Suffolk eateries supporting the Classic Car groups

The Turks Head in Hasketon welcomed the stunning vehicles from the Colchester Classic Car Club for lunch recently.

Ufford Park Hotel welcomed the collection from the Soviet Auto Luxury Tours as they toured Suffolk last week.

“You don’t often hear the words luxury and Soviet in the same sentence but that is exactly what you get with the Soviet Auto Luxury Tour. Luxury is the four star hotel participants stay at and the Cold War period vehicles that attend provide the Soviet flavour.

In the spirit of détente our annual three day event (usually the first weekend of June) welcomes Cold War participants from both sides of the Iron Curtain but the mechanical superiority of Soviet engineering means East European vehicles dominate. Expect to see Lada, Trabant, Tatra, Skoda and many more marques representing superior Eastern Bloc engineering.

What is a SALT tour?

All SALT Tourists get a rally plaque for their vehicle.

We have fun in our Cold War era vehicles, touring scenic routes (NOT a race!), and visiting sites of Cold War interest. Every entrant gets a rally plate to affix to their vehicle and a comprehensive roadbook.

The roadbook includes comprehensive tulip maps to guide our Tourists through the best countryside our host region has to offer. Each year is different but our tours on Friday and Saturday usually start around 09.00 and can cover up to around 80 miles but we try to keep the distances down. Generally the outward trip will meander along B roads and byways whilst the return to HQ is usually more direct. We include lunch and coffee stops and the routebook lists refuelling sites en route. Sunday’s shorter run will often be under an hour to allow time for our visit and lunch.

Tourists are given a goodie back that will include the roadbook, a guide to the weekend with listings of all participants, a laminate with lanyard to you know who’s who. Past treats in the bag have included, mugs, commemorative calendars, magnetic plaques and more.”