Showing posts with label Sunbeam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunbeam. Show all posts
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Sunday, 22 July 2012
GALPOT Weekly #40
Welcome to Galpot Weekly #40 the compendium of activity on the "Gettin' a li'l psycho on tyres" blog.
The week started with a look at some of the machinery that appeared at the most recent Avenue Drivers Club meeting at Queens Square in Bristol where I spotted this vintage Sunbeam 20/9 pick up. The next Avenue Drivers Club meeting is scheduled for August 12th and it's free.
The world's oldest known MG a 14/28 Super Sports, seen above at the recent Brooklands Double Twelve meeting was the feature of Tuesday's post.
James May and glamor model Madison Welch allegedly took part in a Majorcan Classic Rally with the Citroén Ami 8, seen above at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, which was the feature of Wednesdays blog. For some reason the car became known by fellow competitors as "The Love Boat".
Americana Thursday's featured car the Chevrolet powered Shadow Mk III was another star of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The extreme styled Ferrari Enzo designed by Ken Okuyama was the subject of Ferrari Friday's blog.
Saturday's Lotus blog featured the racing version of the Lotus Elan known as the Lotus 47. Seen here is the rechassised car that John Miles and Jackie Oliver drove to a class victory in the 1967 Brands Hatch six hour race.
Today's blog looks at some of the vehicles that took part in last weekends Classics at the Castle event at Sherborne Castle which included this Chevrolet powered Austin Healey 100 BN1.
Thanks for joining me for GALPOT Weekly #40 I hope you have enjoyed catching up with the weeks posts at "Gettin' a li' psycho on tyres" and that you will join me during the week ahead when I'll be featuring the latest from Silverstone Classic in a bumper edition tomorrow an NSU on Continental Curiosity Wednesday, an Italian bodied Corvette on Americana Thursday and a big banger Ferrari on Friday. Don't forget to come back now !
The week started with a look at some of the machinery that appeared at the most recent Avenue Drivers Club meeting at Queens Square in Bristol where I spotted this vintage Sunbeam 20/9 pick up. The next Avenue Drivers Club meeting is scheduled for August 12th and it's free.
The world's oldest known MG a 14/28 Super Sports, seen above at the recent Brooklands Double Twelve meeting was the feature of Tuesday's post.
James May and glamor model Madison Welch allegedly took part in a Majorcan Classic Rally with the Citroén Ami 8, seen above at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, which was the feature of Wednesdays blog. For some reason the car became known by fellow competitors as "The Love Boat".
Americana Thursday's featured car the Chevrolet powered Shadow Mk III was another star of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The extreme styled Ferrari Enzo designed by Ken Okuyama was the subject of Ferrari Friday's blog.
Saturday's Lotus blog featured the racing version of the Lotus Elan known as the Lotus 47. Seen here is the rechassised car that John Miles and Jackie Oliver drove to a class victory in the 1967 Brands Hatch six hour race.
Today's blog looks at some of the vehicles that took part in last weekends Classics at the Castle event at Sherborne Castle which included this Chevrolet powered Austin Healey 100 BN1.
Thanks for joining me for GALPOT Weekly #40 I hope you have enjoyed catching up with the weeks posts at "Gettin' a li' psycho on tyres" and that you will join me during the week ahead when I'll be featuring the latest from Silverstone Classic in a bumper edition tomorrow an NSU on Continental Curiosity Wednesday, an Italian bodied Corvette on Americana Thursday and a big banger Ferrari on Friday. Don't forget to come back now !
Monday, 3 October 2011
RIP WB - William Boddy Brooklands Tribute
On Saturday events conspired to allow me to visit for the first time the worlds first purpose built motor sport venue, Brooklands.
Brooklands was built in 1907, it was simultaneously also one of Britains first airfields. Brooklands became a centre of engineering excellence and racing continued their interrupted only by the Great War of 1914 - 1918. By 1939 what would become the all time lap record was set at 143.44 mph by John Cobb. A well known photo of John's record breaking run show's his 24 litre / 1461 cui Napier Railton, weighing several tons, flying along with all four wheels off the ground ! Such was the unevenness of the track. After the second world war racing failed to resume as industrial and residential pressures on the previously rural circuit took it's toll on the circuits fabric.
