Classic and Competition Car 63 December 2015

December 2015 Issue 63

Classic Motor Show, NEC

Walter Hayes Trophy

Neil Howard Stages

VSCC Cotswold Trial

December 2015 Page 2

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Front Cover. Porsche 917 at the Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham © Simon Wright 2015.Check out our new updated WEB site at www.classicandcompetitioncar.com regularly for additional photo galleries, wall papers and other additional content and join our Facebook Group Classic and Competition Car.

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Contents

Page 3 News.

Page 9 Marks & Spencers, Longbridge opening.

Page 10 Walter Hayes Trophy, Silverstone.

Page 16 Regent Street Motor Show.

Page 21 Neil Howard Stages Rally.

Page 26 Classic Motor Show, NEC.

Page 36 Silverstone Auctions at the Classic Motor Show.

Page 37 London to Brighton Run.

Page 42 Archive Photo of the month.

Page 43 Wales Rally GB.

Page 49 Enthusiasts of British Motor Vehicles, Coventry.

Page 54 VSCC Cotswold Trial

Simon Wright - Editor.Simon has been photographing and reporting on motor races for many years. Served an engineering apprenticeship many years ago. Big fan of the Porsche 917

Pete Austin.Pete is the man for Historic racing, with an extensive archive of black and white images covering the last few decades of motorsport in Britain. Very keen on BRM.

Mick Herring.Mick's first love is GT racing, including Historic, especially the Lola T70. Has an extensive knowledge of all things GT.

Janet Wright.Janet has been taking photographs for many years, and is also very skilled in video. She likes Aston Martins.

Lucy Owen-Moczadlo.Lucy runs Jucy Rally Photography and joins us to expand our rally coverage. She loves anything to do with Subarus and even tries her hand at a bit of autotesting in her modified Nissan.

Syd Wall.Syd runs Rally Photography and covers Rallying, Drag Racing and all things American

David GooseDavid runs Motorsport-Imagery web site with Stuart and covers GT, Touring Cars and the odd Rally and Classic car event

Stuart YatesStuart runs motorsport-imagery web site with David. Covers GT, Touring Cars and Classic car events

As well as this magazine, you can follow us on Twitter @classcompcar and join our Facebook Group Classic and Competition Car.


Editorial.Winter may be upon us, but the mild weather makes it still enjoyable to be out watching motorsport in action. Rallying and Trials don’t seem to stop whatever the weather and the VSCC even manage to do Driving Tests in a windy December. Classic and Vintage car enthusiasts are a hardy bunch and even over the Christmas holiday period and on New Years day, there will be various local outside gatherings and car meets up and down the country, so to get over all the rich Christmas food, get out and meet fellow enthusiasts. Mallory Park even has its annual Plum Pudding Race meeting on Boxing Day with a mixture of car and motorbike action.

Bromyard Speed Festival.A New event for 2016, the Bromyard Speed Festival is a street motoring event which will be held in the centre of Bromyard on Sunday 3rd April 2016. The Festival is designed to celebrate the motoring history from the surrounding area, and the inaugural event will focus on Bromyard as the birth place of the Morgan motor car.The event takes advantage of the recent change in the law, allowing motoring events to take place on closed public roads. Participants will be able to drive their vehicles round the course without the vehicle having to be road legal. This will allow single seater racing cars, sports racing cars and GT cars to parade round the closed off roads, while the public will be able to spectate from behind special safety barriers. The event will start around 10am on the Sunday and finish about 4:30pm, with an hours break for lunch. The organisers aim to invite around 100 historic, vintage and special interest cars to attend the street parade. The entry will be split in to groups of around 10-12 vehicles which will drive around the course for a 15-20 minute period, with a leading Pace car in front of the parade to determine the safe circuit speed.The starting point for the circuit will be main Hop Pole Square in Bromyard. The event will be free for the public to watch.

News

HSCC New Class structure for 70s Roadsports.The Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) have revised the class structure for it’s successful 70s Road Sports Championship for 2016. To encourage more cars to take part, especially MGBs, the 1600cc-2000cc class has been split to 1600cc to 1800cc and 1801cc to 2000cc. The revised structure is over 3000cc, 2001 to 3000cc, Lotus 1600cc Twin Cam (Elan, Europa and Seven), 1801cc to 2000cc, 1601cc to 1800cc, up to 1600cc and Invitation class.

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright


British Motor Museum.The Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire made a big announcement at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in November. The centre will now be known as the British Motor Museum and it will be the World’s largest collection of Historic British Cars. The museum is currently closed for two months whilst it undergoes a major transformation. It is due to re-open on Saturday 13th February 2016, in time for half term holidays. At the same time, the New Collections Centre will also be open for guided tours, included in the admission price to the main museum. The Collections centre will also house between 50 and 100 cars from the Jaguar Heritage collection. We will have a feature on the new Collections Centre in our February issue.When the museum re-opens to the public, it will operate between 10am and 5pm daily. For more information see www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

Julie Tew & Stephen Laing unveiled the new name at the Classic Motor Show.

© Pete Austin

The current building and layout are presently being re-developed© Simon Wright


The Bentayga First EditionBentley Motors have unveiled the new Bentayga to VIP customers in Los Angeles during November. The exclusive limited edition of the most powerful SUV in production will be limited to just 608 cars Worldwide and creates an all new luxury SUV market. Bentley claim that the Bentayga is the most powerful, most luxurious, most exclusive and fastest SUV in the World. Each owner will receive one of three special edition Breitling chronographs.The unique design includes Union Jack badging, illuminated treadplates, 22” black painted and polished wheels and one of just ten exterior colours. The interior features diamond within diamond quilting, bespoke ambient lighting, Union Jack facia badging and detailing in metal, wood and leather sets new standards in automotive design.Bentley are producing 608 First Editions as this is the metric output of the all new twin turbocharged 6 litre W12 engine - 608 PS or 600 BHP and 900 Nm or 663 ib. ft torque. This propels the car from 0-60 mph in just 4 seconds (0-100 km/h 4.1 seconds) and gives a top speed of 187 mph (301 km/h)


CClassic and Competition Car Facebook Group

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Autosport International - The Racing Car Show

Something to look forward to after Christmas is the annual Autosport International - The Racing Car

Show, featuring the Live action arena. The first major show of the new year, it runs between 14th and 17th January 2016 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) near Birmingham, England. The 14th and 15th are Trade days, while the public can attend over the weekend. For further information or to book advance tickets, visit their web site www.autosportinternational.com

Electric Aston Martin RapidEDuring the recent state visit of the President of the People’s Republic of China to the UK, Aston Martin unveiled a fully electric concept of its Rapid S four door sports saloon outside Lancaster House in London, the venue for a meeting between the President and the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. Aston Martin and ChinaEquity are going to explore the concept’s production potential. If successful, the new luxury sports car would be built in Gaydon and could be brought to market in around two years.The RapidE concept has been developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering at its facility at Grove, Oxfordshire.

