VETERAN - EDWARDIAN - VINTAGE, April 1962

VETERAN EDWARDIANVINTAGE

A Section Devoted to Old-Car Matters

THE Vintage S.C.C. opens its 1962 racing season at Silverstone on April 14th. The programme opens with the usual One-Hour High-Speed Trial at 12.15 p.m., and racing includes the io-lap G.P. Itala Trophy Race for Vintage Racing Cars, the Jo-lap Spero and Voiturette Trophies Race for vintage cars up to x,xoo c.c. or 750 C.C. supercharged, a so-lap All-Corners’ Scratch Race for Vintage and Historic Racing Cars, a 5-lap Edwardian Handicap (which also admits the faster cars originally designed with rear wheel brakes only—is this a good idea ? It allows in the 1933 Napier Railton for instance, a fast car to mix with pre-1917 vehicles), a 5-lap Scratch Race for Vintage Sports Cars and some 5-lap handicaps, all over the Club circuit.

The variety of the entries, and the splendid sounds and smells they make, render these meetings quite different from those for modern cars and no true vintage-car enthusiasts can fail to enjoy them. Although S. Moss will not be present there is no need for girl-friends to dress in Edwardian clothes; knee-length frocks and cloche hats, perhaps ? Anyway, note the date, April 14th, and also that admission is by ticket only, one per person. These are available free on application to T. W. Carson, 3, Kingsclere House Stables, Kingsclerc, Newbury, Berkshire. Car parking costs ros. per vehicle but members displaying a concession sticker will get their transport in for 5s.—apply as above.

Don’t ask us why this extremely enjoyable event has to clash with Snetterton’s F.i Lombank Trophy Meeting—personally, we shall be at Silverstone. Why has the car-park charge been doubled ? The V.S.C.C. say “The idea is not primarily to get in more money but to limit the attendance slightly, making less of a crowd in the Paddock (but are spectators allowed in the Paddock?) and making sure that all those who come are really interested and not just people hoping to see an accident for 5s.” After all, most cars will hold five people if you try, especially vintage tourers, and to see and hear historic and vintage cars in action, or just to see them, is surely worth is. a head ? It sounds like exceedingly economical entertainment, and members should apply for tickets and stickers now. • * • * The Historic Commercial Vehicle Club has merged with the Vintage Passenger Vehicle Society and the London Vintage

Taxi Club. This raises membership to over 270. The first official London-Brighton Run starts from the Museum of British Transport, Clapham, at 9.30 a.m. on May 13th, arriving in Brighton around noon, with driving tests on Madeira Drive in the afternoon. * * * *

Sunbeam S.T.D. Register. Owing to pressure of public engagements, Councillor Mrs. Winifred Boddy has relinquished her position as Secretary. Mrs. Boddy founded the Sunbeam Register twelve years ago and acted as Secretary until last month ; she has accepted Chairmanship of the Register. The new Secretary, to whom all correspondence should be addressed, is F. W. Joyce, Tor Hill, Wotton-under-Edge, Glos.

Readers report—three Rolls-Royce Twenty chassis apparently derelict in a field in Berkshire, one being a vertical-radiatorshutter model with home-made van body, the other two early horizontal-shutter cars with light truck bodies. A vintage lorry chassis has been seen near Edenbridge, a 1939 Dodge 15/20 pick-up lies near Oxted, a warehouse in Surrey is said to store a 1935 Austin saloon, a circa 1936 Armstrong Siddeley saloon and pre-war Austin and Morris vans, while in Hampshire a solid-tyred (twin rears) lorry chassis less engine, a 1914 Crossley tender back axle and front axle with wheels, some early motorcycle wheels and an A.C. radiator have come to light. An early Peerless lorry stands in an open farm building in Somerset and a Surrey breaker was asking 43o for a good, circa 1930, Armstrong Siddeley sunshine saloon, and is said to have a bullnose Morris and vintage parts, also two steam-rollers, one an Aveling. Some Clyno chassis and body spares exist in Suffolk, the very rare straighteight Hampton is in good hands in Bristol (data wanted), nicely kept Rhode and Mathis cars were seen in a Leeds garage, and someone wants to sell a 1914/18 “Old Bill” mascot, a circa 1929 R.A.C. badge and three volumes of an American Cyclopedia of Automobile Engineering published in 1913. • •

The Editor wishes to thank J. Milne (who himself seeks a r9o4 Somerville Firefly 1.t. plug) for some vintage Lodge plugs, B. H. Vanderveen of the Olyslager Organisation for a very small Champion V-6 from an American engine and a Lodge waterproofed plug from a British Army vehicle, and David Boorer for a modified K.L.G. 646 plug that was in Kay Petre’s works sidevalve Austin Seven when it crashed at Brooklands, for his growing collection of historic sparking plugs. David borer has the power unit from the Kay Petre Austin and is building a chassis of pre1940 parts to accommodate it, in anticipation of racing it in V.S.C.C. Historic Racing Car events. Another historic racing Austin Seven was found recently in the basement of the Longbridge factory. A supercharged side-valve single-seater, it is probably the car Thompson raced at Southport up to 1939. It has been loaned to Wally Wotton for rebuilding. • •

Battersea College of Technology want a vintage ‘bus for use as sports-team transport and as a College mascot. They are prepared to renovate a cheap example. Offers to Neil Forsyth, Chairman of the Omnibus Acquisition Society, at the College Students’ Union, London, S.W.r t.