14 April 2022
|
What are you looking for?
: credit: © Alisdair Cusick
The 2022 Newbury Spares Day, held in glorious spring sunshine, was a great success. And everyone was asking – what are you looking for?
There’s an almost monastic quietness around the site, punctuated only by laughter, Land Rover stories and the occasional squeak of a wheelbarrow. Whatever type of enthusiast you are, or your green oval preference, you fit into a handful of visitor types. Maybe you’re the casual stroller; the hawk-eyed spotter; the sifter, or the barrow-pusher. Regardless, there’s a uniform atmosphere of quiet concentration. Everyone is fully absorbed, looking intently for their personal bargain.
The Newbury Spares Day has long been a staple of many an enthusiast’s year. Originating from the Sodbury Sortouts, the Newbury event has been run by Mark Woodward since 2006, and is credited as being not just the UK’s largest 4x4 spares day, but the largest such event in Europe, with over 25 acres of space. This year, the event was firing on all cylinders after the pandemic, with 600+ traders, and approaching 3000 day visitors, each clamouring for a deal on their part of choice.
The largest 4x4 spares day in Europe
It is the largest of LRM’s spares events, acquired from Mark Woodward Classic Events last year. Mark is well respected in the enthusiast events business, and his Newbury and Malvern spares days have been hugely popular for many years. Malvern opens the season, but Newbury is the biggie.
Traders come from far and wide, including the big names such as DLR, Undercover Covers and Charlesworth and Son, yet there are also enthusiasts having a garage clear-out. Whilst Brexit may have reduced the number of foreign visitors, they still came this year, as both traders and visitors. The eclectic mix of Newbury means it is the one place where you can get almost anything for any project. From the smallest fixing, to new old stock body panels or chassis, the sheer mix of stalls means there is the chance to turn up that bit you really need. You’ll see people pulling carts carrying piles of parts, or nervously tottering loaded wheelbarrows, hauling their bounty back to their cars, often needing more than one trip.
The concours restorer, looking for period-correct parts; the builder wanting extra protection for his work vehicle, or the enthusiast wanting to upgrade the alloys of his wife’s Discovery. We can each find a little bit of ourselves in every visitor to Newbury, as we’ll learn from LRM’s random selection of happy Newbury visitors and traders. Which one are you, and what will you look for when you get the chance to go?
SIMON FROGLEY
What have you found? “Four Discovery 2 alloys and tyres.”
What are they for? “They’re for my wife’s car,” jokes Simon. “Replacement alloys for her D2, and I’ll be fitting them when I get back tonight,” he adds.
Is there anything else you’re looking for? “I came just to see what we could find, but aside from these, I’ll be looking for Wolf Land Rover parts, or wheels.”
RICHARD AND JOE CHAMBERLAIN
What have you found? “Mainly door tops and doors for my Series III, as I damaged my others when changing it to a soft top. My son Joe has bought a rear wheel carrier for his Defender 90 Td5,” says Richard.
“We’ve come every year for the last five years. We usually get here about 9.30, but the afternoons can be the best time, as that’s when you can get the bargains.”
LINDEN JACKSON
What have you found? “A Series III grille, and a Series III wiper motor cover –
unusually not rusted away.”
What car is it for? “I was going to go trialling today, but I’m here looking for Series III parts, as I restore them,” says Linden, an ex-Land Rover technician of 33 years, who fell into restoring Series IIIs almost by accident. “I try to build them to the best I can produce,” he adds, proud to show me some photos of a decidedly show-stopping rebuild on his phone. “You have to hunt places like this, as there might be boxes of little clips that are hard to get, you just never know. Even these grilles are getting hard to find,” he reckons.
DAVID MAESEN, from Belgium
What have you found? “A mechanical winch for a Range Rover, a Range Rover Classic centre console and a Discovery 1 200Tdi rigid cubby box.”
What car is it for? “My D1 is a driving car, so I will put it in that. My 1979 Range Rover is a restoration project, so the winch is for that, but I might fit the late console trim in too. I don’t know yet. We’ve been coming every year for years and years, and will drive home tonight.”
TOM DALBY (left) and friend JOSH MANNION
What have you found? “A 1950s Ford grille, two SIII door bottoms, a
Defender wing, two rear quarters and two rear seats, and an SIII dash.”
What car are they for? “The Defender seats are for my 1990 110 200Tdi, but I also have a Series III. The rest of the stuff is actually for some interior art. I’m a guitar teacher, and I wanted some Land Rover parts to make a bit of funky decoration in my teaching space. It is the fifth time I’ve visited the Newbury show, but we thought we’d make a day of it. I’ve got stuff at stupidly good prices.”
