2003 British V8 Conversion Convention
Recollections recorded by Pete Mantell of Mantell Motorsport fame:
Sponsored by this newsletter, the seventh annual British V8 Convention
was held in Townsend, TN at the beautiful Highland Manor Inn,
in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
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| Mike Moor's impressive V8 MGB |
Jim Blackwood's tricked out MGB |
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| View from the host Motel |
Pete Mantell's view of the Motel |
Please support the sponsoring companies who make BritishV8 possible, including:
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| Head 'em up and move 'em out! On the way to Newfound Gap |
Little River Road through the Smokies |
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| Just to prove we were there. Pete & Sue Mantell and Rick & Jean Ingram |
Highway 441, crossing over the Smokies |
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| Believe it or not, this little guy survived! That was one tough little Hawk |
British invasion at Newfound Gap |
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| A friend in need is a friend indeed |
This is the view that awaited those who made the trip to Newfound Gap |
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| Martyn Harvey and his son Graeme made it a father-son outing from Canada |
The folks from Colorado weren't impressed, but those from Illinois were |
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| Cruising through the Picnic area on the return from Newfound Gap |
Passing out the picnic goodies at the Little River picnic area |
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| A most unusual MGA - hopefully, we'll feature this car in an upcoming issue of the newsletter |
"THE DRAGON" There are 11 miles just like this |
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| One of the scenic overlooks on the Dragon |
A brief respite after tackling the Dragon |
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| A view of some of the 3,500 street rods at the Knoxville fairgrounds |
Definitely NOT an MG! |
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| Offer doughnuts and coffee, and they will come! Saturday morning run to the "Top of the World" |
Coffee and doughnuts with a view! |
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| Kurt Schley and Sue Hunter enjoying the crisp mountain air with hot coffee and doughnuts |
Two very handsome Healeys - they belong to Wayne Starnes (black/silver) and Leroy Joppa (two-tone green) |
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| Jim Miller's cruise control tech session |
Dan Master's Ford 302 tech session |
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| Ted Lathrops' custom crossmember/suspension tech session |
Dan Lagrou's flywheel tech session |
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| Spotted behind the Motel: the owner is "going to restore it someday." (It's been there 17 years.) |
Local band, Higher Ground, provided fine bluegrass music for Friday's BBQ dinner |
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, April 30:
- Early registration and welcome party around the pool.
Thursday, May 1:
- Continental breakfast, courtesy of the motel.
- A morning drive to Newfound Gap (elevation app 5,000ft), with a stop on the way back at a picnic area along the river for lunch. A box lunch will be provided. Bring a coat, because it will be COLD at Newfound Gap, regardless of how warm it is in Townsend.
- Afternoon option 1: A visit to Gatlinburg and/or Pigeon Forge.
- Afternoon option 2: Have a go at The Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles! The Dragon will be about a 2 - 3 hour drive from the picnic area. Dinner stop on the way back.
- Afternoon option 3: Caravan to Sweetwater and sail the Lost Sea - take a boat ride on an underground lake, deep below the surface. Bring a jacket! Stop for dinner on the way back.
- Social hour(s) at the motel. Refreshments were provided by Dan Lagrou of D&D Fabrications.
Friday, May 2:
- Continental breakfast, courtesy of the motel.
- Early morning tour of Cade's Cove - an interesting and scenic 11 mile drive through an old pioneer settlement area. Cade's Cove is about 9 miles from the motel. Snacks and soft drinks were provided at the old mill and visitor center, approximately half-way round the Cove loop drive.
- Restaurants were available across the street from the motel for lunch, or some drove to Gatlinburg.
- Afternoon option 1: Take a well deserved rest break, and lounge around the pool if the weather permits. Temperatures range from 60°to 80° in May, so you might get a chance to swim.
- Afternoon option 2: Some of you may want to check out the Street Rod event in Knoxville - a good time to pick up some of that speed equipment you've been looking for. There will be dozens of venders there, and they usually offer discount prices at the show. There will be a huge swap meet as well - you could easily spend an entire day here alone. Friday is a good day to go, as the crowds are not so large then, and parking is readily available.
- Afternoon option 3: If you missed one of the Thursday options, Friday is a good time to catch up.
- Restaurants are available across the street from the motel for lunch.
- Autocross.
- Vendor displays.
- Tech Sessions.
- Catered barbecue dinner (GOOD barbecue) and a Bluegrass concert at the motel.
Saturday, May 3:
- Breakfast drive along the Foothills Parkway to the "Top of the World" (elevation app 2,000ft). Pastries, bagels, coffee and juice, provided by Ted & Judy Lathrop of Fast Cars, Inc, were served at the scenic overlook parking area. Some of the more energetic made the 1/2 mile hike up to the fire tower for a spectacular vista.
- "Show and Tell" - Owner's tour of their cars: what was done, why it was done, how it was done, etc.
- Vendor displays.
- Tech Sessions.
- Visited with or entertain visitors from the British Car Gathering being held next door (there were be 180 cars at that event).
- An evening drive through the Smokies along Little River Road to The Park Grill in Gatlinburg for a banquet. The food was SUPURB!
Sunday, May 4:
- Farewell coffee and doughnuts in the parking lot.
What else was going on?
- British Car Gathering 15 was going on at the Best Western next door, with 180 British cars on hand.
- The Townsend Old Time Music Festival was taking place all around the area (That's COUNTRY music, REAL country music! Real ol' timey country music! No electric guitars, no drums, just banjos, fiddles, flat tops, and slap bass)
- The National Street Rod Association had their SE Nationals in Knoxville, with over 3500 street rods in attendance. This event brings every major hot rod/performance parts vender to the area, so it's a good chance to check out some parts you've been wanting for your British Street Rod!
- Pigeon Forge: There's always a ton of things to do in Pigeon Forge, something for every member of the family, every one from toddlers to geezers, including even teenagers! Hopefully, attendees brought plenty of money for the wives - shopping is supreme in Pigeon Forge - three days weren't long enough to shop all the manufacturer's outlet stores. For the kids, there was everything from carnival rides to go-karts to a real gold mine where they could actually pan for gold.
- Gatlinburg: A neat little "Art & Crafts" town, snuggled right next door to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. An entire day wasn't enough to take in all of Gatlinburg. Ripley's Aquarium was not to be missed, nor was The Village with breakfast at the Pancake House. Their Swedish Lingonberry pancakes or, for lunch, the Polish Aristocrat sandwich, are worth coming back for.
- The Great Smoky Mountain National park: the most visited park in the Nation, about two miles from the host motel. Top-down driving through the Smokies was a real treat, plenty of winding roads and lots of scenic vistas. A drive through Cades Cove was enjoyed by several attendees.
- The Dragon! Don't forget the Dragon - 318 curves in 11 miles. People come from all over the world to drive this piece of highway. About 2 - 3 hours from the motel, this was the highlight of the event for many.
