Reports of Recent Events, April 1947

Southampton M.C. President’s Trophy Trial
The finalised results are now to hand. Imhof (Allard) won the unlimited class, not Burgess as we stated last month, but Burgess’s Allard took the Committee Cup. Imhof did not take a 1st Award, having won his class, and additional awards are a 2nd Class to Welfare’s Austin Seven and the Team Award to the Allard “Candidi Provocatores” team driven by Imhof, Burgess and Appleton, who got 200 points against 165 points of the Bristol team.

Coventry Cup Trial Results
There were 33 entries, 16 starters, and 13 finishers, of whom four were disqualified for contravening the tyre regulations. Results were as follows: — Coventry Cup: D. W. Price (Price V8). 1,100-c.c. Class Trophy: J. V. Dyer (Riley). 1,100-c.c. Class runner-up: K. Wharton (Austin-Ford). 1st Class Award: R. F. Faulkner (Jeep). 3rd Class Awards: V. S. A. Biggs (H.R.G.), H. Birkett (Austin Seven), C. J. Willment (Austin Seven) and R. J. Yeats (Austin Seven). No 2-litre class awards as only two started.

Rosario City Grand Prix
In this race, at Buenos Aires’ Independent Park, Achille Varzi at last got his revenge on Luigi Villoresi. His “308” Alfa-Romeo won at 57.5 m.p.h. taking 1 hr. 33 min. 3.6 sec. and beating Viloresi’s 16-valve Maserati by 0.4 sec. Oscar Galvez’s Alfa-Romeo was 3rd.

V.S.C.C. Bisley Trial
This event was confined to vintage cars and 20 entered. The exclusion of modern material is right and proper in such an event, although some will argue that it encourages cruelty to good cars. Dyer’s special trials 1928 Riley Nine kept an absolutely clean sheet and gained maximum marks, being fastest in the elaborate special test. in 80.3 sec. This test largely decided the trial, and gained Anderson’s Rolls-Royce and Quartermain’s “30/98” Vauxhall 1st Class Awards, and Clarke’s “12/60” Alvis and Jane’s abbreviated Lancia “Lambda” 2nd Class Awards. Only Clarke failed on the first section of Hussy’s Lane, only two cars on the second, but only Dyer climbed Sleaford. The hills were well sectioned and the special test was awarded marks. A landslide near the finish resulted in an impromptu water-splash, into which Clarke’s Alvis and Slater’s beautiful 1 1/2-litre 4-seater Alfa-Romeo rushed far too fast, wetting their igniting appliances. There seemed to be as many followers as competitors, including Clutton’s Bugatti, Heals 3-litre Sunbeam. Carson’s H.E. saloon, Southon’s “12/50” Alvis, Windsor-Richards’ 2-litre Ballot saloon, Birkett’s useful Austin Seven van, and an o.h.v. Meadows-engined N. P. all-weather.

West of England Spring Cup Trial
In spite of the terrible weather conditions, the West of England Motor Club decided to transfer their 9th Annual Spring Car Trial from the Tiverton area to Torquay, rather than postpone the event. This decision was a very happy one as things turned out, as the event took place in brilliant sunshine. Yes, believe it or not! A few miles from the start at Newton Abbot, competitors covered a short circuit of four hills, then went out to the edge of Dartmoor to cover Green Lane, and a famous hill (which had to be cut out, as it was icebound), and then returned for another lap of the morning’s hills. The first. hill, Sammy’s Sister, proved to be the tit-bit of the day. Only three stalwarts managed it on both laps. These were G. W. Best (939-c.c. M.G.), Keo Burgess (4,000-c.c. Allard) and Len Parker (4,000-c.c. AIlard), who was very lurid on both occasions. The other two who managed a clean run on the second lap were Ken Wharton (1,081-c.c. Wharton) and G. S. Scali in a Jeep.

Then came Slippery Sam, an interesting hill with short bends and loose surface, but he was not quite as slippery as usual, and gave little trouble. Coombe Lane gave W. A. Cleave (1,086-c.c. Morris) a shock; he stopped here, causing a great deal of surprise. Middle Rocambe, a steep, fairly straight climb, caused quite a bit of trouble, but the Allards flew up in main-road fashion. G. F. Coaker’s Jeep started off but subsided suddenly in the third section. On the second circuit, K. J. Murton (1,496-c.c. H.R.G.) got well up, but couldn’t quite make it. And so to the finish, where everyone voted it a great success, having had Sammy’s Sister, sunshine and a snack wagon, on the course, and what more could one want?

Results
“Motor Cyycling” Cup: Wharton (Wharton).
W. of E. Tankard: Cleave (Morris)
Kennedy Trophy: Parker (Allard).
Class 1 Cup: Best (M.G.).
Class 2 Cup: Murton (H.R.G.).
Class 3 Cup: Burgess (Allard)
1st Class Awards: Campbell (Morgan “4/4”), Dewey (Jeep), Burroughs (Ford), Pearson (Morris), Morrish (M.G.), and Whitfield (M.G.).
2nd Class Awards: Faulkner (Jeep), Barton (Morris), Brunyee (Triumph), Burt (Morris) and Coaker (Jeep).

