Three counties showground

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Monday was devoted to a touring assembly, so that entrants could find their way abut the Three Counties Showground at Malvern, a splendid place, so neatly laid out, with enormous amounts of space, both grassed and enclosed, for the old cars to deport themselves — quite belying the common impression of a showground. And Malvern is a dignified and interesting town in its own right. Everyone having settled in, there were driving tests at this fine venue on the Tuesday and the STD Register had an enclosure to itself, where notable Sunbeam and Talbot cars had assembled, including Anthony Heal’s twincam 3-litre Sunbeam. (Before leaving Heal, wielded an enormous iron dipstick, made to Sunbeam drawings, especially for a 3-litre petrol tank). Rawlings came, not in a Roesch Talbot, but in his nice little twin-cylinder Swift.

Wednesday was very wet, but this did not prevent the light car and Edwardian element taking part in a 45-mile rally to Shelsley Walsh, for lunch and driving tests, by which time a truly fascinating collection of cyclecars had gathered in the back of the Showground’s enormous Severn Hall, where John Scott & Partners had entertained a big influx of guests the previous evening.