Club News, December 1938

Otia/law

CHILTERN CAR CLUB GUY FAWKES TRIAL, OCTOBER 30th, 1938 Drizzle in the morning and intermittent rain during the afternoon made the course for the above Trial in a fairly

good condition. There were fifteen starters from the King’s Arms Hotel, Arnersham, although one of these retired with a broken back axle on arrival at the first hill. This was Rutty Lane, divided into two non-stop sections, the first over nearly level but very rough ground, and the second up a fairly sticky gradient. The first section was not nearly wet enough and failed nobody, but three cars failed on the second. Rignal proved a more difficult proposition, being also very muddy and harder to start on, eight cars failing here. The final nonstop section was Hale Wood, whose slippery surface of chalk, well covered with wet, dead leaves and two acute corners routed all competitors but C. W. Taylor (M.G.).

The downhill acceleration and braking test on Lamkins Folly was definitely exciting to watch. Only one car failed to pull up in the prescribed distance and times were : S. H. E. Thwaites (Ford Ten) 8f secs., R. E. Richards (M.W. Rover Special) 94 secs., equalled by C. B. Ballard (M.G.), and H. H. A. Ironside (Lancia), C. W. Taylor (M.G.), and R. F.

Hield (M.G. Sic), each Of secs. Here C. W. Taylor was compelled to retire with back axle trouble when having a useful margin of marks in hand. The best times on the final stop and. re-start test on Hawridge were B. D. Acland (M.G.) 15f secs., R. G. Bradshaw (M.G.) 204 secs., and W. E. Edgar (Alvis 12/50) 20f secs. Three competitors lost marks by failing to re-start without help. RESULTS

Premier Award : B. D. Acland (M.G.).

First-Class Awards : C. B. Ballard (M.G.), S. H. E. Thwaltes (Ford Ten), H. Wood (Frazer-NashB.M.W.).

Second-Class Awards : R. G. Bradshaw (M.G.), W. E. Edgar (Aivis 12/50), R. F. Hieid (M.G. sic). Third-Class Award: M. Zwick (Ford 30). 1NVICTA CAR CLUB

Arrangements have been completed for those members who wish to do so to transfer to the Bugatti Owners’ Club, at the special annual subscription rate of Li 1 0, up to December 1939— which is undoubtedly a snip. As some sort of peace-offering to the B.O.C., the late Invicta Club paid over £20, a Challenge Cup and twelve badges—but surely from now on members become B.O.C. members and should buy and display the B.O.C. badge ? E.R.A. CLUB The annual dinner held at Lysbetb. Hall, Soho, was outstandingly success ful. Lord Howe took the chair, and S. C. H. Davis handed over the Club’s donation of £200 to Humphrey Cook as a token of its enthusiasm—it would be the first to agree that such a sum, in cold fact, cannot very materially assist E.R.A. to extend its racing programme. Actually, critics should blame the luke-warmness of British enthusiasts. Donington drew 60,000 persons to the Grand Prix. If we assume that for every genuine enthusiast present there was one papa and moma, one wife or one girl-friend, that still gives us a gate of 15,000 enthusiasts. If each one of these 15,000 contributed his (or her, but mostly his, because girls only enthuse over racing when allowed to decorate the pits and high places, converse with a speed king or sit in a palatial car en route for the course) Li subscription to the E.R.A. club that would be a subsidy, out of enthusiasm, of £,15,000. And such a sum could further British activity in the 14-litre field quite a lot. In sober and cold fact the membership is about 200 souls. C. N. S. Pringle emphasised this fact in his secretarial address. Other speakers were Mrs. K. Petre, Raymond Mays, Arthur Dobson, Peter Bethron, Tommy Wisdom, Reggie Tongue and Humphrey Cook. Mr. Cook said that E.R.A. had dropped the plan of building a 24-litre Formula car, as G.P. racing might in future occupy a less important position than it had in the past. Instead, E.R.A. would meet the 14-litre challenge with cars having the chassis prepared for the Formula car—which we believe is proving a bit difficult over road-holding at present. George Monkhouse then got up and said that as G.P. racing was in a more nourishing state than it had ever been he proposed to show his colour films of G.P. racing. He made certain remarks which have been described as tactless and in bad taste. Monkhouse says what he believes and lots of people cannot stand that, which is probably why some people slang MOTOR SPORT but continue to pay their sub

scription. Perhaps he showed rather more enthusiasm for the 14-litre Alf a than suited everyone who was present.