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright


Shelsley Walsh events 2016The Hill climb meeting dates for Shelsley Walsh in 2016 are as follows:Speed in to Spring 30th April-1st May 2016.Best of British 4th-5th June 2016.Reg Phillips Trophy Meeting 2nd July 2016 Vintage and Post Vintage thoroughbreds 3rd July 2016Classic Nostalgia 16th-17th July 2016.Championship Challenge 20th-21st August 2016.Autumn Speed Finale 17th-18th September 2016For more information see their web site at www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk

New VW Beetle Dune.Announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen presented the new Beetle Dune in both coupe and convertible format. Reminiscent of the legendary Baja California dune buggies, the new Dune is available in new colours and an eye catching design, plus 18 inch wheels and a higher ride height. It can be ordered from German Volkswagen partners, where prices start at €23,625 euros for the coupe and €27,800 euros for the cabriolet.The powerful character of the new model is emphasised by the large central air inlet with a silver frame, plus black side trim strips - Stylised “Beetle Running boards”. The ground clearance is increased by 10 millimetres to accentuate its all-terrain properties. At the rear is a new large spoiler with a gloss black top surface, a new rear bumper with silver diffuser and new rear LED lights, The car will be available in a range of nine different colours. There will be the option of three turbocharged petrol engines or two turbo diesels

© Janet Wright

Correction from Last Month.The initial copy of the November issue incorrectly referred to the Eastern Bloc cars at Coventry as a SALT event. This was incorrect. The event was Red Oktober and it had been organised by the Wartberg Trabant IFA Club UK. The error was corrected and a new version was immediately published. If your iisue does not refer to Red Oktober, you can download the correct issue from our Previous issues page on the website. site.


New Range Rover Evoque Convertible.One of the stars of the new James Bond films, Naomie Harris (Miss Moneypenny) introduced the new Range Rover Evoque convertible in an exclusive Santa Monica beachside photo shoot by acclaimed fashion photographer Ben Watts, ahead of its official world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This is the companies’ first ever luxury compact convertible SUV. The car features a sophisticated folding roof to create a versatile, all season convertible SUV. The vehicle combines luxury with an elegant four seater convertible design with unrivalled capability both on and off road. More than 450,000 Range Rover Evoques have been produced since its introduction in 2011, making it the fastest selling Land Rover of all time. The Evoque has also won more than 165 International awards since its launch. The Range Rover Evoque convertible will go on sale from Spring 2016 with prices starting at £47,500 On The Road (OTR) based on the TD4 HSE Dynamic. For more information see www.landrover.com

Fashion creditsMint dress Self portrait, earrings Melissa Kaye earrings and ring, vitamin A hatPink Bathing suit by Peixoto. Jacket by Atea Oceanie, earrings and rings by Vita Fede and Graziela.

Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari at Donington Museum.Ex-Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari 312T5 now headlines a new line up of F1 cars at Donington Park Grand Prix Collection. The car is from the 1980 season, which was a difficult season for Ferrari, but confirmed that Gilles was one of the most spectacular drivers in Formula 1 as he demonstrated his ‘never say die’ attitude. Entry to the Donington Park Grand Prix Collection, incorporating the Wheatcroft Military Collection is available throughout the year, with admission for adults costing £10 and £4 for children aged 16 and under. Opening hours are from 10am-5pm with last admissions at 4pm. For more information visit www.donington-park.co.uk.


Marks and Spencer at Longbridge. 4th November 2015.

By Simon & Janet Wright.The redevelopment of the former site of the British Leyland (Austin) factory at Longbridge continues with the opening of the largest Marks and Spencer store in the West Midlands. The expanding shopping centre, off Longbridge Lane, already had a large Sainsbury’s supermarket, a hotel and several smaller stores open. The new Marks and Spencer store now expands the shopping centre and increases the car parking.With a ‘nod’ to the history of the site, on the

opening day, a group of Mini enthusiasts were invited to display a few cars on the car park outside Marks and Spencer. The Austin Mini originally was manufactured at Longbridge from 1959 and there were several good examples of this much loved British icon on display. The cars drew quite a bit of attention from the early shoppers to the new store, and someone even managed to sneak one of the new BMW Mini saloons in to the line up - unless it was an early shopper who spotted a parking space!© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright © Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

December 2015 Page 10Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final

Walter Hayes Trophy, Silverstone.31st October - 1st November 2015. By Simon Wright and

Pete Austin with additional photos by Janet Wright.

© Pete Austin


The high-light of the Historic Formula Ford season is the Walter Hayes Trophy meeting held on the Silverstone National circuit at the beginning of November. The large entry was divided in to six heats which took place on the Saturday along with a HSCC Historic Formula Ford 2000 race and a HSCC Closed wheel race. After morning qualifying, the first eight lap heat took place before the lunch break and gave Michael Moyers in a Spectrum 011C a close win of 0.190 of a second ahead of James Raven in a Ray GR11. After lunch, the Spectrum dominance continued with Stephen Daly winning heat two in a Spectrum FF1600 ahead of Ben Norton in another Spectrum 010B. Heat three saw three times Walter

Hayes winner Joey Foster only finish a close 2nd in his Ray GR08 behind Josh Fisher in a Van Diemen RF99.American Peter Dempsey in a Ray GR08/09 was making an attempt for his fourth Walter Hayes victory but he was beaten in Heat Four by Kevin O’Hara driving a Van Diemen RF01.Wayne Boyd driving a Van Diemen MS13K had won the previous weeks Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and continued his winning ways by winning Heat five by just 0.082 of a second from American Michai Stephens in a Ray GR13.The final heat was won by Jonny McMullan in a Van Diemen LA10 ahead of Oliver White in another Van Diemen JL015K.The other support race on Saturday was the HSCC 50Km Closed wheel Scratch Race. There was a great mix of sports

WHT Historic Final Matthew Cowley Reynard RF88 leads Nigel Thompson Van Diemen RF88

© Pete Austin

Michael Moyers Spectrum 011C leads James Raven Ray GR11 and Rob Barrable Ray GR10 on his way to winning Heat 1

Eric Moulinet Van Diemen RF90 had a quick spin in practice at Becketts

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright


Walter Hayes Trophy – Day 2 by Pete Austin.

Almost spring like conditions greeted everybody for day two which started with the Progression Race. Roger Orgee in his Van Diemen stormed through the field to win the Progression race and repeated the feat in the Last Chance Race later in the morning despite a red flag following a coming together between Jennifer Mullan and Steve Barlow at Brooklands. After lunch it was time for the first of the semi-finals. Graham

cars and saloons with Michael Schryver on Pole position in his black Chevron B6 while at the rear, over 18 seconds a lap slower, were a pair of German 2 stroke cars, Tim Bishop in a DKW F12 and Michael Ryman in a DKW 3-6. Although not the

fastest cars, they were some of the more spectacular, with both cars lifting front and rear wheels as they rounded

Luffied. The race was a walk in the park for Will Schryver who lapped the entire field in the 20 lap race. Myles Castaldini finished 2nd driving a Davrian Mk8, winning the Invitation Class.

