number of amazing machines sprawled over an even larger portion of the museum’s grounds.
This reduction in cars was in part due to Beaulieu only accepting a limited capacity of 500 pre-paying customers, as well as possibly the dreary weather of the particular day. Though in saying that, Simply American also just didn’t seem to draw in plenty of people even to reach the total limit.
Mr Morgan said: “Simply American was one of our quieter rallies. If you would have attended Simply Audi or Japanese, they were busier. It’s very dependent on the demographic of that mark vehicle.
“Some people feel very confident about coming out at the moment, but there are some people who are a little bit nervous.”
It must be mentioned that Beaulieu’s events calendar aren’t the only car-centric gatherings to have plans dramatically change due to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, arguably the largest and most significant annual car event, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, had to be postponed for 2020.
This year’s Festival of Speed was set to take place between the 9th and 12th of July. This did end up being a comparatively low period of new cases (in the 100s per day). Although, the event’s postponement was announced on March 26th, so during the rise of the initial spike and a day which experienced a troubling 2,858 new cases in the UK – according to the GOV.UK website.
In addition, the British Motor Show, which was set to take place in August 2020, has been pushed back to August 2021. Andy Entwistle, CEO and founder of Automotion Events – the host of the British Motor Show – said: “The events industry has been hit harder than any and people don’t realise this because a lot of noise comes from travel and hospitality.
“It’s just ground to a halt – there’s been no concerts, no big exhibitions or shows. Everyone in this industry is really hurt.”
On the other hand, Mr Entwistle’s business has adapted to the situation, running a smaller ‘Pop-Up Motor Show’ located in the Festival Place shopping centre, Basingstoke, initially planned to take place from the 16th to 24th of December 2020. The show allows enthusiasts a COVID-secure glimpse into what the full show will have to offer, including rare classic cars, as well new and electric vehicles.
The Pop-Up Motor Show saw an impressive 4,000 people through its doors during its opening weekend. Mr Entwistle commented: “Everyone we’ve spoken to loves the concept and we’ve had amazing support.”
That being said, the current second UK lockdown has caused the show to temporarily shut its doors. It’s set to reopen on December 2nd and will now run until the end of January to make up for the lost time.
Though adaptation still seems to be the key word here – changing and altering car-centric events to entice petrolheads while still being very much COVID compliant. Fortunately, as previously mentioned, Simply American did exactly that and it finally taking place was a delight for many motoring buffs.
Adam Hinton, a visitor who helps run Surrey Muscle – a company which carries out a range of services surrounding muscle, custom and classic cars – found Simply American to be a refreshing escape from a currently COVID-focused world.
He said: “It’s nice to be able to get out. Still obviously with a bit of social distancing, but at the same time it’s nice seeing everyone out in the cars and having a chance to actually catch up with some people in the community.”
Originally from Australia, Mr Hinton was particularly impressed and entertained by the cars on show. Enamoured with the rugged looks and throaty sounds of the US-made machines (as many attendees were), he believed there to be a “nice, eclectic mix of American cars in attendance and that “Beaulieu is always a nice place to have all the cars out”.
One car that stood out from the already awesome crowd of Dodge Vipers, Ford Mustangs, Pontiac Firebirds, etc. was a beautiful 1969 Chevrolet El Camino. The classic pickup features a 325bhp 7.4-litre ‘big block’ V8 – the largest you could get with the model – under the bonnet, as well as a race cam.
Owner and enthusiast Lloyd Parker, who’s had the vivacious vehicle for five years, was kind enough to turn the key in the ignition – the V8 sound is truly incredible, in keeping with many classic muscle cars of its era.
Mr Parker said: “The engine’s the strongest thing in the car. But she’s my baby.
“It’s the pickup version of a Chevelle. It’s done out with the SS colours, with these stripes and everything. It’s not an original SS, but it’s a copy, basically.”
Overall, the future of Beaulieu’s Simply events remains uncertain, although Mr Morgan did confirm they would be returning in 2021. The main concern currently is in what shape and form they’ll continue in. The question is whether the extra niceties, such as people’s choice awards and club bookings, will be granted a comeback or if the only option will be to keep running these rallies as stripped versions of their former selves.
Mr Morgan said: “At this moment we’re hoping they’ll revert back to the original format.
“Until we’ve had more guidance from the government in terms of what we can do and where we are with COVID next year – obviously nobody really knows at this point in time. It’s difficult to be able to tell you how they will look.”
petrolheads 