V-E-V odds & ends, September 1981
Further to that mysterious 1913 Coupe de L’Auto Peugeot which we have been commenting on recently, we have heard that when it was at Sunbeam’s overhauled for Claude Tyron, who was an agent for the Earl of Dudley, before it disappeared. Can anyone throw any light on this?
The Vintage Austin Magazine, official organ of the Vintage Austin Register, is serialising the experiences of someone who did motor-ambulance work in Northern France during WW1, and what is more, there are illustrations of a 1914 25/30 hp Austin converted into ambulance in 1917 and afterwards used as a “Black Maria” by the Johannesburg Police Service for many years, taken from the Ambulance Service Magazine at the Front. Interesting as ever, the Citroen CC magazine has a series on the pre-war days at Slough.
The Bullnose Morris Club has its Oxford Rally on September 20th, with a visit to the old Cowley works for the AGM. An astute Motor Sport reader, David L Ghandi, points out that car as was reduced to 15/- (75p) per RAC hp, not in 1934 as we stated, but in 1935, motorists having, as he says, to pay for this “gift’ with the introduction of the 30 mph town speed-limit and compulsory driving-tests. Sadly the name of Brough Superior has finally died as an industrial entity.
Bonsor Engineering, lift-truck manufacturers, having closed-down their subsidiary precision engineering concern at Basford, Nottingham, which was originally the famous motorcycle and car company. Talfourd-Cook of Mike Spence Ltd. tells us that Paul Albert Bucciali, constructor of those fabulous cars bearing his name, has died at the age of 92. He was a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur and was awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palmes for his bravery as a pilot during the 1914-18 war.
A story appeared in the Black Country Bugle recently about the old Brooklands driver Bouts, and although the writer is confused between the Indianapolis 5-litre Sunbeam that Bouts raced and the later supercharged 4-litre Sunbeams, and has made Birkin drive one of them, it is nice to know that Bouts’ Company in Wolverhampton thrives, having added a Citroen franchise to that of Alfa Romeo, and that many of his original staff are still with him. The 750 Bulletin, monthly magazine of the 750 MC, “Leaders in low cost motoring sport” and therefore deserving of the support of many enthusiasts, has been running a very interesting series of memories of Pat Driscoll about Austin 7 racing cars, with some new information about how Murray Jamieson joined the Austin Racing Department the August part of which should have dealt with the side-valve and twin-cam single-seater racing Austin 7s.
The identity of the Brescia Bugatti that David Sewell is restoring has now been resolved. It is one of the ex-Raymond Mays pair, owned for many years by FB Taylor, who re-registered it. John End is restoring a Wolseley Stellite to keep his Moth company. Which reminds us that the mysterious pre-1915 racing Stellite referred to last month did not have a special radiator but a normal Stellite one, cowled for racing. The Alvis that was damaged when Captain Mark Phillips groom collided on the M4 with the trailer it was on was apparently a restored Speed-20 Charlesworth saloon, which is reported to be badly damaged. The Hon Patrick Lindsay has been flying his Tony Bianchi-built replica Sopwith Triplane. The Buick history that we reviewed recently, published by Automobile Quarterly, is available here from Albion Scott Ltd. of Brentford. — WB.