VSCC Welsh

VS CC Welsh Zborowski legacy

AN EVENT WORTH WINNING, THE two-day trial on October 9/10 (17 difficult observed sections and a 100-mile road run), was a tie between Barry Clark’s Austin 7 and Jane Tomlinson’s GN-Austin. Four A7s, two Trojans, a Morris, GN, Triumph, Bugatti, Jowett and a Salmson, whose crew in period crash hats were very 1922 Brooldands, retired.

The Harry Bowler Memorial Trophy was thus jointly won, best in the opposite class being Brian Miller’s 1930 Chrysler, 13 marks in arrears. First Class Awards were achieveZI in Class I by B Faulkner’s Riley, K Hill’s Crouch-Helix, J Bickerstaff’s A7, K Mycock’s A7 and B Gray’s A7-JAP, and in Class 2 by B Collings’ Bentley, R Harcourt-Smith’s Alvis and R Collings’ Mercedes-Maybach. Seymour Price’s Ulster A7 broke its crankshaft, Noel Hughes’ Ulster A7 its back axle, and at Pilleth, where

a very large assembly of spectators made use of the generous free parking space, Diffey’s 30/98 and Hancock’s Daimler shed a tyre each.

There was a Road Run for nontrials folk, in which the Talyllyn Trophy went to J Potter’s 1933 LeaFrancis. The First Class Awards were won by C Power (Bentley), D Filsell (Clyno), C Batty (Bentley) and Goodman (Riley), all in vintage cars, the drivers classed as rookies, newcomers or gentle souls. In Class Two for more experienced exponents there were no top award performances. So another truly excellent event, to the credit of George Shetliffe and Dick Wilkinson, aided by a large number of indispensable marshalls. As usual it ended at the Pilleths, where the first section was cleared by only five cars, Ben Collings’ Bentley, Clark’s A7, Jane Tomlinson’s GN Austin and K Dobinson’s A7, of the 75 still running. THE DC-ZBOROWSKI MILLER, FEATURED here in August, is being returned to original form in Switzerland by its owner, Karl Bloechle, who is about to re-fit its double-barrel carburettors, having already replaced a correct oil tank and undershield which had been lost. The Miller “goes like a dream”, he says, but the brakes were a nightmare until he got accustomed to them. He has also restored the

ex-Johnnie Wakefield/Reg Parnell 4CL Maserati.

Meanwhile, the Count’s ChittyBang-Bang 11 is to be auctioned in New York on November 27th. Estimates suggest it may sell for between two and three million dollars. I see that my impressions of the monster, from a 1955 MOTOR SPORT, appear in the auctioneer’s publicity blurb. Let’s hope Chitty returns here.