Club News, June 1944

Club News

WE HEAR

Wing-Cdr. T. M. Evans has a most enviable stable, comprising a” Red Label” 3-litre Bentley, a very fine 1923 O.E. ” 80/98 ” Vauxhall recently acquired from Lt. Normanton, and a “12/50” Alvis. He seeks a balanced crankshaft and a f.w.b. assembly for the Vauxhall. F. G. Gent proposed to restore to good order a 1981 “Silver Eagle” Alvis, and would like to correspond with other enthusiasts for these cars, and Cpl. Green, R.A.F., who owns the ” Grasshopper ” G.N. and lots of Samson parts, is rebuilding a “Grand Sport” Amilear, type 3 C.G.S. K. W. Smith, who asked recently for particulars of his Bentley, now finds this to be a 44-litre car and not a 3-litre at all. He, too, is renovating a 1929 “Grand Sport” Amilcar, having lots of spares, and he intends to spray it French blue ; it should be a pleasing second string to the Bentley.

John Maclagen, of the Scuderia Chemvamo, is working hard on the ex-Evans T.T. M.G. Magnette BLL493, for which he especially needs an outside exhaust system of either of the two authentic types, if any such thing is to be had. Then Capt. G. Wilson, of the Army Dental Corps, has acquired an unblown 1,750-c.c. Alfa-Romeo from a doctor in Scotland and is having it sent by train to Aldershot. K. G. Couper has a J4 M.G. ” Midget ” to which he contemplates fitting a Lockheed braking system from a Wolseley Hornet Special, and taking it all round there are lots of plans a-forming. Peter Robertson-Rodger is flying with A.T.A. and has managed some duty runs in his 1 fare B.M.W., which he says goes like a ding bat in spite of having run 70,000 miles in eight years ; it still has no appetite for oil. Then Rodney Clarke, with Potter to help him, has opened a motor business at Chobham, and up in Scotland a 1934 Singer “Le Mans” 2-seater, and an old 13.9 Lancia ” Lambda” lie derelict in a garage and may soon be for sale.

Of veterans, a big 4-cylinder Panhard, reputed to have automatic inlet valves, trembler coil ignition, and solid tyres, and said to have run in the “Brighton,” lies in a breaker’s near Whitstable and could be bought for £75. A Big Six Bentley breakdown lorry keeps it company, and there is a 3-carburetter Riley 12/6 engine in the same yard. Incidentally, when writing, Gent kindly sent a manual covering the J-type M.G. ” Midgets ” for Mount SPORT Instruction Book Library–new contributions will always be gratefully received, and quite a few books are already out on loan. A Senechal in need of reconditioning is available in London for a few pounds, and a 1925 13-h.p. De Dion coupe, which has had one owner only since new, and is still quite nice, is reported in a Dagenham breaker’s yard and might constitute a serviceable hack for someone. The twin-o.h.c. 3-litre Sunbeam would seem to have new adherents in Norwood and Romford, both believed to be rebuilding examples of this famous car, and a Th. Schneider was seen travelling rapidly on the Gt. North Road last month. Then Wadsworth has the Gwynne Eightengined L.G., we hear tell of an H.E. chassis, and Lomas is steadily restoring his “Blue Label” Bentley to fine order, having acquired a second car for the sake

of its open 4-seater body—he may have a good few parts left over in consequence, if anyone is in need of “Blue Label” spares.

J.C.C.

The Junior Car Club continues to hold its monthly council lunches, and excellent institutions they are.

The Gazette also comes along every third month, so at least one of the bigger clubs is by no means dead. The A.G.M. was held on January 27th, and it was recorded that at September, 1939, the membership roll was 2,320; many members have maintained their subscriptions throughout the war. Major F. H. Bale took the chair. Mr. Peachey proposed election of the officers and council en bloc for 1944, and this was seconded by Mr. Rivers-Fletcher and carried unanimously. The subscription during the war is 5s. for non-car users, 25s. for users of cars over 10 h.p. or 20s. for users of cars up to 10 h.p. Hon. Sec., H. J. Morgan, 14, Lime Grove, Ruislip.

M.M.E.C.

The Midland Motoring Enthusiasts’ Club held a highly successful meeting last month, over 60 souls hearing Cecil Kimber deliver his talk on “The Sports Car—Past and Future.” Air. Kim her was afterwards elected an honorary member. The next meeting is scheduled for June 7th, but the ” Windsor ” will not be available, and a watch should be kept on the weeklies for the venue, which will be somewhere in Birmingham. Chairman : Stewart Forrest, 22, Ratten Park Road, Birmingham, 16. ODD SPOTS The recent ” Rembrandt “Brains Trust raised another appreciable sum for charity. It is hoped that Capt. George Eyston will speak at an I.A.E. Graduates’ Meeting when the next session opens in September. Edwin T. Meyers was

scheduled to talk on American Motor Racing, particularly on its Hollywood aspect, at a meeting of the ulster Automobile Club on May 5th. A book on early American cars, Fred Clymer’s Historical Motor Scrapbook,” is announced by Clymer Motors, of Los Angeles. V8

This month’s cover picture shows the Hon. A. I). Chetwynd’s Ford V8 climbing Oakshott Hill in the 1935 Inter-‘Varsity trial, in which it finished without loss of marks. CONTACTS

We receive a great many letters from readers with a request that we forward them to other readers, which we are always delighted to do. Sometimes, however, readers send stamped envelopes and ask for other readers’ addresses. Up to now we have stretched a point and complied but, strictly, a paper has no right to thus disclose addresses, and in future we can only forward letters. NOTICE

The success of MOTOR SPORT since the war has depended almost entirely on the generosity and labour of enthusiasts who have sent in voluntary contributions, although the Editor and staff have also done their best for the customers in very limited spare time—the Editor’s reward at the moment being a spot of optic pother ! He now finds the stock of MSS. lowering and so appeals once again for such contributions—they can be written in longhand on both sides of the paper and be of any length. Articles on actual experiences in races and other events would be especially welcome, and it would be nice, too, to recapture some of the happy atmosphere of those articles on ” scuderias,” etc., which we were able to publish earlier in the war. The “Cars I Have Owned” articles are scheduled to cease in four months or so unless new contributions arrive. Everything will be carefully considered, but it may not be possible to acknowledge all MSS. Thank you