Miscellany, December 2002

Those who require more data about small car and cyclecar racing from 1913 to 1939 than is contained in other reference books may wish to avail themselves of Mike Hawke’s book on the subject. (Magna Press, Great Bookham, ISBN 0 9519423 9 5, £14.99).

*****

The current issue of the Brooklands Museum’s house magazine Spirit contains articles about the life of the racing motor-cyclist Gordon Cobbold, now nearly 99, so a survivor from BMCRC days, with a colour cover picture of him racing against Ron Gibson, both on Sunbeams at Brooklands in the 1920s, plus stories about the Blériot factory at Addlestone and Luis Fontes’ racing Miles Hawk Speed Six monoplanes, a letter from Hugh Locke King to his father from Egypt in 1884, and reports of past events and dates of future fixtures.

*****

The motor racing of Whitney Straight has been well documented in Motor Sport, but less so his aviation interest, from the age of 16 in 1929 to becoming the vice-chairman of BOAC. This is told in an article in the November issue of Aeroplane, pictures including one of Straight in the first Miles M11 Whitney Straight monoplane.

*****

At the VSCC Colerne speed trials Andrew Day in his 3/8-litre Bentley won the trophy for fastest vintage car time of 23.65sec. FTD was made by Mac Hulbert in ERA R4D, in 22.52sec, which went through the speed-trap at 145mph. Quickest lady driver was Miss C Peacop (DH-Riley, 27.95sec) and the Edwardian class (aero-engines not permitted) was won by Ian Rendell’s Stutz Bearcat.