Mick Luck was third in the powerful 6 litre Chevrolet Camaro.

Progression Race - Roger Orgee Van Diemen RF00 leads Jayde Kruger Van Diemen RF92

Winner Will Schryver Chevron B6 in the HSCC 50Km Closed Wheel

Tim Bishop DKW F12 battled Michael Ryman DKW 3-6 for last place.

Mike Luck Chevrolet Camaro finish 3rd in HSCC 50Km Closed wheel Iain McBay Davrian Mk8 leads Myles Castaldini Davrian Mk8 and David Hall Ford Lotus Cortina

© Pete Austin

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright


Carroll came through to win this one after a fraught battle behind involving Craig Fisher, Wayne Boyd and Jonny McMullan. Previous multiple trophy winner Joey Foster came in 6th after being tagged at Luffield. The second semi saw a narrow victory for Stephen Daly from Michael Moyers. Another multi winner, Peter Dempsey, finished 4th behind James Raven after they were both forced to run wide after Dempsey had a coming together with Kevin

O’Hara at Becketts.What was turning out to be an exciting final was rather spoilt when an incident at Brooklands in the middle of the race took out several contenders. Scot Graham Carroll (Van Diemen)

came through as the well deserved winner from Peter Dempsey, Oliver White and Scott Andrews. Much to his annoyance Peter Dempsey was subsequently excluded from the results for not using a HANS style head restraint moving everybody behind up one place.In the Historic and Classic Final Matthew Cowley (Reynard) scored a narrow win from Nigel Thompson

WHT Grand Final - Winner Graham Carroll - Van Diemen JL13

Geoff Friswell Trophy - Rob Manson - Mallock Mk21Graham Carroll WHT winner

WHT Semi Final 2 Peter Dempsey Ray GR08-09 leads Kevin O'Hara Van Diemen RF01

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin


in his Van Diemen. The first support race was the Geoff Friswell Trophy for clubmans cars with Rob Manson (Mallock) running out the winner following the retirement of Ray Mallock in his similar car. Mark Dwyer (March 742) took the honours in the Open Wheel race from Neil Hunt having a run in a brand new Tatuus MSV F4-016 (next years’ Formula 4 car). The closed Wheel Allcomers race was taken by Tim Gray in his Spire GT3. Joey Foster proved his versatility by coming in 4th in the spectacular Ginetta LMP3 car run, like the Tatuus, by Lanan Racing.

Supporting the Formula Ford races on Saturday was the final round of the HSCC Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship which was still to be decided between Tom Smith and Andrew Park. It was Benn Simms who grabbed pole position in his Reynard SF77 ahead of Callum Grant in a Delta T78. Park qualified fourth in his Reynard SF81 while Smith was sixth in his Royale RP27. Simms dominated the race but was trailed all the way by Grant who only lost out on the last lap to Park who snatched 2nd and was only 0.315 of a second behind Simms at the finish line. Smith had worked his way to 4th but was over 9 seconds behind the winner. However, Smith took fastest lap which was worth another point and that gave him the championship. At the end of the season Smith had scored 224 points and Park had 223 points while Callum Grant maintained his 3rd place in the championship.

Allcomers Closed Wheel - Joey Foster - Ginetta LMP3

Allcomers Open Wheel - Mark Dwyer - March 742 Fastest lap sealed the Championship for Tom Smith Royale RP27

Benn Simms Reynard SF77 leads Callum Grant and Andrew Park

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright


Alan Davenport Mallock Mk 18 leads Nik Spencer MG B GT in the HSCC 50Kms Closed wheel race

Ivor Mairs Reynard 84FF battled with Andrew Kludge Van Dieman RF89

Matthew Cowley Reynard RF88 and Jayde Kruger Van Diemen RF92 had a coming together in Heat 2Allcomers Open Wheel - Neil Hunt - Tatuus MSV F4-016

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin

Allcomers Closed Wheel - Tim Gray -Spire GT3

Conor Murphy Van Diemen RF83 leads Nigel Dolan Van Diemen JL012K in Heat 2

Mike Gardiner Ford Falcon class winning 5th in HSCC Closed wheel scratch race

Scott Andrews Spectrum 011C finished 5th in Heat 6

© Simon Wright © Janet Wright

© Janet Wright© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright© Simon Wright


Regent Street Motor Show 31st October 2015.By Mick Herring.

London's Regent Street once again played host to the free "Automotive Mile of Style" between Piccadilly and Oxford Circus, displaying more than 200 vehicles. Some were as old as the automotive industry alongside the latest innovations to reduce our overall effect on the environment and, in particular on large cities like London. In unusually

warm weather, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts, shoppers, local London residents and even rugby fans from the nearby World Cup fanzone at Trafalgar Square enjoyed looking at the eye catching machinery.The EFG Concours d'Elegance featured nearly one hundred pre-1905 vehicles ahead of their participation in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the award won by a 1901 De Dion Bouton Vis- a-Vis owned by Mr & Mrs Gigi Baulino. The car had been stored in Italy for nearly a century before

being brought to the UK.The most amusing anecdote concerns a 1904 De Dion Bouton No. 303, reputedly moved by its owner into his living room for safe wartime storage and enjoyed his pre-dinner aperitif in the

1901 De Dion Bouton still owned by the same family

1904 De Dion Bouton drinks dispenser

TFL Oldest Bus

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring


driver's seat, using the car's horn to summon his butler.TFL's oldest bus was present too.Transport for London and Go Ultra Low, together with manufacturers, showcased their latest concepts and vehicles aimed at the Ultra-Low to Zero emissions sector.Toyota displayed their hydrogen powered Mirai with 100%

electric cars like BMW's i3 and its rear hinged back doors, Nissan's Leaf plus Renault's Zoe and the tandem-seated Twizy at opposite ends of the genre.Also, don't forget that the Race of Champions has returned to the UK,

Caterham 6 Hour Build By Mick Herring.Caterham's 7, the venerable car enjoying the longest period of continuous production in history, came to London's Regent Street as piles and boxes of parts with four of Caterham's most experienced engineers. Working methodically, in public, they aimed to build the car up and drive it away inside the six hours before the show ended in order to showcase the car's ease of build in front of the large crowd.They did their sums correctly and what they would expect their average customer to complete in about 80 - 100 hours was duly completed in the day.

