THE rain poured in and so did the crowds – proving the Beaulieu Autojumble is a success regardless of the weather.

The show boasted more than 450 stalls over the May 1997 weekend, each visited by hordes of motoring enthusiasts.

Some were looking at complete cars, while others were seeking out those vital little components in order to complete painstaking restoration jobs.

One of the keenest browsers was Lord Montagu, who was trying to buy back some of the motoring books he’d written and which had gone out of print.

“They cost quite a lot more now than when I wrote them,” he said as he hurried to the next book stall.

Despite the weekend’s showers, none of the enthusiasts looked disgruntled, as they sifted through the mini mountains of jumble.

One of the vehicles which garnered a great deal of attention that year was a shining 1937 Riley Monaco owned by Monty Theobalds from Droxford.

There may have been a lot of rain that weekend – yet the Beaulieu Autojumble of 1997 was far from being a wash-out.