Veteran to classic: VSCC Madresfield

The customary Concours d’Elegance and driving tests of the VSCC Midland Section took place at the delightful Madresfield Court venue on September 4. Only seven cars considered themselves beautiful enough to present themselves to the Concours judges, and the entry was a trifle depleted in comparison with previous years for the Driving Tests too.

In the Slow-Go Test the Marshes seemed to have the most docile Brescia ever, which emitted a puff of black smoke when David changed up, in contrast, Beckett’s 1930 A7 was rather too fast in the wrong place, and then hesitant to pick up. Tarring’s Frazer Nash was boiling this early, MacKenzie’s big Invicta was really at the crawl, rocking its transmission, while Conway’s T44 Bugatti demonstrated the smoothness of eight cylinders.

Farquhar drove an interesting ex-Kaye Don, ex-Eason Gibson Brooklands Riley, now painted blue, and Hancock’s Fiat Balilla proved that small engines can also accelerate smoothly. One of the fastest in the quick part of the test was King’s Talbot 105, but in the slow section Mrs Walker had to apologise for making the observer run beside her GN Martyr . .

The oldest cars present were Mitchell’s belt-drive 1913 GN and the Presidential 1903 Mercedes, which jumped about on its springs with impatience in the slow-running test. It was nice to see Mrs Moss sharing the Crouch-Helix with her father Keith Hill, and a Riley 9 wearing wedding ribbons. WB