Club News, October 1944
Club News
WE HEAR
As reported last month, the tditor has gone North—temporarily. Alan Skerman did this journey in a Morris with caravan on tow, and his” 16/80 “Lagonda saloon also went up. In Harrogate fires are sometimes put out by a magnificent Magirus fire-engine, which is of German origin and of 1925 vintage. It has a Morris water-tower, and its engine has Bosch dual ignition, and develops 70 b.h.p. at 1,000 r.p.rn.—a 4-cylinder of 100 by 130 mm. Apparently when this was a new toy drivers were dubious about the gear positions, because a huge key to them adorns the facia. Other notable points about the town are rain, Austin taxis in great profusion, and an incredible collection of antique Dennis, Leyland, A.E.C. and Bristol ‘buses, in which every inch of space is invariably occupied. Cobbing finds the veteran he was hunting, thought to be an Iris, is actually a Winton —even more interesting. John SethSmith has left a sick bed with a groggy leg, but still contrives to test-fly Fairey aircraft. Congratulations. He seeks a 1926-9 Type 61, 2-litre Hala, if anyone has such a thing lying around. Moreover, he has been using the ex-Lycett ” Alphonso ” Hispano-Suiza on the road recently, but will probably be putting it into storage until better times. Then Robert Newell thinks he has found a 1912-13 G.W.K. in Co. Dublin, and is hot.on the scent. He has 1902-9 bound volumes of The Autocar and the Motor for sale if collectors are interested, and his beautifully reconditioned Lancia ” Lambda ” is up on blocks. Ralph Venables recently unearthed some interesting postcards of cars in the 1914 T.T., the Humber entries and Bianchi’s Crossley being much in evidence, while J. A. Fawcett is thinking of selling his Type 40 Bugatti to a soldier man, but is regularly using his Brescia Bugatti, to the tune of 250 miles a week and an engine speed of 2,600 r.p.m. at 60 m.p.h. Ile also has a 4-seater N-type M.G. Magnette for use when a Bugatti might seem a trifle antisocial.
J. G. Peter, of Liverpool, is now restoring to good order the 2-litre Mercedes mentioned recently. It appears to be the car which won the 1924 Targa Florio, at 41.02 m.p.h., driven by Christian Werner. The full-roller bearing crankshaft and the crankcase are stamped 26/11/23. The car is said to have been bought by Lord Tollemache and to have run at Southport. If the latter is correct, we believe Mayner was the pilot. Peter would naturally like any additional information he can get ; two sister cars appear to bc in the U.S.A., according to a letter from Josef Rentershain, of New Jersey, published in the Motor of August 30th. The latter enthusiast also has a 1910 6-cylinder Delaunay Belleville—we wondered if any of this elegant make were left. Neville Houldsworth intends to strip and rebuild his 1934 ” International ” Aston-NIartin ready for the peace, and in the meantime he uses a Fiat 500, as does Douglas Tubbs while his faithful D.K.W. is being overhauled. In Harrogate there is a very well-preserved 1899 Benz which, however, is not for sale, as its owner intends to have it on the road after the war. Ellis seems to be selling all his Bamford and Martin Astons, Charles [Strictly speaking, this section of the paper should be devoted to announcements of club meetings and reports of club activities, but since the war all manner of notices, news items and varied matter have appeared under this now false heading. We feel that the majority of readers would not wish this to be otherwise, until peace is achieved, and we would remind them that reports of the ” Rembrandt ” party, and of the Brains Trust held in Belfast last August, appear elsewhere.—En.]
worth is running the ex-Handley ” Montlhery ” M.G., and Tinton is putting his 4-litre Bentley together, and has acquired the single-seater G.N. “Tiger III.” Gandhi has a ” 16/80 ” Lagonda, saloon, which is all ready for the afterwards, and wants to sell the 1909 Minerva. Hutton-Stott bought the early Daimler at Newbury (which is a T.J., the type Daimler used in sprints in 1904-5), and Currie wants to sell his very perfect exMangoletsi ” Hyper ” Lea-Francis for around £150. There is an open “Blue Label” Bentley for sale in the Midlands for about £65.
The ex-Hodges Frazer-Nash with ” Shelsley ” front axle and brakes and 328 B.M.W. engine was seen Motoring in Bristol, and Bickerton still uses the coupe H.R.G. daily. C.A.P.A. hope to recommence activities in the fields after the war. Lomas toys • with the idea of a Straker-Squire Six engine in his “Blue Label” 8-litre Bentley, and work progresses nicely on McCormack’s supercharged, Meadows ” Niirburg ” FrazerNash. Trowbridge now runs a blown 2-litre open Lagonda, and D. S. Rayner is having a ” 30/98 ” Vauxhall completely rebuilt by A. C. Nlolyneux, who also has a Lagonda.
