The Goodyear Concours d'Elegance (August 30th)

One of the better recent old-car Concours d’Elegance was that which formed part of the Goodyear Air Races and Air Display at Halfpenny Green aerodrome on the Late Summer Bank Holiday, organised by the Stourbridge Pre-War Car Club, albeit one believes that they had to work hard and speak loud before the airfield authorities, White Cross Air Services Ltd., could be convinced that a public which had come to see aeroplanes would also like to look at aged motor vehicles.

In the event an informative programme, a large roped-off and properly marshalled enclosure, classes conforming to accepted definitions (except for deleting thoroughbred in the case of post-vintage cars) and an excellent entry added up to a worthwhile event, which was a credit to Messrs. Pratt, Parsons, Grimmett, Jones, Dorsett and Brough who organised it and at which Goodyear’s Sales Director, Mr. Smethurst, presented the awards. There were some very fine challenge cups to be won, presented by local trade organisations, with the Goodyear Trophy for the Car of the Show. The Judges were Messrs. R. Taylor, A. Lazenbury, A. Wilks, F. Shoebridge and W. Boddy. There was a Morgan 3-wheeler class, in which all the entrants were driven to the arena, except Duncan’s Aero-model, and that only because of stripped timing gears en route, which is more than could be said of several of the prize-winners. The premier award winner, Cook’s all-black r.h.d. Ford, came on a trailer from Bristol, and was quite immaculate and so thoroughly polished that the Ford script on its radiator has been almost obliterated. An Issigonis eye-brow raiser was Carmichael’s 1911 Phoenix with transverse twin-cylinder engine, although it drove the back wheels by chain. The class-winning Riley Imp was owned originally by J. Lamb, of cricket fame.