Peter Carroll joins a Midland Automobile Club classic car rally in a ‘vintage’ Vauxhall. . .

It’s loud, lairy and perhaps not everyone’s idea of a classic car but I’ve got a soft spot for the Mk II Astra GTE.

Yes, it was a bit of a hooligan racer in its day but at least it earned its reputation as a potent performer: the 16v version weighed barely a tonne and could scorch to 60mph in 7.6 seconds when it arrived as long ago as 1988.

So when the chance came to take part in a Midland Automobile Club classic rally, I readily accepted the offer of a 1990 GTE 16v from Vauxhall’s heritage fleet for the day.

I picked up the hot hatch from Hopwood Services on the M42 and even before I got there someone had tried to buy it in the car park, which says something about its enduring appeal.

The design of the Vauxhall has aged pretty well and you can see why the GTE became one of the country’s most sought-after vehicles – at least among car thieves.

There aren’t many good ones left these days, of course: most GTEs have succumbed to rust, neglect, wilful misuse, crashes or plain old age. So it’s rare to come across as pristine a specimen as the heritage car, which has less than 33,000 miles on the clock.

It has a mad digital dashboard which even Citroen would have baulked at and the seats are covered in a weird, diagonally-striped pattern which was presumably considered trendy in the 1980s.

But it still drives brilliantly and the big surprise was the ride – very smooth for a sports model. Refinement is not up to modern standards but performance assuredly is: the GTE’s two litre engine loves to rev and possesses plenty of grunt.

After an evening getting to know the car and trying to figure out how the digital dash and immobiliser system worked, I took it to Cosford the following morning to hook up with around 40 classic cars driven by MAC members.

The plan was to travel to historic Shelsley Walsh, the oldest motorsport venue in the world still occupying the original site, for a ceremonial drive up its famous hill climb course.

All in all, around 150 classic vehicles were headed for Shelsley, with other batches departing from Gloucester Docks and the National Motorcycle Museum, east of Birmingham.

At Cosford I met David Ball, a MAC member on and off since 1968 and keen hill climb enthusiast, who runs a garage in Stourport. In his opinion, classic vehicle enthusiasts often return to the cars which first grabbed their attention as children.

“For me, it was the E-Type Jag. I couldn’t believe how stunning it looked when it was unveiled at the Geneva Show – it still looks stunning to this day.”

David eventually fulfilled his dream of buying an E-Type but the driving experience never quite lived up to its looks, so he swapped the Jaguar for a V8 MGB.

My Astra looked slightly out of place among the examples of Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar and MG belonging to MAC members – but not every car was of the exotic variety.

Keith Squire, a semi retired locks trade worker from Willenhall, was showing off his Saab 900 cabriolet which he bought new in 1989. It has 96,000 miles on the clock and he doesn’t use it in winter to help keep it in tip top condition.

“I like classic cars, they have got a lot of character to them – they haven’t come out of a computer,” he says.

“At one time the Saab was run of the mill but now you don’t see so many and people are interested.”

A three-hour route through some of the most scenic countryside in south Shropshire then brought all three posses of classics to their destination.

Shelsley Walsh, which enjoys an idyllic location in Worcestershire’s Teme Valley, is the Midland club’s ‘spiritual home’ and has staged hill climbs since 1905.

Compared with other venues, the 1,000-yard track is neither long, nor particularly twisty, so it’s there to be attacked by drivers.

But only the brave will achieve good times: hazards include the narrowness of the track (as little as 12ft wide in some parts), the adverse cambers and lack of run-off areas.

On the right is steep banking, reinforced in places by railway sleepers, while to the left the ground slopes sharply away.

MAC member Campbell Deas explains: “It’s all about getting a good start and you pretty much have to forget everything you have learned about driving to get one: you mustn’t lift off through the early section or you won’t achieve a good time.”

A single seater racer with an ex-F1 engine can scorch up the course in a little over 20 seconds but my run was more processional than professional.

It was still enough, however, to experience the steepness and narrowness of the course and you also get a sense of the drama of the location: spectators can see pretty much the entire first two thirds of any driver’s run.

Facilities at Shelsley have been comparatively basic till recently but that is changing. MAC members raised £750,000 to secure a long-term lease on the venue in 2006 and have embarked on an ambitious programme of refurbishment.

The courtyard complex next to the paddock now features a smart new restaurant and the historic water mill on the site has been restored to full working order. Building work is progressing on the archive store, reading room, museum and club office opposite the restaurant and there are further plans for an entrance foyer to round off the development.

When it’s all finished Shelsley will have the facilities to rival its considerable history as a motorsport venue.

And if that Astra is still around I’d love to take it up the hill – in earnest this time. . .

* The first race event of the season takes place at Shelsley Walsh, near Stourport, this weekend (May1/May 2) when rounds of the Midland Hill Climb Championship and Paul Matty Lotus Championship are staged. Admission prices range from £12 to £18 and include parking. Children under 16 are admitted free.