Veteran Edwardian Vintage, June 1980

Veteran Edwardian Vintage

A SECTION DEVOTED TO OLD-CAR MATTERS VSCC Silverstone — Moffatt (Bugatti) Wins ltala Trophy

THE VINTAGE Sports Car Club opened its 1980 racing season at Silverstone (Club circuit) on April 26th, with 153 entries (one fewer than last year), well-filled grandstands, and the rain holding off, a good omen for this Club’s future race meetings — at Oulton Park on June 14th (under the ghastly title of “Golden Oldies”!), Silverstone again on July 26th, Cadwell Park on August 24th and Donington Park on September 14th. After the 40-minute High-Speed Trial in which all but two of the 29 runners (Elsom’s Frazer Nash TT Replica and Ash’s 12/50 Alvis) qualified, but from which Lamb in a 31/2-litre Alvis/Rilcy and the Smith/Livingstone vintage Frazer Nash retired, the first sacs was a 5-lap Handicap in which Loveday’s alloy-bonneted 1936 Alvis Speed-20 with 1938 4.3-litre engine came through to win, frorn Chilcott’s 1926/34 Frazer Nash and Dolton’s blown 1935 MG PB Special, the last-named very closely pursued by Cook’s Riley Merlin Special but the winner taking the lead a lap from the finish. The 10-lap Itala and Lanchester Trophies Scratch Race next held the attention of the spectators, a race dating back to 1949 but this year confined to the more-original historic cars, specials being debarred, which seems something of a pity. Grey’s Austin Ulster was a non-runner, having thrown a rod, but otherwise a full field got away. It was quite unable

to do anything about Hamish Moffatt in Wall’s single-scater Type 35B Bugatti. Hamish was chased at an ever-widening distance by Nick Mason’s Type 35B Bugatti, for which second place he was later awarded the Crompton “Driver-of-the-Day” Award. Third place went to Schellenberg, making one of his rare but much appreciated appearances in the 8-litre Btato-Hasson Special, its four carburetters as naked and unashamed as ever. It was a hit of a spaced-out procession, but Kain’s Type 35B Bugatti finished 4th, after Ward’s controversial Type 35B had dropped back before retiring. Moffatt lapped at 79.30 m.p.h. The Lanehester part of the race (in which I would dearly have loved to have run the Parry ThomastRapson single-seater Lanchester 40 had it not been bought for £5 in good order and then been broken-up during the war) went to Williamson, driving the old 101/2-litre Delage (best lspat 74.69 m.p.h.) with his customary skill and resolute determination, from Liddell’s famous Straker Squire. The V12 Dclage averaged 71 28 m p h A “breather followed, in thy low. ot :moth. 5-lap Handicap. This was won by Rawson’s low-hung aluminium-and-blue 1934 Austin 7 hybrid, which took command two laps from the end and crossed the finish-line with absolutely no-one else in sight, after lapping at 66.46 m.p.h. The gap was filled eventually by Mrs. Pilkington’s well-known supercharged 1750 Alfa Romeo four-seater, a splendidly original car with which Boris Ivanowski won the 1929 Irish GP. She came commendably through from the 85-second mark, having given thc winncr 15 seconds. Harvey’s very touring-looking 1935 Riley Lynx was third. So to the Prc-War All-Comers’ 10-lap Scratch Race, in which the Hon. Patrick Littdsay emulated Moffatt, leading unchallenged all the way, in splendid form, in the 1936 ERA R5B “Remus”, now in 2-litre guise, although a standard car to the VSCC. Martin Morris in the slightly-larger-engined 1936 ERA RI lb, followed at a discreet distance, and Bill Monis in the 1936 ERA R 12B “Hanumann II” got up to third place by passing Peter Mann’s 1936 ERA R9B on lap 4, grouped close in company with Pat Marsh’s 1935 ERA RIB, until the latter retired on lap 8, with piston trouble. Then, a lap from the finish, Marsh passed Bill Morris, to net third place. Lindsay lapped at 84.76 m.p.h. in this pleasing if somewhat processional race. Morley had the 24-litre Bentley-Napier out again, but it couldn’t do better than 8th, chased by Wall, his Bugam intact after Moffatt’s fine win in the earlier race. Morley has fitted a new nose-cowl to his monster, and a very short tail, saving SUM 3 cwt., and has renewed the fuel-lines, etc. Otherwise it is much as last year and I think I preferred its former, more “Brooklands”, appearance. It ran in the race on its big Dunlop back tyres and its acceleration out of the corners is a sight to behold! Let us not overlook the fact, however, that Martin Dean’s built-up Type 51 Bugatti, St. John’s Ty, 51 Bugatti and Mason’s Type 35B Bugatti finished in that order, ahead tel the aero-engined car. Sadly, Harper’s very quick Aces Morgan 3-whmler burnt a piston after only four laps, but Weeks’ Super Aero Morgan was quick and safe.