BUGATTI OWNERS’ CLUB The Bugatti Owners’ Club was due to
hold its .annual general meeting on September 27th at the R.A.C. To remind us of good timcs. to come, as it were, the club’s films of Prescott were shown, and dinner was availa I Ac afterwards. The balance sheet shows investments and bank deposits totalling nearly £1,500, and £191 was received from subscriptions last year, compared with £163 taken in 1942, so that this club can be regarded as being in a very sound position, as it well deserves to be. Hon. ,Secretary : E. L. Giles, 2, Queen Street, Mayfair, W.1.
REGULARS The Bristol the
The Bristol enthusiasts, the Shepperton enthusiasts, the Bar None M.C.C., the Midlands Motoring Enthusiasts’ Club, and the Yorkshire Sports Car Club still have their gatherings. In the Middle East the Bar None Services Club has become established, and has opened a branch in Palestine. L/I3dr. J. I f. Innis, its secretary, hopes it will become affiliated with the R.A.C. and A.C.I ‘. after the war, which is the right spirit. In Ireland, as reported elsewhere, a big effort was made recently to bring car and motor-cycle enthusiasts together.
GOOD FORTUNE The bomb menace has subsided
The Hying bomb menace has subsided at the time of writing and, whilst being duly thankful for the immunity which the City Road offices have experienced, we would likewise congratulate the Motor and The Autocar on uninterrupted publication through a decidedly difficult period.
THE S.C.C. OF A. We have received two more issues of
two more issues of the SportSwagen, official organ of the Sports Car Club of America, proof of its healthy development. The membership qualificationa, outlined in our July issue, -•i•have now been revised to embrace all
open cars built in 1915 or later that had a factory list price of $2,000 or more. By June the list stood at 23 members, with 81 cars, Frank Mayer (1931 ” 36/220 ” Mercedes-Benz Saoutchik coupe) and Lt. Oliver Hempstone, U.S.N.R. (1930 model 734 Packard Phaeton Speedster) having come into the fold. The club’s first meeting was scheduled for July 9th, being a meeting on basic petrol, at the home of Chaplin Wallow. The notice concludes : “The zero hour should be about 2.30 p.m., but if you wish to come earlier, bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it.” Are we jealous ? Transport could be arranged for car-less members. The June Sportswagen contained a long account of Peter Hampton’s well-known 1922 Targa. Florio Mercedes-Benz, as a model for contributors to base their own write-ups on, acknowledgment being given to The A utocar—actually MOTOR SPORT had the self-same story many years earlier. Minerva, M.G. and S.S. have appeared in the club, and L. Bothwell has a 1915 o.h.c. 16-valve Stutz, of the type which averaged 101 m.p.h. for 350 miles on the Sheepshead Bay track in October, 1915, and which finished 3rd and 4th at Indianapolis that year. Bothwell’s car was driven in the latter race by Eddie Hearne.
Hon. Secretary : E. M. Dickinson, 142, Chestnut Street, Boston 8, Mass., U.S.A.
NORTHERN EXILE The Editor’s northern exile has
The Editor’s northern exile has proved to be not at all a bad thing. The country —real country—is once again practically on the doorstep. In the first few days after arrival a secondhand bookshop produced copies of Owen John’s “Towards the Sunshine—a Guide for Southbound Daimler Cars “(1919) and Filson Young’s A.C. adventures, “Cornwall and a Light Car” (1026), for the personal motoring library. Then rumours of a great French racing car in the town led to the discovery of the rebuilt Cottin et Desgouttes, which Hornsted drove at Brooklands in 1925, in a local garage window. And Harrop sent up a copy of” I Bought a Mountain,” by Thomas Firbank, which is a very excellent bOok containing odd references to Baby Austins, old Morrises and Bentleys, which please an enthusiast and endear the author-farmer to the reader as only understanding of real motoring can. Very different was an appalling novel, “Portrait in a Windscreen, that a local library produced, in which Gawen Brownrigg deals with fictitious AlfaRomeos, G. P. Mercedes, X-wagens, Ewelme, a Chilterns’ circuit, and things, and, audaciously, Bryan de Grineau, Gordon Crosby and Roy Nockolds and other real characters. And already there has been an incredible expedition in search of a £30 old-school Bentley, involving rides in seven country ‘buses and a train, not to mention a long walk which involved crossing a surging river by a very curious and uneasy bridge, what time a 2-4-2 L.M.S. tanker thundered over one’s head. One ‘bus was an ancient Leyland double-decker with a central stairway and entrance, like a parting in the middle, and another singledecker Bristol, crammed full with standing, swaying humanity, actually averaged
over 24 m.p.h. for 14 miles between two towns, many stops and some very formidable hills included. Alas, the Bentley turned out to be a Very old “Blue Label” landaulette with high-pressure tyres.
R•S•C•C.
A new club, known as the Radeaps SportsCar Club, has come into being in London to encourage rebuilding of interesting cars, discussions, and, after the war, inexpensive club functions. A meeting is scheduled for October, to lle held at the ” Rembrandt.” Secretary : C. Banco, 13, Selvage Lane, Mill llill, N.1′.7. (Mill Hill 2596.)