The Club is selling E.R.A. button-hole badges for 1/6 each, to swell the fund, and if you cannot join this Club you should at least support British racing to the extent of eighteen pence. May we suggest car badges at a sum of about 3/6—naturally distinct from the Club’s own badge ?

Hon. Secretary : S. H. Green, 591, London Road, Thornton Heath. Badges from • C. N. S. Pringle, 10, Park Parade, Cambridge.

GREAT WEST M.C. The Thatcher Trophy Trial is a classic event, and the 1938 event attracted seventeen starters. Heavy rain made the course tricky and provided dismal rides for K. N. Hutchison and Mrs. Hutchison in the new V8 Allard-Special, which now boasts a screen but is without hood, and for T. Lush and his passenger, whose )935-engined Austin Seven had tiny wings, fabric bonnet and no real bodywork at all. Hutchison beat everyone in the timed. test, with a clear advantage of 2 seconds. Sloe Gin failed all but three cars and only Penthony (M.G.), Dyer (Riley) and putchison (AllardSpecial) got up. Devil’s Staircase failed only Anthony, as leader of the string of cars in a comp-shod, ordinary and elderly Standard Nine saloon and a Singer driver who failed to put in his

lowest cog early enough. Lewknor claimed five stoppages and chalky Crowell, in two sections, stopped six at the restart on the upper section, while Whiddington retired at the foot with his Jensen. Dyer’s Riley nearly took a trip over the edge. Only Dyer (Riley) and Penthony (M.G.) returned Jean sheets at the finish, Dyer taking the Thatcher Trophy, Penthony a first-class award. Hutchison won the Begg Robertson Cup and ex Gratia Awards went to Wagner’s Morris, Cattolico’s Singer and Manison’s Aston-Martin. We heard of police interest of the wrong kind at Devil’s Staircase.

BRISTOL M.C. & L.C.C. The famous Roy Fedden Trophy Trial was this year a very stern affair. Tin Pan Alley was fairly easy but failed Clark’s high-geared 3-litre Bentley, while the E.B. Special ran a big end but climbed clean for all that. The old Hollow stop and restart saw Langley’s ” Grasshopper ” Austin Seven record 23.6 secs., Warburton’s Allard-Special 23.8 secs., and Biggs’s B.M.W. 24 secs. Hodgecombe failed eighteen cars and at Narkover, where only seven competitors got up, Terry’s Ford broke its drop arm and much delay ensued. Warburton, Lawson, Steadman, Dargue and Bastock went up well, respectively mounted in Allard, H.R.G., G.N., B.M.W., and M.G. motor

cars. Twenty-one people vanquished Nailsworth Ladder—wonderful things these modern trials cars—and the police said oh no to the Ferriscourt test. The Stancombe acceleration test saw Warburton register fastest time in 8.8 secs., with Johnson’s B.M.W. and Lawson’s H.R.G. as runners-up. In the stop-goreverse test Warburton did 23.2 secs., and Macdermid (M.G.):23.6 secs. Only eleven climbed Juniper and Warburton

made an excellent ascent, setting seal to his will for the Roy Fedden Trophy. RESULTS

Roy Fedden Trophy : 0. Warburton (Allard).

Daphne Trophy : L. Cl. Johnson (Frazer-NashB.M.W.).

Committee Cup : M. H. Lawson (H.R.G.). Alexander Duckham Cup : A. H. Langley (Austin).

Club’s Cup (best unsupercharged car) : T. W. Dargue (Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.).

Anthony Cup (best supercharged car) : J. A. Bastock (M.G.).

Barber Memorial Trophy (best Bristol Club member) : P. S. Flower (M.G.).

