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Freewheelers - Torrevieja Classic Cars |
A new way to enjoy motoring for pleasure.
Freewheelers Christmas Outing
COMARTH CARS
Once at the factory we were met by the company designer who gave a brief history
of the company before taking us into the first of the two buildings where the
finish products were stored. Comarth started building 2 seater sports/race cars
six years ago.
They were only built to order. The first, called the S1 was later superseded by
the Xtamy r.
Other bodies can be fitted according to customers requirements. In the
production shed we saw a van style body under construction, cab and body being
one molded unit. The French Post Office have ordered 500 and there is another
order pending from Finland. With a range of 100 kilometres or 4 hours running at
full power combined with a top speed of 50 kph these are very useful vehicles.
Although this top speed is restricted in Spain to comply with certain taxation
regulations. There are plans afoot to design and build a vehicle that can be
accessed and driven by a person in a wheel chair without that person actually
having to get out of the chair.
As usual, a stop off for lunch was made on the way home and again as is the norm
with the Freewheelers the price was right! Where does it all go?
First port of call was the separation shed where the solids are extracted
through a coarse mesh-type filter. This part of the operation was the only
smelly part of the whole plant. Next onto the next stage where the fat and
grease are skimmed off the top and the sand and grit fall to the bottom before
the water now enters the biological tanks where bacteria feeding on oxygen
pumped into the tanks by British built compressors destroy the remaining dirt.
The correct balance is maintained by computers. In fact the plant is so modern
that it only employs 26 personnel, mostly biologists and technicians. Separating
the good bacteria from the bad is done by first starving the bacteria of oxygen
which kills the weaker, bad bacteria, then re-introducing oxygen to the good
bacteria so that it can continue doing it's job. The water is now "clean" and
can be used in agriculture but, here in Torrevieja there is one more process not
normally used in most purification plants. This final process includes adding
chlorine not unlike that in our swimming pools, but stronger doses. The reason
for this being that this water is used to irrigate the towns parks and gardens
and the town hall wish to be double sure that children playing in the parks
could not pick up any possible illness.
A very joyous occasion and you would have been hard pressed to recognise the
newcomers from the old hands as Freewheeling is such a relaxed way of life.
Although the team work very hard to provide the numerous outings we have had
over the past year a few new ideas and help in organising a trip out to your
area would not go amiss.
At a cost of £300,000,000, yes, three hundred million, you would expect quality and that is what this ship has, quality in abundance! With a crew of over 1,000 the liner is capable of carrying over 2000 guests.
There is also a segregation system where those paying the most and occupying the various suites on the top deck have privileged areas not available to others paying less and occupying lesser cabins. These include the exclusive French cuisine in the Queens dining room, very opulent, also an exclusive sunning area on the very top deck with panoramic views from the stern of the ship.
Next came the Princess Grill (where we dined) for the next grade of passengers
and a third tier for those paying the least. This also included a English Pub
with bar snacks and bar meals available 24 hour a day.
The meal was also of the very highest quality served by very professional
waiters who did not need to ask who ordered what when serving the various
choices requested, quite impressive.
We were met by Katherine who had driven up over-night from Gibraltar to oversee
the smooth running of the operation and with whom Richard had arrange the visit.
Security was tight, not unlike that experienced at the airport when we all had
to pass through the scanner and have our passports checked against a list
previously provided by Richard. Freewheelers celebrated their second anniversary by driving to the
caves at Canelobre.
There is a slightly more direct route but nowhere near as picturesque as the one
chosen by Brian & Annette.
The caves themselves are thousands of years old and go down quite a way with
stalactites and stalagmites and with an informative explanation of the history
of the caves all those that went down agreed how interesting it had been.
There was a small surprise awaiting as participants gathered on the terrace
below the car park, FREEWHEELING on TV
Founded in 1881 as a cottage industry the factory is still owned by the family
now run by the fifth generation.
Now for the tour of the old town and the history of Vila Joiosa, Malena
explained the the town dated back to the bronze age. The hilltop where the old
town of Vila Joiosa stands was a settlement founded at the beginning of the
Iberian age around the 6th century BC. It is believed that this was 'Alonis'
mentioned in classical texts and bourne out by excavations that discovered
household and military items used in 5 centuries of Iberian culture.