Continued Page 19

Toyota Mirai Hydrogen powered

BMW i3 Electric© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring


at the former London Olympic Stadium on November 20th/21st and to promote the event there was a display of a Radical SR3 RSX and an Ariel Atom Cup cars, the event drawing drivers from every discipline including F1, MotoGP, WRC, Indy Cars, Touring cars and Le Mans. Star of the show for me though was the fabulous Ferrari 250 GT "Breadvan", the history behind 2819 GT's construction is pure legend and displayed on the Silverstone Classic stand for the huge crowd to see.There was also the Spectators Special Award, voted for on-line, that went to the 1903 Mors of Mr Benard Holmes.

Henry Ford's 1901 Isotta Fraschini By Mick HerringMaking its debut at the Regent Street Motor Show, the EFG Concours d'Elegance and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run was Henry Ford's 1901 Isotta Fraschini, chassis number one.In 1930 the Italian dictator Mussolini wished to persuade Henry Ford to expand his European factories to include one in Italy.As an inducement to Ford, he prevailed upon the Isotta Fraschini company to gift their first car, from their collection, to Ford.It formed part of the Ford museum in Dearborn for a couple of years before being put into storage until its sale in the 1980s.The car was never bodied and devoid of seats, as Isotta were dissatisfied with their efforts at construction and returned to importing Renaults until a more concerted production effort began again in 1904. However, strong lobbying to the Italian government by the head of Fiat ensured that the competition did not come to Italy and build factory to compete with Fiat.

Ferrari 250 GT 'Breadvan'

Renault Twizy 100% electric

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring © Mick Herring


1898 Benz single cylinder

1898 Benz single cylinder

1898 Bergmann, described as a find of the century

1898 Henriod. Swiss built and totally original 1904 Norfolk, only 13 built

1902 Bolide with gentlemen One year apart 1903 and 04 Vauxhalls, Vauxhall owned Period style


© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring



James Bond Aston Martin DB10 By Mick HerringMaintaining an iconic association that first began fifty years ago, Aston Martin displayed one of the Aston Martin DB10 models that were built by them for the latest James Bond film epic "Spectre".The film, the 24th in the series and premiered just a few days before in London, features this car and Jaguar's C-X75 as its two main vehicles.

Ten examples of the silver Aston, with engines supplied by Mercedes AMG, were built at Gaydon specifically for the film and will not be offered for sale.Interestingly the front bonnet appears to be a one piece moulding, something of a departure for the company.Compounding that James Bond has lost little of his appeal over the years to all generations, the DB10 drew a huge crowd throughout the day.




Neil Howard Stages 7th November 2015. Oulton ParkPhotographs by Lucy Owen Moczadlo Jucy Rally Photographyand David Goose - Motorsport Imagery

© Lucy Owen-Moczadlo

Stephen Simpson and Patrick Walsh splash their way to victory in their Subaru Impreza WRC


Returning for a fourth time to Oulton Park, the Neil Howard Stage Rally was the opening round for the new Motorsport News Rally Championship, a new eight round series. The single venue rally incorporated a series of stages utilising both the venue’s rally course and various parts of the famous racing circuit and including a water splash. Each stage was run in both directions to increase the stage mileage without delaying the rally too much while amendments were made to the track layout.The large entry had attracted a wide variety of competing

teams and cars ranging from state of the art WRC cars right

through to the humble (and fast) historic Mini Cooper S.After a wet start to the day, it was Steve Simpson and Patrick Walsh who took the overall win in a Subaru Impreza WRC by just eleven seconds after 9 tough stages. They beat Kevin Procter and Derrick Fawcett in their similar Subaru Impreza WRC. Procter had been faster over the first four stages and had built up a lead of over 34 seconds. On stage 5 he lost 26 seconds to Simpson who then chipped away at the lead bit by bit until on the penultimate stage Simpson took the lead and extended it on the last stage for his victory. Third overall went to Adrian Spencer and Mark Hewitt in yet another Subaru Impreza, giving Subaru a clean sweep of the podium positions.

3rd overall Kevin Procter/Derrick Fawcett Subaru Impreza


Subaru may rule the roost now, but the Ford Escort in all guises is still one of the most popular rally cars in the World, and there were quite a few in this rally. The highest placed Ford Escort was the Class D1 winning Mk 2 driven by Paul and Jessica Swift who were 5th overall, just behind all the current WRC

Ian Hucklebridge/Gary Johnson Ford Escort Mk2 finished 21st in car 21

Stuart Gilks/Mike Boyns Talbot Sunbeam

© Motorsport-imagery





Alan Kitson/Ronald Aspinwall Sunbeam Imp Sport 3rd in Class A

Paul Swift / Jessica Swift Ford Escort Mk2 won Class D1

1st Class B Ryan Burns/Steve Hallmark Vauxhall Corsa

Vince Sillett/Terry Luckings Ford Escort Mk2 5th in Class CThe sole MG Metro 6R4 of Peter Smith and Alan Walker ploughs through the watersplash

to finish 8th in class and 13th overall





cars. Class C was also won by a Ford Escort Mk2 driven by Martin Hodgeson and Tony Jones. The modern Ford rally cars are equally successful with Class D2 being won by Graham Coffey and Victoria Myers in a Ford Fiesta WRC.Class A provided an easy win for Joe Cunningham and Marc Fowler in a Vauxhall Corsa and Class B was another Corsa win driven by Ryan Burns and Steve Hallmark.One or two crews had an eventful rally. The Talbot Sunbeam

Ben Moore/Jordan Joines Vauxhall Astra VXR Kit car finished 42nd overall

1st Class D2 Graham Coffey/Victoria Myers Ford Fiesta WRC



Mike English leaps his Ford Escort RS Mk2 at the watersplash

Lotus of Cathy Stewart and Colin Stephens went off and crashed early on in the rally, but they knocked it back in to shape and came back out to entertain the crowds. Neil Simpson and Elliott Edmondson made their debut in the Skoda Fabia RS but unfortunately retired after a stone went through the radiator.


The Talbot Lotus Sunbeam of Cathy Stewart showing signs of body damage after a crash



Kevin Procter/Derrick Fawcett 2nd overall in their Subaru Impreza WRC

© Lucy Owen-Moczadlo © Lucy Owen-Moczadlo



1st Class A Joe Cunningham/Marc Fowler Vauxhall Corsa

1st Class C Martin Hodgson/Tony Jones Ford Escort Mk 2

Neil Simpson had to retire the Skoda due to a holed radiator

David Davies/Rich Jones BMW Compact M3 finished 7th in Class D1

Wes Jacklin/Gareth Edwards Ford Puma S1400 showing battle damage




The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, NEC 13th-15th November 2015. By Simon & Janet Wright with addititonal photos by Pete Austin and Mick Herring.The Classic Motor Show at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham, continues to grow and expand. For this years event, the organisers tranferred the show to the five original halls at the NEC, as they are much larger than the newer halls that

have been used in previous years. This year, over the three days of the show,

almost 69,000 visitors attended, nearly 4,000 more than last year. There was plenty for them to see, with around 2,500 classic cars and bikes on show, many arranged on car club stands.The theme for this years show was “She’s a Beauty” and the shows major sponsor, Lancaster Insurance staged their own “Miss World” beauty pageant on its stand. They had six cars from various countries, plus a beautiful young lady representing the country. Members of the public were asked to vote for one of the six cars and on Sunday afternoon, the winner was announced. Television star Mike Brewer from the TV show Wheeler Dealer presented the award to Miss Great Britain and the winning car, an unusual

