Vintage postbag , October 1983

Tracing Pegasos

Sir,

As a regular reader of your magazine and actual owner of several Pegaso Z-102 sports cars, I would be most grateful if anyone could help me with information on these fine vehicles — pictures, documentation, or tracing any of the remaining cars.

I am on the final stage of finishing a most complete work on the subject, on which I have been working for some years already, and I still wonder if I could find some unveiled information to add?

Hoping to be able to learn a few more things about the Pegaso Z-102, and thanking you in advance for your help and collaboration.

E. Coma-Cros, Barcelona

“The Ton”

Sir,

Your article under the above heading (August issue, p 955) made fascinating reading. But haven’t you left out the Alvis? According to the manufacturer’s claimed performance, the standard saloon did 100.56 mph, and the short chassis tourer 103.75 mph (see KR Day’s book, “The Alvis Car”).

One assumes these figures relate to the date the model was introduced (August 1936), but even if they were not achieved until a year or two later, the 4.3 Alvis was certainly one of that small but distinguished band of pre-war production cars that would do “The Ton”. The performance figures were, incidentally, confirmed by a road test for The Motor, but I’m not sure in which year.

In October 1938 TH Wisdom tested one with increased compression ratio, higher top gear, and with wings, lamps, screen etc. removed in a 20 lap race at Brooklands and averaged “better than 110 mph for the race”.

Mark White, IoM

Claude Clench

Sir,

On page 957 of the current issue of Motor Sport I was very interested to read your article on the TT Arrol-Asters. I can throw some light on their entrant for the 1929 Ulster TT, Mr. C. Clench.

Claude Clench was at that time Chief Engineer of Arrol-Aster, whose works were situated at Heathall, which is about two miles north-east of Dumfries on the A701. The company ceased production in 1931, and in 1932 Clench came to join us at Automotive Products at Leamington Spa, as a senior member of our engineering staff, engaged mainly on the development of hydraulic systems for marine and industrial use.

JB Emmott, En Gort, Switzerland

[I am sorry I maligned the position Mr. Clench held at Arrol-Asters. But, as ever, Motor Sport has provided the truth! — Ed.).

Automatic Inlet Valves

Sir,

I have found the correspondence on the disposition of the Renault inlet valves most illuminating but not as illuminating as any correspondence on making them work properly would be!

No doubt amongst your readers are those that actually tinkered about with the springs and restricted the opening of the automatic inlet valves.

If only they would respond to the Renault correspondence all us lesser mortals with Benz and the like would be better off.

All sorts of formulae have been propounded over the years and all sorts of “rule of thumb” methods to make the things operate, but still they fox us.

RA Collings, Clehonger