Salmson Days

Author

admin

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Sir,

You will probably hardly remember me, but you wrote a splendid article in MOTOR SPORT on some of the cars I have owned. I think we particularly talked about the Le Mans Alfa Romeo — ex-Lord Howe — with which I had won the Pomeroy Trophy and the LSR Sunbeam “Tiger” which took me 12 years to rebuild and make it go and then in 1965 won the VSCC Itala, Vintage Seaman and Boulogne races.

Your article in the April issue on the 1920 MCC Exeter to Lands End I found so nostalgic that even at my age (88) I thought I would put pen to paper and tell you about my experiences in the London-Exeter and London-Lands End in 1924 and 1925.

In the London-Exeter trial of 1924 I was only 19, but allowed to use the family 8-18 hp Talbot. It was a nice little car but too heavy and underpowered. I managed to climb, however, all the hills — I cannot remember their names — before and after a very good breakfast at Dellows Café in Exeter, without making any mistakes. I think we would have won a Gold medal had my observer not gone to sleep on the way home near Staines so I was disqualified for being 12 minutes ahead of time!

The London-Lands End, Easter 1925 is far more vivid in my memory. On this occasion — thanks to a godparent — I had my first car of my own, a double-cam 1100cc Salmson Grand Prix model. This was a splendid little car, but unfortunately only had “splash” lubrication — causing dire results on the timed section of Porlock Hill! It was too steep for second gear, which meant over-revving in first to succeed. Near the finish I heard the ominous sound of a big end packing up, but we finished the timed section on time. I should have retired there and then to save further damage, but as my parents had taken a cottage at Porthcurno, close to Lands End, I was determined to carry on. With the engine knocking badly we still had Beggars Roost and the dreaded Blue Hill Mile to surmount and this was, I suppose, some 120 miles after Porlock. Incredibly, having to use the throttle as gently as possible, we got up these two fearful hills and checked in at Lands End to time — claiming and getting a Gold medal!

I see in your table of finishers in the 1925 Lands End Trial that there were three Salmsons, two of which won Gold medals, so I must have been one of them.

When I telephoned Salmson in Knightsbridge, they duly offered to bring the car back from Penzance by train and rebuild the engine at their expense — having advertised their success in the motoring press!

I wonder if I am now the oldest person alive who competed in the 1924 London-Exeter and 1925 London-Lands End? I have been an avid reader of MOTOR SPORT ever since those days.

Ralph Millais, Winchelsea, Sussex