A few of the JK Team met up at Classics at the Clubhouse this weekend, to enjoy the day on a golf course enjoying some air-cooled classics!
Mark, Shaun, Caz, Chet, Beau, Heidi, Nick, and Josh all headed to the show, and Josh wrote up this quick show report (which is full of photos by our very own Nick Proctor).
Josh wrote:
None of us are exactly keen golfers, but we’re always keen to cruise on over to Sandford Springs, between Basingstoke and Newbury, for a chance to drive our classic VWs over the green and park up for one of our favourite shows of the year: Classics at the Clubhouse.
Despite the weather being pretty questionable all week leading up to the show (it’s meant to be summer!) there was a great turnout, and we avoided the rain all day.
A bit about Classics at the Clubhouse
The show has been going strong for a good few years now, and has been described as 'UK's premiere single day air-cooled event'.
Driving over the grass at the Sandford Springs golf course never stops feeling a bit rebellious, and seeing hundreds of air-cooled Volkswagens, Porsches, and coach-built classics parked up on the course gives the show a unique look and offers some amazing photo opportunities!
There are huge sections of early air-cooled Porsches all parked up alongside each other, and an even greater number of classic air-cooled VWs on display nearby, too.
Everything from 1950s VW Beetles through to ‘late’ T2 Bays filled the displays, and even a whole area dedicated to the VW Karmann Ghia.
We sponsored the show, as part of our continuing effort to help support VW shows and events keep going, which meant that we were given a trade pitch for the weekend. In the end, we used the space to park our VWs together, decorated it with a few JK flags, and then set off to enjoy the show!
It’s great to sponsor events like Classics at the Clubhouse, and it’s even better when we can get out there and actually have a proper wander around the place and chat with people (which we did a lot of!)
A really laid-back show
One of my favourite things about Classics at the Clubhouse is the chilled-out atmosphere that PJ Gibbons and the team have been able to create.
Maybe I’m just getting old, but it’s great to be able to head to a show where there’s no music, no kids’ entertainment, and no loudspeaker announcements – just hundreds of people milling around, having a chat, and enjoying a great variety of classic air-cooled cars all parked up on the golf course.
Just because there’s no bouncy castles or fairground rides, that doesn’t mean that the show isn’t kid friendly. I saw loads of families with children of all ages enjoying a relaxed day out together, which was really lovely.
There were also a fair few dogs at the show, who all behaved really well. Mark Reynolds even brought his giant labradoodle, Benji, along for the day since he loves sitting in the back of Mark’s 1967 Beetle Cabriolet and feeling the wind in his ears!
Survivors Display area
One of my favourite areas of the show was the Survivors Display, which was tucked away just off the main show area. It was only a dozen or so metres into the trees, but it felt like a whole new event with some stunning classics proudly showing off their original paint, interiors, and accessories in whatever state they’re still in.
Caz from the JK Team parked her 1955 Oval (Dotty) by a tree and sat back as the super-original Beetle drew crowds of admirers.
You can see a bit more information about Dotty on the Display Vehicles page from Classics at the Clubhouse, and a few other vehicles belonging to the JK Team.
Award ceremony
As well as sponsoring the event, we also provided PJ with the parts that were used to create the trophies which were given out at the event.
PJ called in help from Mark at Bear Industries, who transformed the rocker covers we supplied into stunning awards which double up as lamps!
We also had the slightly daunting honour of selecting a vehicle for our ‘Sponsors Choice’ award.
After having a really good look around the whole show a few times, we all had a different idea of who we should pick, but then we all agreed on this stunning VW Karmann Ghia (pictured below). It’s owned by Aaron Britton, and we’re hoping to cover the Ghia in more detail in a future blog article, so watch this space!
I managed to miss the award ceremony itself, but arrived there in time to see a lot of very happy people walking away with some seriously impressive trophies.
Congratulations to everyone who received an award at Classics at the Clubhouse, and to Bear Industries for creating such cool trophies!
Looking forward to Classics at the Clubhouse 2025!
I'm already looking forward to cruising on over to Classics at the Clubhouse next year, and I'm hoping that the weather will be better in the run-up to the event so that even more air-cooled classics arrive than they did this year!
A huge congratulations and well done to PJ and everyone else who worked so hard to make Classics at the Clubhouse such a massive success, and we'll see you again next year.