Gordon Keeble, built in Great Britain.The other major award presented at the show was the Meguiar’s Club Showcase. This was the 10th anniversary of this

Award winning Gordon Keeble© Simon Wright © Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

‘Miss France’ and ‘Miss Sweden’ with a Delorean


award, where Meguiar’s display all the best in show cars from the various classic car shows they support during the year. To decide the Best of the Best from the award winners was a hard task, with cars such as a 1974 Triumph TR6 (Winner 2015 Concours d’Elegance ‘Master Class’) up against a 1999 Mercedes-Benz C180 Elegance (Masterclass Winner 2015), a 1995 Mazda MX-5 1.8is (Winner Best in Show 2015 MX-5 Owners Club), a 1976 Australian Mini Clubman S (MiniWorld Car of the year 2015), a 1972 South African Ford Capri V8 Perana (Winner - Best Mk1 Capri Club International) and even a 1958 Volkswagen Beetle (Best in Show - VolksWorld Show 2015) plus several other outstanding winners. After much deliberation, the overall award went to Alexander Louden from County Antrim for his immaculate 1939 MG TB (Masterclass Winner 2015 Ballymena Car Fest)

A new feature for this years show was to allow individuals to show their classic cars and take part in the Pride of Ownership award without having to belong to a car club. This was won by Steve Mills from Long Eaton with his stunning 1926 Packard 420. He beat Richard Water’s 1962 Austin A40 Farina and Malcolm Dudley’s 1957 Meadow Frisky.Away from the competitions, there was plenty to see, with cars covering more than a century of motoring on display. All the World’s major manufacturers were represented, plus many minor players who may have only

© Pete AustinPride of Ownership winner - 1926 Packard 420 of Steve Mills

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

Meguiar winning MG TB Ferrari Owners lineup


built a handful of cars before disappearing from the market place. In Hall 1 there was a fantastic line up of Red Ferrari supercars, all from the modern era, including a Ferrari F40, F50, Enzo and La Ferrari. Maserati had more historical

cars on their display, while Rolls Royce had the brand new Wraith on its Owners Club stand along with many classic Rolls Royce saloons.Classic motor racing was well represented with large stands from the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC), the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC), the Bugatti Owners Club who run Prescott hill climb course and the Midland Automobile Club (MAC) who run Shelsley Walsh, the worlds oldest hill climb course still in use. There were other race cars

scattered all through the show. Vintage Race Car magazine had three superb sports racing cars on their stand, a Porsche 917 representing the Le Mans winning car from 1970, a GTP BMW prototype and an IMSA Toyota prototype. On Friday they also had 1970 Le Mans winner Richard Attwood on their stand with the Porsche 917, on Saturday they had John Watson who had driven the BMW and Sunday Ross Brawn was signing autographs. In one of the other halls there was also a special tribute to Graham Hill with some of his old cars.There were so many cars that they even used an annex to Hall 1 which contained mainly classic American cars, with plenty of fins and chrome on display. Many of the American car clubs also use the show to choose their cars of the year, with show winners from other shows during the year displaying their cars on club stands.

© Pete Austin© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright © Simon Wright

New Rolls Royce Wraith

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Le Mans winner Richard Attwood (Right)

MAC Club stand


Special Jensen wins Car of the Show award.A unique Jensen P66 prototype won the prestigious Car of the Show award on the Friday of the Classic Motor Show. The car was first thought of in 1965, possibly to fill a gap in the market after production of Austin Healey ceased. Only two were built, a convertible and the Coupe shown here. Powered by a Chrysler 383 V8 engine and Chrysler 833 manual transmission and a Hurst shifter. It was built during the winter of 1965/66 and driven on trade plates for the first year. It was finally registered in January 1967. The P66 was the last design of Eric Neale, the Jensen in-house designer. The company was taken over by the Norcros Group, who had their own designer - Kevin Beattie. He farmed out the next design to Italy for the Jensen Interceptor. The Jensen brothers wanted to produce the P66, but Norcros didn’t, so on his last day at work Alan Jensen ordered both of the prototypes be destroyed. The convertible was destroyed, but the coupe was out at the time and survives as a reminder of what might have been.

© Mick Herring

Sir Stirling Moss. By Mick Herring.On the Saturday of the show, Sir Stirling Moss was surrounded everywhere he went and using a different set of wheels, in the shape of an electric scooter, to ease his path. He had a busy schedule, visiting various stands during the day, signing autographs on the Lancaster Insurance stand as well as being interviewed on the stage in Hall 5 by Mike Brewer from TV’s Wheeler Dealers.

Best Small stand went to the 1100 Club that included a mannequin of Basil Fawlty armed with a branch ready to thrash his red Austin 1100 Estate “to within an inch of its life”.

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright


Miss GloriaThe Pre-1940 Triumph Motor Club really followed the theme of the show “She’s a beauty” with a ‘Miss Gloria’ on the stand to compliment the Triumph Gloria car on display. The name Gloria had been used by Triumph in the early days of the 20th century when the firm made bicycles, and then motorcycles and sidecars. However, the name became more significant in 1933 when the company launched the Triumph Gloria range of sporting cars. There has been much speculation that the car was named after the fashion icon and Selfridge model of the time “Miss Gloria”. Throughout the launch and marketing over the first two years her support and involvement with the company was very visible. She was born in Delph, to the north of Oldham as May Kenworthy, she began her working life as a winder in the local mill. But her beauty and elegance were remarkable even at a young age and she joined a mannequin training school in Manchester. She initially promoted household

products but was noticed at a London exhibition by a sales executive from Selfridges and they engaged her to model their exclusive range of expensive clothing. While working at Selfridges she became “Miss Gloria” and travelled all across Europe where she became one of the most photographed women in the World. She obviously caught the eye of the Directors at Triumph. There are many historic photos of her doing promotional work for the company at launches and shows and she even welcomed back the works rally team after their success at the 1935 Monte Carlo Rally.The Triumph Gloria range lasted from 1933 to 1937 and covered a range of designs from luxurious six cylinder saloons to small two seater sports models.

With thanks to the Pre-1940 Triumph Motor Club for supplying the historical information and “Miss Gloria”, Paula Cornwell who also does interactive talks based on the writing of the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce for Aspiring Lady Motorists of the 1920s for more information please email her at [email protected]

© Pete Austin

© Simon Wright


The best Large stand award went to the Mercedes-Benz Club which had a wonderful collection of historic cars on display, and the club allowed people to walk on to their stand to get close to the wonderful cars which included a 1932 290 Tourer, registered new in Tanzania. For a small donation to charity it was also possible to sit in a 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing, which at the time was the fastest production car in the World at 146 mph and the first to have fuel injection fitted. Only 1400 Gullwings were ever made.

