RTR - VW Drive-In movie Night ( 3 of 3)

Welcome to part 3 of 3 all about the RTR at the movies. Back on the 25th September 2016 I took part in the first 'Run the Ring' VW charity cruise around the M25 London Orbital motorway to help raise money for the Teenage Cancer trust. The aim of the event was to have the longest convoy of Volkswagen's ever seen on the M25 and in the process to raise some much needed money for this worthwhile charity. The whole event was organised primarily by John Emberton (along with a fantastic few others) and was to say the least a huge success with hundreds upon hundreds of Volkswagen's of all descriptions attending the cruise and rising in excess of £10,000 in the process. Following on from this huge success John then organised another charity event, 'Run the Ring at the movies' to help raise money for the charity 'Scotty's Little Soldiers' that helps to raise money for bereaved British Armed Forces Children. (You can check out their website here: http://scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/ ) John somehow acquired a huge empty warehouse very near Heathrow which can hold in excess of 60 vehicles in which to hold a drive in movie night for all the 'Ringers' that attended the charity M25 cruise. John and his team quickly arranged a massive screen to watch the movie on, top chefs who normally cater for executive airlines, a raffle, a tuck shop, RTR merchandise, tombola and of course donations on the night. The RTR team also arranged a special guest appearance from a Hollywood movie star and had even arranged a fly by from a British Airways 747 jumbo jet.... (The fact that the venue was less than 1 mile from Heathrow airport and in a direct line with the runway and the take off flight path was a pure coincidence.!) The film for the night was kept a secret, but there could only be one film to watch at a Volkswagen drive in movie night, right?, I had arranged to meet my friends Dave and Angela at the venue, who along with their daughter Louise were also looking forward to a fun packed afternoon / evening. The event ran from 12.00pm - 9.00pm and due to everyones generosity from buying raffle tickets, buying things from the tuck shop, and the RTR merchandise the event raised £2500 for Scotty's Little Soldiers. A huge well done to John and the team (Amanda and Ben to name just two) for arranging the event and a special well done to everyone who attended on the day and who gave so generously for such a worthwhile cause. The review continues as I wander around admiring all the vehicles, chatting to the owners and of course taking lots of photo's.
To see all my other blog entries, go to ‘My Blog Archive’ to the left of this page. Simply click on an arrow for a particular year, then click on an arrow for a particular month, this will then give you a drop down menu for all the blog entries for that month.

We all think our vehicle is precious to us but
none more so than this gorgeous 1972 Brazilian
split screen, as this is an heirloom that the current
owner Maney, received from his grandfather shortly
before he died in 1980. The bus remained in Brazil
from 1981 until 2005 where after having a partial
restoration it was shipped to the U.K. in 2008.

This bus has a 1641cc engine, with an IRS
that has taller beetle gears installed. It also has
 a Creative Engineering adjustable front beam
and steering rack with CSP disc brakes.
Maney's late Grandfather purchased the bus
 with 0km on the clock, but since it came to the
U.K. Maney has covered thousands of miles
cruising through France, Germany, Spain,
Holland and Belgium and of course the U.K.

The lovely Porsche Fuchs wheels look to be
the perfect choice for this bus. The passion
for Volkswagens and particularly this lovely
old bus has been passed down through the
generations - grandfather, father and now Maney.

Standing on my door step to get a good view
of the venue, looking all the various Volkswagens
parked up in rows in the empty warehouse that
John acquired to hold the RTR Drive-In movie.

It does look as though all the Volkswagens are
crammed into the warehouse, but actually there
was plenty of room around each vehicle, and
each vehicle had a good view of the big screen.

We all had to pay an entrance fee, which went
to the 'Scotty's Little Soldiers' charity and as we
entered the warehouse we were given a 'goodie'
bag which included a few stickers. I'm not sure
this T4 in the most gorgeous gold colour, has
 room for any more stickers!

This trio of buses reminded me of the original
'Italian Job' in which Michael Caine starred
with the red, white and blue Mini Coopers.

David's blue and white 1966, and Fiona's
red and white 1963 split screen buses for no 
other reason that I think it makes for a good photo.

The split screen bus is the most iconic VW and
it's easy to see why looking at these two.

Just getting a sneaky picture of the original
Porsche engined Herbie that starred in the 1969
film 'The Love Bug'. You can read all about this
lovely bug in part 1 of this review.

Fiona's and David's split screen buses looking 
gorgeous and all polished up for their night 
out at the drive in movies.

Although this was a Volkswagen event only, this
Huge pimped up Scania arrived and parked in
the corner. This custom rig belongs to I.R.Lewton
(+ Daughter & Sons) road haulage.

This custom truck was amazing. The attention to
detail was incredible, and the truck had more
lights than Blackpool sea front.!

I spent ages looking around this lovely
truck but I couldn't work out whether the sides
were air brushed or whether it was wrapped
but whatever it was, it was stunning.

