VSCC New Year

VSCC New Year

AA ark Garfitt’s January 1 meet at the 1VIVerzons near Ledbury was once again well supported, in spite of blustery weather. Mark himself was driving Sally Marsh’s T35T Bugatti, although his own Frazer Nash-BMW was also in attendance.

The assembly included Barker’s Renault 45; a Lancia Lambda tourer; the CrouchHelix which Keith Hill is gradually returning to its former appearance; the President’s Mercedes 60; a Morgan triune contingent which included a Matchless ore-twin and a very nice early Family model; the Talbot AMB 19; the Lombard with racing numbers; an Invicta coupe, an 11/22 Wolseley tourer; the Welsh A7 trio of Chummy, Opal and Ulster Replica; other A7s including a smart open Pearl cabriolet; and a fine assortment of vintage a 41/2 Bentley, Derby Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. There were also several larger Austins, a lone 30/98, a two-seater Humber light-car, an Edwardian Buick, a 2-litre Lagonda, a Salmson, and many more. Chris Clarke had parked his 1923 Lanches

ter 21 beside a Rolls; the big Wolseley saloon present was rwt a police car; and a kilted piper from one of the several Riley Nines was greeting arriving cars with a skirl of bagpipes. Hamish Moffatt treated the assembly to a skilful one-man fly-past in his Curry-Wits biplane in difficult conditions. After flying home, he returned in his GP Bugatti. Snippets of conversations revealed that a rare Westwood light-car will soon be on the road again, that the ex-John Eason-Gibson Type 319/45 FN-BMW saloon (COP 18) is also being restored, and that Barker’s threecylinder friction-drive Lafitte may be ready for April’s Light Car Trial. Gwyn Stephens’ 41/2-litre Lagonda, three times a winner of the Verzons’ proprietor’s bottle for the car coming the greatest distance, was turned beckon this occasion by torrential rain—so the winner was Mike Evans’ Singer Nine Le Mans, a running restoration which covered 92 miles from Swansea. A close runner-up was a blue 12/40 side-valve 2WB Al vis tourer from Shropshire. WB