Pendine 2025: Sunshine, Sand… and a Steampunk Beetle I’ll Never Forget

It’s normally a June thing, but this year Pendine Hot Rod Races landed in late September. Word is, the council wanted to move it out of the summer tourist season, whether that’s true or not, who knows. What we do know is that shifting it to autumn was a gamble. Late September in Wales can mean blazing sunshine… or sideways rain.

And sure enough, Saturday didn't disappoint, it was a total washout. So we made the sensible call: pack up the bacon and the veggie sausages, the barbie, the camping kettle and go on Sunday instead.

The Laugharne Line-Up

We met up as usual with the Laugharne Sports & Classic crew in front of Laugharne Castle. There were five of us this time, not bad considering a few had a late one the night before 🍺🙄.

Because there weren't many of us, we decided to jump into the cars that had turned up, so we went in the 924 and my bus. A bit of a squeeze, but plenty of laughs along the way.

Before we even left, a 924S came down the road, spotted our Dirty Martini Safari Wrap, and immediately did a 180 turn back into the car park for a closer look. That’s how we met Paul, a motoring photographer who’d driven all the way from Manchester that morning just to see the event. He tagged along with our little convoy to Pendine, impressive dedication, considering he was heading straight back afterwards.

Breakfast on the Beach

As usual, paddock passes were long gone before we even thought about them, mostly snapped up by competitors, families, and the press but that’s fine by us. The view through the fence isn’t great for the actual racing, but you can see the cars getting ready, lining up, and turning round afterwards, which is just as good in its own way.

By the time we arrived, the sun was out, the air was crisp, and the beach had that lovely salty air smell. We set up our little base on the sand, fired up the barbie and kettle, and tucked into bacon and sausage sandwiches, plus a veggie option for the Sticker Queen (a must at this point in the tradition).

The Cars: From Beautiful to… Bizarre

Even though there weren’t as many visitor cars this year, there were still a few standouts. The big talking point was a Volvo PV445 Duett, a beautiful, understated station wagon that looked perfectly at home on the sand.

Volvo PV445 Duett - stunning!

And then there was the other one...

As much as I tried, I couldn't miss this Beetle on the back of a trailer; it looked like it had rolled straight out of a Mad Max / Steampunk apocalypse, like a Zombie-fied A-Team had got hold of a welder and gone rogue. It had spent rifle casings welded to the roof like a mohawk, an exposed Baja-style engine, water pipes and rust everywhere. Honestly, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. (Photos incoming for those brave enough.)

My eyes still haven't forgiven me....

Make it stop....

We’d arranged to meet up with a couple of the Aircooled Pembs crew on the beach; Jason, with his split bus Minty, and Neil, in his Karmann Ghia. It was great to catch up with Jason and Nat after Goodwood - they parked right next to my bus, which drew plenty of admiring looks from people wandering past.

Meanwhile, Tim was road-testing his new camera and I caught this shot of him photographing us, one for the archives, definitely!

Our official photographer

A Quieter Pendine, But Still a Good One

There’s no denying it, the event felt smaller this year. Whether that’s down to the date change, the weather, or just a natural dip, it’s hard to say. But even with fewer cars and crowds, it was still worth the trip.

Good company, good bacon (and veggie sausages), and just enough sunshine to remind us why we keep going back. Sometimes the quieter days are the best ones, and this was definitely one of them.