V-to-C Miscellany, March 1995, March 1995

Regulations and entry forms are now available for the Yeovil CC’s Bristol-Bournemouth Vintage Vehicle Run on June 11. Last year this run for pre-1940 vehicles had nearly 300 entries. The closing date for the 1995 Run is April 1: apply to A Davidson, 63 Abbots Way, Yeovil, Somerset BA21 3HX. The entry fee for Club members is £20 per vehicle, others £25. Commercials up to four tonnes accepted.

Ludlow’s popular Vintage Vehicle Festival Display takes place on May 14. Cars, motorcycles, commercials, up to 140 in number required, cars pre-1966, others pre-1970s, so not truly vintage. Entries close by March 14, to P Reckless, Roachdale, 6 Stanton Road, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 2LR. Town run and Concours d’Elegance, etc.

We have come across a letter bearing on the remarks made about Marston’s 1938 Leyland Hippo brewer’s lorry in last month’s issue. In 1935 a driver of such a Leyland owned by Thompson & Evershed had been summonsed for doing 27 to 30 mph. The Leyland in question was originally petrol-engined but in 1934 Leyland’s had installed an E43 oil engine, on which the governor was set to commence to cut out at 1850 rpm and be fully operative at 1900 rpm. If correctly set, this implied that with the. 8.66:1 axle-ratio and 38 x 8in tyres the vehicle would be doing 25.4 mph. Running downhill, or coasting, could increase the pace, however. I wonder if the driver got off?

Ask an historical question in Motor Sport and answers are often forthcoming. Thus my query about the Cedar Tree cafe on the Portsmouth Road at Ripley brought in several most interesting letters. For instance, Mr John Purser, who was born in Ripley, wrote to say that the café was there into the 1960s and that the garage opposite became a used-cars pitch. The agricultural engineers business opposite the Church was run by Mr Purser’s father, who supplied Rodney Clarke of Connaught’s with obsolete grain cleaners that became radiator stoneguards… Methold’s garage nearer Guildford had a 25/50 Talbot breakdown truck, replaced by a huge Chevrolet tow-truck, and Fisher’s garage made bits for Brooklands cars and during the war Michael May used half of it for making turn-fasteners for Vickers, with his partner Hubert Hardy, in whose Aston Martin DB2 our correspondent was once taken to school…

The Vintage Austin Register will be celebrating 90 Years of Austin at the Belfry Hotel, Oxford on May 13/14. No competitions, just a Saturday run and a Sunday assembly; all Austins from A7 upwards are welcome, including other Austin machinery. Geoff Walker is the organiser and the Register Secretary is Frank Smith, The Briars, Four Lane Ends, Oakerthorpe, Alfreton. Derbyshire DE5 7LN (0773 831646).