V to C miscellany, June 1987

Emil Lepage is researching Rosengart history, particularly the LR539 to IP39 models, for the Club Rosengart. He has had responses from Portugal, Sweden and Spain, and would like to hear from English enthusiasts, and if possible acquire catalogues.

It is good that GNs are now quite prolific in vintage events. Having in recent times rebuilt a 9/15 Renault and his effective Trojan Utility, Tony Carlisle is preparing a GN, which will have the conversion ohv vertical valve heads on its vee-twin engine. With Blake’s Vitesse-engined car, the ioe-engined GNs of Riddle (when he is not using his sports engine), Monica Gray and Charmian Skinner, almost all the various forms of valve-gear used on these fascinating cyclecars are ably represented—especially as a number of Akela GNs survive, including Craddock’s with the T-head valve-drive.

The Irish owner seeks information about his 1937 135M Delahaye (Reg DXE 661 which Motor Sport featured when new. It was exported to Ireland in 1947, but no trace of previous owners survives after HW Motors Ltd in May 1946, and a Mr WF Tipping of Nutley to the end of 1947.

A Bristol reader is anxious to discover who first owned his 1927 Delage. It has a boat-tailed sports body by Victor Broom and was bought for £10 from a Virginia Water garage in the early 1930s by a Mr S Georgeovich, who kept it at Thorpe until the war. When the family returned home, they found the car had been stolen. It resurfaced in 1946, when it was sold by TP Breen to Mr JT Spring, who sold it in 1962 to the present owner. Can anyone go back further, or provide a contact with Victor Broom or the then-Delage agents? Letters can be forwarded.

Daimler & Lanchester Owners Club wants to trace straight-eight Daimlers of 1934-1945, on the V26, V41/2 and F41/2 chassis, whose survival rate seems to be very small. Contact the Straight-Eight Registrar, Charles Canavan, with any intormation on these rare models.

Kevin Desmond tells us that Basildon District Council is financing work on a National Motor Boat Museum at Pitsea in Essex, to give work to local unemployed. It is claimed this will he the first such museum to cater for every aspect of Britain’s 90 years of motor-boating, with hulls of 6ft to 36ft, inboard and outboard engines, models and books. If anyone can help, the manager is Cliff Thornton, and he can be contacted at Will Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex SS16 4UW. WB