Enthusiasts gathered on Saturday to pay tribute to William 'Bill' Boddy MBE who in a career spanning 81 years served as editor of the publication Motor Sport from 1936 - to 1991. He famously kept the magazine going through out WW2 during his spare time while working for the Ministry of Aircraft Production.
Bill passed away in July and this Saturdays gathering included many of the actual cars, like this 1926 Sunbeam 3 Litre Super Sports, with which Bill had been associated during a career that played a significant part in firing this writers imagination during his miss spent youth. Owner of the Sunbeam Oliver Heal tells me WB was a passenger in this car one cold wet November day while being chaufferred by John Wyer future team manager at Aston Martin, Ford and of his own Gulf Sponsored JWA teams that successfully ran Ford, Porsche and Mirage chassis in sports car races.
In 1930 Bills first article published in Motor Sport was on the history Brooklands, the above 1907 Berliet V8 seen on The Hill is contemporaneous with the year the track opened 20 years before Bill made his first visit to Brooklands.
One of my favourite irregular features in Motor Sport is Bills 'Forgotten Makes' series into which category I would have to include this 1926 Gwynne 8 of which WB, as Bill was known to his readers, owned 3 using one as his transport through out WW2.
The 'racing dentist' Tony Brooks is seen above on the left retelling his memories of WB when his career was in the ascendant scoring the first Grand Prix win, since 1923, by an Englishman driving a British built car, the Connaught, at Syracuse in 1955.
While working at the Ministry of Aircraft Production WB met conscientious objector Denis 'DSJ' Jenkinson who was building a motorcycle by torch light in a shed during the WW2. WB would eventually employ DSJ, who was so obsessed with racing that when he settled down he eschewed both mains electricity and mains water, to become Continental Correspondent at Motor Sport. Among many cars that DSJ enjoyed was the red E-Type Jaguar above in which he drove 110,000 miles between 1965 and 1970 visiting all the top races and the best circuits in Europe during that time.
This 1947 Volkswagen was road tested by WB in 1952, he was so impressed VW's that he used them for editorial transportation. This particular vehicle is possibly also responsible for coining the 'Beetle' name for the model, VW importer and owner of this car John Colborne-Barber founded the VW Owners Club of Great Britain and published a magazine called 'Beetling' because contemporaries of his sons at school referred to this very car as a 'Beetle'.
Finally perhaps the greatest thrill of the WB tribute day was to see a few of the cars, including Cobb's Napier-Railton, that made history at Brooklands being demonstrated out on part of the remains of the famous 100 ft wide Brooklands banking. Sure they were only tootling about having fun, but the noise was absolutely unforgettable and sure to have been heard by the spirit of WB where ever it resides. A fitting tribute to the man who was involved in saving much of what remains at Brooklands for us to enjoy well into the future.
Thanks for joining me on this Bill Boddy edition of 'Gettin' a little psycho on tyres' I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
Brooklands was built in 1907, it was simultaneously also one of Britains first airfields. Brooklands became a centre of engineering excellence and racing continued their interrupted only by the Great War of 1914 - 1918. By 1939 what would become the all time lap record was set at 143.44 mph by John Cobb. A well known photo of John's record breaking run show's his 24 litre / 1461 cui Napier Railton, weighing several tons, flying along with all four wheels off the ground ! Such was the unevenness of the track. After the second world war racing failed to resume as industrial and residential pressures on the previously rural circuit took it's toll on the circuits fabric.
Enthusiasts gathered on Saturday to pay tribute to William 'Bill' Boddy MBE who in a career spanning 81 years served as editor of the publication Motor Sport from 1936 - to 1991. He famously kept the magazine going through out WW2 during his spare time while working for the Ministry of Aircraft Production.
