The All British Field Meet billed as the largest gathering of British cars took place on September 7–9, at Portland International Raceway, and attracted over 700 entries. Jaguar was the featured marque during this celebration which also honored the 60th birthday of the Jaguar Clubs of North America and the 50th birthday of the Jaguar Owners Club of Oregon.
Best of Show for the Jaguars went to Calgary, Alberta’s Rene Blei and his 1939 SS100 (pictured top), featuring a 3.5 Liter, inline six-cylinder pushrod engine and all aluminum body. The “100” in the designation equated to the car’s top speed. Just 118 were ever manufactured, Blei’s is number 117 and was exported in 1939 from Germany just prior to the outbreak of war. His SS100 is also one of the very few that remains as it left the factory with the same drivetrain, radiator, headlights and more. Its original cost was about $2,000 U.S. dollars.
There were 11 categories of British cars featured with Rolls-Royce and Vintage Race Cars offering two widely different winners. The Rolls-Royce and Bentley category was won by Eric Newland from Portland with his 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith. Second was awarded to the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn 4 Door Saloon owned by Portland’s Roger Wooley.
Winning the Vintage Racer category was Gary Johnson from Damascus, OR and his 1934 MG K3, of which his one of just 33 ever made. Dave and Amy Ford from Troutdale, OR claimed second with their 1960 Morris Rally Car that will soon be competing in modern rallies.
Highlights of the meet included a Fun Rallye and a Giant Slalom where several of the show cars were entered. Also featured was the 16th Annual Columbia River Classic presented by the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts (SOVREN). Over 140 cars were entered, of which nearly half were British.