VSCC Shelsley Walsh

Showers are bad for sprints, as they are for Wimbledon finals, and the VSCC Shelsley Walsh Hill-Climb suffered as much as the tennis on July 2.

Some BBC Television filming took place beforehand, about which it would spoil viewers’ fun next February to reveal more. This interfered with the marshals’ lunch-hour, but scarcely held up the meeting, in which FTD was made by Rodney Felton’s Alfa Romeo; additionally to the credit of this well-known car, it was driven to the venue — a roadgoing monoposto.

Felton went up in 35.70 seconds, beating Speller’s ERA R8C and Guy Smith’s Alvis-powered Frazer Nash. Summers’ MG KN took the smaller racing-car class from Gibbs’ blown Frazer Nash which snaked away from the start; the Hardy Special was third, leaving the vintage category to Freddie Giles in Salome. In Felton’s class the best vintage run was by Candy’s T35B Bugatti.

The Edwardian and 2WB Early Vintage Cars section was well endowed. David Sewell’s bolster-tank T13 Bugatti went much faster on its second run, to score over the consistent Th-Schneider which was quickest Edwardian — but is this truly a GP car?

Best road-equipped up-to-1500cc sportscar was Dunn’s Riley 12/4 Special, and in the over-1500cc class Don Parker’s 7.3-litre Bentley Special, wasting no time away from the line. In the paddock one noted the very exposed twin SUs on Parkin’s 12/70 Alvis, the flexibly-mounted dancing carbs on Hicken’s 12/70, a roll-over bar on Fell’s Speed 25, and the famous Aston-Martin “Petit Pois” out again, but making a slow start in deference to its clutch.

Leyland had a neat 1921 GN single-seater with ioe bottom-end but twin push-rod-prodded overhead valves, and Caroline was determined to heat up the single rear tyre of his quick Morgan. Harbottle’s Ulster A7 had a downdraught carb, and Mills’ 1930 Morgan Super Sports was fully road-equipped; in both classes for these road-equipped vintage cars Frazer Nashes were victorious. WB