V.E.V. Miscellany, June 1969

When a barn was demolished in Bedfordshire recently it revealed a somewhat tatty Standard Avon saloon, which was in danger of being broken up. A keen reader of Motor Sport who covers about 25,000 miles a year on business in a Lotus Cortina has sent us the book published by Glovers, the Manchester cable makers, to celebrate their centenary in 1968. It contains a picture and copy of the 1909 registration relating to the second car built by Royce in 1904, first registered N 414 for Mr. E. A. Claremont, a Director of Glover’s, and re-registered M 1137 when the Company used it for Contract Department work. It was donated eventually to the Manchester College of Science and Technology and its engine is now in the College entrance hall. Henry Edmunds, also a Glover’s Director, had another of these Royces, these two being apparently among the first three built by F.H. Royce. The book also contains two fine drawings of traction engines hauling trailers carrying Glover cable drums.

A 1921 Rover 12 tourer, believed to be a Show model, has been retrieved from a private garage in Abbots Langley where its lady owner had put it away about 40 years or more ago, when her father had finished using it. It is to be restored by a keen policeman who previously ran a 1934 Morris Minor in 30/40s events. The car is in original but poor condition except for a rear mudguard replaced in 1925 after a horse had sat on the car in Bedmond High Street. The milometer shows 14,086 miles. The original Solex carburettor, which was replaced by a more modern Zenith, has been found but a laurel bush had to be transplanted before the garage doors could be opened.

There will soon be a surfeit of auction sales, which Motor Sport proposes to ignore. It is rather surprising to see the dignified V.C.C. of G.B. sponsoring sales at which the majority of cars appear to be post-1918 and some even post-vintage. That great American enthusiast, Alec Ulmann, has been collecting motorcycles of makes he once owned, like 2¾-h.p. Douglas, 1930 Indian 4, Scott, International Norton, Rudge Ulster, etc., and he hopes to ride a Zenith Gradua in our T.T. Rally, if a belt can be found for it. It is hoped to have a class for Edwardian and r.w.b. cars at Shelsley Walsh on August 16/17th. A pair of brass Lucas “King of the Road” lamps and a brass Ford lamp, model 100, made by Brown of Ohio, were for sale in Wales. Letters can be forwarded.

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V.E.V. Odds and Ends.—Some Clubs are in process of altering their date limits. The Humber Register is debating whether to extend full membership to the end of 1932, instead of 1930, because this would let in all 16/50s and i.o.e. Snipes and Pullmans, i.e., pre-Rootes cars. It is opposed to letting in later Humbers, however. But the V.M.C.C. now takes p.v.t. membership as including machines made up to the end of 1945. The Trojan O.C. Newsletter contained an argument for preserving restored vintage cars by taking them on trailers to and from events but this was opposed by the Club’s Newsletter Editor, who uses his Trojan as regular transport and wouldn’t have a modern car. Strength is lent to these sentiments by a Humber Register member who recalls that when, soon after the war, the original owner of his vintage 12/25 Humber part-exchanged it, as it had done over 100,000 miles, for a new Humber Hawk; two days later he went to the dealer and asked for his 12/25 to be returned to him. The Bentley D.C.’s ambitious Golden Jubilee Tour, supported by Shell, will converge on Oulton Park on June 15th and is expected to be the largest Bentley gathering ever seen.