Splendour in the grass at All-British Field Meet last weekend in Vancouver..Cam Hutchins We’re starting to enter the heart of carnut season in B.C. , and this weekend is chock full of cool events, most prominently the 50th annual Coastal Swap Meet. A great memory of that event dates back to the Nineties when it was in Cloverdale and I took my now-27-year old son to his first car show. I also volunteer to create the posters for the Swap Meet from photos I’ve taken at past events. As a photographer I love it as there is so much cool stuff to see through a camera lens, and it’s a great way to catch up with all sorts of folks in the auto hobby. Despite the weekend’s busy schedule, I will not be doing any events Sunday as our youngest son flies home for a visit from the wilds of Saskatchewan. Meaning one less carnut getting in your way to snap photos of all the cool cars at the Whips show or the two high school fundraisers at either Maple Ridge Secondary or Elgin Park Secondary. I will also miss the big Mustang show in North Van, but I will be there next year. Last weekend we needed to do some landscaping on Sunday and I was so excited I woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday. Since I was up, I headed to the All-British Field Meet and when I arrived, way before show co-founder Patrick Stewart told people to show up, there were already six cars lined up waiting to enter. As always lots of very interesting cars, and car owners, showed up, and one that really caught my interest was the ‘Smartie’ Purple 1961 Morris Minor Million. Turns out the car was part of the specially prepared Morris Minor model to celebrate the one-millionth production mark of the Minor 100. Just 350 were produced, with each UK dealership getting one in 1961. They were painted the colour of the first Minors, trimmed with white leather interiors and have and extra three zeros tacked on the end of the name badges. I was lucky to have exceptional light to photograph all the cars entering the show and was astonished at the number of Minis present. The Bentleys really caught my attention as they seem so huge and stately. Lots of cool little details to photograph. Close to where I was set up, I got to stare at the two beautiful Black Austin Healey 100-4s that were parked in front of some pink flower bushes. The cars really made the flowers look great! I have been shooting this event for years and it was the promoter Patrick Stewart who got me my first press pass for Laguna Seca to shoot for his Western Driver magazine. He and his wife Joan put on an exceptional event and they even present awards for youngsters at the show, ensuring that someone will keep bringing kids to a car show. Do the same this weekend! SHOWS MAY 24-25 What: 50th annual Coastal Swap Meet Where: Tradex Centre, 1190 Cornell St., Abbotsford When: Friday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $8 per day, Children under 16 free. Parking $7 per day with in/out privileges Info: 604-540-6141 or info@coastalswapmeet.com Website: coastalswapmeet.com MAY 25 What: Elgin Park Car Show Where: Elgin Park Secondary, 13484 24th Ave., Surrey When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: $2 Registration: 7:30a.m.-10a.m. $15 and open to all vehicles. Proceeds benefit school’s Automotive Club and Tech Ed Department Info: macdonald_t1@surreyschools.ca Website: elgincarshow.com What: Wings ‘n’ Wheels Airplane Car Motorcycle Show Where: Abbotsford Flying Club When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: Drop-in and all vehicles welcome Info: 778-808-5887, 604-538-3814 or info@AbbotsfordFlyingClub.ca Website: abbotsfordflyingclub.ca MAY 26 What: GVMA’s 35th Annual Spring Show Where: Harbourside Place, North Vancouver When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. $20 and open to all Mustangs and Ford-powered vehicles. Info: 604-858-6763 or gvma@telus.net Website: gvma.org Facebook: Greater Vancouver Mustang Association What: The Whip Restaurant and Gallery Vintage Bike Car Show Where: The Whip Gallery Restaurant, 209 East 6th Ave., Vancouver When: 11 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 9 a.m. Minimum donation $10 for cars $5 for motorcycles. Proceeds go to B.C. Cancer Society Info: 604-8740-4687 or info@thewhiprestaurant.com Website: thewhiprestaurant.com What: 8th Annual Maple Ridge Secondary School Show Shine Where: Maple Ridge Secondary, 21911 122nd Ave., Maple Ridge When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 9 a.m. $15. All proceeds to MRSS Dry Grad Evening Info: 604-463-4175 or trevor_randle@sd42.ca What: VI Cruises Rendezvous #9 Spamfest Where: First Nations Campgrounds, Old Island Highway, Qualicum Bay When: 10:30 a.m. to … Admission: Free Registration: No cost, no prizes, no trophies, just good times Info: 250-338-6134, flleigh@telus.net, 250-248-7384 or vicruises@gmx.com What: Mopar Car Show Where: Coombs Fairgrounds, 1014 Ford Rd., Coombs When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 9 a.m. $10 and
Origin: British invasion goes off as planned
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First patents surface for Dyson electric car planned for 2021
Patent drawings for what could be Dysons upcoming electric vehicleDyson Dyson’s electric car may have a long wheelbase, an interior cabin with reclining seats and an aerodynamic design, according to patents recently awarded to the company. The patents, filed about 18 months ago and made public Wednesday, are the first glimpse of the car being built by the U.K.-based company known for pricey vacuums, hair dryers and air purifiers. In an email to staff, founder James Dyson said the patents don’t reveal what our vehicle will really look like or give any specifics around what it will do, but they do provide a glimpse of some of the inventive steps the company is weighing. The patents also indicate Dyson is mulling a vehicle with larger wheels to improve efficiency. Dyson’s email also hinted at a car with a low center of gravity to improve handling. The company posted a new automotive page to its website detailing its history in the automotive world and how its experience working on motors could contribute to a car. Dyson joins a growing list of technology companies getting into the car business. Tesla has pioneered electric vehicles, Alphabet’s Waymo unit leads in self-driving technology, while Apple has had an automotive project since about 2016. Patent drawings for what could be Dyson’s upcoming electric vehicle Dyson Dyson first disclosed plans to build an electric car in 2017, saying it would invest 2 billion pounds (US$2.6 billion) on the vehicle and accompanying batteries. Last year, the company said it would build a facility in Singapore to develop the car it hopes to introduce by 2021. In his email to staff, Dyson said that testing of the car would ramp up next month and that more than 500 people are working on the
Origin: First patents surface for Dyson electric car planned for 2021
No electric Range Rover Evoque planned, PHEV instead
An electric Range Rover Evoque won’t arrive to the line-up before 2025, as the brand focuses its efforts on hybrid technology in the mid-term. Jaguar Land Rover UK boss Rawdon Glover said that while “there will be a market for a small to medium-sized electric SUV”, it will not arrive before the next generation of its entry-level Range Rover. The second-generation Evoque launched earlier this year, seven years after the compact SUV was born, and thanks to a new platform, now accommodates mild hybrids as well as a plug-in hybrid. However, Autocar understands the platform can not accommodate a fully electric drivetrain, and so new architecture would need to be implemented for a third-generation model to house such a set-up. The PHEV, due in 12 months’ time, will be powered by a 197bhp three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with a 107bhp electric motor. Glover described the Evoque PHEV as “fleet game-changer” for Land Rover and predicts it will make up more than a third of UK Evoque sales when it arrives early next year. Land Rover believes plug-in hybrid technology is a sensible middle ground for the Evoque, opposed to a fully electric variant, having seen success with the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrids launched in 2017. Within the M25, one in two of those models sold are plug-in hybrid. Broader electric plans for Land Rover are unconfirmed, but an electric version of the flagship Range Rover is expected in under five
Origin: No electric Range Rover Evoque planned, PHEV instead
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