Sywell Classic Pistons and Props – Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th Sept 2023

A PISTONS AND PROP-ER GOOD TIME!

Words by Alan and Sheena Harvey / Pictures by Julie Janes

The Pistons and Props event at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire on September 23 and 24 was a curious blend of classic cars, modern supercars, bikes of all shapes and sizes, and pre-war and aerobatic aircraft. A strange collection of bedfellows but it really worked, and the Figgies fitted right in.

Because the showground is smaller than either Silverstone or Carfest, we were a lot closer on our grass stand to some of the noisy motor action on the concrete runway circuit, but that was OK – at least it was in the spells between the boy racers’ enthusiastic engine-revving contests, which were thankfully short-lived! The aerodrome was built in the 1930s and it stays faithful to the Art Deco theme with beautifully designed pre-war hangers, a gorgeous hotel created out of the original control tower and an atmospheric officers’ mess.

Around the racing arena there were a large number of stands selling food and drink, motor parts, clothing, accessories, toys and knick-knacks. There was a traditional funfair on the edge and a small live music stage. So as well as the many individual cars and car clubs on display, and the arena events, there was a reasonable amount to see and do.

We had a mixed couple of days, weather-wise. On the Saturday there were periods of sun interspersed with cloud cover, and one little drizzly moment, although it was breezy throughout. None of which put off the large number of visitors. Sunday was a much blowier day, with rain showers that put a damper on the crowds of Saturday and meant that our tops had to remain up for most of the time. We were glad of the gazebo we had decided to take for shelter from either sun or rain, even though the sides were flapping around in an alarming manner at times.

There were three Figs on display on Saturday and pretty much all day we were busy fielding questions from visitors, offering advice on Figaro matters and giving people a good look at our little cars. We had the usual gentlemen, sidling past the cars saying, “My wife loves these”. To which we, of course, stopped ourselves from responding: “Oh yes, you’re just speaking on behalf of your wives, are you?” And we had some very enthusiastic potential owners, to the extent that we agreed we could have sold our cars several times over, had we been inclined. We also had a visit from two of the singers from the music stage, dressed in vintage style, who struck some classic poses for photographs, draped in and around the cars.

Our position on the field meant we had great views of the aerial events, which were very entertaining. There was a two-man aerobatic team performing some fantastic heart-stopping manoeuvres, both individually and in close synchronisation, and they were followed by a re-enactment of a World War One dogfight. This comprised two British bi-planes versus two German tri-planes, complete with firework blasts in the air and huge fiery explosions on the ground. The show topper was a flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro Lancaster, and that magnificent aircraft gave us three low passes.

On Sunday our number grew to five Figs, so we spread ourselves into a fan shape to cover all approaches. Unfortunately, the weather prevented the promised flypast by the BBMF’s Hurricane although it didn’t stop the aerobatic team or the dogfight from taking place. The WW1 planes were visibly battling the strong winds but the show was no less impressive for all that. Sadly, the soggy and windy conditions also curtailed the number of people who visited the stand and the amount of time the ones who did brave the elements spent talking to us.

Numbers were so noticeably down that mid-afternoon a lot of the other exhibitors began to drift away. Our valiant crew stuck it out until nearly 4.00pm but then we took advantage of a dry moment to take down the gazebo, pack it away and make our various ways home. At least the wind had dried out the gazebo walls and roof before they went into the storage bag!

All-in-all, it was a great event to attend, and we’d recommend it to Figgy friends for next year. As we’ve usual found with mixed car events, the Figaro stand was one of the most visited, compared to all the car stands around us. And not even the helium balloon and silly hat seller did as good business!

Points of note: the organisers did a great job and everything ran smoothly, it’s in the southern Midlands, so handy for both north and south owners, and there’s plenty of local accommodation and eating places. The showground is compact, so everything is within a short walk. Cars are allowed to join or leave on both days so you don’t have to commit to a whole weekend. And as it’s an aerodrome, once you drive onto the site most of the approaches to the stands are on concrete and the ground is well drained – no shades of CarFest north, or Glastonbury in the bad years, for those who have fond memories of mud!