VETERAN CAR CLUB'S RALLY

VETERAN CAR CLUB’S RALLY.

THE Veteran Car Club, which, although one of the youngest; is already one of the most enthusiastic clubs in the country, has started its 1932 season in fine form. The event which culminated at the Cricketers Hotel at Bagshot on Sunday, 17th April, took the form of a Rally, and managed to combine most of the qualities of a sporting with a social event.

The rules governing the affair were, as a matter of fact, somewhat vague, for competitors could start as early as they liked, whence they liked, and travel by what road they chose to the Cricketers’ Hotel, Bagshot, where they had to arrive at 2 p.m. on Sunday, 17th April, and where both they and the organisers hoped they would arrive in time for lunch at one o’clock. Logically it seemed that as the start could be made at any time one might have counted to one’s credit the whole mileage which one’s veteran car had covered since it first saw the light of day In the ‘nineties, but everyone seemed to be interpreting the spirit rather than the letter of the regulations, and the whole affair went off in the best possible manner. The little town of Bagshot was electrified on that Sunday morning when the strange apparitions from the past began to appear, and grunting and banging pulled up at the Cricketers’ Hotel. Twentyfour had been entered in all, and of these all but two duly turned up. The awards were made on the basis of the formula

x P. where A the Age of the car, and D the distance travelled to the Rally.

In practice this system of marking seemed to work extremely well, and everyone felt that the winner richly deserved his victory. This was Mr. Pruen, who on an 1897 Daimler, employed by a hotel as a station ‘bus, had started from Burnhamon-Sea and travelled 130 miles to Bagshot. R. C. and W. H. C. Blake on a-n 1898 M.M.C. Daimler had started from Winchester, but by travelling round the countryside they too had piled up 130 miles and were placed second as the result of their year’s juniority. Third place went to E. K. H. Karslake, whose 1904 Darraeq started from Exeter and had come 155 miles to the Rally.

Unfortunately, the weather had not been too kind, and it was a cold and hungry collection of crews who gratefully sat down to luncheon, during which they were regaled with more than a few amusing anecdotes of the early days by Commander Grahame-White. Then once more they trooped out to their cars, ancient engines were resuscitated into life, and the trek home began. Several machines which we do not remember having seen before, turned up at Bagshot, which goes to prove that all the old cars in the country have not yet been pressed into the service of the V.C.C. Among these was a charming little beltdrive Pieper, driven by E. L. Wood, who had deserted for it his usual Leon Bollee. Evidently, however, he cannot get away from belts, and he proudly showed us a collection which the Pieper had chewed up on the way. R. 0. Shuttleworth also

turned up with the latest addition to his stable, a massive Arrol-Johnston dog-cart of imposing appearance, while at the other end of the scale a little Peugeot motor cycle with a Minerva engine was ridden by C. S. Burney. All this augurs well for the coming season, in ‘which we -are promised a run to Poole, another to Ramsgate, a third round Kent, a Concours d’ Elegance or two, and to crown all, the historic Brighton Run—enough to keep the owners of veteran cars quite busy and Contented !