A further 5-lap Handicap saw Lees’ 1935/38 11/2-litre Riley Special in the lead after three laps, with Barry Clarke’s blown 1930 Austin 7 coming fast into second place, ahead of Cook’s Riley Merlin Special. The third of the 10-lap races came next, the Allcomers’ Scratch event. Just as Moffatt and Lindsay had dominated the previous ones, Neil Comer now ran right away with this one, driving

in fine style in the 1960 V12 3-litre Ferrari Dino, the ex-Horne New Zealand car. Never seeming to put a wheel wrong, Corner not only demolished thc opposition but he also set a new Historic Car lap-record for the circuit, of 95.68 m.p.h. Chapman ran second in the 1957 3.8-litre Monza Lister Jaguar, and Norman’s 1956 Maserati 250F was third, followed home very ably by Pilkington’s 1950 4.5-litre Tallxit-Lago, with Macpherson’s Cooper Bristol. Grist’s Talbotage and the rest behind him. Halford’s fancied Lotus-16 lasted only two laps. Thus ended another procession, but one very ably headed by the flying Neil Corner in thc red Ferrari. Martin’s hybrid Maserati 250F retired after a lap and Lindsay didn’t get that far, pulling off on the straight with horrid noises emanating from the ERA. although he drove it back to the Paddock. Merritt’s 11W-Alta was MOW, but Walton kept his Connaught ahead of Margulies’ Maserati 4CL, although he didn’t catch Simpson’s Cooper-Bristol.

Two more 5-lap Handicaps concluded a ,ousfactory meeting in. t,..

from Mrs. Pilkington and Lobb’s 1928,3 Frazer Nash Boulogne, thc last by Felton’s modified 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza, from Loveday and Russ-Turner in his 1930 two-seater blower-41/2 Bentley. Most unusually. Howell’s venerable blown 3-litre twin-cam Sunbeam was for once a non-starter, as two valves had bent in practice, after, he says, a professional engine rebuild! Another competing Sunbeam was Cameron Millar’s 1922 Strasbourg GP car (engine no. 3, car no. 3, according to its dashlvard plate) which his married daughter, Mrs. Childs, qualified in the High-Speed Trial with two laps in hand and Millar later drove in a Handicap race; it has a finned tail where the spare-whecl cover should be. Millar also drove his 1938 Maserati 8CTF, in the Pm-War Allcomers’ Race but it only completed them of the ten laps. The VSCC had divided the big cntry into standard, modified, special and hybrid cars, and it may be significant that the race wins were shared by two in each category. W.B. Results ft. Trophy Ran:

Isc 13, F Moffatt Bugatti, 78.43 m.p.h. to f!: w etrItZerg ,Bunsio Hassan Spread Pre•War Allcomers’ Race:

1st The Hon P ,ERA, 83 62 m p.h.

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F: •F• • 92 . . 81!(:(rihrgarf::;n i.nt:4;Lr 3rd V Norman Assent, First 5.1ap Handicap:

R 1.0ecdar 70.80 m.p.h. Second 5.1ap Handicap: TiliLdltstrrzli. 64.32

F Nash, 65.22. m.p.h. Fife :.ellitrirP’AnlItakft!:nco,. 73.41 m.P.It Fameat lap of the day: Conner ,Yerrari, m.p.h New class.re.ord. Ilzatnnsaitor date, tictil,980 MOTOR SPORT Brooklaads (141114t’orold Cli=:12r6Tot’n’t5H.”51:711’t

iTur”le.’;es”,-R’ilae‘y711Altitlictr:r111:31UrtidIsfrpLi.:1.;. Nest round: Outwit Par, lune 14td. V-E-V Miscellany. — South Western Alt-is Day happens at Sherburne Castle on June 8th. One of those £130 rear-engined tivo-stroke vertical-twin 1921 Carden cyclecars has just been acquired by someone in Bradford who asks if any others are still running and who wants the history of his car. The Netv York Times has reported the death, at the age of 86, of Raymond H. Dietrich, who styled luxury coachwork for cars of that calibre of Packard, Lincoln, Cadillac, Duesenberg, Mercedes-Benz., Hispano-Suiza and