Wolseley Mudlark.Wolseley’s only 4x4.

One of the rarest vehicles at the show was this Wolseley Mudlark. Only 15 were manufactured and only two have survived and the other is in India.The car was a personal project of Lord Nuffield who wanted to secure the post war contract to replace the WW2 American Jeep. The Mudlark was the first vehicle to use the Rolls Royce B40 2838 cc 4 cylinder petrol engine coupled to a 5 speed uni-directional gearbox with the reverse transfer gears housed within the rear axle, giving 5 reverse gears.

The Marcos Owners Club had the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours Marco LM 600 on their stand. The car was driven by Francois Migault, David Leslie and Chris March, son of Marcos founder Jem Marsh. The car finished second to last after suffering electrical problems and two hours stuck on the mulsanne straight soon after the start of the race.




© Pete Austin

Her Majesty The Queen’s 1961 Vauxhall Cresta Friary Estate

The Vauxhall StandGoldviva - 1964 Vauxhall Viva

Gerry Marshall’s 1975 Baby Bertha

1970 SRVStyling Research Vehicle

Vauxhall Vectra CDXThe Last Vauxhall car from Luton

1930 Vauxhall T Type Melton Golfer’s coupe

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright



The Majestic Motors stand had a customer's barn find Triumph TR3 on display, in very much "before" condition. He assured us that it was not as bad as it looked and it was very interesting to hear the sort of order that this restoration will be done in to be certain that everything will fit together properly on its completion. Judging by his immaculate, nearly ready, hillclimb "Clubmans" car it will be - By Mick Herring.

Minor Million By Mick Herring.

Displayed on the Morris Minor Owners Club stand at the Classic Motor Show was one of just 350 official Morris Minor 1,000,000 (Millions) built. The Minor was the first British car to sell one million units and went on to sell nearly 1.6 million variants before production ended in 1970. The actual millionth rolled off the production line in December 1960 and this immaculate example is given as 1961 example. Resplendent in its stunning, model defining, Lilac paintwork but otherwise a basically standard Minor, it would have been allocated to a Morris dealership to commemorate this milestone in production.

The Post Vintage Humber Car Club had an unusual car on their stand next to an immaculate standard Humber Hawk. The Humbersaurus is a 1952 Humber Super Snipe Mk III powered by a 7.8 litre Ford V8 engine mated to a C6 3 speed automatic gearbox and 9” Ford back axle with a Limited Slip Diff. The front suspension is from a Jaguar XJS with Spax Coil Overs. The interior is from a 1977 Cadillac and the radiator is original!

© Simon Wright

© Mick Herring© Mick Herring

© Mick Herring


VSCC Stand wins award.The Vintage Sports Car Club had an interesting selection of cars on the clubs stand for the Classic Motor Show. Pride of place went to Duncan Pittaway’s 1911 Fiat S76 ‘The Beast of Turin’ which had large crowds around it over all three days.The club was presented with the ‘Most Interesting Selection of Cars’ award from Classic and Sports Car Magazine. As well as the Fiat, to represent the various activities that the club undertakes during the year, the stand included a 1927 Delage DIS Tourer, a 1911 Talbot Model M Saloon, 1928 Hotchkiss saloon, the unique 1928 Laffite Type D and Gizmo - a 1930 Austin 7 Ulster Trials car belonging to Club Director Tania Brown

© Pete Austin

A beautifully detailed car and, particularly, the engine of a 40/50 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost looked huge and purposeful.

© Mick Herring

Best Medium Stand Prize went to Renault Classic Car Club group celebrating 50 years of theR16. Those on display included a 1965Renault R16 and a 1979 Renault R16 TX.

The live stage proved popular all weekend with Mike Brewer, Edd China, Fuzz Townshend and Ant Anstead

© Simon Wright


© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin

Graham Hill 1968 Championship winning Lotus Ford 49

1973 Embassy Racing Shadow DN1-3A1964 BRM P2611962 BRM P57

© Simon Wright



Silverstone Auctions NEC Classic Motor Show Sale.Held within the Classic Motor Show, Silverstone Auctions held their annual sale over the weekend, with an interesting selection of vehicles. The vehicles ranged from a 1978 Austin Mini Clubman Estate which sold for £8,804, through many sports cars right up to a 1991 Jaguar XJ200 which sold for £315,000

1988 KVA GT40 sold for £42,750

1981 Renault 5 Turbo 1 Sold £61,875

1972 Citroen SM Maserati Sold £51,188

1962 Mercedes Benz 190SL Sold £95,625

1991 Ford Sieerrs Cosworth R 5500Sold for £90,0000

1959 Fiat 500 MultiplaUnsold

1990 Bentley Mulsanne SSold £29,813

1969 Marcos GT3000Sold £11,025

Jaguar XJ200Sold £315,000

1990 Porsche 911 (964) Carrera 4Sold £43,875

1974 Ford Capri RS3100Sold £48,375

© Pete Austin


© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright



© Simon Wright© Janet Wright


Historic Bonhams 119th London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Sunday 1st November 2015.

The annual pilgrimage of Veteran cars driving from London to Brighton took place at the beginning of November with a foggy, but unseasonably mild start at the capital. By the time the vehicles had reached the promanade at Brighton, the sun had come out to greet the weary travellers. More than 380 vehicles took the start at Hyde Park to follow the 60 mile route south to a sunny Sussex seafront, all built before 1905. This year the route took in the Mall, past Buckingham Palace for only the third time in half a century.

They then went past Big Ben and over Westminster bridge. With the early start, even taking in to account the mist in London, the first cars arrived on Maderia Drive in Brighton by just after 10am with a 1903 Berliet driven by John Bentley first over the line just ahead of a 1904 Fiat of Dutchman Jan Bruijn.Some of the celebrities taking part this year included DJ and new Top Gear presenter Chris Evans, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, renowned Formula 1 team boss Ross Brawn and ex Grand Prix driver and Le Mans winner Jochen Mass. Chris Evans,

1904 Brennan driven by David Mellor

1901 Locomobile steam car driven by Robert Adams

December 2015 Page 381903 Clement driven by Tim Watson, Crawley


One Show presenter Alex Jones and BBC Radio 2 DJ Ken Bruce were all driving three classic coaches on the run to raise £350,000 for Children in Need. Before the start Evans, Bruce and Jones were joined by Natalie Lowe from Strictly Come Dancing and Robert Bruce, Chairman of Bonhams for the

ceremonial tearing up of the Red Flag which used to be carried by a man in front of a motor vehicle prior to 1896 when the speed limit was 4 mph. The 1896 Highways act

1900 New Orleans driven by Douglas Pope in Sussex

raised the speed limit to 14 mph and abolished the red flag.There was an American theme for this years run, and there were a large number of American Cars taking part including the 1901 Isotta Frachini (See page 19).All the celebrities made it to the finish line, though Ross Brawn did require his engineering skills to keep the 1904 Wilson Pilcher going in spite of a broken flywheel. A total of 342 cars made it to the finish line by the 4:40pm deadline, and received the coveted Finishers medal.One of the most impressive finishers was the steam powered 1888 Truchulet driven by Daniel Ward, the oldest car on the event and also believed to be one of the earliest vehicles to have completed the journey.A new feature to the event, introduced in 2013, is the regularity section, where participants have to average a precise speed between two control points. This years winner was Rodney Fowler driving a 1900 Georges Richard.

