Polegrove - the petrol-head's dream

To have done full justice to the many fascinating cars gathered in Polegrove on Bank Holiday Monday would have taken any self-respecting petrol-head a full day's absorbed inspection.

Which was precisely the point of the exercise by the Bexhill 100 Motoring Club.

Bigger and better than ever - that was this year's show.

Civic guests included Rother chairman Cllr Martin Kenward and his wife Corrie and Town Mayor Cllr Paul Lendon. Principal sponsor Ian Standley of Dray's was a shine-and-show competition judge. Martin Kenward assisted the chairman with the Best In Show competition, judged by the public.

A less civil guest was "Colin" an authentic Dalek still with the signatures of the original television crew inscribed around the inside of "his" collar.

Colin revealed a nice line in Dalek invective on a day otherwise notable for its friendly, relaxed atmosphere in a sun-kissed Bank Holiday Polegrove.

Within 30 minutes of the gates opening to the public, Bexhill 100 club chairman "Digger " Brodrick was able to boast of having more than 250 interesting cars on display.

As he spoke, more entries were pouring into Polegrove.

"We have a massive turn-out of Aston Martins and Jaguars. The Jaguar collection alone must be worth 1m," said the chairman, praising the energy, enthusiasm and dedication of 30 100 Club members who had worked since 6am to stage the event, a "eclectic mix" of the very old, the exotic, the modern classic downright eccentric.

The Jaguars had their own enclave, as did the Aston Martin owners - with their own flag.

But who would have dreamt that the Austin Allegro - the "All Aggro" of yesteryear -would now be a modern classic.

Owners' club members had their own area sporting seven examples from the pristine to the in-need-of-TLC.

Club spokesman Roger Feist, from Kent - he has a 1.7HLS - said: "We are very lucky. The club is very friendly. It doesn't matter is you have an Allegro that is mint condition or rusty.

"It is people who count in the club'¦."

Members had listed the Allegro's attributes for the doubters: "Practical, comfortable and spacious, compact and easy to park, well-proven and reliable engines, easy to service and maintain, cheap classic insurance, economical'¦

Others were less - well - "economical." The lines of polished prized possessions in Polegrove included vast "Yank tanks" and thirsty roadsters, a 1994 Mini with a 160bhp Honda VTECH engine squeezed under the bonnet and a stately Humber Imperial - the kind of car in which Prime Ministers used to purr up to the door of No. 10.

At the other end of the scale were 32 highly individual little cars belonging to the Smart Car Owners Club members enjoying their fifth annual Beach Party in Bexhill.

Organiser Tom Crawford said: "We have members here from as far afield as Redcar and Gloucestershire."

Nineteen club members had taken part last Friday night in a gathering on the De La Warr Pavilion terrace that turned car ownership into art and marked the start of the Pavilion's Jour de Fete.

Alan Newman, of Maidstone, had taken customising to extremes by laying seven metres of brightly-coloured sparkling Spandex on his Smart Car.

"I could have done it in five by using the off-cuts but I wanted the patterns to line-up," he explained - as if that explained WHY he'd done it.

Champion campers were Brian and Sam Lightfoot, of Cobham. Brian spent five months hand-crafting a minute caravan out of lightweight aluminium for his Smart Car to tow..

"It sleeps two and has a kitchenette," he explained, curled in the foetal position.

Members had camped for the weekend at Cobbs Hill Farm.

And how long does it take to strip ever plastic composite body panel off a Smart Car? Ten minutes flat - as demonstrated at the show.

Pride of place at the show was given to the made-in-Bexhill cars - a line-up of Elvas headed by the 1958 Mark III sports-racer recently bought by Bexhill Museum to grace its new motor heritage gallery and now the subject of an appeal fund as it awaits restoration to display standard.

The show also featured one of only three Mk III Elva Couriers extant.

Be-blazoned and boatered, Cllr Michael Ensor narrowly missed winning the car-and-costume titled with his 1925 Morris Cowley Bullnose Doctor's Coupe. Even though ~Michael also sported a wind-up gramophone and records,

Doone Ellerton's family link with her 1935 Lanchester 12/6 saloon clinched the award.

Doone's great uncle was Fred Lanchester'¦.

Resplendent in navy blue Thirties dress and beads, she said of her handsome old car: "It was restored by someone in Kent. It was up for grabs in the Daimler Lanchester Owners' Club magazine so I had to have her'¦"

There was so much else to enjoy. Bexhill 100 Club member Lee Dunn had is smart little 1931 Austin 7 RM "Archie" on display. From campers to a 2-litre sand rail, "Dub-Nuts" - Volkswagen owners - had their own line-up.

What would 169 10s. buy in 1933? An Austin 10 Pre-Series Sliding Head saloon. What's a "sliding head"?

If you are that interested give the Bexhill 100 show a look next year.

But what of that famed Le Mans-winning D-Type Jaguar we were promised? Don't ask. The no-show Jaguar was the sole disappointment of a day guaranteed to bring joy to lovers of every aspect of motoring and the automobile heritage.

The chairman's award will be announced at the awards evening at the Cooden Beach Hotel on October 9.