Club News, May 1944

Club News

WE HEAR

Apart from the Horstman and A.B.C. mentioned elsewhere in this issue, another early small car, but of rather different conception, exists in Amersham, in the form of Stafford East’s touring V-twin G.N. He is assembling it from a large collection of G.N. parts, making up the body from data obtained from memory and photographs, so that it will be virtually a new car. He has also just acquired a rather beautiful old Panhard landattlette of about 10/12 h.p. and about 1910 vintage, complete with “folding oecasionals ” and recently saved from a scrap-heap, a remarkable 1909 or thereabouts T.T. Replica Rudge motor-cycle, which still reaches 60 m.p.h. Then there are other early motor-cycles at his premises. E. G. M. Wilkes’s sprint G.N. and ex-John Bolster ” 80/98 ” Vauxhall are in process of rebuilding, and East’s own Frazer-Nash possesses something very potent in the way of Meadows’ engines. A hot spot ! Then the irrepressible Birkett has acquired a lot more Type 40 and Type 44 Bugatti spares, and also a Type 30 straight-eight Bugatti ; and Boddy, following in the footsteps of former Editors of MOTOR SPORT, has bought a Meadows’ Frazer-Nash. Major G. K. Wadsworth reports finding a 3-litre Bentley chassis in some farm buildings near Coventry, which he hopes to be able to acquire. R. Chapman, who was mechanic to Raymond Mays in the days of the Villiers Supercharge, and who also worked for Eric Ferniliough, is now a captain in the I.E.M.E. in India, and MOTOR Sewn* is sent to him regularly by his friend Owen Williams, who reports him as saying that he Sees very few real cars out there—only a ” 2.3 ” AlfaRomeo and a “Red Label” Bentley in the last two years. Owen Williams, by the way, has a 3-litre Sunbeam in safe storage, and is now using a 1939 Renault Eight, which has covered some 66,000 trouble-free miles. He has in his possession a book giving the specifications of cars built from 1908-1922 and will gladly help identify difficult, models, if anyone with such a problem tares to write to him at Upper BrOadleaze Farm, Cricklade, Wilts. Applied to the recent Cottin-Desgouttes’ query, this book shows a 130 200-mm. 4-cylinder model to have been built from 1912-1915, the maker’s being given as 50 (41.9 R.A.C.), cooling by pump, ignition by h.t. magneto,

the clutch a multi-plate, and the 4-speed and reverse gearbox driving via chains. Chassis price 1800. Anthony Heal has added yet another car to his extensive stable, in the :form of a 6-cylinder Napier laudaulette, this being the car which we mentioned some time ago as hieing at Angmering-on-Sea. It will, as Mrs. Heal says, make a very nice station-car, when peace returns, and Anthony also craves a 3-litre Sunbeam. H. F. Hart has just re-taxed his Very potent If Singer Le Mans, which has twin outside exhaust pipes, for busi ness motoring, and Capt. Millar, owner of a Le Mans Lagonda and breeder of bantam chickens, is constructing an Austin Seven ” special ” with tandem seats. R.P.O. H. Macey reports that three or four enthusiasts in his depot compete for first glance at Moron SPORT each month, and they are busy hatching a practical ” ideal ” car, hoping to get independent suspension all round by using a f.w.d. Alvis chassis converted to rear-drive ; W. A. Ryalls is also contemplating purchase of a f.w.d. Alvis. Macey

has data relating to the exact cam profiles of the Lagonda ” Rapier ” camshafts, supplied by Coventry-Climax, if anyone is interested.

It seems possible that a 4Flitre Bentley chassis, offered for sale for 130, may still be available in the Birmingham area, and in this locality a reader reports seeing several old-school Bentleys, including a van and a utility, several B.M.W.s, a very nice duck’s back ” 12/50 ” Alvis (so apparently the Editor’s 1924 car is not the sole surviving specimen), an early Invicta, a 2-litre “Speed Model” AstonMartin, some D.K.W.s, and a LeaFrancis fabric saloon delivering milk (!). Dick Cwsar has acquired another” 12/60 ” Alvis (his third) from Tom Lush, who finds a brisk demand for ” 12/50″ Alvis cars and spares. 141/0. Donald Parker has purchased 070 worth of Riley spares from Hodgson in readiness for the day when he can (‘oinnIeneC racing his exDixon Riley. A B.S.A. “Scout instruction book has been added to the MOTOR SPORT Library by the kindness of a reader ; further contributions will be gratefully received. We also badly need early issues of the weekly motoring journals for our records—even single copies will be Very welcome. ” Tubby ” Smith, of “The Ely,” has recently added a single-cylinder De Dion engine, a very early :3-wheeler De Dion, and a 1904 2-cylinder Riley 4-wheeler to his noted stable of veterans. In a breaker’s yard some miles north of London are two Lancia ” Lambda ” saloons, a 4i-litre Bentley saloon, and

