Veteran-Edwardian-Vintage, February 1966

A Section Devoted to Old-Car Matters

The 7th International Veteran & Vintage Rally will this year be staged in Ireland. On May 18th it gets off to a Civic Reception in Cork, visits the Blarney & Veteran Car Museum the following day, goes to a reception at Killarney on May 20th, where, on May 21st, participants can view the Muckross Estate, etc., and attend another reception. The event concludes at Cork on the 22nd, where jollifications will take place and the prizes be presented. Throughout there will be four different routes, to suit cars of different ages. The cost will be £12 12s. per driver, to cover two passengers, extra passengers being charged £17 17s. This includes lunch, dinner, bed and breakfast on the three full days of the rally, b. & b. on the first evening, and lunch and a fork supper on the final Sunday in Cork. Details from : Miss C. Rosborough, 124, Patrick Street, Cork.

Those who go over for the International Rally are likely to stay over for the Irish V. & V.C.C. rally round the Carlow-Kilkenny-Kildare districts, on May 24/25th, when the 1903 G.B. course will be covered and a plaque unveiled to commemorate Jenatzy’s victory in this race for Mercedes. There is an invitation to attend the Kinsale U.D.C. Festival on May 23rd, so from May 15-24th we can expect that many English vintagents will be in the Emerald Isle.

V.S.C.C. Measham Trophy Rally (Jan. 8/9th)

Vintage Sports and Standard Sports Cars : Measharn Trophy : W.S. May Frazer Nash).
First Class : H. Moffat (1923 Bugatti), and F.E. Day (1929 Bentley)
Second Class : J.W. Rowley (1927 Vauxhall) and P.J.E. Binns (1927 O.M.)
Third Class : J.M. Hill (1929 O.M.)
P.V.T. Cars :
Best Performance Cup : F. Giles (1934 Frazer Nash).
First Class : J. Stoton (1937 Riley).
Second Class : A. Darley (1935 Riley).
Third Class : P. W. Abbott (1934 Bentley).
Vintage Touring Cars : Jeddere-Fisher Trophy : A. D, Mitchell (1927 Rolls-Royce)
First Class : D. Hodgson (1929 Austin)
Second Class : E.R. Fuller (1929 Austin).
Third Class : R. Andrews (1929 Rolls-Royce)
Light Car Award : K.M. Hill (1939 A.J.S.)
Frazer Nash Award : W.S. May.
Best Regional Team : Midland.

Vintage miscellany.

The protests over absurdly high prices asked for vintage cars continue, many readers offering evidence that there is an appreciable difference between what is asked and what is actually accepted for advertised pre-war cars, while the Early Standard Car Register has expressed the hope that the new owners of the cars sold at Sotheby’s will at least use them on the road and in rallies where the public will have the opportunity to see them in action, and not place them permanently in their collections to gather dust and even further appreciate in value, adding that a 1930 Avon Standard sold there exceeded by approximately £100 the Registrar’s opinion of its true market value, namely £120. The Railton O.C. Annual Bulletin also deals with this vexed question of stupid prices, suggesting that realistic figures would be in the region of £20 for non-runner, £100 for a good one, £150 for a very presentable specimen, and £300 for an exotic Railton (not the £125 which a very battered example fetched at the Measham Auction Sale). The 12/50 Alvis Register has also returned to the subject, confirming its earlier findings, and generally it seems that clubs catering for enthusiasts are extremely vexed about high sale prices. The moral seems to be to buy privately and avoid the dealers and auction sales.

Atrocious copy caused last month’s fatuous reference to the A.B.C. Register, which has nine cars on its books, out of approximately 1,400 built originally. When the Lancs. and Cheshire Distributor for B.M.W. cars held a demonstration at Oulton Park last year an exhibition of past and present cars of this make was held, which included A. Smith’s 1938 328 and J.A. Harris’ 1928 l.h.d. Dixie saloon, the latter the German version of the pre-war Austin 7. A very original-looking 1927 Austin 7 Chummy has been bought by British Auto Parts Inc. and shipped to San Francisco, where it will he used to meet visiting British businessmen.

In addition to the cars we referred to last December, which included some Bugattis, the garage concerned has now added a small Clement-Bayard 2-seater, a Villard 3-wheeler with single front wheel, friction drive and Beshard acetylene lamps, an 8.3-h.p. Renault tourer, an Edwardian 15.9-h.p. Renault chassis, and a Darmont-Morgan 3-wheeler, While also at this garage is an ancient 2-cylinder Amedee Bollee with landaulette body and a 1914 Type 13 or 23 Bugatti radiator. Some, or all of this collection seems likely to be for sale, and letters can be sent on to our informant.

The December issue of The Veteran Car, the V.C.C. journal, contained an interesting article on how Stanley Sedgwick, President of the Bentley D.C., discovered a 1910 45-50 7 1/4-litre Mercedes open-drive Lawton limousine and had It restored to full working order. At the end of last year the Ford Model-T Register had 155 members. Last year’s Inter-Register Contest was won by the 14/50 Alvis Register, by 31 points, from the S.T.D. Register. This year’s contests open with a Fiat Register trial in April. The current issue of The Chain Gang Gazette includes a book review of Thirlby’s Frazer Nash History by D.S.J. in which the latter makes it clear that he considers a 328 B.M.W. far superior to any chain-driven ‘Nash for vintage-type motoring, and that his Jaguar E-type is better than either! The Austin Ten D.C, announces the First National Austin Ten Rally at Beaulieu on July 3rd, their membership increases and they know of Arrow and Flewitt-bodied versions and seven vans, four of which are runners. G. Wadeson, whose 1928 Austin 12/4 tourer tows a 1924 Eccles caravan. suggests a Vintage Caravan Club— his address is : 84, Mill Lane, Chadwell Heath, Essex. G. Hall wonders if anyone knows what became of the 1921 Bean 2-seater, Reg. No. XE 8150, owned by his father-in-law until 1925, and another reader points out that the camouflage on Birtle’s Bean ”Sundowner” was composed of maps of Australia.

Cecil Clutton, C.B.E.

Congratulations to Geoff Clutton on receiving the C,B.E., they must have seen his courageous driving of the 1908 G.P. Itala!

[Readers have been pointing out that Editorial policy in this matter is inconsistent with some of the advertisments which appear in the back pages of this journal. Motor Sport’s policy is that there is no connection between Editorial and Advertising, and it works detrimentally in this case.—Ed.