V-E-V Miscellany., April 1974, April 1974
V-E-V Mkeellany.—One of the most comprehensive Newsletters to come monthly from the clubs is that of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club, whose membership exceeds 1,400 and whose membership secretary is J. Bedford, 147 Cranley Gardens, London N10. All being well, the annual LondonBrighton Commercial Vehicle Run is scheduled for May 5th. An early RollsRoyce Twenty is in use as a van by a milliner in Lucerne, a current extension of the conversions once offered by Alastair Miller—it could even be one of his vans, restored. The January issue of Multi Cylinder, Journal of the Pre-50 American AC, contained a feature on Marmon cars. In Australia someone who has the chassis of an alleged 1919 4.9-litre racing Ballot is hoping to completely rebuild the car, if sufficient parts can be accumulated. Four of these Henry-type Ballots were built, but one has disappeared, one was destroyed after Ilowey’s fatal accident at Boulogne, and another is in the Briggs Cunningham Automobile Museum in America. At the last count, membership of the Veteran Car Club stood at 567 full and 1,111 Associate members.
This year’s Continental veteran and vintage fixtures include those based on Luxembourg on May 11/12th, Grenoble on May 29th/ June 2nd, Amsterdam on August 23/25th, and Greece on September I2/15th. The 1974 National Veteran and Vintage Rally takes place in Australia from September 22/29th. In addition there are the FIVA International vintage rallies in Germany from May 3rd/ 5th, Barcelona from May 19/26th, Rothenburg from June 29/30th, Dublin from July 13/14th, while the 1974 Mille Miglia Run is scheduled for Many 10/12th, based on Brescia. The South African Rally has been postponed until 1975, due to the fuel situation. A 1931 Morris Oxford Six coupe with sliding roof has been rescued from a field in S. Wales and is to he restored. A 1935/6 Opel P4 Cabriolet which we were instrumental in saving from a Sussex barn is now 95% restored by its present owner, who also has a Ferrari GTO. The owner of a 1936/7 Riley Kestrel Sprite, RDV 566, originally AJI3 1, seeks its history and confirmation as to whether it ran in the 1937 ‘Monte Carlo Rally. The Shuttleworth Collection hopes to hold its first Flying Day of the year on Easter Monday. The sad remains of a 1919 Sunbeam, owned originally by the finder’s mother’s uncle, have turned up in Norway and there are hopes 4g; restoration. A reader in Cornwall owns three Rhodes and, would like to hear of others. A Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Cabriolet in poor order has been seen in a Bedfordshire Council dump within the last four years, and a Lancia, probably a Lambda, is reported as in a Surrey scrapyard. The spring issue of the Morris Register 7ournal is devoted largely to Morris Commercial taxicabs. The Daimler/Lanchester OC plans to hold a 10th anniversary rally in the Coventry area, on June 29th. The new Registrar of the Humber Register is P. G. Diffey, The White House, Chalk Hill, Dunstable, Beds. J. M. I-leumana, 175 St. Germain Ave., San Francisco, California 94114 is compiling a register of all existing Hispano-Suizas and asks owners to contact
him. The history of a 1933 K2 MG Magnette GS 4113 is sought and its owner asks other K2 owners to write to him, The next STD Register meeting is to be a night trial, on April 20th. A well-known American historian enquires if anyone can supply data about Steffanini, who was an engineer with Isotta Fraschini up to about 1908?