And so it was that we headed down the hill to the sea front and the restaurant
La Font for a well earned drink and an excellent lunch served by Brad and his
mum all for a very reasonable price.
Next outing. Display of Classic & Interesting cars at the Entre Naranjos fiesta
on 21 July. Call me. The past month has seen the Freewheelers visit a variety of places starting
with a trip into the mountains courtesy our own Al of MR2 fame.
A group of Freewheelers also visited the Lifestyle Expo at the IFA (institution
Ferial Alicantina) there were a variety of stalls not normally seen in local
open-air markets although a selling cast pans and cooking chicken did seem to
make the birds on the adjacent pet stall rather nervous! There was wine tasting,
Fashion Shows a Acrobatic Show and also a Kylie Minogue & Michael Jackson
Tribute, but by the time they came on the Freewheelers were long gone on their
way to lunch at the Imperial Hotel.
The final visit of the month saw the Freewheelers once again join forces with the Phoenix Classic Car Club to display a number of cars in support of the San Fulgencio Cricket Club. With many stalls taking up the perimeter the cars had centre stage in the middle of the square before eventually making way for the annual match which celebrates the clubs foundation. Some then went for lunch in the Urbanisation.
It all goes to show that Freewheeling is fun and full of variety. Three very
different outings, three different types of cuisine, Traditional English Sunday
lunch, a very definitely Spanish one and ending in a German restaurant for what
was quite traditionally German. Variety is the spice of life, rock on Tommy! 29th April 2010 - FREEWHEELS AT ANTIC AUTO
Although there was fewer cars there was still a good variety from the 2CV to a
vintage Bugatti racer, was it genuine or a replica? Only a expert could tell. As
usual the split was between sellers and clubs with just a couple of private
collections. Whilst we have seen some of the cars before there was quite a few
that we had not, namely a beautiful Jaguar V drop head coupe at 90,000€ and in
the bargain basement was a Mexican built VW Beetle for 4,700€. We did not see
much wheeler dealing going on but it was the first day. A couple of TV crews
were there interviewing various exhibitors, we declined the publicity as the
interview was in Spanish. After we had had our fill we returned to La Marina for
a Fish & Chip lunch at "My Plaice" for their menu del dia. The portions of Fish,
Chips & peas, mushy or garden?, were generous and at 4.95€ nobody was
complaining. Unfortunately for me I am not allowed fries and settled for the
lamb shank which turned out to be a mistake as it was over cooked and quite hard
in parts.
La Alcidia is an archaeological site where human presence has been documented
from the Neolithic period (4000BC) to the beginning of Muslim occupation in the
8th century and a very important Iberian and then Roman settlement when the
Romans gave it the status of a Roman colony.
Most of the remains are from the Iberian and Roman times and include both a
Christian Church and Iberian Temple as well as the houses from both periods,
thermal baths, a perfectly preserved sewer system and much more. Should you wish
to visit this site it might be advisable to go during the week between 10.00 &
14.00 when the main museum within the site is also open.
The day ended with a very Spanish Sunday lunch in a local hostelry which was much enjoyed. For more information on Freewheelers e-mail us on
freewheelers08@yahoo.co.uk and
ask to be put on our mailing list, we will then be able to inform you of future
trips.
Freewheeling in January
A Freewheeling Christmas
"A CASUAL DRIVE, AND SUNDAY LUNCH"
VI CONCENTRACI?#8220;N AUTOM?#8220;VILES CLÁSSICOS
Christmas Drive & Lunch
Farewell to a friend
After a very Spanish lunch the co-founder of the Freewheelers thanked Basil for
all the time and effort he had dedicated into making the Freewheelers such a
success. He was then presented with a Plaque and a farewell card, not only
signed by all present but also by those left behind at the Ace Cafe where
Richard had done an excellent job discreetly obtaining everybody's signature.
