Vintage bits and pieces

This year’s M.C.C. 40th Exeter Trial was a good occasion for pre-war cars, a Wolseley Hornet Special taking a 2nd Class Award, a J2 M.G. Midget a 1st Class Award, while a 1927 Austin 7 and one of the vintage Trojans took 3rd Class Awards. A special display of Standard cars from 1907 to 1963 will be staged at the Herbert Museum, Coventry, from March 19th to April 15th, at which 17 vehicles, including Edwardian and vintage Standards, and many other relevant exhibits, will be on show. Members of the Early Standard Car Register are invited on the opening day. A 1930 Standard Avon Special sports 2-seater was for sale, at about £45, and in Sydney the second 1927 13.9-h.p. Standard “Wellesbourne” tourer to be traced is being restored. Still they turn up !—a 1911 11/16-h.p. Wolseley landaulette stored since 1926, being renovated in Sussex and a 1923 13.9-h.p. Standard engine and a rusty circa 1928 Standard 2-seater in Australia, where a brand-new front axle for the aforesaid “Wellesbourne” model was bought for 10s. The Early Standard Car Register is one of the most active manufacturer-supported organisation of its kind ; Hon. Registrar, J. R. Davy, Standard-Triumph Sales Ltd., Fletchamstead Highway, Coventry.

Generous readers continue to contribute interesting items to the Editor’s “museum,” for which he is deeply grateful. One of the most recent consists of an unused set of 18 postcards of the Sitges autodrome, near Barcelona, apparently taken soon after this track was completed in 1923, and showing cars and motorcycles on the Brooklands’-like banking—a truly rare item, much appreciated. An inscription suggests that the lap-record then stood at 98 m.p.h., and Divo’s Sunbeam certainly won a 2-litre race there at 96.91 m.p.h. from Zborowski’s Miller. Someone else kindly presented a beautifully-made wooden tool chest, containing voltmeter, hydrometer, etc., formerly on the family 1915 Hudson. According to The Sunday Times Magazine Ken Russell, who has made a film for the B.B.C. of the life of Isodora Duncan, described as the last adventuress, wanted to include a scene of Isodora stepping unhurt from a crash-landing in a Fokker but couldn’t find a Fokker to film. Isodora was strangled when her trailing scarf caught in the wheel spokes of her Bugatti, on the Promenade des Anglais in I927—we shall be interested to see whether Mr. Russell finds the right car for that scene! The February 4th issue of Model Engineer contained an account by “L.B.S.C.” of a project he had in 1914 of building a steam car based on a 180 lb. 2 in. x 3 in. 2-cylinder engine and Holden type oil burner, fitted into a cyclecar chassis—there is also reference to the model-T Ford this well-known steam engineer used during the First World War. When frozen sand and shingle held up concrete-mixing at the yard of R. Brazil & Co., of Amersham in January, Mr. Brazil brought out his solid-tyred Foden tractor and used its steam to thaw things out.

A 14-h.p. sleeve-valve B.S.A. saloon which had been standing in a garage since about 1938 is to be restored by the Vice-Chairman of the A.C.O.C. J.S. Barker of California, a reader since 1935, telephoned Filmways T.V. Productions in Hollywood, who confirm that the ancient truck in the “Beverley Hill Billies” is a converted 1921 Oldsmobile. The V.S.C.C. held its keenly-anticipated Marshals’ Dinner in London last month, at which the traditional steak-and-kidney pudding was served and a few cars of the right sort, such as Frazer Nash and O.M., were in the car park.

Peter Hull’s “Vintage Alvis History” is, we hear, nearly complete and likely to include some fascinating new material about drivers and cars. Eagerly awaited, Macdonald expect to publish this book probably during the summer. The Classic American Auto Club of Gt. Britain continues to enrol new members and its Hon. Secretary, Harry Shell, who disposed recently of his 1934 V8 Cadillac limousine so that it could join a Lincoln V8, now owns an Auburn 851 supercharged 4-seat phaeton. There was a 1936 hard-top Ford V8 coupe for sale in London. The E.R.A. Club holds its annual dinner in Piccadilly on March 7th.