JOHN BOLSTER GOES VERY RAPIDLY INDEED AT THE VINTAGE S.C.D PRESCOTT MEETING

JOHN BOLSTER GOES VERY RAPIDLY INDEED AT THE VINTAGE S.C.C. PRESCOTT MEETING

Large Entry of Vintage and Edwardian Cars. J. Bowles’ Austin 7 is Fastest Sports Car THE weather kept fine for the vintage S.C.C. Members’ Day at Prescott, and a good time was had by all, the organisation being excellent. It was pleasing to find so many vintage cars still hale and hearty, not to mention the entry of eleven Edwardians. The regulations governing the meeting called for pre-1931 cars only, but the Club’s comparatively recent decision to admit moderns to its fold seemed to have influenced the scrutineers, who admitted several patently non-vintage cars. The very first class, for instance, was won, very easily, by a car which had at least three prominent design-features that certainly never figured on this make prior to 1931. The concourse of spectators’ cars was nearly as interesting as the vintage and so-called vintage machines in the Paddock, rain held off until the last car had ascended, and, except for policeinterest of the less-clesira,ble sort, it was all grand fun, due for repetition, we hope, next August Bank Holiday. The class-by-class happenings are duly reported hereinafter :

Sports Cars up to 1,100 c.c.

Birkett’s Austin Seven Special won easily, aided by i.f.s., downdraught carburation and a four-speed gearbox, against which vintage Austins, Amilcars, Salmsons and G.N.s cannot compete. Victor Axel-Berg’s G.N. went unexpectedly well, taking into account loss of one igniter and a sliding tail-it has a 1929 V-twin J.A.P. engine in a 1921 chassis, and 4.00 by 19 tyres. ‘Weber’s smart ” Brooklands ” Riley Nine, with very big-section tyres, was 3rd. Drew’s long tailed Salmson unconcernedly motored over a sand-heap and back on to the road after the first corner and Mrs. Binns’ “Grand Sport” Amilcar was

hopelessly over geared. Gahagan’s “Ulster ” Austin, with twin Villiers carburetters, was 4th, in 69.58 sec.

1st : H. Birkett (Austin siwciati) … 61.20 sec. 2nd : V. Axel-Berg ((;.N.-.1 .P.) … 64.88 „ 3rd : G. S. Weber ( 11 hey Niue) 65.0$ „

Sports Cars, 1,1014,500 c.c.

Galiagan’s Type 37 Bugatti went very nicely, beating Geoghegan’s Aston-Martinengined Frazer-Nash and Smith’s AstonMartin, the last-named vastly lightened by reason of a much-drilled frame, and using four Amals. Gill’s very smart beetle-back ” 12/50″ Alvis had an outside exhaust manifold, Buck’s ” 12/50 ” emitted a typical exhaust crackle, and Radford’s a s t niiishing extended Austin Seven, carrying a s.v. Anzani engine doubtless robbed from some inoffensive A.C., went better than one dared to hope. A divided front axle, Invieta gearbox and 4.00 by 19 rear tyres were used. Ferry’s Anzani-engined Marentiaz-Special was the actual 12-hour record car.

1st: H. (;ahagan (Bugatt … 59.83 sec. 2nd : M. S. ( ;011uliegan (lora N ash) … 60.37 „ 3rd : D. E Smith (Aston-Martin) … 64.45 „

Sports Cars, 1,501-2,000 cc. Jane, using a special head on the 3rd-series engine of his well-known

shortened Lancia, “Lambda,” permitting an S.U. on each side, and a short-throw crank to bring the capacity down to 1,993 c.c., completed his first run in 198.2 sec.-behind the Ford V8 breakdown truck. On his next, not very fast, ascent he won, beating Webb’s high-chassis 2-litre Lagonda and Lord Strathcarron’s Alfa-Romeo coupe. Clarke’s Alvis, which the commentator called a “Silver Eagle,” we should have described as a 1931 “12/50.” Binns’ bebadged O.M. sounded good and Richards’ 1926 ” 12/50 ” Alvis tourer would have taken the beauty prize had there been one.

