Club news
We hear
F/O G. L. Weaver still has his 1925 Aston-Martin stored away and hopes some day to give it the attention it deserves, although he has not seen it since he joined the R.A.F. early in 1940. Two pre-1914 cars present themselves for saving – a 1912 15.9-h.p. 4-cylinder Star tourer, with dual ignition and beaded-edge tyres, in London, and a 1914 12-h.p. Newton-Bennett in "showroom" order, with varnished touring body, rear screen, acetylene headlamps, etc., in the Midlands. Both are looking for good homes and would dispose of themselves in return for about £20 in each instance. Then, under "Wanted," is an open body for a 3-litre "Blue Label" Bentley which is in course a complete renovation, and an instruction book for a 7th Series Lancia "Lambda." Ian Metcalfe has for sale a most imposing open Lancia "Dilambda," with new hood and tonneau, good boots and an appearance enough to give the committee of the Pedestrians' Association a distinct communal headache. His own car is now a Lancia "Augusta" saloon. Early small cars are in no danger of fading away – we told some while ago of an Eric-Longden which is carefully preserved, and this has resulted in a letter from a possible former owner, now an R.A.F. Flying Officer, who ran his car as late as 1933, and who remarks that it had an aluminium 2-seater body with outside copper exhaust system, whose only silencer was a small cast fish-tail "quite inadequate for the 1933 police." The number was X02508, if anyone knows more of this interesting device. A Scarborough garage is reported to have a 1926 Cubitt tourer in use as a hack, and in the same area is a 1926 "12/22" Lea-Francis, possibly for sale, a 1922 Sunbeam tourer in fine condition, on N.F.S. duties, a Type 40 Bugatti with lorry body, carrying cow cake, and a 5-litre Bugatti on A.R.P. duties. We also hear of a 1926 Leyland "Lion" omnibus still in use in Scotland, and have noticed in London a very old A.E.C. lorry, its radiator tubes liberally plugged where breakages have occurred.
Cecil Clutton's R.A.F. duties have taken him to the North, where he has been seen in company with Kenneth Neve, Porky Lees, and others. Neve has sold his "30/98" Vauxhall and bought a 9' 9" wheelbase 4 1/2-litre Bentley, while the T.T. Humber was started up momentarily in honour of Sam's visit. John Cooper sold his dismantled Type 38 Bugatti to Rex Motors and has for disposal a 1934 Alvis "Firefly" with a body from a 1929 big-port Alvis "12/50," the whole in 100 per cent. mechanical condition, for which he asks £27 or near offer, the car needing finishing and painting. He has acquired a 1929 Aston-Martin "International" 2-seater about which he is being advised by Beebee, an R.A.F. enthusiast, who owns a 1931 "International" and the ex-Morris-Goodall 1933 Le Mans Aston-Martin, AMD333. Julian Fall is busy negotiating for a side-valve "30/98" Vauxhall 4-seater from Shortt, and he is joining the Bugatti Owners' Club, having acquired Saunders's Type 22 Bugatti. E.J. Steel has had the engine of the early Alldays-and-Onions running; he bought it through the Motor Sport Register, we believe, for £7 10s., and it seems likely to be "Brighton" antiquity. E.R. Nichol is said to have enough work on hand for enthusiasts at Hounslow to keep him busy for some two years. He recently installed a reconditioned Ford V8 engine into a Lancia "Lambda" and is altering M.E. Nixon's Atalanta to his special requirements, taking out the Talbot engine and substituting a blown 2-litre Lagonda engine. He has also completely stripped down a 3-litre Sunbeam and has two 3-litre Bentley engines, a T.T. Replica Frazer-Nash, a Rapier engine and a Riley chassis awaiting attention. Sports cars on official duties seen recently in the South include various M.G.s, one comp. shod and one a T-type coupé, two 3-litre Invictas, a "Hyper" Lea-Francis saloon, an Aston-Martin and several old-school Bentleys. Denyer has a 1928 "Hyper" Lea-Francis 4-seater, his well-known "12/50" trials Lea-Francis, a 2-seater Lea-Francis with two-port Meadows engine which he used for continental holidays, a Rover saloon which he ran in an M.C.C. High-Speed Trial, a Ner-a-car, and an outboard motor-boat, all in safe storage. His present mode of transport fluctuates between a bicycle and an M.A.C. Velocette, while D.S. Jenkinson is rebuilding a K.S.S. Velocette. Then Sharp has acquired an excellent 1929 T.T. Replica Scott and has a magnificent Maybach transmission 3-litre Lagonda saloon, once owned by Ogle, and before that, by Arthur Baron, in storage. Scroggs has his immortal Trojan again in commission, now with wire wheels.
