Gabriela Green

Frigiliana, is one of Spain’s most famous white villages, with an interesting history, involving caves, water canyons and Europe’s only factory producing sugar cane honey. Many tourists come for the views, tapas and artisan shopping.After the rain, the SOL Classic car club had the most amazing day on Saturday 16 of November.  Perfect day for our monthly car run. Organising this month trip was not without uncertainty, due to the weather. Also getting to a start point, was for some of us already 1h journey from the other side of Malaga. The coast road from Torrox to Nerja was sunny and enjoyable, then we went up the mountains to Frigiliana. It was pleasure to see the mountains and the blue sky again. We parked on the top of the view point and displayed our cars to the enjoyment of the locals and tourists.  A big thank to Nick Wadham Sutton for organizing this with the local Police. Thank you to John Richardson for leading this car run and organizing the lunch.

The Annual SOL CCC Weekend trip. At least once a year SOL CCC is organizing trip away. Normally one or two nights and exploring roads further afield. This year we explored an area north of Iznajar lake. We were very lucky with the weather and we had an amazing run with our cars. Not all very old classics are up to a long run, hence we were a mixture of cars. We all enjoyed it.  First stop was at the Anis museum and factory in Rute, village near Iznajar lake. Then we continued via the natural park towards a beautiful white town Priego de Cordoba for lunch.  Hotel Huerta de las Palomas was charming with Spanish style and the welcoming, friendly staff made our stay very comfortable. We enjoyed the chilled days with the autumn sunshine and the beauty of the scenery of the rocky mountains and the villages with castles. We found plenty of lovely restaurants with excellent food. There were plenty of activities to choose from, with cultural visits to Cordoba, wine or olive tasting, a Roman villa and cave excursions. Thank you to all who came and the staff of the Hotel for making this weekend so special.

It is the time of year when we remember the fallen and the survivors of the WWII, and many other conflicts since than. On Saturday the 19th of Oct the Royal British Legion organised a parade through La Cala de Mijas to launch this year’s Poppy Appeal.  It was a community gathering, bringing together the local scouts, talented bagpipers and a British classic cars. The beautiful sounds of bagpipes created an stiring atmosphere of reflection and respect throughout the day. The SOL CCC was proud to join the British classic car parade with some stunning cars and be part of this annual tribute to those that gave their lives in conflicts. Congratulations to Neal Adams, the President of the Royal British Legion South Spain, for organising such a wonderful day. Thank you to all who attended. All proceeds from the event are going directly to the Poppy Appeal.

Forgotten Gardens car run Welcome back from the summer break. I hope you all had relaxing summer and holidays. The SOL CCC September car run, on Wednesday 11 of September,  had a title “Forgotten gardens”.  There are many gardens and parks in the Malaga area which are worth visiting eg. Paloma Park in Benalmadena, Casa de los Navajas and La Bateria Park in Torremolinos, La Conception Historical botanical garden in Malaga ….  The SOL CCC have selected a few of the lesser known ones for the September car run.  There is a nice coast between Fuengirola and Malaga. It is a shame that navigating through the traffic, roundabouts and hectic rush on streets of Torremolinos is putting people off driving the coast road. There are few easy back streets in Torremolinos but finding even those proven to be challenging on the September run.  First stop was The MOLINO de Inca Garden.  The areas Oldest Water Mill is hidden behind Torremolinos, near the aqua park. Thanks to the various springs in the area the history of the town’s name is undoubtedly linked to the mills. There is evidence of their use for several centuries, some were used for the production of brown paper others for grinding the flour, which was the function of the Molino de Inca, the oldest mill in area. Today, this historic place houses a beautiful botanical garden of more than 15,500 square metres, a paradise, a peaceful place to enjoy the calm and many water fountains. The fowing water in the garden is there not only for its ornamental role, the garden houses still active sources of the springs of Torremolinos: the Inca and the Albercón del Rey, the latter visited by King Alfonso XIII in 1926.  The second stop was The Oriental Garden in Alhaurin de Torrre The Japanese Park was inaugurated in March 2011. The Garden is planted with Native trees and plants. Some bonsais being trimmed in a Japanese style and numerous pagodas scattered around, it is what gives the park an unmistakable Zen atmosphere. In addition, a small Bienquerido Stream runs through the park, which separates the urbanizations of  El Lagar  and Cortijos del Sol. Beautiful bridges allow passage from one bank to the other. The Oriental Garden is the ideal place to stroll with family or friends, take photos or enjoy the wonderful views of the mountains. After enjoying both of the gardens and a glass of Cava, it was a short drive to  Alhaurin de Grande, where we where finishing with an excellent lunch in El Rincon Restaurant.

