Monte Carlo or Bust!, a photo from Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Photographer's Note

At 2 p.m. this afternoon, the competitors from Scotland in the 16th edition of the Monte Carlo Historique Rally set off from Glasgow and I caught up with the leaders at Thornhill, some 65 miles south of Glasgow. They were due to arrive at Dover by midday on Sunday, 27th January to catch the ferry to Calais and continue their onward journey.

This car is a 1951 Holden 48-215, driven by two Australian guys and in the workshops you can see a 1972 Saab 96 V4 (Saabs famously won several Monte Carlo rallies in the 1950s) and also a 1968 Volvo 122S "Amazon" saloon.

Nice to see that all the drivers or co-drivers waved to the photographer as they passed! I wish them all luck!

CLODO, timecapturer, Royaldevon, Noel_Byrne, Noel_Byrne, COSTANTINO, macjake, delpeoples, jhm has marked this note useful

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ACL1978 (5755) 2013-01-26 16:18

Hello John - neighbors this evening. Three great car shots here, though I'm partial to the Saab as my father drove them for years. Sadly no longer available in the States, at least not as they used to be...

These are all wonderful old designs with fascinating decals and decorations. Interesting in particular to compare to the modern parked cars behind them and see the stylistic differences!

I'm surprised this race happens in winter each year - seems like it would be a better summer event? Either way, a fun way to spend an afternoon, no doubt.

Andrew

jjcordier (62280) 2013-01-26 22:49

John
Jolie rencontre que tu as très bien mise en image. Je me demande si les deux gros feux bleus sont d'origine?
Amicalement
JJ

CLODO (24716) 2013-01-27 0:54

hi John

back in the sixties, when cars do not look all the same. I can see that the co-driver has a road-book and a pencil to direct the driver (very old fashionned!)!
Cheers
CLODO

timecapturer (30256) 2013-01-27 2:48

Hi John
super shot this! A magical looking old car that you have captured superbly. I love the huge headlamps look like they pinched them off a 747! Excellent image and also a favourite film of mine. Dawlish & Barrington are two of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore's most memorable and hilarious characters.

Enjoy your Sunday - Brian.

Royaldevon (17787) 2013-01-27 3:09

Hello John,

Wonderful old car, so lovingly adorned with lamps and badges! Apart from the radiator, it seems to have a very similar shape to a Morris 1,000 that we proudly owned!
Great positioning in the frame with lots of space in which to drive. The car is nice and sharp; maybe a slightly narrower dof would have made it stand out better from the b/g. Despite that, a good shot and I can imagine the thrill that you had chasing it!

Have a lovely Sunday,
Bev :-)

MJR (3141) 2013-01-27 4:15

John

Pleased to see you made it ! And thanks for the itinerary that you sent. Sadly what with the weather, the dark and Richard's uncertain t.o.a. I did not make it to Brough.

So I am pleased to see here what I missed ! You have picked a delightfully unusual subject for your main post, and two more likely suspects for the WS, but all are fine photos, especially considering the gloom of the day, and the movement of the vehicles. As Bev says, a little tweak to the aperture might have helped them stand out against their background, which is quite busy, but it does not distract for the car enthusiast, even if it offends the photophile.

But all that is easily said from the comfort of my armchair ! I didn't even get there, so your images are many times better than the ones I didn't even take !!!!

kind regards
Martin

Noel_Byrne (7301) 2013-01-28 10:12

Hi John,
I love the car, in particular those cool blue spotlights, which really make it stand out. I love your title too, perfectly thought. How cool that the person inside waved for the camera and you caught the moment, puts a nice cheeful and happy element into the image. Really nicely done, and thanks for sharing!
All the best
Noel

COSTANTINO (42744) 2013-01-28 10:16

Hello
interesting capture from the 16th edition
of the Monte Carlo Historique Rally
its a beautiful car from 1951
I liked it a lot,back in the sixties
dedicated to those who lived with
this kind of cars,nice pov
regards
Costantino

macjake (39207) 2013-01-28 12:08

Hi John
now this is awesome!
who'd think that THIS car would be the one they'd choose to enter in the race! wow.
Its fun to view the scene from side to side, looking at the cars in the bg....i have my eye on that bright blue one.
cool shot here my friend, I like the subject, and the old car, its very clean! I wonder how it will look at the end of the race :)
nice one
enjoy your day
craig

Silvio1953 (98051) 2013-01-28 14:34

Ciao John, fascinating old car, lovely composition, splendid sharpness and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

delpeoples (44904) 2013-01-28 18:51

Gidday Giovanni

How appropriate that you post a photo of an Australian car on Australia day! I see this car is from the state of Victoria, what an old beauty. My Dad drove an old Holden for years, but I think it was slightly newer than this one, but not by much. I'm so glad you managed to catch the show, and the drive through the countryside seems to have paid off beuatifully, judging from your other recent photos. Excellent definition here, good colours and sharpness. I've read the other comments about using a shalower depth of field here, but I'm quite content with the one you've used as it lets us see the details of this lovely little town aswell. Good positioning the car to the right of the frame and giving the town a bit of room on the left aswell.

Thanks for sharing, have a great evening
Lisa

PS: Sorry I've not been present lately on TE, I've been having a little break out in the Bush - no phones, computers and people, the bliss :)

jhm (122366) 2013-01-29 7:16

Hello John,

You know that I enjoy of old cars, I've 1979, got the same car of my boss a 1972 Saab 96 V4 for daily use.
Alone the brakes were not good for this car.
This car 1951 Holden 48-215 is my unknown, I've yet a nice email for you, I send these later.
A lovely moment image.
Excellent composition, good captured.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

mkamionka (24477) 2013-02-08 3:46

Hi John,
I see old cars are in fashion on TE rescently. I have to walk around and see if I can find something... I don't think I have anything in my collection.
Lovely capture here in a nice wintry setting.
Very well done,
M