Illegal car meets casting dark shadow over legal meets, as people at Port Solent event say: 'We don't want ours ruined.'

With people ranging from toddlers to 90-year-olds and a spectrum of cars from vintage Morgans to Ferrari sports models, the highly supervised and insured Port Solent static car meet could not be more different to the late night illegal car events that led to serious injuries and a 17-year-old driver being arrested last month.

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Jason White, organiser of the Port Solent car meet, said such episodes would simply not happen at his event. Yet despite being worlds apart from the illegal gatherings that see racing and drifting, he said: ‘We feel we are being tarred with the same brush. The illegal meets bring a bad reputation to other events even though we are a safe and nice event to go to.

‘We have young children through to people in their 90s who come. Everyone is welcome…we had a woman in her 60s on her own driving a Ford Mustang recently. All cars are treated the same whether they are worth £50 or £100,000 because we all love cars. People are happy walking about and talking about cars at our events.

‘The illegal meets have no rules. Anything goes. It’s sad what has happened with the recent incidents.’

Dave Kilbourn, co-organiser, said: ‘There is a cloud over us because people don’t really understand how we organise our events, which are static meets so we are not spinning around roundabouts. It’s about people who really do appreciate the cars and enjoy looking at other people’s cars.

‘Everyone here today has said the same thing…they don’t want the illegal meets to ruin our events.’

The Port Solent meets are organised, have permission from the landowner, include public liability and employer liability insurance, have 10 marshals with high vis jackets on and people who are first aid trained. The meets have strict rules and anyone flouting them – even with ‘one wheel spin’ – is out.

Swanmore brothers Alex and Ryan Gent, 27 and 22 respectively, attend most of the Port Solent events and described it as ‘calm’ and ‘totally different’ to the illegal meets. ‘Unfortunately it is the younger generation cocking things up. They bring their cars to show off and it goes wrong,’ Alex said of the illegal meets.

Titchfield dad Richard Shrimpton, 53, and his son Aaron, 23, were showcasing the ‘dream’ three-wheeler Morgan car – a recent remake of one of the old fashioned cars described as being the ‘closest thing to flying without taking off’ by the manufacturer. ‘People enjoy coming out to look at the cars. You have children sitting in cars having their pictures taken,’ Richard said.

Aaron, speaking of the illegal meets, said: ‘I wouldn’t go, it’s not needed what has happened.’

Motorsports commentator Adam Weller said: ‘This event works well and is more controlled (than the illegal meets). It’s a different demographic of drivers too. A lot are experienced car enthusiasts. They are not doing burnouts and set an example for how younger people should behave.’

The events run on the second and last Sunday of every month through the year and also on the first Sunday of the month through the winter.