Stop press!
The ex-Hunter Alta, together with a spare engine, has been purchased by John Gaul, of Horley, who would like information about it from anyone who used to know it. The mystery of the four-cylinder Thomas Special, referred to in “Rumblings” this month, seems to have been cleaned up by some excellent photographs of the car, which have been sent by Geoffrey Easterbrook-Smith from New Zealand, but which have come to hand too late for publication. There seems little doubt that the car in question is one of the 1924 200 Mile Race Marlborough-Thomas jobs, which broke up badly in the course of the race, in which they were handled by Thomas and Duller. They were 2-seaters with torsional suspension and an engine based, presumably, on that of the single-seater Thomas Special. In 1924 one of them appeared on the Marlborough stand at the Motor Show, in racing guise save for the addition of tiny flaired wings, so apparently it was contemplated as a production model complementary to the then current 2-litre Marlborough. The tail of the body and the exhaust system seem to have undergone some changes since the car ran at Brooklands.
A reader finds he has to dispose of a 1911 Triumph motor-bicycle and a couple of “Petit Sports” Amilcars, the latter partly dismantled, and seeks a good home for them. They are in London and replies can be forwarded if stamped envelopes are sent.
Charles Lambton, Bugatti enthusiast, is doing much to promote motoring enthusiasm in his regiment, the 5th Battn. Coldstream Guards, and is experiencing a ready response. He took a party of his drivers to his home to inspect his 1 1/2-litre G.P. Bugatti, and is giving weekly lectures to the Forces. If anyone would like to help him out in this self-appointed task he would be delighted to hear from them, or from anyone who would allow parties to visit stables of real motor-cars. Letters will be forwarded, but obviously we cannot diselose the locality. The owner of a 1,750-c.c. twin-cam unblown “8,000,000 series” Alfa-Romeo, first registered in 1941, would exchange it for a Lancia “Aprilia,” a Fiat “1,100” or a B.M.W. A 1910 16-h.p. Brescia is about to be broken up unless someone offers a fiver for it. Stuart Wilton is now motoring in a Big Four Riley saloon. Sub.-Lt. P.J. Byrne is trying to get hold of an instruction book for a blown 2-litre Lagonda and Pitman’s “Book of the Morgan” to send to his brother, Sgt. T.A. Byrne, R.A.F., who is a prisoner of war in Germany. If anyone can oblige, we will willingly send these books on, as they must be sent out by a publisher. In case anyone wishes to correspond with this enthusiast, letters should go to Sgt. T.A. Byrne, R.A.F., 748546, Stalag 137, Stalag Luft III, Germany.