Event Organizer's Report
Perfect Weather Yet Again!

2010 marked the 20^th year of the British Invasion Weekend.  What started as an idea that was brewed over a couple of glasses of ale in the Ye Olde England Inne 20 years ago, has grown into the largest All British Motorcar Show Weekend in the United States.   Each year enthusiasts come from the North, South, East, and West to experience the Invasion weekend.  This year we had Invaders who drove north from Florida, and east from California, and west from Nova Scotia.  One Invader was from Hawaii but we don’t believe he drove his Rolls-Royce all that way.  This said, he did win an award in the Concours d’Elegance.  A close look at the Winners Roster on the Invasion website (www.britishinvasion.com) will stand as testimony for the distance our registrants travel to join in the Invasion weekend.   The cars and their owners who drove from Nova Scotia, as well as from Quebec and Ontario providence created an international flavor and produced some entrants rarely seen elsewhere.   We fielded 670 cars in the British Classic (People’s Choice Competition), the Concours d’Elegance (Judged Competition), and the Car Corral. We presented over 180 awards during the weekend.  The British Classic had 63 separate and distinctive car classes.  The largest number of cars by marque was MG, and close behind was Triumph.  Of interest was the Morgan Three Wheeler Class which featured four exceptional “Trikes” from 1929, 1933, 1934, and 1936.  To add to the Morgan experience at this year’s Invasion, we were delighted to see a sampling from the Michael Kittredge Collection that included newly delivered, a 2011 Morgan Aero.  The MG TD Class fielded a most respectful 12 entries.  MGB’s numbered 84.  The Car Corral presented over 40 British Classics that ranged from barn finds to a 2000 Aston Martin DB7, Vantage that managed to get Chris’ blood flowing at a rapid rate.

 Each year we present a special meet gift to the first 300 registrants who pre-register.  This year’s meet gift was a limited edition and numbered 20^th Year Commerative Car Badge.  To make it even more special, we were able to match the badge number to the registration number of each of the first 300 registrants.  The Invasion came alive at Noon on Friday when the Stowe Special Event Field opened for Registration as the field began to fill with British cars while their owners looked to claim their pre-registration packages or to register for the British Classic or the Car Corral and to obtain a first viewing of the various offerings within the British Marketplace and what the Car Corral had to offer.  At 4:30 PM the Registrants’ Reception was underway and from all reports it was the best we have ever done.  By 6:00 the activities at the show field started to wind down as things we were heating up on Main Street where parking was restricted to British Invasion Registrants and the ever popular Beatles Mania Band played to delight of all till 9:30 PM.  The streets were ablaze with British Cars and enthusiast as the local merchants and street vendors did a brisk business spurred on by favorable weather conditions.

Saturday arrived as a perfect day.   The sun shined brightly, the skies were clear as the registrants found their way to one of the 63 individual Classes that made up the British Classic Motorcar Show.  For those attempting to cast a ballot for each class they had their work cut out for them before balloting was closed for the day.  In addition there were 37 motorcars registered in the Concours d’Elegance Judged Competition. 

This year we were had 110 Octane Productions on hand with their film crew to interview British Invasion Registrants with their cars.

Sunday started early for those Invaders who gathered at the Stowe High School parking lot to embark on a 70 minute tour of the back roads that featured a run over the top of Smugglers Notch with a certain 1947 Bentley, Mark VI, Saloon that is known as the car that started the Invasion, serving as lead car.  The Notch Run drew approximately 25 cars, many with their tops down as we headed out on the drive.  We are pleased to report that everyone who started also completed this scenic drive.  Sunday was a fun day that bore witness to the Competition of Colors where invaders parked by the colors of the British Flag and some others to include Red, White, Blue, British Racing Green, Two-Tone, Black, and Rainbow (for all others that did not fit into a category).  The Tailgate Picnic Competition was most interesting, as families and friends competed for honors in one of 8 separate categories.  Chris Francis dodged entrants in the Back Seat Drivers Competition as they competed for the best time and least number of contacts with the traffic cones that had been set-up.  Sunday also featured the driving review of 1^st Place British Classic Winners from Saturday’s People’s Choice Competition.  Each owner was presented with an opportunity to tell those in attendance about the car that had won a 1^st in class, often against stiff competition. 

The Best of Concours Award went to Bob Cushman of Bedford, NH in a David Steinman of Waitsfield, VT restored 1939 AC 16-80 Sport.   The Meguiar’s Choice/Best of the British Classic went to David LeBlanc of Nottingham, NH and his 1958 Austin Healey 100/16.  We would be remiss if we did not mention our friends from the Singer Club who once again won the Car Club Participation Award hands down.  They may be small in the number of cars they fielded (10 in all) but the creativity and originality they put into this year’s Car Club display was most impressive.  How they manage to get all the materials that went into their display across the border into the US and on to the show field defies comprehension.

 As you might well imagine, the success of the British Invasion is due in part to the many volunteers who come from throughout New England and contribute their time and talents to serve as Concours Judges, help with field layout and administration, admissions, registation, ballot counting, awards, and other acitivities of organizing and administering a show of the magnitude of the British Invasion.  Our Thanks to all the Volunteers and to the Invaders who travel, from the North, South, East, and West in their British Motorcars each year and to our various Sponsors and Supporters who make this show a reality.

 Happy motoring to all and to all a Good Day!

Michael F. Gaetano

Event Coordinator