A small turnout...

...at the Saturday car show. Might have been because the rain had stopped only a few hours before, or because it was a balmy 49 degrees when I arrived. Usually the morning draws nearly 400 cars; less than half that number appeared today.

But there were some choice machines on hand. Today was "British car" day, and I wasn't going to miss that.

Several cars I've always loved were there. This 1952 MG TD is a good example...



Out of sheer snobbishness, I always looked down on Triumph TR3s, but they are neat nonetheless. This '59 TR3A was the best of those that showed up...



A rare sight in the USA, this Morris Mini Cooper -- identical to the more familiar Austin Mini Cooper except for the badges -- has far more appeal for me than the new BMW-built "Minis"...



The most beautiful Aston Martin ever (and that includes the current ones) is the DB4 with a custom body built by Zagato of Italy...



But my absolute favorite was this Austin-Healey 3000. I owned a very similar Healey (minus the red paint on the lower body) complete with the rare factory-supplied hard top, and am still heartbroken, years later, that I had to sell it...



Contrary to popular belief, none of these cars, or any other Brit machines that showed up today, suffered catastrophic electrical-system failures or sat in rapidly spreading pools of oil. I'd trust any as daily drivers -- that's what my Healey was used for before I got it, and I continued the tradition as long as I could -- and be delighted to do so.

Except, that is, for the Aston Martin. And I'd exempt that from normal use simply because its rarity would be cause for truly horrific insurance rates....