rcollum

For reference purposes, here is a link to the 2019 Katie's thread: http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?12205-2019-Katie-s-Cars-amp-Coffee-Thread-Great-Falls-VA

The last C & C of the year. We were heavy on off-road vehicles this week. Dino brought a 'co-pilot' for our friend, Paul. --Bob Collum

Three days after Christmas, we had a cold but dry morning. It took a while, but we had a good number of people and cars, by 7:30AM. The last Katie's of 2019. Three Lotus in attendance - Mark's Exige, my Seven, and Ed's Evora. (I did not get a picture of Ed's car.) The Dino, fresh from a complete restoration, was GORGEOUS! --Bob Collum

Just 3 days until Christmas. Another very good turnout, but I got so involved in talking with people, that I took very few pictures. We had three Lotus owners present - Bob Scates in his Esprit, I drove my Elise, and Alan Olson drove his Aston DB9. This venue has turned out to be a surprise hit! Merry Christmas, everyone! --Bob Collum

This time of year, Katie's is more about catching up with friends than ogling cars. Still, there's always something interesting there... --Bob Collum

We had what I think may be a record-breaking turnout today. Starting with two brand-new cars - Chuck's Porsche Macan and Dino's Lamborghini Urus. We also had 4 Lotus owners in attendance - Mark Franke, Bob Scates, Alan Olson, and me. Only the two Bobs drove our Lotus, though. I especially liked that Alan Olson's V12 Aston DB9 was parked next to Bob Steinhagen 's V12 Ferrari F550. A beautiful pair of cars! --Bob Collum

A beautiful, clear morning - but, 29F. That made my decision to drive the Elise, instead of the Seven, an easy one! Bob Scates drove his Esprit. --Bob Collum

31F this morning, but skies are crystal clear! A great day to drive to Katie's early. Another bonus: in cold weather, we don't have throngs of people everywhere. A good selection of nice cars, though... --Bob Collum

I did see a Seven in London, but wasn't quick enough to get a good picture... Look closely, and you may see it, driving away. --Bob

This facility, run by Colin's son Clive Chapman, restores and maintains classic Lotus race cars. --Bob Collum

My friend Mark Franke and I booked the 'Exige Experience' at the Lotus Driving Academy, at the Lotus factory in Hethel. It's a morning of driving the standard (220hp) Exige, and the V6 (350hp) Exige. Our instructor was ex-Lotus F1 driver, Martin Donnelly. We also had a tour of the Lotus factory, and of Classic Team Lotus. We met up with friend and ex-Lotus employee, Richard Parramint, for dinner at Bird in Hand Pub. We happened to run into a former chief mechanic for Jim Clark - Dave 'Beaky' Sims - at the bar. These guys have some GREAT stories! --Bob Collum

A cold morning - my first day back after the trip to England. Turnout at Katie's was lower than it has been, but quality was high. --Bob Collum

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Thanks, glad you enjoy it! --Bob Collum

A cold morning (31F), but a fair showing of cars today. That's my friend Caleb Yow behind my fogged-up Elise - he's up in the area for a friend's wedding. A little of everything at Katie's, from a guy who was late for Halloween, to a tuner GTR. --Bob Collum

More cars from the 2019 DC ABRR - --Bob Collum

The DC chapter of the America's British Reliability Run was run from Friday, October 18th thru Sunday, October 20th. We had 25 gorgeous older British cars, a great group of people, and fabulous routes, each day. I drove my Seven; I was joined by another Seven owner, Eugene Loch. Eugene bid on a drive in three different British cars for the weekend. He and another bidder shared driving the three cars: an AC Ace, a Jaguar XK120 lightweight, and an Austin Healey 100M. Next year's ABRR will be run October 16th thru October 18th, 2020. Keep those dates open, and join us next year - it's a GREAT time! I will post a new thread as the deadline to sign up approaches next year. Please contact me here if you'd like more info. --Bob Collum

Of course, we had silliness on the Saturday before Halloween. --Bob Collum

A strange day at Katie's. A slow start - not many people there early, but lots of spaces had been roped off by the owner of Katie's. It was a while before people started showing up, but we found out why the spaces were reserved - Wayne Carini of TV show Chasing Classic Cars was in the area, to pick up a TVR Griffith he had bought locally. Wayne had a small film crew there, and he had contacted some local friends to bring out some special cars: Bob Morris's Allard, Joe Barta's BMW 507, Ian Landy's 1929 Bentley, and one of Eric Zaussner's Moal hotrods. --Bob Collum

A few of the 'fancier' cars there... A Railton. Bob Morris' Allard (Cadillac engine). A Rolls (the white one), once owned (separately) by Debbie Reynolds and Lucille Ball. --Bob Collum

I had the only Seven there. We did have - 3 Elans 1 M100 5 Esprits (the Essex Esprit left as I arrived, so I didn't get a picture..) 2 Elises 1 Seven --Bob Collum

On 10/12/19, Lotus attendance at Katie's started out slow, but ended up pretty amazing! Early on, my red Elise was joined by a yellow Exige. Just about the time I left (~8:00AM), a white Europa arrived (I never caught up with the owner). Notice that the Europa is parked behind another very early mid-engine car. As I was about to drive away, Steve M. pulled in next to me in his Omega! (No Sevens today.) --Bob Collum

Cameron's continues to be a medium-sized gathering of very good quality vehicles. --Bob Collum

Thanks. That version of the Virginia plates do have gigantic numbers. Another Virginia oddity was a special license plate for convertibles, but they stopped issuing those in the 60's. I like the Montreal, too. That's an Intermeccanica Italia. Beautiful lines, and a flawless paint job (done locally). Ford 351. --Bob Collum

A pretty good turnout today - a Westfield and my Caterham in attendance. We had a gorgeous sunrise, and some nice cars. --Bob Collum