Garden Party for Freewheelers Almoradi is not just a place to go for the Saturday market although you could mistake it for a sleepy town as the roads were still closed off after the market the day before but a quick visit to the Police station by Richard and a bit of self-help in opening the barriers soon had the cars parked in the square under the watchful eye of a local policeman who seemed to just appear, shortly followed by a colleague, both very friendly which always seems to be the case when classic cars assemble anywhere here in Spain. Almoradi is quite an old settlement dating back many centuries, decades even, when there were Greeks here before the better known Moors & Christian times. Unfortunately most of the ancient town was lost in the great earthquake which occurred on the 21st of March 1829. Of interest in the town is the church La Iglesia de San Andrés which was rebuilt immediately after the earthquake, there is also a monument dedicated to those who work the land which produces Artichokes as well as the Oranges & Lemons in the many groves surrounding the town. There are designated walks to help you take in the local scenery. Adjacent to the town square where the church is situated is the Casino bar where we received a complimentary Tappas with our drinks. Very hospitable. Eventually it was time to depart on our tour of neighbouring villages eventually arriving at Richards place where there was ample parking for all the cars, mostly under cover. There was much frivolity and banter as everybody tucked into their self provided picnic, Richard even lit his B-B-Q so that anyone who chose to could cook their own, there is always one isn't there? Appetite satisfied it was time to jump in the pool, at least for some whilst others put the world to rights, but not before we all had sampled Elke's magnificent Apple Cake. (Not a misprint, Apple Cake, wonderbar!). All too soon it was time to go and another fantastic day out with the freewheelers came to a close. Our very grateful thanks go to Richard and Elke for their hospitality and inviting us all into their home, also making the day the outstanding success that it undoubtedly was. Thank you both very much.
Classic Car Fiesta
Nigh on one hundred cars turn up at RHS coches con clase on Sunday the 14th June
for their Fiesta which was co-promoted with the Freewheelers. Outside the
showroom there were three Rolls Royce and three mini's, with a variety of other
classic cars inside the showroom, but the cars that attracted the most attention
outside were the pre war Mercedes open tourer and the blue Bugatti, both
replicas of course. VIVA television who were also there took quite a bit of
footage of these two beauties. If you like motor's you should pay them a visit,
Rob is always willing to talk cars.
Freewheelers had also brought some very interesting classic cars of their own, filling the opposite side of the road with their immaculately turned out vehicles. It is quite possible that some of these cars were in better nick than when they first hit the road three decades ago.
Apart from the crowd that had come to attend the event there was quite a lot of
passing interest as the Sunday motorists slowed down to gaze upon the gleaming
automobiles.
There was also the well known TAABS Singing Show Group with their rendering of
songs from musical films and shows we all remember. Some of the guests were even
seen dancing.
We at Freewheelers owe a big thank you to all the artists who willingly gave up
their free time to come and perform throughout the afternoon at their own
expense to entertain everybody so superbly.
Freewheelers is a group of people interested in classic cars.
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The whole aim of Freewheelers is to get out and about in our cars for a drive together and end up with a meal or a picnic somewhere every month.
We have no committee, no rules and no fees. Just total freedom to please yourself. Everybody has a say in where we go and what we do.
All that is required is for someone in the group to plan a day out, tell us your plans, we will then mutually agree a date and advise others in the group of the date, time and departure point. The only criteria is car parking at, or very close to the place where we are going to eat.
We are totally laid back and relaxed - it's the Spanish way.
A grand raffle rounded off the day, with at least 20 prizes, the proceeds from
which will be donated to APANEE, a charity that supports both Spanish and
English disabled children and adults. They have been going for 10 years and help
90 children three times a week of which I am advised the town hall sponsor 35.
Special thanks go to Dave Royal of T.K.O. Radio and the La Bodega Restaurant in La Marina, Rob Saltail and his staff of RHS coches con clase who all contributed greatly to making the day the great success that it undoubtedly was. Thank you all very much.
On Saturday the 2nd of May Freewheeling Team Member Alan Herbert booked a coach and took quite a number of the freewheeling group to Caravaca de la Cruz, one of only five cities in the world given the title Holy City by the Vatican, to see the racing of the wine horses which is a part of the Blessing of the Wine ceremony and unique. This has a medieval origin and powerful horses make a 10 second dash up to the sanctuary of the cross. This is a spectacular event, the intricate embroideries that clothe the horses take a whole year to make.
