VINTAGENTS AT LEWES

VINTAGENTS AT LEWES

STUART WILTON’S M.G. MAKES FASTEST TIME OF THE DAY Fitt’s B.M.W. was absent, still suffering from its bending after the J.C.C. Brooklands meeting, but the big Hudson was going very rapidly indeed. Peter Clark’s 11 G. G. was in good trini, although rumour says Peter does not rightly know where all the oil-pipes outside the Meadows engine go to, since Marcus Chambers modified the lubrication system to keep down the oil temperature. Another nonour concerned a Le Mans team of H.R.G.s for 19,141. J. Panks brought along Lancia Lambda with a most un-Lancialike exhaust note, while Goldman’s altered S.S. and Bagratouni’s Alfa-Romeo were amongst the .fastest sports-cars. Soutlion ran his 11E. and Whincop his Type 43 ” 2.3 ” Bugatti. Miss Strain drove the latter car in the sports class, going up nicely on her first run, but stopping to select a change of ratio next time-Ettore’s gearboxes were not made for girl drivers when the Type 43 was a, new car, and this was a plucky effort. Watson made some music changing-up on his Bentley, Campbell missed a change on his Invicta, and Laing’s touring eight cylinder Bugatti was very slow. McKenzie did some really astounding rums in his blue 41-litre sports Bentley, and Clive Windsor-Richards drove the ’08 Hata, revving up fantastically in starting, his well known 30!98 Vauxhall, the 5-litre Delage, which is liberally besprinkled with oilcoolers and the rev, counter needle of which seemed over-excitable, aud a

decrepit old Bentley. Fitz Patrick’s supercharged Phantom I Rolls-Royce saloon, using curiously small rear wheels shod with 6.00′ X16″ covers to get the gear-ratios down, hissed up the course in fine style, and the Allards of Silcock and Sydney Allard were immense. Hampton’s 1913 Bugatti is really. magnificently turned out, painted in authentic paint and varnish and with glittering brass work—the tiny, gold Bugatti Club badge on the facia is a pleasing detail. incidentally, front suspension is by twin half-elliptic springs on each side. Another very interesting Edm ardian WaS Samuelson’s 1914 40/50 Petigoet tourer, sounding rather like a 30/98 Vauxhall as to exhaust-note and a 3-litre Sunbeam as to the hiss of its brakes. Owned up to 1925 by a director of Kia-Ora, Ltd., it was found by the present owner at Laystall’s premises, where the :apprentices regarded it as a plaything. Rated at 33 h.p., it has the same bore and stroke as a ” Silver Ghost ” Rolls-Royce arid was a standard model in its day. The 71-1itre engine Pulls ft top gear of 2.6 to 1 and a third

gear of 3.6 to 1. For a time a Blackfriars lorry repairing firm used it as a towing car 1 It is being gradually done up, is used regularly, and does about 70 m.p.h..

Miss Wilby and Miss Brotchie handled smart Atalantas, and Dick Nash brought his Frazer-Nash Union-Special out of a very long retirement—it is now for sale. The bodywork is as slim as can be and Nash’s special gear-shift is interesting. Taking off carefully, to humour the clutch, and somewhat Slowed by misfiring, Nash nevertheless clocked 22.95 secs. Timing was by the Bowler system and Bowler himself was chief marshal.