Vintage Postbag - Sixty Mercedes, October 1973

Sir, I have read with great interest your account of your run in the Mercedes 60 and the reference to the Gordon Bennett Race of 1903, held in Athy, Ireland. The Club, of which I am President, the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club Ltd., commemorated this event in a small way in July of this year by finishing the “Veterans only” Rally at the Gordon Bennett Memorial at the Moate of Ardscull on the course. We also used the occasion to bestow life membership on the Misses Overend who own a 1927 Rolls-Royce and a 1935 Austin 18 – both these cars have been owned from new and driven and serviced by themselves only!

I was sorry to note your reference to the unsettled state of our land and the inference that it is nor safe to come over here. It is unfortunate that the mass-media have done such a good job of giving the wrong impression of things here in the South to the English people. Despite this we have many thousands of English tourists who have taken their families and cars here for their holidays; also this year your Jumping Team attended the Horse Show in Dublin.

We enjoy MOTOR SPORT and regard it as the only really honest mirror which reflects how good or how bad present cars are with a goodly sprinkling of interest for those interested in cars of the past.

Dublin. FRANK E. CASSIDY, President, Irish V & VCC.