3-litre Bentley chassis, and a pedalassisted Rudge motor-cycle (letters, by the way, are not answered and a persona) call would be necessary), and a Berkshire breakers’ revealed a single o.h.e. Alfa-Romeo lorry, a ” 14/40″ Vauxhall saloon in excellent order, and a Brocklebank Six saloon.

KNUCKLE RAPS

MOTOR SPORT is, as most people are aware, produced under somewhat trying conditions these days. For instance, the Editor has not been able to visit the City Road offices more than about half a dozen times in the last three and a half years. Moreover, he never sees proofs of articles before Press day, unless they are very specially requested. Practically all the persons concerned with producing the paper do so in their spare time, having war jobs that receive first call these days. So it is inevitable that mistakes occur from time to time, alt bough we would like to take this opportunity of congratulating the compositors and reader on a very fine job very carefully carried out, despite all difficulties. The fact that the capacity of the Ford “Mercury” engine was given as 4.8 litres in H. L.

Biggs’s article last month, when it should, of course, be 3.8 litres, is attributable to these ” things.” Bitt the Editor takes full responsibility for his error in describing K. N. liutchison’s Allard-Special that figured on the front cover as a V8 ; be was aware that it had a Lincoln V12 engine installed, but a lapse of memory resulted in him imagining it to have had 4 V8 engine for the 3-Hour Sports Car Race. Consultation of his records shows that it actually had the Lincoln V12 engine for that race—in which, incidentally, it finished 9th, covering 74 laps at 56.41 m.p.h. It was recently bought by Imhof. Apologies !

CHICANERY

This month’s cover picture shows a scene from the 1936 J.C.C. International Trophy Race, at Brooklands. Negotiating the artificial bend in the finishing straight are Charles Brackenbury on a 2-litre Dixon Riley, Tommy Rose’s 2.7litre Maserati, and one of the then new o.h.c. Austins. Brack-enbury finished 6th at 86.47 m.p.h. (the race was Won by

” Bira ” E.R.A.) at 91 m.p.h.), Rose was 4th at 88.11 m.p.h., and the Austins had various pothers, Driscoll’s oil filter being smashed by a stone, Dodson’s supercharger blow-off valve refusing to hold pressure, and Goodacre’s car never going properly at all ; Dodson was running at the end, however.

ODD SPOTS Francis asks us to Say that he is no

us to Say that he is no longer in the aircraft industry, having returned to war-vehiele work. Leonard Potter is now a consulting engineer and uses a Fiat 500, and Rodney Clarke may enter the Trade. Biggs is contemplating selling his very special trials Austin Seven, having acquired the Ford V8 he wanted. An officer who collects veteran motorcycles found an early Italian specimen while on overseas duty, and sent it home to his mother for safe storage as officer’s surplus kit !

We know of bound volumes of The Autoear, late property of Charles jarrott, for 1897 and 1898, at 115 each, and a Rover Twelve chassis is available cheaply to a special Wider. A Straker-Squire Six, previously mentioned, still runs in the London area, while Rowland, apart from the Horstman, has in stock an extremely fine open 4i-litre Bentley, definitely ” in original condition.” Short has accluired a Full Brescia Bugatti and K. W. fliith has a 3-litre Bentley, engine No. X113542, chassis No. 3344, registered No. X1t3542, and is most anxious to trace its history. Venables spent Easter exploring the Exmoor hills (on foot !) and reports everything mach the sante as ever.

VETERAN C.C. The Veteran Car Club

The Veteran Car Club luncheon and film show on April 22nd is reported on p.102. The April Ga7,ette has been issued, and a newly-created Public Relations Committee is announced, composed of Geoffrey Smith, 0.B.E., of The Autocar, Douglas Tubbs, of The Motor, Walter Boyle, of the Garage and Motor Agent, If. J. Cunningham, of the Motor Trader, and W. Boddy, Editor of MOTOR SPORT. Hon. Secretary, J. H. Wylie, 38, West Cromwell Road, S.W.5. (Western 3032.)