VSCC Celebrates New Year's Day

VSCC Celebrates New Year’s Day 1

FOR the tenth year in succession VSCC members celebrated the New Year at Mike Garfitt’s social at the Verzons near Ledbury. The first day of 1990 did its best to wash out the assembly and none of the hot air balloons present was able to fly. But despite the weather conditions more appropriate to the water industry having gone private than to vintage motoring, the car park was soon full and there must have been 70 or more interesting cars to look at and discuss, apart from a vast assembly of people who came in moderns. This time the hotel landlord’s bottle of good cheer for the driver coming the greatest distance went to John Bentley in a 4Y2-litre Bentley slab tank with Vanden Plas coachwork which had come 200 miles from Batley in Yorkshire. It would be invidious to attempt to mention the others in detail, but almost every sort of Alvis, of which Ted Roberts’ 12/50 was out for the first time in 31 years, many Lagondas, a positive all-embracing display of threewheeler Morgans, a “chain gang” Frazer Nash, various Austins, one 12/4 with Christmas holly on its radiator and the faithful trio of A7s from Wales, the Gould Ulster, open road two-seater and Seymour Price this time in a black and yellow tourer, were there. One noted also the BNC and a 151 Bugatti, while organiser Garfitt came in Sally Marsh’s T35T GP Bugatti, his regular trials bouncer bringing his well known FN/BMW 319/55, and Rodney Felton again brought his Monza Alfa Romeo and Brescia Bugatti, entrusting the latter to Sir John VenablesLlewellyn. The car park exit became effectively blocked by a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost tourer and a Lanchester

motor carriage, Roger Collings had brought his 1913 Brixia-Zust, and all kinds of Rileys, a number of sporting Roesch Talbots, a Wolseley Hornet coupe diplaying a JCC badge and three sun panels in its roof, presumably useful on this dreadful day to tell if it was raining, where noted. Cars from another Rolls-Royce to a smart Jowett Long 7/17 tourer were admired and especially a fine Lancia Lambda tourer, and on the grass without, reserved for non-vintage cars, we observed a nice Model B Ford Fordor saloon. John Fenton had come in his Hoyal-bodied Riley. With similar gatherings in other parts of Britain, what a good omen this is for the coming season of the VSCC’s many activities. WB