VSCC Lightweights

Over the weekend ol April 11-12, the Light Car and Edwardian Section of the Vintage Sports Car Club held its annual dinner, which punctuated the annual driving tests in the grounds of the Abernant Lake Hotel at Llanwrtyd Wells and the trial on the Sunday. The format of the latter was somewhat changed this time to bring in new sections discovered by Clerk of the Course Seymour Price, and the fine scenery of the Elan Valley. VSCC weather-luck prevailed, with a perfect day for the trialists.

The entry numbered a healthy 57, of which 14 were A7s; Tebbett’s Mulliner 2-seater was, contrary to tradition, given no13. Giving the Ulster Facsimile an airing, we watched the DTs on the Saturday, which followed the traditional pattern and revived the rowing part (real boats, on the hotel lake) in which drowning would have resulted in instant disqualification!

It was good to see four GNs in action, Blake’s new acquisition having the Vitesse engine with a long chain driving both overhead camshafts. Dowell had foresaken his big Sunbeam for a smart 1926 Anzani AC 2-seater, and among the non-competing cars we spotted a Jensen-bodied Morris Minor.

Others which caught the eye were Erskine’s LHD 5CV Citroen; Procter’s artillery. wheeled Riley 9 tourer; Jenny Johns’ yellow 1930 tall-radiator A7 tourer crewed by three young children; Firth’s very smart Boon & Porter Amilcar CS with French-script number plates; Rona Harper with a brass horn-trumpet on her A7 Chummy and Matthew Blake surely making FTD in the first test in his. Hickling’s 1917 Dodge “racer” was going strongly in spite of recent vicissitudes, including, they say, a broken con-rod.

Despite the sunshine, the Cwmbach section had been abandoned due to a swollen river and Cerriggwyhian was water-logged at the start-line, so some, such as Monica Gray’s GN Legere and the AC, never gotaway at all: and even three “bouncers” in the back ot Pritchett’s fine 25/50 Talbot were to no avail.

Tony Carlisle was fixing a first-time lubrication problem on his Trojan, which he winds up at the side like a GN; it stopped early on this hill. “Clean” here were Blake’s GN, Tebbett’s A7, which made it look easy, Martin Shaw’s 1930 Morris Minor two-seater which was to win the LIwynharried Trophy for best overall performance, and Pat Stocken, who went on to win the trial in her Trojan. McEwen’s fabric-bodied Jowett Chummy, Peacop’s Morris Minor and Lock’s A7 also “cleaned” it, but Riddle’s GN stopped early. Wheeler’s bull-nosed Morris-Cowley wore an “I Brought British” sticker.

The next section used a junior riders’ scramble course, on which even the noncompeting Presidential Zust could do nothing. Then it was on to more good “stoppers” off the gated back route to the Elan Valley and, after a coffee stop, to others near the valley road, with its impressive dams. At the last hill, off the now widened and therefore unadventurous Mountain Road to Aberystwyth, we saw Peacop again ascend strongly in very beautiful countryside. The results were announced after lunch at the Elan Valley Hotel. Not only had Pat Stocken won but Carlisle’s car, now on its standard two-speeds, was fourth, so it was a good day for Trojans. WB