Isotta-Fraschini, etc. He was the first person to be madc an honorary member of the Classic Car Club of Amen.. When we queried who was Mr. Anstead, in our piece about the first dinner of the racing car mechanics, we were guilty of a lapse of memory, which a reader, Mr. (I. L. S. Brown of Crowborough, has since corrected; the gentleman had a workshop in the yard of “The Ship” and did “panel-bashing” for the Brooklands’ fraternity. As our correspondent says, it is probably fair to say that there was hardly a car at the Track that did not carry some of his work, and he should have been remembered in this context, in company with the Gray brothers, and Vic Derrington of Silencer fame. Over and atxwe that, Anstead was a very charming person. The Royal Scottish AC is holding its annual Veteran and Vintage Car Run, sponsor.’ for thc tenth consecutive year by BP Oil Ltd., on June 21st. The start will be from Blythswood Square, Glasgow, at 9 a.m. The finish is at the Nonh Inch in Perth, and the routc takes in Stirling town centre, the A9 to Gleneagles Hotel for a short halt, then to the finish, for a Com:ours d’Elegance. About 100 pre-1940 vehicles are expected, including the RASC’s own 1905 them-cylinder Rolls-Royce, bequeath.’ to the Club by the late Adam McGregor Dick, this being the second oldest Rolls-Royce in the world and the only surviving thrm-cylinder model. Details of the Run from Jonathon Lord, RSAC, 11 Blythswood Square, Glasgow G2 4AG (Tel: 041-221 3850). The Vauxhall DC reports that cars new to its Register include a 1936 GY saloon in need of extensive rebuilding, a good 1936 Grosvenor salcan, and two pre-war 10/4s in fair order. Which reminds us, have you applied for your free copy of Vatuchall Motors’ very fine book “A History of Vauxhall”? — details last month. We have only one mild criticism. A picture purporting to show the unusual radiator treatment of the 41/z-twin-cam 1914 Grand Prix Vauxhalls actually shows a 1914 TT car with a conventional Brooklands’ radiator cowl, as worn in the TT (and, for some unexplained reason, a speedometer drive from the ois front wheel), although there is a small shot of thc GP model in which the protruding snout can just be seen. The East Anglican Daily Times had an interesting article in April about the Ipswich Company of J. D. W. Transport Ltd. It was formed in 1920 by a group of ex-Army Officers, the initials of the three founders, Mrs. Jones, Capt. Davenport and Alec Wood comprising the Company title. Capt. Davenpon, RE, was MD and Chief Engineer from 1920 until 1936. Apart from hire cars, in 1920 the Company had an ex-RAF Crossley tender which was converted into a char-a-bans with covered cab and bench scats in the back. It had gas lamps, disc wheels, twin mar tyres, and roll-up canvas sides and was probably the first char-a-bane in the Ipswich arca (Reg. No. DX-2737). Tours really got going in 1923 and in 1924 them was demand for a mrvke to the Wembley F.mpire Exhibition (fare 30p) and that was when the Bluebird fleet name was first used, to be retained for 50 years. By 1928 thcrc were excursions to London for 5,and half-day trips R. Clacton for 4/return. In the mid-1930s the River Valley Tours in Suffolk and N. Essex were introduced, the fare for the Sunday afternoon excursion also costing 4,-. Mergers came in the 1970s, the Bluebird emblem was dropped in 1976, and today J. D. W. is a vast concern with a flect of 16 coaches, operating a travel agency and Overseas tours, etc. Roger Collings has sent us a cutting about a new Japanese Walbro carburettor for two-stroke engines in which the choke is

replaced by a wick — as Roger says, wouldn’t Karl Benz be smiling! Hugh Keller retired recently from Paddon Bros. which he joined in 1925, and is now able to devote all his time to his two beloved Rolls-Royces. — W.B.