August Quiz

The August Quiz picture attracted a smaller “entry” than usual, so obviously the old car depicted proved a teaser. We admit to being puzzled ourselves; fortunately “Baladeur’s” office is but a brief walk from Motor Sports’s and he decided for us that the car must be an Ariel Simplex. Scott Moncrieff sent the photograph with the following explanation:

“A 1908 ‘Grand Prix’ Ariel four-cylinder 60-h.p. As far as I can make out this particular car was built for and exhibited at the Motor Show, to be bought by anyone who fancied taking up G.P. racing, rather than as a works entry. The late Frank Bolton, a copper tycoon, thought, with some justice, that it would make a lovely fast-touring car. So he designed a tonneau to replace the bolster tank aft with which the car was originally delivered. You see him here, with the car, looking, and with reason, very proud of it. He raced it once or twice at Brooklands, but although the car did a very creditable lap speed of over 90 m.p.h., he never succeeded in breaking the handicappers to a place. The Ariel car was made in Coventry, and would appear, at that time, to have been in a pretty fair way of business. An old fitter who worked at Daimler then tells me that they were “built in a shed about the same size as that of the Rover people.”

I am, Yours, etc., Bunty

Frank Bolton certainly raced the Ariel, which was the British version of the Mercedes of that era, at Brooklands, but no lap times were published in 1908.

To return to our Quiz, the greatest credit is due to those readers who recognised the make correctly — L. B. Frost of Winchelsea, W. A. Scott Brown of Aberdeen, A. W. F. Smith of Mayfield, H. C. Howman of Bletchley (although the last-named also suggested Gobron-Brille), and C. E. Milner of Birmingham.

Others saw incorrectly (or guessed): Opel, Hupmobile, “Bugati,” Bentley, Humber (very popular), Hutton, Mercedes, Star, Napier (extremely popular), Darracq, Benz, Panhard, Rolls-Sunbeam, Cadillac, Lancia, Matheson, S.P.A., Peugeot, S.C.A.T., Itala, Nazzaro, Mitchell, Hotchkiss, Straker-Squire, etc.

Wild horses of the most hairy-legged variety will not drag the names of these readers from us — better luck to them with next month’s Quiz.