1st: J. Jane (Lancia) 05.19 sec. 2nd : ‘1’. B. Webb (Lagouda) „ 3rd : Lord St rat ticarron (Al fa-Romeo) . „ t „

Sports Cars, 2,001-3,000 c.c.

Readings’ very abbreviated Lancia “Lambda” won easily from Stephenson’s Talbot, Robson’s conventional 1929 “Lambda” and March’s “Red Label” Bentley tourer.

1st : .J. Readings (Lancia) … 58.69 sec. 2nd : P. H. 8n1Thensoil (Ta … 61.62 „ 3rd : 0. Robs( tii ( ltit rt la ) … 65.45 „

… Sports Cars over 3,000 c.c.

In practice Brier ley crashed his special Bentley at the semi-circle and was removed to hosi)ital. Kramer’s exPacey-Hassan 4i-litre 25-cwt. Bentley also failed to run, because the prop. shaft fouled the Zagato-like body. Marechat thoroughly deserved his win, for he really did hurry in his 11 ft. 2 in.-wheelbase “Speed Six” Le Mans Bentley. Place, in the ex-Allison, ex-Bainbridge 41-litre Bentley, drove round the corners to 2nd place, beating Baird’s ” 30/98 ” Vauxhall, Cook not being rapid enough

in the ex-McKenzie, 4i-litre Bentley, clocking 58.07 see.

As for the rest,Neve’s ex-Hughes “80/08″ Vauxhall did 58.98 sec., Quartermaine’s lowered ” 80/98 ” 60.9 sec., Darby’s standard 4I-litre Bentley tourer 66.25 see., and Fenn-Wiggin’s outside-piped” 30/98″ 69.8 sec.

1st : J. P. Mareeltal (Bentley) 55.88 sec. 2nd : H. K. Place ( Bentley) … 56.62 „ 3rd : G. R.. Baird (Vauxhall) … … 57.38 „

… … „ Edwardian Handicap

Gibb’s F.I.A.T. (54.55 sec.) just beat Clarke’s Mercedes (54.80 sec.) for fastest time, in spite of the latter’s f.w.b., while Dr. Ewen was third fastest in the Itala (57.90 sec.) in spite of having no bottom gear. Of the others, Pomeroy’s Vauxhall, which discarded its magneto in practice, did 65.92 sec., Cuthell’s ex-Hill ” Alphonso” Hispano-Suiza, sans water-pump, 71.03 sec., Abbott’s Mercedes 72.83 sec., gutton-Stott’s 1913 Lanchester torpedo 74.84 sec., Densharn’s sprightly blue 1i-litre Calcott 78.58 sec., and Showell’s smoking Sunbeam tourer 84.56 sec. Radford’s Type 13 I3ugatti was absent and Samuelson’s ” 40/50 ” Peugeot had run a big-end. The formula result was : 1st.: C. B. Abbott (1004 Merc6des) … 72.83 points ‘2nd : 1.. Pomeroy (1914 Vauxhall) … 79.00 „ 3rd : G. A. Cuthell(1912 Hispano-Suiza) 79.50 „

„ Supercharged Sports Cars

Bowles deservedly won this class in his blown ” Ulster ” Austin Seven, aided by a Grasshopper” head. Finch’s thinlydisguised racing Amilear Six, which had run off its trailer and nearly demolished itself against a tree on arrival, was second and Bremner’s beautiful 1928 1,750-c.c. Alfa-Romeo third.

Heyward handled the ex-Frost blown “Ulster “Austin, Crozier’s SSK MercedesBenz coupe, now with an “Elephant “blower, was truly impressive, but troubled by clutch-slip (it had burst a tyre at 90 m.p.h. on the Oxford By-Pass on the way down, entirely without incident), and John Cooper managed to spin the front wheels of his Alvis. Kirby, whose Emeryson-Special Frazer-Nash had a Shorrock-blown deflector-head Meadows engine with rasping exhaust, bungled his changes. Storr’s ” 38/250″ MercedesBenz wasn’t well.

1st : J. V. Bowles (Austin) … … 54.27 Eke. 2nd : 0. A. F. Finch (Amilmr) 54,34 „ 3rd : J. I. Bremner (Alfa-Romeo) … 55.00 „

… „ Racing Cars up to 750 c.c.

