A Rare Vintage Sports Car

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A Rare Vintage Sports Car

VE recently had an opportunity of examining the Cottin et Desgouttes sports 2-seater which is owned by the East Parade Garage, Harrogate. This car was formerly owned by Homsted, and as far as we can trace, appeared on one isolated occasion at Brooklands, when it ran in the 75 m.p.h. Long Handicap at the 1925 Autumn Meeting, retiring on the last lap. In 1935 Homsted rebuilt the car in the form in which it is at present. Offord & Sons, Ltd., built a graceful 2-seater body with a very long streamline tail, and the chassis was lowered 11/ in., a new front axle being used, and the rear springs underslung. This body somehow recalls the ” Boulogne ” Hispano-Suiza 2-seater once owned . by Zhorowski, probably on account of its size, as the lines are dissimilar. It is cream, with blue wings, and dumbirons and rear tank are neatly faired in. The bucket seats are of electron tubing, and weigh 111 lb. each. The car has a push-rod o.h.v. 6-cylinder engine of 80 by 130 nun. (3,921 c.c.). On the off side the water pump is driven from the front timing train and draws from a pipe attached to the tappet chest cover ; a long shaft couples the aft-placed Scintilla magneto with thewater pump. On this side a single large Zenith carburetter feeds into a 4-branch manifold, of which both riser and inlet tract are enclosed in a squaresection water jacket. On the near side there is the combined Scintilla dynamo and coil ignition unit, feeding six upwardinclined plugs as the magneto does on the off side, the starter and six separate exhaust pipes merging into a plated, external Brooklands exhaust system with big fantail. The bonnet covers the scuttle, giving ready access to the rear of the facia. Suspension is 1-elliptic, damped by Telecontrol Hartford shockabsorbers. The brakes are cable operated, on the Perrot principle at the front, and work in large, wide, ribbed drums, the hand-lever being external. The steering column is supported by a cast bracket from the dash and the gear-lever is central. A ” spring ” steering wheel and r.h. treadle accelerator are used, and the instrument board carries a 180 m.p.h. Pioneer Speedo. Co. speedometer, a 5,000 r.p.m. rev.-counter of the same make,

both marked ” a Scintilla switchboard, oil gauge reading to 100 lb./sq. in., Andre Telecontrol gauge, and water thermometer. The minor controls work in a quadrant below the steering wheel and to the left, and the screen is a low single-pane. Rudge wheels carry 5.50-in. by 20-in. Dunlop ” 90 ” tyres at the front and 6.00-in. by 20-in, at the back. There are quick-action caps on radiator and tank, and the lighting equipment includes Lucas head and side lamps and additional Lucas side lamps on the scuttle. Running boards are dispensed with, and the shapely radiator carries a badge having a fivepoint blue star surrounded by the inscription: ” Cottin & Desgouttes, Lyon, Paris.” The horn is by Bosch, and beneath the bonnet. This interesting and distinctly rare car has a wheelbase of 11 ft. 4 in. ; the track is 4 ft. 10 in. front and 4 ft. 81 in. at the back. Apparently Homsted never raced it again, although he put on the new front axle and new steering connections with a view to humouring the B.A.R.C. scrutineers. The car has been stored for many years.