HISTORIC BRM START-UP AT BEAULIEU SPRING AUTOJUMBLE

On Saturday May 19th, show-goers will hear the incredible roar of the BRM’s powerful but highly-strung supercharged engine, which made it famous during its heyday driven by motorsport aces Juan Manuel Fangio and Reg Parnell. The start-up at 3pm on the Beaulieu Events Arena will celebrate the end of the long and complicated restoration project, and is sure to impress event visitors.

Beaulieu’s Spring Autojumble, which takes place on May 19^th and 20^th, is the ideal platform for the start-up as motoring enthusiasts from across Europe search more than 1,000 stands for classic car parts, automobilia, motoring literature and bargains.

Made possible by generous donations to the BRM Preservation Appeal, the essential rebuild of the BRM’s engine was boosted when the National Motor Museum Trust became the 2014 Goodwood Revival Beneficiary Charity. BRM expert Hall & Hall, of Bourne in Lincolnshire – a motor sport specialist with historic links to the original British Racing Motors (BRM) company – was the only choice to tackle the complicated and fastidious restoration of the engine.

National Motor Museum Manager and Chief Engineer Doug Hill said: “This is an iconic British racing car and the Spring Autojumble, an unmissable event on the classic car enthusiasts’ calendar and one of Beaulieu’s biggest and best-loved events, is the perfect place for this historic start-up.”

For a sneak preview of the BRM’s newly-rebuilt engine running before being re-fitted, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhoytYf-joY&feature=youtu.be. Or to watch the last time this iconic racer ran in public, see www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvsyazElybo.

Spring Autojumble will also celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the much-loved Morris Minor, one of the nation’s favourite classics. MoggyFest and Friends will put on a vibrant display of more than 300 eye-catching Morris Minors, with contemporary classics brought together by the Dorset Branch of the Morris Minor Owners’ Club.

The centrepiece of the special display will be a real-life timeline, showcasing every phase of the Morris Minor’s development during its long production run, ranging from one of the earliest Minor ‘lowlights’ of 1948, through the special edition lilac Minor Million of 1961, right up to one of the last Minor 1000 vans to go into service with the Post Office in 1972. Entries are coming in fast, so if you own a Morris Minor or suitable classic car and want to join the display, see dorsetmmoc.co.uk/wordpress for more information.

Head over to the stand of show regular the Wessex Car Club to see a selection of its members’ cars, from high-powered sports cars to traditional classic saloons.

There will be plenty of activity on the stand of media sponsor Practical Classics, as the magazine’s team chats with show-goers and tinkers with its project cars. Look out for the magazine’s latest restoration, an early Citroen 2CV from 1954, not to mention ongoing Riley RMA, Jensen Interceptor and Ford Model T projects.

Anyone looking to buy their own classic car will be spoilt for choice with Automart, which will feature up to 100 vehicles for sale. Or head over to Dealermart where traders will offer a selection of top-quality classics for sale.

On Sunday 20^th see the return of two unmissable show highlights. Beaulieu’s Land Rover Rummage will see everything and anything Land Rover-related bought, bartered, swapped and sold in a section of the show dedicated to Britain’s favourite 4×4. You never know what great buys you will find in Trunk Traders, as jumblers sell surplus spares, tools, books and automobilia.

You can also grab an end-of-show bargain in the Walkabout Auction on Sunday afternoon, with guest auctioneer Practical Classics Editor Danny Hopkins. Giving exhibitors the opportunity to sell off unsold stock, just £1 buys a box for exhibitors to fill up (larger items can go alongside) to be auctioned off before the close of the show.

One-day and two-day Spring Autojumble tickets can be bought in advance online. For tickets or more details see www.beaulieu.co.uk/events/spring-autojumble or call 01590 612888.

Spring Autojumble event tickets include entry to the whole Beaulieu attraction, including the National Motor Museum with its collection of more than 250 vehicles and new display The Luxury of Motoring, new-look World of Top Gear, On Screen Cars, ancestral Montagu family home of Palace House, 13^th century Beaulieu Abbey and the stunning grounds and gardens.

Exhibitors and Trunk Traders can book their stand online at www.beaulieu.co.uk/events/spring-autojumble/exhibitors or contact the Beaulieu Events team at events@beaulieu.co.uk or on 01590 614614.

Find us on Twitter @Beaulieu_Hants, on Facebook at /nationalmotormuseum or on Instagram @national_motor_museum and join the conversation with #autojumble.