Team Award : The Musketeers (R. A. Macdermid, J. A. Bastock, A. 13. Langley—ail M.0.8). SUNBAC Alf Langley and his ” Grasshopper ” Austin Seven, having won the” Experts,” walked away nicely with the Vesey Cup. Ken Hutchison with his V8 Allard-Special was equally rapid on the first timed test and the result ultimately depended on

the Longville test. In the first test Frost’s B.M.W. took 25.6 secs. and Imhof’s M.G. 25.8 secs. The timed climb of Longvine saw Hadley and Langley put their Austins up in 20 secs. In the stop-gostop test on Eaton II Imhof and Hutchison tied for best performance in 5.4 secs., and Langley and Bastock (M.G.) both took 5.8 secs. Interesting cars that competed included W. C. Butler’s Autosports Singer graced with 30 Ford horses, Woodall’s Oversize Ford Eight engine riding in a Wolseley Hornet chassis, with Morgan front suspension—this suspension is gaining a considerable following for specials, since the Fry brothers used it on their cars for sprint work—and Povey’s special Triumph. RESULTS

Vesey Cup (for best performance) : A. H. Langley (747 c.c. Austin, S.), marks lost ; 261 sees, driving test and 20 secs. at Longville.

Carless Cup (for best over 1,100 c.c.) : K. Hutchison (3,822 c.c. Allard), marks lost : 281 secs. driving test and 22s. at Longville.

Watson-Gwynne Bowl (for best under 1,000 c.c.): W. H. Scriven (747 c.c. Austin S.), marks lost ; 28s. driving test.

Trial-to-trial Trophy (for best performance by one who has not previously won a Sunbac trophy) : E. Lloyd-Jones (3,622 c.c. Triangle Special), 9 marks lost ; 32s.

Team Prize : Austin ” Grasshoppers ” (A. H. Langley, W. H. Scriven and C. D. Buckley), 19 marks lost.

Tankard : G. Warburton (3,822 c.c. Allard), marks lost : 06 secs.

Ashtrays : J. M. Toulmin (1,708 c.c. M.G.), 7 marks ; 291s. B. Lloyd-Jones (see above). J. B. S. Jones (1,708 c.c. M.G.), 14 marks ; 26s. R. K. Crawford (1,711 c.c. WU.), 14 marks ; 30s. A. C. Imhof (1,780 c.c. M.0.), 16 marks ; 251s. C. D. Buckley (747 c.c. Austin S.), 19 marks ; 29*s.

B.A.R.C.

The annual dinner and dance was held at the Dorchester. Baron von Falkenhayn, who had flown over from Berlin for the Earl’s Court motor-bicycle Show, was able to give to those present a very fine account of Major Gardner’s 186 m.p.h. outings with the M.G. on the Frankfort Autobahn—records which have obviously impressed the Germans profoundly. 279 persons attended, over whom Lt.-Gen. Sir Louis Vaughan presided. Professor A. M. Low proposed ” the guests,” welcoming Lt.-Col. Sir Francis Shelmerdine, Capt. Eyston, Harry Edwards, J. D. Scannell and Fred. Craner—which makes one reflect that rival race organisers are on friendly terms even without the good offices of the new B.M.R.O.A. Sir Francis Shelmerdine referred to the aviation side of Brooklands and Vickers’ great long distance record flight. Capt. Eyston paid tribute to Cobb and Gardner as great motor-car record breakers. Incidentally, Eyston used to ride a motorcycle at Brooklands in the early days

under another name. An excellent interview published in a recent issue of ” The Bystander,” which was quite up to motor-paper standards, reminds us that the fastest man on earth went to Eton and Cambridge, drives motorboats and aeroplanes besides cars (we believe his last aeroplane was a Robinson “Redwing,” about 1933) and that his first car was an A.B.C.

B.T.D•A.

