Buttonless key. Ignition barrel. Turn as soon as. Turn once more. Turn a 3rd time. A screeching fanbelt whines earlier than a multi-cylinder roar takes over then settles to a lumpy idle.
What has simply been described encapsulates the entire premise of Retro Rides – and the expertise displays ours after we took a top-spec Volvo 850 T5-R alongside to the occasion as our present automotive.
Retro Rides is a competition whose sole function is to permit automotive nuts to scratch a nostalgic, modern-classic itch. Hundreds of like-minded souls collect at Goodwood Motor Circuit and different venues up and down the nation to have fun the easy joys of motoring with out the modern-day beeps and bongs or the intrusion of lane protecting help.
I say ‘modern classic’ as a result of, in contrast to many different festivals on the motoring circuit, this one offers with an enormous array of automobiles: assume Chevrolet lowrider, a Datsun 240Z with an outrageous engine swap, a Volvo limousine with half of one other Volvo hooked up to the again of it and one thing not in contrast to Mr Bean’s Mini.
There is, after all, the compulsory cacophony of Mk2 Volkswagen Golfs and supercharged Ford Fiestas, however every is a celebration of carburettors, worn-out ignition barrels and halogen headlights – and the house owners and festival-goers merely can’t get sufficient of it.
Here, then, is a set of our favorite vehicles and the tales behind them, every yet one more retro than the final.
What is Retro Rides?
Simply talking, Retro Rides is a laid-back, anything-goes celebration of retro automotive tradition that is open to all fashions registered earlier than 2000, and it has rapidly turn out to be one of many UK’s most eagerly anticipated traditional automotive occasions.
Retro Rides was based in 2004 as a web based discussion board (which now has greater than 50,000 customers) earlier than transitioning to an in-person occasion, the primary of which was held at Mallory Park in 2007. Since then it has turn out to be as a lot a celebration of DIY engineering as one among aesthetics.
The format adjustments yearly, with 2024 together with celebrations of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, pop-up headlights, black-coloured vehicles and lowriders. It’s small marvel that 1000’s of individuals are attracted to every of the 2 annual occasions – and that quantity is rising yearly.
Volvo 850 T5-R
It could be foolish to not point out the automotive that made this function occur: this 850 T5-R arrived on the Autocar workplace from Volvo’s heritage fleet each as our transport to Retro Rides and as one thing to point out our help for the five-cylinder household property with a turbocharger the dimensions of Latvia.
Under the bonnet sits a 2.5-litre five-pot that produces 236bhp, sends the 1468kg property to 62mph from relaxation in 6.6sec and on to a prime pace of 155mph. Not that you just’d essentially be particularly eager to go that quick, provided that the automotive is now almost 20 years previous. But for those who needed to, and for those who had the house to do it, this T5-R could be greater than as much as the job.
