Alta remains

Sir,

I was interested in Mr. John Norman’s letter in the September issue on the Alta remnants which browned in the late fifties, and I think that Jean in part answer D.S.J.’s question of “Where is it now?”

About three months ago I purchased an 1,100 c.c. Alta engine in Sydney and on scratching around under the dirt and corrosion I found that I had engine number 18— the original engine from Mr. Norman’s car APG 57. The engine has gear driven camshafts, being one of the early ones, and only about six of these were made, so it is one of the very few that still exist today.

I bought the engine from the Hon. John Dawson-Dancer who had had it since 1969. Hr in turn had purchased it, together with one of the two-stage blown I 1/2-litre GP Altas, from Jim Harewood in Perth. Western Australia. I contacted Mr. Harewood and found that he had in turn bought the engine in 1968 from an advertisement in Motor Sport (where else). So far I have not been able to trace it back any further.

If the present owner of APG 57, or any previous owner of the engine, would care to write town I would be most interested to hear from them.

Victoria. Australia GRAEME LOWE

(Letters will be forwarded. — Ed.)