The number of lights on this rig was incredible,
and as the sun went down and it started to get
darker inside the warehouse, they put the lights
on and the truck lit up like a Christmas tree.

Even the wheels, tyres and tyre lettering didn't
escape the custom treatment. This is dedication
but I bet it's a nightmare to keep clean.

Inside the cab it was like, no in fact it was better 
than a 5 star hotel. The door cards were finished
in what looked like cream and dark blue quilted
leather with matching seats and the deepest
pile carpet I have ever seen.

Lying down by the side of the drivers seat was
this revolver which hadn't escaped the custom
bling treatment.

Shaggy, Velma and Scooby Doo posing for
photos by The Mystery Machine.

Whilst sitting in my T4 looking in my door mirror I 
thought I'd take a sneaky photo of my friend David
 and his daughter Louise who were relaxing whilst
enjoying a glass of champagne, but it looks as 
though Louise has spotted me.!!

You can forget the evolution of humans picture
where the monkey slowly transforms into a
walking upright homo sapien, this right here
folks is the true meaning of evolution. 

A cool rear door badge I spotted on one of the
buses parked inside the venue.

Whilst everyone was down the front of the building
either dancing to the disco or getting some of the
fantastic food, this white Audi R8 crept in, and
whilst revving it's engine (very loudly) and through
a cloud of smoke Iron Man made his appearance.
It's funny but looks can be deceiving as he always
looked taller in the movies. 

[to be read in a Jeremy Clarkson voice]
"Some say this is Iron Man, all we know is, he

isn't Iron Man, but he is Iron Man's vertically 

challenged cousin." Seriously though, having

 Iron Man make an appearance was a fantastic 

idea that went down very well, and people of all 

ages were queueing up to have their photo 

taken with the Hollywood (!) star. 

Could the appearance of Iron Man be a
clue as to the film we will be watching later..??
It is certainly a child friendly film, so it could be.

Everyone, and I mean everyone came
to the back of the warehouse to have a look 
at this special guest. I think Iron Man got
photographed even more than 'The Duke'
(the gorgeous 1958 red split screen in part 2
of this review) and that's saying something!. 
Here Louise is posing with the Hollywood
 star. (Thanks to David and Louise for 
allowing me to use their photo)

The custom Scania at dusk with it's lights on.!
You're not going to loose this truck in the car
park at night!.

Just a random photo looking down the side of
my camouflaged T4 at the big screen on which
we would soon be watching the film which was
still a closely guarded secret. 

The majority of VW shows I attend throughout
the season normally have a 'Herbie' lookalike,
but we had an original Herbie in the form of
this 'H2' model made by Empi Racing of
California for the 1969 film 'The Love Bug'.
You can see more of this car in part 1 of this 
blog review.

The 'Duke' on show, all washed and polished and
receiving many admiring glances and comments. 
You can see more of this gorgeous '58 Swiss army 
radio communications bus in part 2 of the review. 
Simply click on 'My Blog Archive' at the
 top left of this page.

There are no prizes for guessing which red bus
this immaculate polished front badge is on.

The DJ, aka Bug Beats kept us all entertained
with quality music and had the youngsters (and 
even a few older people) dancing and having
 fun until the film started. 

The variety of hot and cold food, and hot and
cold drinks available during the day was vast
and catered for all tastes.

My T4 and David's 1966 splitty parked up inside
the huge warehouse waiting for the movie to 
start with the glow from the Scania's many lights
in the background.

Whilst sitting behind my T4 with David and
 Angela on our camping chairs I was casually
watching the photo montage of photos sent
in of last years RTR VW charity cruise and
decided to get a photo of my bus. Just as I took
the photo my 1969 microbus appeared on the big
screen !! Both my buses in one photo, cool eh?

As the evening progressed the internal lighting
was switched on, it can't be long until we finally
find out what film we shall be watching.

The movie for the night was a closely guarded
secret, but at a Volkswagen only drive in 
movie there could only be one film to watch, 
right? Yep it was 'The Love Bug' which we've all
seen before but it is a classic film and was still 
very enjoyable to watch.

This photo I pinched off the 'VW M25 Run the
 Ring' facebook page just to show you all just
how big the warehouse was before it got crammed
full of various Volkswagens.

So that was the 3rd and final review on the Run 
the Ring at the movies night, in aid of charity. 
Overall a fantastic afternoon / evening. The 
whole event was so well planned with every detail
 thought through. It was such a refreshing change
 to the normal VW shows I attend, I don't know
 why nobody hasn't thought of this before.?!  A huge 
well done to John and his many helpers who 
helped make this idea a great reality for everyone
 that attended. Why not join the 'VW M25 Run
the Ring' facebook page and join us for this years
charity cruise around the M25 and help to raise
money for the Scotty's Little Soldiers charity.?
You can visit the page here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/M25VWRunTheRing/
Next weeks blog review is all about the annual 
Dub Freeze VW Show, so be sure to back come
 next Saturday to read all about it