An impressive line-up of 121 cars made Simply Smart a colourful conclusion to Beaulieu’s successful 2019 rally season.
Sponsored by leading independent location technology specialist TomTom, the rally on Sunday 10th November rounded off this year’s range of ten Simply events at the home of the National Motor Museum.
Simply Smart’s display of the smallest and cheekiest cars on the roads was a fitting finale to the season, which included record-breaking turn-outs for no less than four of this year’s rallies at Simply Jaguar, Simply Land Rover, Simply Aston Martin and Simply Audi, as well as the new Simply Mercedes.
Simply Smart traditionally takes place on Remembrance Sunday and a two-minute silence was observed at 11am. A reading was given by retired Royal Navy CPO and smart car owner Mr Tod Sloan.
Drivers and enthusiasts enjoyed the autumn sunshine and admired the four-wheeled treasures on show, from the sought-after Roadster to the iconic ForTwo and family-friendly ForFour. New event sponsor TomTom also held a raffle, with a year’s subscription to TomTom traffic data being awarded to a lucky driver.
The People’s Choice Award, presented to the most popular car of the show, was won by Philippe Stockart who had travelled in a group of eight drivers from as far away as Belgium, calling themselves Smart Fever Belgium.
Philippe, in his highly distinctive 2005 Roadster in custom black and white, said: “I love driving this car. As well as the new paint finish, I have also converted the doors to lift up Lamborghini-style!” Philippe was presented with a special trophy and Autoglym car care pack by Beaulieu’s Visitor Services Manager Jon Tee.
Runners-up were Jeff Way, from Poole in Dorset, and Carrie Jackson, from Andover, with their very different but equally eye-catching ForTwos. Jeff’s 2001 ForTwo got many show-goers talking on account of its radical engine swap. “I’ve done loads of work to the car over the past nine years, including fitting a VW GTi engine and gearbox,” he said. “Everyone told me that I’d never fit that engine into the car! It also now has adjustable front and rear suspension.”
Carrie had decorated her 2016 ForTwo with red poppies to mark Remembrance Sunday. She loves the practicality of her cheerful motor, saying: “It’s great, being very economical with a good turning circle.” Both runners-up were presented with Autoglym prizes.
Simply Smart was Beaulieu’s final Simply rally for 2019 but will return again on Remembrance Sunday 8th November in 2020, as part of next year’s packed line-up. For details on Beaulieu’s 2020 events calendar click here.