THE N.Z.S. & R.C.C.
The May issue of the New Zealand Sports and Racing Car Club journal is to hand. It was hoped soon to hold a hillclimb at Wellington, as a recent midget car meeting organised by another club realised over £90 in gate money. The A.G.M. showed that membership had increased to 31. (tribute is paid in the Bulletin to new members obtained from publicity in MOTOR SPORT) and the financial statement showed the cash in hand to total nearly £13. EasterbrookSmith has sold his Ansaldo and now favours a 1926 T.E. ” 12/50 ” Alvis, and Sharrock has a 2-litre high-compression Ansaldo once raced by John McMillan, Several members seek decent sports material. Hansen has a Type 38 Bugatti, and TrevOr Wickham uses a rather decrepit Fiat, but, having had three Bentleys, he hopes to acquire something better.
Secretary : G. Easterbrook-Smith, c/o Sergeants’ Mess, R.N.Z.A.F., Nelson.
V.M.C.C. OF A. The issue of the Bulb Horn is
The July issue of the Bulb Horn is pretty staggering to a country in which endeavour in some directions is seriously curtailed by war. This excellent magazine, organ of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America, runs to 48 pages and contains excellent pictures. Club meetings go on apace, and there is intense enthusiasm for veteran cars, really well restored, in America. There is an article on early Stutz, a history of the Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Co., Joe Tracy’s reminiscences of the 1904-6 Cup Races, notes on restoring a 1913 35.1 Mercer, the history Of a 1908 Franklin, and many news and historic items. Since April one new life member, three active and 20 more associates have .heen elected. The first rally since Pearl Harbour was scheduled for August 6th at Peter Heick’s country place. This club deserves a long and successful existence, encouraging as it does enthusiasm for veterans in a country not especially queer-motor conscious.
Secretary : Vassar-Pierce, 133, Brooklin Avenue, Boston, Mass.
BRITISH MODEL CAR CLUB
This club is hying formed to further interest in the building and racing of petrol-driven model cars throughout the British Empire. Three classes are approved: (1) up to 6 c.c. and 9-in by 15-in. track/wheelbase ; (2) 6-10 c.c. and 11-in.
by 20-in, ; (3) unlimited. A race meeting was to be held in London last month, and Mr. Russell has given £20 in prizes. Associate membership costs 7s. 6d., and full membership 15s. per annum, respectively, for those under and over 21.
Hon. Secretary : 1). B. M. Wright, “Beverley,” Bawtree Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex.
FRAZER-NASH ” BIBLE.”
B. R. Martin and D. S. Jenkinson have received some 15 enquiries re their scheme to compile a list of Frazer-Nash owners and spares. They now hope to issue a ” bible ” of owners with full details of their cars, spares, special tools, etc., and of Frazer-Nash cars for sale, etc. A circular letter setting out their ambitions will be sent to anyone who supplies a stamped envelope to Jenkinson, 99, Park Road, S. Farnborough, Hampshire. (Farnborough 266.)
” 200 ” FLASHBACK
Since writing 1he article on preparations for the 1924 200-Mile Race, published last month, the Editor has come upon some excellent photographs of the Alvis cars, which reveal some additional data. The engine had tubular bearer arms at the front, attached to the crankcase on each side by four bolts. The gear-lever was Central, working in a raised ‘gate, and the tiny brake lever came just to the left of it, the latter’s pull-off spring being exposed and linked to the gear gate. A stay ran from the radiator header tank to the water outlet stub on the head, and there was a firewall close behind the engine and over the clutch housing, a square-shaped oil tank beingcarried on its rear face. The facia, some way aft, was braced to this firewall. An ignition distributor was mounted at right angles to the crankcase on the near side, presumably having a right-angle drive from the camshaft, and the coil was set behind it ; the usual timing case was modified in consequence. The frame was liberally drilled and the rear wheels were larger than those On the front. Engine, steering wheel, minor controLs, etc., were typically Alvis. The car appeared in Harvey’s hands at the May, 1924, Ealing and D.M.C. Brooklands meeting, with a very skimpy body. It beat Miller’s Bianchi by half-a-wheel, at 75.57 M.p.h., and then won another race at 85.43 m.p.h. A big Brooklands silencer on the off side received the three exhaust leads, and it bore a small tablet giving the capacities of engine and silencer. Later in the season the car was somewhat modified.
COVER PICTURE
This month’s cover picture., taken through the windscreen of a car travelling fast down a tree-lined Continental road, is a reminder that such motoring may quite soon be possible again in good British cars—thanks to the fine showing of British and Allied Forces fighting in Europe. The car is a 4i-litre Lagonda which T. G. Moore, late owner of MOTOR SPORT, was taking through a Monte Carlo Rally.