The British Trials Drivers’ Association, about which we have not heard much of late, is toying with the idea of a Trials Drivers’ Star, to line up with the B.R.D.C. Annual Road and Track Stars—and this is a most absorbingly interesting idea. May it go ahead. On the subject of matters of moment to trials drivers, R. A. Macdermid has recently suggested that the ban on competition covers is unnecessary from the viewpoint that such tyres destroy road surfaces. A letter writer to one of the weekly motoring papers put the matter in a rather smart nut-shell a long time ago, when he suggested that the R.A.C. sought to ban comps. because a comp.shod tyre draws attention to itself and to the form of contest to which it is going

or in which it is participating. The Ministry of Transport was sufficiently awe-inspiring to move the R.A.C. to frame the new regulations and it seems likely that its attitude has been so awe-inspiring as to make it seem advisable to disguise trials cars as much as possible, even though they are running in events held under Permit and conforming to rules to which the M.O.T. says it approves. But men with expensive hardly-scarred comps. in their garages and R.A.C. Competition Licences in their pockets are more likely to take kindly to the suggestion that comps. destroy road surfaces and are banned as from January 1st for that reason. Anyway, that is an idea put forward in a very well balanced letter written to one of the weeklies.

VINTAGE S.C.C. When a club attains a really large membership there is an incentive to try to make everyone who is eligible join up, so that a sort of record membership may be declared. It is very much to the credit of the Vintage S.C.C. that, although it can count itself one of the biggest clubs in existence in spite of its age limitation, by reason of a membership between 300 and 400, nevertheless it makes no attempt to enlist everyone and anyone owning a pre-1931 car. Instead, it welcomes those who are confirmed vintage-car enthusiasts and authorities or who feel they will derive some benefit from its ambitious fixture list or from the meetings with enthusiasts of like ideas which membership makes possible. The everentertaining Bulletin (printed and really well illustrated) has been issued less frequently of late to conserve capital, but the next issue is due about a week before Christmas—the Bulletins alone are worth associate membership. The Club held its annual Gloucester Trial on November 27th, of which we hope to include a report elsewhere in this issue. The northern-residing members made very merry about November 5th and. rather

specialise in lively parties. Lots of vintagents figured in the Brighton Run, Clutton riding in Bradshaw’s 1898 eightseater saloon Daimler, S. C. H. Davis driving his Leon-Bollee, Nash a big Panhard, Mills his chain and belt drive 5.9 h.p. Benz, Wike his Mercedes, HuttonStott the Lanchester, Fry a Humber, and the Bolster brothers a Panhard. Vintagents tend to compare veteran ears with moderns that they know, rather than wishing to pit them one against another as sacred museum-pieces. The Club is accordingly seeking to arouse more interest in the later Edwardian veterans, of the 1905-15 era. Their sprint events at Prescott and Lewes will embrace classes for such cars next year, as before, but run under Clutton’s revised formula. Rallies for such cars are also being seriously considered, which is a truly commendable idea.

Hon. Secretary : Tim Carson, “The Phcenix,” Hartley Whitney, Hants. BUGATTI OWNERS’ CLUB The November issue of” Bugantics “as usual beautifully produced—contains a report by J. D. Aylward of the September Prescott meeting, illustrated by Klemantaski and Brymer portraits, a test of the blown 3.3-litre Type 57C Bugatti by Col. Giles., and a long account of C. W. P. Hampton’s adventures in the Paris-Nice Trial with his 8.3-litre Type 57S Corsica coupe, accompanied by some of Anthony Heal’s photography. Three new members have joined : N. S. Brockelbauk, R. C. Neville and C. A. Foyster. Up to the closing Prescott meeting C. I. Craig leads on Victor Ludorum marks with 78, from Baron with 68 and Shakespeare with 53.. There is included an interesting account of the proposed presentation to Mr. Chamberlain by the French of a chateau, the subscription list for which was opened by M. Ettore Bugatti, who gave a Type 57 Bugatti saloon for auction, which car was painted green, the British racing colours and in France a colour denoting

hope. The Night Trial on November 19th-20th attracted thirteen starters. Results had not been worked out by the following day, but we shall endeavour to include them elsewhere if they come to hand in time.

Hon Secretary : E. L. Giks, 2, Queen Street, Mayfair, W.1.