Vintage Interlude

Highgate must be vintage-car minded. The Editor went there the other day to call on Mr. S. C. Cull, who worked at Brooklands, before most of you were born, on racing cars like the Wolseley Moth, Delage I and Wolseley-Viper, which most of you won’t remember.

Mr. Cull very kindly presented your sentimental Editor with a piston, camshaft, cylinder block and other beautifully-made parts from the Wolseley (Vickers)-built Hispano-Suiza W4A 180-h.p. V8 aero engine out of the last-named racing car. To convey these away the Editor used a 2 c.v. Citroën, which is ideal for the job, with its roomy boot and suspension (and lamps) adaptable to a big load. Arriving at Highgate he had noticed a 12/40 Lea-Francis two-seater and a very sparkling bull-nose Morris two-seater and he was now able to enquire the way to his next destination, where he was going to look at a motor miniature, from a member of the City and Guilds M.C., whose well-rugged-up 9/20 Rover tourer, recognisable by its characteristic and lovable square-rig, was being furiously cranked by a colleague.

That morning there had occurred another vintage interlude, when a rather lurid 12/50 Alvis beetle-back was being pushed backwards into a side turning out of the Notting Hill Gate traffic jam by a Chelsea-attired girl aided by a ‘bus inspector. We hope she wasn’t a victim of the dreaded shellac disease and that the Alvis is now upholding vintage traditions. — W. B.