Also on Saturday Freewheelers group member Brian Hopper organised a display of a dozen cars to support the inaugural "Lad's v Dad's" cricket match held on the Market Square in La Marina. The sun shone brightly and with the side stalls and entertainment the event was hailed as a success. The Freewheelers then retired to the Restaurant Los Pinacheros for an excellent lunch to round off another excellent day out for the Freewheelers.
This second event was organised by a group member for which we are very grateful.
Anyone who would like to organise an event will have the full support of The Team and I am sure you will find it very rewarding and not as daunting as you may first think.
To contact us e-mail
freewheelers08@yahoo.co.uk
Laughing in the rain
On a wet Sunday morning almost 50 Freewheelers gathered at the Biker Bar in
Catral which owner Ron had opened specially for them despite not closing until
5.00am that morning.
Once in Crevillente, the tour of the town was abandoned due to the weather and
everyone made their way to the bar where they could watch a video of the town's
Moor's & Christian's parade on the big screen whilst they drank their coffee.
Once suitable refreshed the convoy continued on its way via Albatera to Hondon
de Los Frailes where a policeman was waiting to let the cars onto the paved area
that had been reserved for the parking of the cars. A short walk to the Bar
Pepin for a traditional 3-course Sunday lunch, with wine, for the princely sum
of 10.00€ each. It has to be said, the meal was of outstanding quality. A true
bargain and if you should find yourself in this area this is definitely the
place to eat and you will be made most welcome by Lynda and her staff, as we
were.
A collection was made to sponsor Mick who is going to UK to take part in a sponsored walk from the west coast of Lancashire to Robin Hood Bay on Yorkshire's east coast, a journey of some 200 miles, all in aid of the Heart Foundation. Also during this marathon walk he will be celebrating his 70th birthday! And not only that, Mike is also taking part in the London to Brighton Cycle race. Good luck Mike from all the freewheelers. Our special thanks go to Richard Nicholson for planning and organising this
trip.
Yet another outstanding day out enjoyed by all despite the weather. Weekend Double Header
Sunday saw the Freewheelers meet at the Asturias Restaurant for breakfast before
driving off to Jacarilla via San Miguel and arriving at the Palace to visit the
gardens and the Church. A big thank you to our organisers, Alan & Basil who have done an outstanding job
again. Fantastic news for all Freewheelers!
Classics at the Palace A sunny Sunday morning saw nearly sixty freewheelers with almost thirty cars
assemble in La Marina for the drive to Benidorm or Bust. In fact there were so
many that the group met in two different cafe's. What a variety of classics they had on display there, magnificent! All
immaculately turned out, the oldest must have been the white RR from the
twenties, most of the cars were large cars like the three Excalibur open tourers,
a Jensen and a variety of Mercedes, a rare Panhard and many more too numerous to
mention. All too soon it was time to move on, but not before the President gave
me a club calendar depicting 41 of club members cars'. We waved fair well to Los
Antiguos as they departed on their drive and their lunch, it was also time for
us to do likewise. We had been warned that Benidorm was not very benevolent towards motor
cavalcades and the sea front was definitely out of bounds. Chocolate and culture
Leaving La Marina at about 10.00am the first destination was the Perez Chocolate
factory and Museum, one of three in the town. Starting with a cup of hot or cold
chocolate the group were then given a tour of the factory with an explanation of
the process from the arrival of the bean (the scientific name being theobroma
cocoa) to the finished product. The beans are first roasted and when cold,
separated from the husks. They are then ground into a paste which will be the
base of the chocolate. Next different ingredients are added to the mix to
determine the different types of chocolate, after which it is mixed to the
desired texture. A second machine further refines the mix, it is then cooled to
35 degrees ready to cast and pack. This is done on a vibrating machine which
allows the mix to settle in the mould as a tablet ready for packaging.
Our hosts from the office of culture had a surprise for us next, A Police
motorcyclist to escort the convoy on a site seeing tour of the town even the
Guardia Civil were seen controlling traffic at junctions. If you would like to help organise a trip please email to freewheelers08@yahoo.co.uk - we need your help. Join the freewheelers and enjoy a day out, we are only a phone call away. Should you wish to join this happy band, just contact :
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