V-E-V miscellany, March 1972, March 1972

A reader points out that when we referred to AC auxiliary engines being used in the airship R100 we were in error in suggesting they were four-cylinder Anzani-type units, because the official AC history refers to these as six-cylinder engines, presumably based on the light-alloy car engines. Much interest has been aroused by our recent article on matching competition and other events to the age of the vehicles taking part and in this respect George Liston-Young reminds us of the Mille Miglia commemoration re-run, in which Fiat Balillas of the Fiat Register took part, and intend to do so again this year, when a couple of Mille Miglia Balillas will be used, and of his attempt at Goodwood in 1964 to emulate the Fiat Balilla publicity stunt of covering 1,000 miles of the Brooklands Mountain circuit in 1934, drivers Froy and Wren, which Liston-Young says he hopes to repeat on the 40th anniversary of this performance, presumably at Thruxton. The last known privately-owned Indianapolis Studebaker team car, circa 1930 to 1932, is to be restored to original condition; its owner seeks information about the two Studebaker President straight-eights which competed in the 1929 JCC Double-Twelve at Brooklands. A reader who remembers where some Model-T Ford trucks were buried as scrap in London in 1932 wonders if anyone would care to be shown the place, with a view to digging them up? Another reader is anxious to know who built a Special of Austin 7 parts, using what appears to be a drilled wooden chassis, and yet another query concerns the present whereabouts of a 1929 Tracta two-seater with three-speed gearbox sold to a London dealer in 1950? Can anyone help, please? C. H. Peacock has nearly completed the rebuild of his 1913 Straker Squire, having, through Motor Sport, obtained a dismantled engine for it, which had lain unharmed in a coach-house in Scotland since 1928.

A Seabrook has turned up, not the advanced o.h.c. light-alloy 1921 model but one of the later push-rod o.h.v. cars. Unfortunately the rather shapely radiator is missing but the new owner, hopeful of restoring it, wonders if anyone associated with this make will come forward with advice? A BSA vee-twin three-wheeler, minus cylinders, has been seen in a field on the Hampshire/Berkshire border. Barry Clarke hopes to build a replica of the 1913 Lionel Martin Brooklands’ racing Singer Ten, as company for his effective sporting Singer Ten of the same age. The Directors of H. A. Hamshaw are anxious to trace any vehicles fitted with their coachwork or that of Wm. Hamshaw, their predecessors, who commenced such work from 1865 onwards. The journal of the Classic American AC contained recently an informative study of Lincoln cars, sorting out the classic V8s and V12s from the later Zephyrs and giving some interesting detailed engineering information on V12 Lincoln Zephyrs. The Bentley DC had 2,320 members at the last count. Like the VSCC it has its own office, at 76a, High Street, Long Crendon, Bucks. The February issue of its “Review”, one of the more professionally produced and intense of Club journals, contained an erudite article on 8-litre Bentley history by Stanley Sedgwick and Johnnie Green and an account of driving a 1929 4 1/2-litre Bentley successfully from Rawalpindi to-England, by Flt./Lt. T. N. Allen. It is interesting that of 100 8-litre Bentleys built, 78 are still in existence, more than half with their original coachwork. But does anyone know what happened to ten examples whose fate is unknown, especially chassis YR 5089, with Freestone & Webb body, which may be in the USA? Its Reg. No. was GO 4010. The Fiat Register’s David Manning Memorial Trophy was won last year by G. Liston-Young, by one mark. The Register’s current “Bulletin” contains an article about Fiats made under other names, in various parts of the World. At the VSCC AGM Tim Carson, MBE, was elected President Emeritus and Nigel Arnold-Forster was recommended as President in succession to Philip Mann. Nigel Arnold-Forster is an active competitor with Frazer Nash and Delage cars and is putting an even more authentic racing body on the latter. Peter Moores has completed the rebuild of a 12/30 six-cylinder Talbot chassis, probably the only remaining example of this rare Coatalen model.

Stamps depicting old cars including Model-T Ford, 1924 Chrysler and 1923 Austin 7 have been issued in New Zealand. The Shuttleworth Collection will have its first Flying Day of 1972 at Old Warden on March 26th. I. Price, 174 Algernon Road, London, SE13, is compiling a list of all pre-1931 Vauxhalls other than 30/98s and asks owners to contact him—he is a 14/40 owner. In Tasmania the IST Hispano Suiza No. 2242, a short-chassis 4-speed model, is almost restored. The Bullnose Morris Club hopes to list all known bull-nose models, including MGs—owners are asked to contact M. Goding, 3 Glebe Lane, Gt. Shelford, Cambs. The owners of the Brompton Road premises rented by the Winston Motor Carriage Co. up to 1908 wonder if photographs of them as they were in those days still exist? A 1931 AJS fabric saloon is going well in Godalming and its second owner, who took it over at 45,000 miles, wants to hear from other AJS car owners. David Hounsfield, great-nephew of the Trojan designer, drove his 1928 Show model Apollo saloon in last year’s Milligen Rally in Africa, covering a one-way 200 miles at 20 m.p.h. and just over 30 m.p.g., the ten-b.h.p. engine only once coming off top gear, in spite of hills rising up to 4,000 ft. above sea-level.