A first firing-up

Last month Michael Worthington-Williams threw a party at Newcastle Emlyn to celebrate the return to mechanical continence of at least one Angus-Sanderson, his 1921 tourer, which has actually been built up from the parts of more than one car, the radiator, he reminded me, being found through Motor Sport. Sharp at noon he started up the engine for the benefit of his guests, some 250 of them, including many locals, some of them Welsh-speaking. The Angus-Sanderson, minus number plates, windscreen, fabric on its hood-frame, paint on body and mudguards, and with the upholstery supported by sticky-tape, was then ceremoniously driven in and out of its shed. Clearly there is more work to do, but at least one of these now very rare cars — some 3,000 were made in all — is a runner again.

The champagne and an excellent variety of food was consumed, a Ford mini-bus shuttling the visitors to and from the village to the farmhouse, down a muddy lane. Supporting arrivals included an immaculate vintage Star two-seater all the way from Manchester, Johnnie Thomas’s 1904 Darracq, a smart vintage Morris taxi, an Austin 20 and a 1920s vee-twin BSA motorcycle, etc. I spoke to a lady whose father had had an Angus-Sanderson new, when they were living in Sussex (it being delivered, would you believe, from Merthyr Tydfil), parts of which are now incorporated in the W-W rebuild. An enjoyable d:-Y6 especially as the fast run home in the Alf was over a virtually deserted A40 — no wonder more and more motoring enthusiasts seem to be coming to live in Wales! — W.B.

(The Angus-Sanderson formed the subject of a “Fragments on Forgotten Makes” article in Motor Sport for January 1961, photocopies of which are available. Ed.)