Summer Holiday With the high temperatures in the south of Spain,we have reached that time of year when the SOL classic car club takes a break during the heat of summer. Many of us put our beloved classics away, as not all classic cars have air-conditioning. As many tourists are traveling to Spain for Sun and relaxation, SOL classic car club will be working over the summer to come up with more delightful and innovative classic car activities ready for you, commencing September the 11th.  Have a great summer and see you soon.

Jimena de la Frontera Members of SOL classic car club attended a classic car meeting in lovely village near Sotogrande, Jimena de la Frontera organised by Dominic and his team from Automocion Jimena. Few car clubs and private owner came together for a lovely day in beautiful mountain village, enjoying an excellent display of cars. Old classics, new classics, few American classics and few projects. Also few old motorbikes were present. The cars, music and paella, what an excellent day.

After the rain on the Costa del Sol the mountains have been transformed, bursting with colourful display of flowers. From white, yellow to red and purple.  So as to see Spanish Spring at its best the  SOL classic car club met at Venta El Tunel from where we travelled into the mountains and were able to enjoy empty roads, admire the myriad of colours, be amazed by the contrasts and vibrancy of the scenery.  The vibrant poppies swaying in the breeze with the  backround of the dazzling white snow peaks of the Sierra Nevada. On the other side of the hills is the small white village of Casabermeja, one of Spains white mountain villages, where locals enjoyed watching the cars pass through.   On their way down a refreshment stop at restaurant La Huerta was very welcome. From there it was an easy run on smooth sweeping roads to reservoir La Vinuela and onward to the coast where participants where welcomed with a glass of cold Cava at the beach. The trip finnished with a lunch at the excellent restaurant Candado Beach. This turned out to be an excellent choice and we where seated on the frontline on the beach enjoying the sound of the waves and a cooling breeze as we ate. Another successful and highly enjoyable outing for the SOL classic car club. If you would like to join like-minded people with a love of the classic cars and a great day out, please email solclassic2004@mail.com. Report by Gabi Green

Day at The Museum. Motor and Fashion museum Malaga  SOL CCC organised a trip to the Motor Museum of Malaga as our March activity. This museum is housed in one of Malaga´s most architecturally iconic buildings – the old tobacco factory constructed in 1927. It opened in 2010 as the Automobile Museum and was re-branded in 2021 as the Automobile and Fashion Museum.   The museum is a home to a private collection of Portuguese businessman Joao Magalhaes. The collection is worth around 25 million euros and is one of the most important vintage car collections in the world.  It houses more than 80 vintage and modern cars, displayed alongside fashionable clothing and travel memorabilia from the 20s, 30s 40s and 50s for the non-car fans. There is also a collection of 300 vintage hats from all the great fashion houses: Chanel, Dior, Lanvin, Balmain – there’s even a replica of Dali´s ‘shoe hat’.   There are ten themed areas covering different eras, such as Belle Epoque, Art Deco 30s, Dolce Vita 50s and English Tradition. You can also find more contemporary Alternative Energy vehicles, including solar and Hydrogen power car. There is a black Rolls-Royce customised with Swarovski crystals. Bling!  The museum also hosts fine examples of Bugatti, Auburn, Bentley, Jaguar, Ferrari and Mercedes. Many of the vehicles are customised ‘one offs’ which makes this collection different and exciting.   If you haven’t been, this is an excellent opportunity. We started the car run on the coast at Marbella and went via mountain roads above Marbella and continued via the valleys of Alhaurin El Grande and Alhaurin Del A Torre. On our way, some of us had a quick coffee stop at Miralmonte Restaurant, where we admired 1965 Bentley. 18 of us then regrouped in front of the museum in Malaga. It was a brilliant experience “Day at the Museum”, and we highly recommend a visit. We finished the day with an excellent lunch in the nearby  Chiringuito ‘Gutierrez Playa’ on Malaga beach. If you would like to join us for the next time, email solclassic2004@mail.com Thank you to Angela Veglio for organizing this trip.