1888 Truchete driven by Daniel Ward

Robert Brookes, Alex Jones, Ken Bruce, Natalie Lowe, Chris Evans

December 2015 Page 40Steam car in Hyde Park

1902 De Dion Bouton driven by Michael Sapsford1901 Teledo steam carriage driven by James Gregory 1904 Cadillac driven by Robin Morrison

Fans en route to Brighton

Finish at Brighton seafront


1904 Humberette driven by James Morant

Brighton Pavilion1903 De Dion Bouton crosses Westminster Bridge © 2015 RSMS and VCR Media Office, All rights reserved.


It hardly seems possible but it is now 40 years since Graham Hill together with Tony Brise and four other team members lost their lives when Graham's plane crashed near Elstree on the 29th November 1975 after a test at Paul Ricard. This months photograph shows Graham seated in his Embassy Lola T370 before the 1974 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

Archive Photo of the month. By Pete Austin

© Pete Austin


Wales Rally GB - Rally of Legends12-15th November 2015.

Photos by David Goose - Motorsport-Imagery.

Local Hero Kris Meeke made it a podium finish with 2nd overall in his Citroen DS3 WRC© Motorsport-imagery


The final round of the FIA World Rally Championship took place in the Welsh forests in the middle of November. The rally consisted of 19 competitive stages including the famous Great Orme stage at LLandudno and Myherin in the forests, plus Dyfnant and a Rallyfest family stage at Chirk Castle on the Saturday.Held late in the year, the event always poses a challenge to competitiors, but this year was probably one of the most challenging with heavy rain and gale force winds, which did cause the Great Orme stage to be closed to spectators for safety reasons. Even so, the event was still a

great success, with 160 teams taking part and more than 20,000 spectators watching the action.Under such challenging conditions, it was triple World Champion Sebastien Ogier from France and co-driver Julien Ingrssia who led from the start in their Volkswagen Polo R WRC, having to fight off an early challenge from his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala in the sister VW Polo, which quickly faded on only stage 2, Sweet lamb. This left local hero Kris Meeke to take up the chase in his works Citroen DS3 WRC. They maintained the gap on the leading Polo over the course of the event, but Meeke needed to ensure that Citroen finished 2nd in the championship and therefore did not want to risk taking chances to overtake the flying Frenchman. At the end of the rally, Meeke was only 26 seconds behind Ogier.Third place went to another VW Polo, driven by Norwegian driver Andreas Mikkelsen which also consolidated his 3rd position in the Championship after nine top 3 finishes during the season.Behind the top three, there was a tremendous battle for 4th place between Mads Ostberg, Elfyn Evans, Dani Sordo, Ott Tanak, Hayden Paddon and Thierry Neuville in his Hyundai

Motorsport N i20 WRC. The first to fall was Neuville who first lost a wheel in Myherin and then later rolled in Dyfnant. Next to falter was local Welsh hero Evans who suffered a puncture on Hafren 2 and a hairpin stall the next day, which started a drive back which would get him to 6th place by the end in his Ford Fiesta RS

Triple World Champion Ogier took another win in his VW Polo R WRC

Dani Sordo managed to get to the finish in 4th place in his Hyundai N i20 WRC




WRC. Paddon suffered hydraulic problems in his Hyundai but would manage to get to the finish in 5th place. Ostberg had a puncture on Dyfi 1 followed by a mistake through Dyfnant left his Citroen DS3 beached in a ditch. He would recover to 7th at the end. Tanak looked like he was going to finish in 4th overall, but he suffered an accident on Sunday morning which resulted in damage to the left rear of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. This left Dani Sordo in his Hyundai i20 WRC battling against gearbox

problems to come through and claim 4th place. Another notable performance came from ex-Grand Prix driver Robert Kubica who finished 9th in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Network Q WRGB National Rally.Running in conjunction with the Wales Rally GB WRC event was the Network Q WRGB National Rally. This had a capacity 89 car field of ‘clubman’ drivers competing on the same stages as the stars of the World Rally Championship, under the same gruelling conditions. If the tricky weather conditions were not enough, there was a twist in the tail for this event as Jock Armstrong and Paula Swinscoe who had lead for most of the event retired on the very final stage of the rally. The TEG Subaru Impreza ground to a halt just five corners from the end of the stage with ball joint failure.This handed victory to last years winners Mike Faulkner and Pete Foy in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX by a huge margin of

4 minutes and 43 seconds over David Howells and Robin Hernaman in their Subaru Impreza. Third overall went to Wug Utting and Bob Stokoe in another Subaru Impreza N12b. The Historic class was initially lead by Simon Webster and Frank Richer in a Ford Escort, who were the highest placed History crew in 4th place overall, winning the Historic Class H3. But the crowds favourite was Five Times British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae at the wheel of a Vauxhall Firenza V8 with Pauline Gullick. Unfortunately McRae had wiper failure on day two, which slowed them considerably in the awful conditions. Then

Welsh Hero Elfyn Evans had problems in his Ford Fiesta WRC

Jari-Matti Latvala early challenge faded in his VW Polo R WRC

Faulkner/Foy were handed victory on the last stage




December 2015 Page 46Five times British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae in his Vauxhall Firenza V8 retired on the last stage© Motorsport-imagery


on the final day, as he was chasing down Holmes for the class victory, McRae retired on the final stage with suspension failure. Holmes also retired on the final stage which left the class win to Barry Jordan in his Hillman Avenger. Class B2 went to Kit and Tim Leigh in their Ford Fiesta R200 while Class B1 was won by Rory Jones and Tom Hughes driving an MG ZR.

Webster/Richer won the History class in their Ford Escort

Jordan/Gratton-Smith were handed the class win on the last stage in their Hillman Avenger

Class winners Kit & Tim Leigh in their Ford Fiesta R200

Hastings/McGuire Subaru Impreza won Class B4

Mike Storrar/Andrew Jones British Leyland ADO 28, better known as the Marina

© Motorsport-imagery © Motorsport-imagery





Utting/Stokoe Subaru Impreza was 3rd on the National Rally

Howells/Hernaman Subaru Impreza 2nd overall on National Rally

Class winning Ford Fiesta ST Max of Utting/AinsworthSlowly Sideways displayed historic rally cars at the Chirk Castle Rallyfest stage including this Lada, the Ginetta (Lower left) and the MG 6R4 (Below Right)

© Motorsport-imagery © Motorsport-imagery






Enthusiasts of British Motor Vehicles built before 1985. Coventry Transport Museum. 7th November 2015. By Simon & Janet Wright.