First photograph for the Motor Sport Album of Readers' Cars is of C.J.L. Mertens's 1928 4 1/2-litre Bentley, which has done some 85,000 miles without trouble, will still exceed 90 m.p.h. and, handicapped by a cone clutch before McKenzie fitted it with a Borg and Beek, climbed Lewes in 29.59 secs. Veteran news from the North, contributed by Lt. R.S. Shapley, R.E., is that York Autowreekers have a 1913 10-h.p. Stanley steamer and an 1899 Weston steamer, not for sale, and are storing an early Wolseley Twenty for FL Lt. Thompson, who was responsible for rebuilding the 1906 Colibri, which is now in Kirk Museum, York. The same breaker, who is a genuine enthusiast, sold a 10-h.p. 3-cylinder Turner-Messe flash-boiler steamer to a Hull dealer, and someone is rumoured to be sending it to a museum. A most interesting completely underslung chassis, on the lines of the "flat-iron" Thomas-Special, which is apparently the 750-c.c. car on which Thomas was working at the time of his death, has come to light and will, we hope, be saved. Apparently it has 1/2-elliptic front springs, 1/4-elliptic rear springs, and a wheelbase of 9' 6", and there are enough spares to build a second chassis. Sydney Allard motors professionally in small Fords these days, but has bought his brother's Ariel, with 500-c.c. engine in a 350-c.c. type frame, and Canham uses a Fiat 500, as do Biggs and Marcus Chambers. The type-setter who made Denly into "Denby" in the Editor's account of the 1933 Mille Miglia last month has duly been made to write the thing out a few thousand times! The Editor's private address is now 70, Bolingbroke Grove, Wandsworth Common, London, S.W.11.
Rowland of Byfleet has for sale an early blown 1,100-c.c. Alta and the ex-Reiss "Musketeer" M.G.
COVER PICTURE
This month's cover picture is topical, representing as it does the start of the Donington G.P., run early in October. It shows the cars leaving the line in the 1935 race. The front row, left to right, comprises Sommer's Alfa-Romeo, Farina's V8 Maserati, which led to half-distance, and McClure's Riley. Shuttleworth's Alfa-Romeo, Howe's "3.3" Bugatti and Featherstonhaugh's "2.9" Maserati make the second row. Shuttleworth won at 63.97 m.p.h. from Howe and Charlie Martin on "3.3" Bugattis.
750 Club
The monthly meeting for September was rather better attended than that of the previous month, although not many club officers were present. We were glad to see Christopher Brown and his lady, after a long absence, and Lt. Marcus Chambers, R.N., turned up after lunch. Interest in racing for unblown 750-c.c. road-equipped cars seems to be growing, but to obtain permission to use decent circuits, or otherwise to find a suitably non-circus-like course, is the problem. M.E. Nixon suggests buying up a disused gravel pit, explaining that such land is the cheapest to buy, a circuit on its floor would be out of public view, plenty of trials-going would be had, and usually a pub is found close by. The next "Chez August" meeting, at which this and kindred matters can be discussed, will be on Sunday, October 3rd, at 1.30 p.m.
A club in N. Africa
An airgraph from Sgt. Wythe, of the British North Africa Forces, dated August 10th, tells us that he hoped to gather together a dozen or so enthusiasts in khaki, for just the same purpose for which we get together at club meetings over here. Wythe cheerfully remarks that, although he hadn't seen a real sports car for some nine months, the local cars being mostly F.W.D. Citroens, if one excludes a Georges-Irat in full flight (British industry take note!) he and his friends hoped soon to come upon some 1 1/2-litre Alfas or Maseratis. Although this was written before the surrender of Italy, they were looking forward to an early return to places like Lewes, Brighton, and Dancer's End, and to seeing Mays and "Bira'' racing again at the Palace.
Leamington Spa M.C.
This club is now an established fact, and hopes, after, the war, to co-operate with similar organisations. The entry fee is 5s. and annual subscription £1 1s., and vintagents are especially welcome. Hon. Secretary, G. Sanders, 72, Holly Walk, Leamington Spa.
Veteran Car Club
The V.C.C. meeting at the Waldorf Hotel on September 18th was very well attended. Mr. Allday, the club's chairman, made the only speech and was commendably brief. He was able to announce that the club's scheme for purchasing veterans for non-profitable resale to members is going right ahead and embraces the Edwardians, and that several new members had recently been elected, in spite of the war. Anthony Heal, Anthony Brooke, Lt. Neal. Hutton-Stott,. Douglas Tubbs, Julian Fall, Jackie Masters, Capt. Wylie, and the Editor. of Motor Sport were amongst these who attended. Southall was absent, due to a chill, but his excellent film of Veteran C.C. rallies and competitions, Shelsley and Prescott hill-climbs, and Donington racing, etc., was brought down from Birmingham by Wharton who used to race an Austin Seven at Donington and who is most anxious to see 750-c.c. racing, perhaps confined to single-seaters, developed after the war. The A.A. film was also shown, and we wonder what the makers of Austin, Hillman, Packard and Chrysler cars thought when first they saw their products featured in the breakdown shots! One veteran of pre-1904 vintage also appeared to self-commence after being stopped by an A.A. scout, but doubtless this was camera-justice.
