Club news, May 1952
Congratulations to Schweppes Ltd, for including the leading motor-racing fixtures in their annual Sporting Calendar, the pictures of which are of famous racehorses.
L Fisher, 662 Highland Avenue. Buffalo 23, New York, seeks English correspondents. Norman Overton proposes to drive his 1911 Rawlinson Hudson from Chesham to Paris. A 1907 NAG two-seater has been found in Ireland (CJ Kelly, 8 Yealin Road, Newton Ferrers, Devon, seeks data) and a solid-tyred Trojan and a 1914 Matchless combination which have been stored in an Edgware workshop for twenty years have found new homes.
At the end of March Peter Rosser, driving his “as new” 1927 Morris-Oxford drophead coupe, picked up a 12/50 Alvis starting handle between Datchet and Windsor. The owner should contact him at 2, King John’s Place, Colnbrook. AE Marsh recently drove his Atalanta Special to Cuxhaven via Ostend. It was built after reading the article in Motor Sport about the Shattock Special and has a Ford V8 30 engine, Ford Pilot gearbox, independent suspension all round and a substantial coupe body, the total weight being 231/2 cwt. Construction occupied two years, working in a lock-up garage. We understand that WD Foster (London) Ltd., 93 Bayhain Street, NW1, are well equipped to repair the more primitive types of electrical equipment and also have on their staff a Bosch specialist who was with this German magneto concern in 1912. Major Robert Bell, writing in appreciation of the recent article on the 38/250 Mercedes-Benz, recalls that, like your Editor, he tried one of these great cars in its heyday along the Barnet By-Pass. He also saw the 1929 TT and was driven by Caracciola from the 1929 Motor Show to the West End, via “a longish wait at his tailors in Saville Row.” Nostalgic ! AG Plumb is restoring a 1920 ABC “Skootamota” which has been laid up since 1925. He hopes to show up the Corgis, but cannot find tyres16 by 23/4 in. If anyone can help the address is : Queen’s Hotel, Herne Bay.
We hear of another well-reconditioned model-T Ford, a 1912 limousine-landaulette owned by a Wolverhampton Ford agent.
BRDC
We extend warm congratulations to the BRDC on having received from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh an acceptance of the office of President-in-Chief. This office was created in 1932 for HRH Prince George, afterwards Duke of Kent, and has remained vacant since the death of his Royal Highness.
Slime in France
The London MC will import the pick of British trials cars and drive to France for an English-style trial which is being arranged by M Becquart and the AC de Mont Blanc on June 22nd. Details of this French sporting trial, in which, we gather, hosepipes will come to the aid of the Continental summer to promote appropriate hazards, from : D Dent, 28, Alexander Avenue, NW10.
SCCA
The battle for the presidency of the Sports Car Club of America ranked second only to that for the White House. The result was a win for Fred G Wacker, by 691 votes to 418 scored by his rival, Miles Collier.
April quiz
The last Quiz Picture, although attracting a lot of “entries” no doubt because it was of a comparatively modern car, caught out the majority, for “Alfa-Romeo” was by far the most popular “guess.”
The correct solution was “Triumph.” All manner of Alfa-Romeos were named, one reader even quoting Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Of that there is no possible doubt … ” to clinch it. But these good people had forgotten the Triumph “crib” of a blown, straight-eight Alfa-Romeo which Donald Healey daringly exhibited at the Motor Show eighteen years ago. This was virtually a direct copy of an Alfa-Romeo„ although we believe it had rather different manifolding from that shown in our picture. 140 bhp was claimed at 5,500 rpm, and on test the Brooklands lap speed exceeded 101 mph. But very little was subsequently heard of this ” Dolomite ” Triumph, the subsequent Triumph Dolomite being a normal push-rod model. It was rumoured that gentlemen from Milan, tres irate, called on Mr. Healey and were appeased only by the promise that Italy could have as many Triumph military motor-cycles as she wanted, but what is the use of believing rumour ? Certainly one of those cars, renamed an HSM, was modified by High Speed Motors and with it Tony Bolt, who drives the ERA Delage so brilliantly today, commenced his racing career at Donington which many readers recalled.
Another quiz next month !