A gathering of stunning American vehicles glinted in the sunshine at
the inaugural Simply American event held last weekend at the National
Motor Museum, Beaulieu. Owners drove through the beautiful New Forest to
Beaulieu and displayed their American vehicles in the grounds of the
museum, enjoying the all-American atmosphere, the warm weather, and all
the delights of the Beaulieu attraction.
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| Admiring the American cars |
All major American marques and models could be spotted in the
parkland, from sporty Chevrolet Corvettes and Ford Mustangs to luxury
Cadillacs and Buicks. There were even a few American police patrol
vehicles!
Event sponsor, Chevrolet, brought along a range of beautiful motors
to display, from an eye-catching red Camaro with black racing stripes,
and Chevrolet World Touring Car decked out in its racing colours, to one
of the manufacturer’s newest products, an electric Volt, winner of the
2012 European Car of the Year. Visitors also tested out their skills on a
Scalextric track.
On the Chevrolet stand by the Beaulieu Arena, the American Barndance
Band played sets throughout the day, driving home the theme of the
event.
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| American Barndance band |
Throughout the day, Beaulieu’s visitors had an opportunity to vote
for their favourite American vehicles in the People’s Choice Awards. The
winning vehicle was a cream 1950 Mercury led-sled owned by Teri Smith
from Christchurch, who had won the Best in Show award at Beaulieu’s
Custom and Hot Rod Festival only the week before. Teri was presented
with the Simply American People’s Choice Award and a bottle of Beaulieu
Bubbly by the attraction’s Managing Director, Russell Bowman.
The runner-up was Paul Parker from Andover, with his 1993 Ruby Red Corvette – a special 40th anniversary edition. Paul, who has owned the vehicle for two years and
is a member of the Corvette Owners’ Club, received a Beaulieu Trophy and
bottle of Beaulieu Bubbly from Russell.
Visitors were treated to a rare sight of the top 12 stunning American
vehicles taking part in a cavalcade around the picturesque parkland
with their engines thrumming.
The next Simply American will take place in 2013 and information on this event will be available at www.beaulieuevents.co.uk nearer the time.
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