Were you or your Victor at Billing Aquadrome 9th May 1982?

Were you or your Victor at Billing Aquadrome on 9th May 1982?

This was the day when the F Victor Owners Club, now the Vauxhall Victor Club held its first National Rally that was later to become the All Vauxhall Rally, and has been held at Billing Aquadrome every year since.

The recently formed F Victor Owners Club wanted to organise a National Rally for its members and it was Andy Hull from Kettering who stepped forward suggesting and organising the event in a corner of the Billing Aquadrome site now occupied by the petrol station. Billing Aquadrome was chosen because of the central UK location and the amenities available to Club members.

At that first event 18 F Victors turned out plus some contemporary PA Crestas and even a couple of 50’s Fords. The event was voted a great success and the decision was taken the following year to invite all the other individual Vauxhall car Clubs and make it an annual event. It soon became the premier Vauxhall event in the calendar as an opportunity for Vauxhall owners to show their cars and source elusive parts. By 1997 the event organisation had become too big for any individual club to manage and the newly founded Vauxhall Bedford and Opel Association (VBOA) took over the running and event management. The event has continued its growth to today’s 30 plus clubs and over 2000 vehicles on display, making it one of, if not the largest one make car show in Europe.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary, The Vauxhall Victor Club would like to try to bring together as many of the Victors and people that were there 30 years ago at this year’s event to be held over the weekend of July 15th and 16th 2012. With the help of former Victor Club member Steve Mace, photographs of the day, and my fading memory we have tried to put together a list of both. We are pretty certain we have the Victors listed correctly, but please forgive any errors or omissions, particularly where the people are concerned, as omissions are not maliciously intended. If you know of somebody that was there, or the whereabouts of a ‘Class of ’82 Victor’ then please let me know and I will add them to the list, and if you are still in contact with them then please pass the message on.

The Victors, their owners and passengers on 9th May 1982:

Series I Victors:
TNP 705 – Gareth Shaw
201LMY – Michael Phillips
428THX – Colin Canning
644BKX – Mark Winterburn
UXJ451 – Philip Shuttleworth
HEN 108 (Now FSK686) – Andy Hull & Richard Hull
VNP188 – Neil Meredith (sadly deceased)
UKE902B (Now believed to be 356EYR) – David Jenkinson

Series II Victors:
XOW348 – Christopher Keseru
WHJ599 – David Whiteley & Ron Ruggins
TAN281 – John Hawkins
5605CR – Ian Miller
XOT362 – Paul King, Grahame King & Bob Dobinson
CJW892B (Now CSJ724) – Steve Hazlewood

1961 Model Victors:
333DNM – Neil Bonner
GEO645 – Brian Mack
RJT820 – Not known
495LFC – John Main
654PYB – (Now GSL593) – Peter Ward

Please see the Gallery section of this site for pictures.

If you are unsure about whether your Victor was there or not following change(s) of registration number, I do have a separate list of chassis and engine numbers to check against.

Other people & members present included:

Ian Woodacre
Stephen Mace
Gerald Palmer

Please see the Gallery section of this site for pictures of the day, and again, if you know of anybody that was there that I have not listed, then please let me know via email at archive@vauxhallvictorclub.co.uk and if you or your Victor were there in 1982 we will be delighted to see you for a reunion at Billing 15th July 2012. I would also be interested in any pictures you may have of the day back in 1982 which I am happy to scan and return to you.

For further information or if it is your intention to be there on 15th July 2012,then please call me on 01837 851424, or via email on archive@vauhallvictorclub.co.uk. It would be great to hear from you even if you cannot make it in July.

Thank you, and I look forward to meeting up with you soon.

Neil