VSCC Colerne Speed Trials

This event is not open to the public, but we should not overlook the splendid performances made there this year.  Such as Rodney Felton’s 3.2 P3 Alfa Romeo making ftd in the record time of 22.97 sec for the s.s. kilometre, and Bob Roberts in the Sunbearn Tiger doing best Vintage car time, also a record, in 23.22 sec, finishing the run at 134 mph. The class winners were: 1-1/2-litre sports-cars: Selwyn-Smith (Frazer Nash), 33.79 sec; Over 1-1/2-litre sports-cars: Pilkington (Darracq), another record, in 26.68 sec, finishing at 121 mph; Other 1-1/2-litresports-cars: Dunn (Riley), 30.88 sec; Other over 1-1/2-litre sports-cars: Burrell (Bentley-Royce), 27.01 sec; Racing-cars up to 1-litre: Miss Gray (Hardy Special), in 27.53 sec: beating her father’s record with the same car and bravely getting up to 107 mph; 1-1/2-litre racing-cars: tie between Bill Summers’ son in the MG KN Special and Dad hirnself, in a record 25.66 sec, doing 124 mph through the speed-trap: racing-cars over 1-1/2-litres: Felton, as mentioned above: Veterans & Edwardians: Neve (1914 TT Humber). 38.90 sec.

Other highlights were the 12-litre Bequet-Delage at 133 mph, the Attenborough Special doing 130 mph, Tony Brooke at 112 mph, the 1908 GP Panhard-Levassor, a non-starter, ending its practice sprint at no less than 102 mph, and Roger Collings’ son getting the 4-1/2-litre Bentley up to 110 mph when coming second in the big sports-car class.

The respective vintage-car class winners were: Collings aforesaid, in a record 29.58 sec, Crew’s A7, Konig’s 3/8-litre Bentley, Bishop’s A7, Harrison In Shaw’s Miller 91, and the Sunbeam Tiger, while Selwyn-Smith’s Interceptor Frazer Nash took both sections of the 1-1/2-litre standard and modified sports-car class, and the Brixia-Zust won the Edwardian handicap. — W.B.