Jarvis won convincingly in his nearvintage single-seater Austin from Bowles, with Bradley Hurt’s “Mrs. Jo Jo” Austin, which lost a gear on its second run and stopped, third.

1st : K. C. Jarvis (Austin) … 51.92 sec. 2nd : J. V. Bowles (Austin) … … 54.27 „ 3rd : J. Bradley Hurt (Austin) … … 58.78 „

… … „ Racing Cars, 751-1,100 c.c.

Finch’s Amilcar Six, iow running without mud-guards, won from Richards’ well-known hydraulic-braked “Brooklands “Riley (another modernised vintage car), with the Riley-G.N., leaving behind it a ” boot-polish “aroma, third. Southon, in the Becke, comfortably beat the optimistic Mrs. Binns’ aged Amilcar.

1st : 0. A. F. Finch (Amilcar) … 51.19 sec. 2nd : H. A. Richards (Riley) … 51.58 „ 3rd : C. P. Tooley (Riley-G.11.) 54.95 „

„ Racing Cars, 1,101-1,500 c.c.

The Norris-Special went beautifully, holding its own against the consistentlydriven Triangle-Special. Third place went to Douglas-Osborn’s Roy-CutlerSpecial Frazer-Nash, with deflector-head Meadows engine and ” Shelsley radiator and front axle. Denton’s 1924 200-Mile Race Alvis clocked a good 58.29 sec.

1st : F. A. Norris (Norris-Special) … 48.80 see. 2nd : B. Spollon (Triangle-Special) … 50.65 „ 3rd : L. Douglas-Osborn (Frazer-Nash)… 52.82 „

Racing Cars, 1,501-2,000 c.c.

Bolster made f.t.d. on a typically John-Bolster climb. His first run occupied an awe-inspiring 49.17 sec., whereupon he raised his gear-ratio and clocked the astonishing time of 46.87 sec., only 1.2 sec. below Gerard’s course-record. He retains a motorcycle gearbox in ” Mary ” but uses only one gear for the entire run. Rowley was 2nd, getting into third gear before reaching the Bridge, his Bugatti’s engine reputed to be reaching 8.000 r.p.m.

1st : J. V. Bolster (” Bloody Mary “) … 46.87 sec. 2nd : J. W. Rowley (Bugatti) … 49.30 „ 3rd : J. B.. Tulloch (Bilotti) 60.07 „

„ Racing Cars, 2,001-3,000 c.c.

Stubberfield won easily, his Bugatti really urged up the hill. Hukins was 2nd in the interesting 85B Bugatti built by Robin Jackson before the war for T. S. Fotheringham to use on the Brooklands outer-circuit, the specification embracing felliptic rear springs, an I-section front axle located by torque rods above the springs, and 8-branch external exhaust. Heal clocked 58.21 sec. in the 1922 straight-eight T.T. Sunbeam.

1st : P. J. Stubberfield (Bugatti) … 48.07 sec. 2nd : M. B. Hukins (Bugatti) … 53.62 „

… „ Racing Cars over 3,000 c.c.

Previous times counted and gave Marechal this class.

1st : J. P. Marechal (Bentley) … … 55.88 sec. 2nd : G. R. Baird (Vauxhall,)57.38 „ 3rd : M. L. Quarterrnaine (Vauxhall) … 60.90 „

… „ The Best Dozen

Bolster (” Bloody Mary “), 46.87 sec., Lt.d.–Special

Award. Stubberfield (Bugatti), 48.07 sec., fastest Bugatti

Special Award.

Norris (Norris-Special), 48.80 sec.

Rowley (Bugatti), 49.30 sec.

Spollon (Triangle-Special), 50.05 sec.

Finch (Arnilcar), 51.19 sec.

Richards (Riley), 51.58 sec.

Jarvis (Austin), 51.92 sec.

Douglas-Osborn (Frazer-Nash), 52.82 sec.

Hukins (Bugatti), 53.62 sec. Bowles (Austin), 54.27 see., fastest Sport Car-Special

Award.

Gibbs (Edwardian F.I.A.T.), 54.78 sec.