Miscellany, April 2004

When I saw a smart and original mid-vintage Standard tourer at a recent rally, it made me wonder why Standards, then and with earlier bodies, used radiators with the cooling element exposed down the sides. I can’t find any explanation in J R Davy’s book The Standard Car, 1903 -1963 (Shereboume Press, 1967). Was it a cost-saver, or to provide maximum cooling, or simply a distinguishing publicity feature?

* * *

The new secretary of the reformed Invicta CC is Jo Moss, Nettle Cottage, Barnes Lane, Milford-on-Sea, Lymington, Hampshire S041 ORR (01590 645311). Since 1980 Jo has been a frequent competitor in speed events with her 1932 sports 4 1/2-litre Invicta.

* * *

Brooklands Books has another of its enormous Profiles (ISBN 1 855 20641 2, £24.95) reproducing articles from many car magazines. This 320-page book contains 91 road-tests and other articles on Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars from 1990 to 2002. An engulfing treat for R-R folk, it runs from Car & Driver‘s Silver Spur II back-seat-reporting, through masses of data, diagrams and exotic pictures, including Motor Sport‘s opinion of the Bentley Brooklands Arnage and Continental SC and Red Label.

* * *

The Trojan OC recently had a wonderful colour magazine front cover of four of these cars crossing Tissington ford in a trial.