Pal Josh Mannion only came for the day out, but is smiling and enjoying his Land Rover-focused outing.
MALCOLM JIGGEN
What have you found? “A Defender alloy steering guard.”
What car is it for? “My everyday 110, a works vehicle – I’m a builder. I was looking for some tyres and a winch bumper, or a frame to carry ladders. I’ve been lots of times to the show. I’ve actually come on a motorbike today, but have a friend here with a lorry who is trading, so I’m hoping he’ll take this back.”
RICHARD COOK and son NATHAN
What have you found? “I’ve bought some Defender chequer plate wing protectors, but I’m actually here selling. I’m having a garage clear-out as I’ve got too much stuff. There’s time for tinkering, but not always restoring, so I’m making some space.”
What car is it for? “A 1990 Defender 90, but I also have a 1981 Series III 88in soft top. I had a 1990 classic Range Rover until last year, and loved that car.”
How did the selling go? “We’ve been three times previously as buyers, but this is the first time we’ve had a go at selling. It’s gone really well. We’ve been selling stuff people really need, like Defender interior centre seats, steering boxes, or things such as pipes that are branded Lockheed or AP – lots to buyers dealing with the African market. My son Nathan and I arrived here yesterday, set up and then camped – it’s been brilliant.”
TONY BROOKS
What have you found? “Two rear doors, two front doors and a wheel rim.”
What car are they for? “My Series IIA Carawagon project. I bought it in 1996, but only started it 18 months ago – but I did restore a steam locomotive in the meantime, and am restoring a wooden railway carriage, too. The Series II needs everything around a replacement Richards chassis, but I’m fitting a 200Tdi to it, minus the turbo. This means I have the same power as the original petrol engine, so don’t have the expense of upgrading the standard brakes. The wheel rim is the correct type I need, with the 1” 5/16 offset, and riveted.
“I used to come every year, and I’ve sold some old garden machinery, so there’s some funds for the restoration. I can’t go wrong with the price I paid for these.”
JEREMY AITKEN
What have you found? “A Range Rover inner wing and an EGR valve.”
What car are they for? “The EGR is for my son’s 300Tdi, but the wing is for my 1991 Range Rover. I’m stripping and rebuilding it, with a Td5 engine, making the car as basic as possible. I used to have a Range Rover and built it into a 100-inch hybrid. My son got a Land Rover and I got the bug again. I’m stripping and repairing my shell, then I’ll lift it and do the chassis, then build it up, adding a winch, rack and my roof tent. I’ve been a couple of times to the show and used to go to the Sodbury event. This time I just came to see what’s about at the right price.”
MARK and BARBARA WOODWARD
Mark has organised shows full-time since 1997, but first gained experience of them when he was just 16, at the Cumbria Steam Gathering. Later he ran the auto jumble and was on the committee for the event, and started the Red Rose Land Rover Club in 1991. Mark’s always been a Land Rover enthusiast, running a 2015 Defender today, but starting out with a 1965 Series IIA diesel: “Not the greatest, but it got me into them,” he jokes, recounting many tales of other Land Rovers, shows and characters he’s enjoyed while running events alongside his wife, Barbara, also a Land Rover fan.
Mark’s background was originally in transport, but he went on to run nine classic car shows, including the auto jumble at the NEC Classic until 2018. He took over Newbury in 2006, and it was a decidedly different event for Woodward, initially. “The first time I came, it was the first time I’d seen people arriving with wheelbarrows,” he laughs. Warners (Land Rover Monthly’s publisher) acquired the Malvern and Newbury spares days late last year, and Mark is supportive of the move.
“Warners are a great company, with great values. This is very much a natural progression for the event, and a very safe pair of hands for the future,” says Mark, who is still involved with the LRM team at the events.
See you at the next Event
Whether you’re just wandering around to see what catches your eye, or are consulting a parts catalogue to confirm period-correct part numbers, or are elbow-deep in boxes of spares, LRM’s 4x4 Spares Days have something for all Land Rover enthusiasts.
Dates for your Diary in 2022:
• Malvern, Sun 15 May
• Newbury, Sun 2 October
• Malvern, Sun 30 October
Visit 4x4sparesday.co.uk for more details
Budget Digital Subscription
Get access to over 7 years of Land Rover Monthly – that’s almost 100 issues plus the latest digital issue. The issues are fully searchable so you can easily find what you are looking for and what’s more it’s less than 10p a day to subscribe. Click here and start enjoying all the benefits now.