Bill passed away in July and this Saturdays gathering included many of the actual cars, like this 1926 Sunbeam 3 Litre Super Sports, with which Bill had been associated during a career that played a significant part in firing this writers imagination during his miss spent youth. Owner of the Sunbeam Oliver Heal tells me WB was a passenger in this car one cold wet November day while being chaufferred by John Wyer future team manager at Aston Martin, Ford and of his own Gulf Sponsored JWA teams that successfully ran Ford, Porsche and Mirage chassis in sports car races.
In 1930 Bills first article published in Motor Sport was on the history Brooklands, the above 1907 Berliet V8 seen on The Hill is contemporaneous with the year the track opened 20 years before Bill made his first visit to Brooklands.
One of my favourite irregular features in Motor Sport is Bills 'Forgotten Makes' series into which category I would have to include this 1926 Gwynne 8 of which WB, as Bill was known to his readers, owned 3 using one as his transport through out WW2.
The 'racing dentist' Tony Brooks is seen above on the left retelling his memories of WB when his career was in the ascendant scoring the first Grand Prix win, since 1923, by an Englishman driving a British built car, the Connaught, at Syracuse in 1955.
While working at the Ministry of Aircraft Production WB met conscientious objector Denis 'DSJ' Jenkinson who was building a motorcycle by torch light in a shed during the WW2. WB would eventually employ DSJ, who was so obsessed with racing that when he settled down he eschewed both mains electricity and mains water, to become Continental Correspondent at Motor Sport. Among many cars that DSJ enjoyed was the red E-Type Jaguar above in which he drove 110,000 miles between 1965 and 1970 visiting all the top races and the best circuits in Europe during that time.
This 1947 Volkswagen was road tested by WB in 1952, he was so impressed VW's that he used them for editorial transportation. This particular vehicle is possibly also responsible for coining the 'Beetle' name for the model, VW importer and owner of this car John Colborne-Barber founded the VW Owners Club of Great Britain and published a magazine called 'Beetling' because contemporaries of his sons at school referred to this very car as a 'Beetle'.
Finally perhaps the greatest thrill of the WB tribute day was to see a few of the cars, including Cobb's Napier-Railton, that made history at Brooklands being demonstrated out on part of the remains of the famous 100 ft wide Brooklands banking. Sure they were only tootling about having fun, but the noise was absolutely unforgettable and sure to have been heard by the spirit of WB where ever it resides. A fitting tribute to the man who was involved in saving much of what remains at Brooklands for us to enjoy well into the future.
Thanks for joining me on this Bill Boddy edition of 'Gettin' a little psycho on tyres' I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Classic Expo - Race Retro, Stoneleigh, Coventry 2/2.
Today I am concluding my overview of the Race Retro exhibition I started yesterday.
One of the things I loved about this exhibition was exhibitors enthusiasm to show visitors
what was under the bonnet of their exhibits.
Several exhibitors displayed their handy work and craftsmanship in the form of finished motors for display.
There was far more to see than my six hour visit would allow, I did not get a chance to look in any detail at the many motor cycles on display.
The event is best described as a mini Goodwood Festival of Speed,
slightly more intimate because of the smaller crowds but still like being a kid in a toy shop.
With thanks to Tim Murray and the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club without home this blog would not have been possible.
Hope you have enjoyed my overview of the Race Retro Exhibition and that you'll join me again tomorrow for for a look at the first of a couple of vehicle manufacturers I do not recall hearing of before visiting Race Retro. Don't forget to come back now !
One of the things I loved about this exhibition was exhibitors enthusiasm to show visitors
what was under the bonnet of their exhibits.
Several exhibitors displayed their handy work and craftsmanship in the form of finished motors for display.
There was far more to see than my six hour visit would allow, I did not get a chance to look in any detail at the many motor cycles on display.
The event is best described as a mini Goodwood Festival of Speed,
slightly more intimate because of the smaller crowds but still like being a kid in a toy shop.
With thanks to Tim Murray and the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club without home this blog would not have been possible.
Hope you have enjoyed my overview of the Race Retro Exhibition and that you'll join me again tomorrow for for a look at the first of a couple of vehicle manufacturers I do not recall hearing of before visiting Race Retro. Don't forget to come back now !
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