Harrow C.C. Moss Trophy Trial
One of the few unpostponed events, the Moss Trophy Trial was won by V. S. A. Biggs’ Meadows-H.R.G. F. C. Moss (B.M.W.) took. the Cullen Cup, and McAlpine (Allard) and Murkett(M.G.)
1st Class Awards; Imhof (Allard) Paul (M.G.) taking 2nd Class Awards.

Service for Enthusiasts
A visit to the North Downs Engineering Company
The North Downs Engineering Conpany is a concern run by enthusiasts who pursue many activities, all of interest to fellow enthusiasts. It is now fairly generally known that they have perfected Marshall-Nordec supercharger installations, so that extra urge can be imparted reliably to various utility cars. Many have been the blower sets conceived and sold in the past yet popular supercharging did not take hold. From what we saw at Whyteleafe, the North Downs folk appear to have gone into the matter so thoroughly that really dependable supercharging of ordinary cars seems to have arrived – we are at present testing a Ford ” Prefect” so equipped and will report on it in due vourse.

North Downs claim to have solved the lubrication problem by tapping the existing lubrication system and feeding oil to the supercharger bearings via a neat sight-feed. As concessionaires for Sir George Godfrey & Partners Ltd., they are supplying supercharger sets in large numbers for 8 and 10-11.p. Fords, V8 Mercury, “TA,” “TB,” and “TC” M.G.s M.G. “Magnettes,” Allards, Vauxhall Tens and Twelves, Hillman “Minx” and Sunbeam Talbots. We believe that something like, one hundred Ford sets have been ordered; incidentally, doctors, dentists and other professional men are amongst the keenest supporters of this urge-for-ordinary-cars, so Mr. Densham informed us. Very soon Marshall-Nordec sets will be available for Austin, Morris and Standard 8-h.p. cars. Prices range from £50. There are five types of Nordec supercharger, ranging front the “J50” for 750-c.c. cars, to the “J200,” suitable for engines of over 3 litres. The “Candidi Provocatores” Allard team is Marshall-Nordec blown.

We enquired whether L.M.B. front suspension sets were yet available again, for we know many people are anxious to fit this form of i.f.s. Mr. Densham said that Austin Seven, Ford Eight and Ford Ten sets are available, and that V8 layouts can he supplied for certain models. A Heenan add Froude dynamometer and a spring deflection tester are in considerable use at the Godstone works, and here also is a fully-equipped machine-shop and drawing office. It may not be generally known that special part,. such as valves in “KE” steel, guides and springs, etc., for Ford, M.G., Bentley and other makes, can be made up and that many are kept in stock. We examined a very beautifully finished specimen of old-type Bentley replacement valve and guide. Double valve springs for Ford engines can be supplied, and two unmachined short-throw crankshafts for reducing the 10-h.p. engine to 1,100-c.c. were in stock.

This ambitious concern also runs a busy tuning and overhaul establishment, presided over by Marcus Chambers. Here we were given carte blanche to prowl around, and we were astonished at what we saw. Peter Clark’s “Aerodynamic” H.R.G. is being thoroughly “gone over” – originally for Le Mans; Peter has, of course, a Nordec Ford of his own. Two 3-litre Bentleys, owned by Scudamore and Hanley, were being overhauled, and a complete rebuild, even to a new 4-seater body, was in process on a 1928 “12/50” Alvis. Protheroe’s unblown Type 37 Bugatti was being looked over and equipped as a sports-car, for this year’s sports-car events, while another exciting car receiving attention was Henning’s twin-cam 1 1/2-litre Maserati sports-car, which got going nicely at Prescott last year. It was “discovered” in Italy with a rod through the crankcase, and an army unit skilfully cast a new case so that the engine could be assembled. Marcus will assemble his well-known single-seater Austin Seven for sprints, if he can find the spare time; the Hutton is hale and hearty, and Densham has saved a 1926 “14/40” Sunbeam from a breaker and is having it overhauled and rebodied, while he has his 1904 Raleighette for veteran events.

John Wood is works manager and Len Swabey, who evolved that astounding Scott-engined Mercury motor-cycle and sold fourteen to discerning riders, is in the fitting shop, while Len Young, whose Austin “Nippy” is kept like a new car, is another member of a growing staff.

Car sales are another side of this versatile concern. We saw a “Grasshopper” Austin Seven (with L.M.B. suspension, new gearbox and a brand new “Nippy” engine), sprayed with a new blue colour scheme devised by North Downs; also a 2-litre Atalanta, available blown or unblown, with new gearbox, back axle etc.