V-to-C Miscellany, October 1995, October 1995

The undertaking of reproducing a complete set of Bugantics, the magazine of the Bugatti OC, is progressing, and having seen an example of a facsimile of Vol 8, No 1 , for January 1939, I can vouch for the fact that you could not tell it from the original.

Encouragingly, the Rover 8 Register’s latest list of the surviving examples of these rather endearing little flat-twin aircooled cars, which cocked-a-snoot at the cyclecars until the A7 arrived, lists 40 definitely known to exist, and a further three believed to do so, while the list is completed with a request for information about a further 13 cars which have “gone missing”. The Registrar is Kent Robinson, Wedmans Farm, Rotherwick, Hook, Hampshire, HG27 9BX, who is not confined to somewhat pedestrian light-car motoring, as he owns a twin-cam 3-litre Sunbeam.

Having recently listed many of the club magazines which record the wide range of the motoring scene, I rather wish I hadn’t, because some excellent publications were inadvertently omitted. For instance, the Light Car & Edwardian Section of the VSCC has its quarterly called The Light Car, which airs light-hearted views on cars large and small and has a notable cyclecar section. Into more heavy metal, the HCVB has its well-produced organ, the Historic Commercial News, with excellent photographs and colour illustrations. Then the VCC’s authoritative Veteran Car has blossomed out with good full-colour pictures, and its regular crossword puzzle, and the BRDC issues its bi-monthly Bulletin, enlivened by Jenks’ Column and for steam folk the NTEC’s Steaming is entirely professional. Nor must we forget that the Riley Register has a good magazine and issues a monthly newsletter, and that Prop-Swing is the journal of the Shuttleworth VAS and covers model as well as real historic aeroplanes. The Friends of the NMM have their own printed Newsletter, the HRCA its newly bi-monthly Old Stager magazine about historic rallying, the MG and BMW Clubs their own journals, etc. The STD Register runs a Joumal as well as an informative newsletter; and still the list isn’t complete. There are also all these photo-copied club newsheets, apart from the specialist magazines, led, of course, by Motor Sport…

We are glad to learn that the limited-edition model of the 300SLR Mercedes-Benz which was sold to benefit BEN, the Motor & Allied Trades Benevolent Society, has aroused a tremendous amount of interest, according to Paul Finn, the Fund’s Press Officer. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed last June Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson were each presented with one of these models, after their ascent of the hill in the Mille Miglia-winning car.

The 750 MC has its Eight Clubs’ race meeting at Silverstone on October 14, at which many different makes will compete.

We hear that the historic car event in Germany in August went off extremely well, with the full circuit of the Nurburgring closed one morning for the drivers to exploit, and that the Mercedes-Maybach showed that WWI aero engines work as well on the ground as they once did in the air, the Collings contingent, with the 1912 Zuist in the party, returning intact.