1955 Ford Anglia with a 1172cc engine and modified 1959 Ford Anglia fitted with a 3.5 litre engine

© Simon Wright


A very wet Saturday morning greeted the British Car Enthusiasts who arrived at Coventry Transport Museum to proudly display their pre 1985 British Classic cars in Millenium Place outside the front of the museum. The adverse weather conditions had not put off many owners, though the majority of vehicles were more modern with the majority coming from between the 1960s and 1985.As usual at these local meetings, there is often a majority of cars on show that were built locally in the Midlands, as it was

the heart of the British motor industry. However, it was nice to see quite a few classic Ford’s on display, including a Capri, Mk 1 Cortina, Escort, a couple of Granada’s and a nice example of a Zephyr. Another unusual modern

classic was a fine example of a Vauxhall VX 4/90. This was a sporting version of the Vauxhall Victor FD which was built between 1967 and 1972, but the VX 4/90 was not introduced until October 1968. The VX 4/90 replaced the normal bench seat on previous Victor models with sporty bucket seats and a more normal floor mounted gear stick connected to a four speed manual gearbox with overdrive (Automatic was an option). The car had a top speed of 97 mph with a 0-60mph time of 13.2 seconds, which was reasonable for a heavy sporty saloon (Kerbweight 2486 Ibs). When launched it cost £1,203 8s 1d and a total of 14,277 were built.It was nice to see that quite a few older classic car owners had made the effort to bring their vehicles out in such poor weather conditions. Next to the museum entrance was a fine

example of a 1952 black Triumph Renown ‘Razoredge’. In the 1930’s car designs were becoming more rounded to aid stream-lining and aerodynamics. A group of designers decided to move toward sharper edge designs which became known as Razoredge and Triumph produced several models which fitted this category which included the 1800,

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

Ford Cortina Mk1

Vauxhall VX 4/90


© Simon Wright © Simon Wright© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright


Morris 8

Vanden Plas Allegro

Magenta Kit CarRover 16

Ford Zephyr


2000 and Renown. There were only around 2,000 of the Renown built between 1952 and 1954.Another Coventry based manufacturer was Alvis and there were two quite different examples of Alvis cars on display. The first

was a 1937 Alvis Silver Crest TF 6 Light which was a luxury saloon powered by a 2.8 litre straight 6 engine which produced around 91 bhp and gave a top speed of 83 mph.The second Alvis was a 1964 Alvis TE21 3 litre saloon. The straight six engine produced around 130 bhp which gave the car a top speed of around 107 mph.

The most unusual car on display was a 1981 Bristol 412 Zagato, the only series production of a Zagato design by Bristol. This sleek car is unusual because the bodywork was designed and built in Italy, then shipped to Bristol where it was attached to the Chassis in the Filton factory. The car was powered by a 5.9 litre V8 Canadian Chrysler engine driving the rear wheels through a Torqueflite automatic gearbox. The model was built between

1975 and 1993 and came with a Targa top which could be removed and placed in the boot.

Triumph Renown

1937 Alvis Silver Crest TF6

1964 Alvis TE21

Bristol 412 Zagato

© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright


Triumph Dolomite Sprint Ford Capri

Austin Metro

Ford Escort and GranadaRover and Jaguar differ in styling

© Simon Wright © Simon Wright

© Simon Wright



Under a clear blue sky but with a bitter wind blowing the Vintage Sports Car Club paid their annual visit to the Prescott Hill Climb course and surrounding area for the Cotswold Trial. Over 100 crews in cars ranging from numerous Austin Sevens’ to the mighty Mercedes 60HP of Ben Collings and the four and a half litre Bentley of Norman Lloyd tackled nine hills in the surrounding area in the morning with the final four sections being at Prescott itself in the afternoon.Although the weather was cold and dry a number of the

sections, particularly under the trees, proved to be quite taxing as the day went on. Overall winner was William McVicker (Austin 7 Chummy) who took the Harold Powell Cup and a first in class for Short Wheelbase Modified and Special Cars with Simon Price (Ford Model A Special) taking the Inderwick Cup for best Vintage car and a first in class in this category. Matt Johnson (Austin 7), Emma Wall (Austin 7 Special), David Golightly (Model T Ford) and Michael Pallett (Austin 7 Ulster) also took 1st class

© Syd Wall

Vintage Sports Car Club Cotswold Trial 21st November 2015.

By Pete Austin with additional photos by Syd Wall.


awards. In the Novice Class, the Cotswold Cup and 1st in class was awarded to Matt Price in his Austin 7 Ulster. 1st in class awards for Short Wheelbase Standard Cars went to Russell

Hennessy (Morris Bullnose) and Mark Smith (MG J2). In the class for Long Wheelbase Standard cars John Wiseman led the field in his Ford Model A while Steve White (Riley Ford Special)

took the honours in the category for Long Wheelbase Modified and Special cars. It was good to see VSCC past president Julian Ghosh out in his Vauxhall with former press officer Gillian Carr as one of his crew.It was getting quite dark by the time the last crews finished

© Syd Wall © Syd Wall

Ben Collings Mercedes 60HP

John Dobson - Ford Model A Julian Ghosh - Vauxhall Super G© Pete Austin © Pete Austin

Keith Hill Singer Junior Special


but the warmth of the Prescott Clubhouse beckoned.Thanks to VSCC press officer James Taylor for his help in covering this event.

© Syd Wall

© Syd Wall

Norman Lloyd Bentley 3/4.5 litre

Merlin Evans Austin 7 Ulster Special

Mark Smith - MG J2

John Wiseman - Ford Model A

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin


© Syd Wall

© Syd Wall

Mike Littlewood Ford `Model A

Matt Price - Austin 7 Ulster

William McVicker - Austin 7 Chummy© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin

Andrew Fox Austin 7 Special


© Syd Wall

Alexandra Milne-Taylor AJS 2 Seater Sports

© Syd Wall

Jamie Brashaw Ford Model A

© Syd Wall

Richard Edmonds Chrysler B-70 Tourer

© Syd Wall

Simon Price Ford Model A Special

Simon Price - Ford Model A Special Emma Wall - Austin 7 Special

Norman Lloyd - BentleyMichael Pallett - Austin 7 Ulster

Matt Johnston - Austin 7

© Pete Austin

© Pete Austin © Pete Austin

© Pete Austin© Pete Austin

Documents

Classic and Competition Car 63 December 2015