Tag Archives: Bristol

2011 GALPOT Review #3 – Motoring Events

This week I am reviewing the GALPOT year 2011, on Monday I looked at some of the Museums I have visited and yesterday I looked at some of the Concours d’Elegance events covered on GALPOT thanks to Geoffrey Horton, today I am reviewing some the motoring events I have attended which includes any gathering short of a full blown racing.

By the end of January cabin fever was setting in and I leaped at the opportunity to go to my first Pistonheads Sunday Service which was convened at the BMW Plant car park just outside Oxford. I am not sure how many people attended but I was pleased to see several Bristol’s including this 405 Drophead.

April sees Bristol host it’s Annual Italian Auto Moto Festival a display of all things Italian on two and four wheels. Despite the presence of a fabulous array of red Friday cars the undoubted star of this years festival for me was the Cobra killing de Tomaso Mangusta.

I managed to make two trips to Silverstone this year the first for the Silverstone Classic Press Day which was a testing session with a veritable armada of Press Corps present. Star of the day was the Hesketh 308B the same chassis that James Hunt drove to Hesketh’s only Grand Prix victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1975.

Tony ‘Giraffe’ Gallagher from The Nostalgia Forum kindly organized a trip to CGA Engineering in Warrington where former Lotus employee Colin Bennett and his sons were workong wonders with racing cars spanning the late 1960’s to the early 1990’s including the Formula 2 spec March 71B chassis above decked out in Vick’s livery in tribute to Ronnie Peterson.

Thanks to the generosity of David Roots from the Bath & West Car Club I received an invitation to attend the Classic and Sports Car Action Day at Castle Combe. A tight schedule meant I focused my attention entirely on the vehicles in the car park including this Hillman Avenger Tiger Replica.

If your a fan of simple joys, it hard to believe that you will not leap at the chance to jump in the dinky little Morgan 3 Wheeler at some point in your life, I saw this one several times during the course of the year at, Silverstone, Goodwood and during several visits to the Morgan factory.

A hectic July weekend saw me pop into the Silverstone Classic for the first of the three days of entertainment, I probably saw more cars in action and photographed more than in any single day in my entire life that Friday. Among the many revelations was this Morgan Triumph SLR which I mistook for some unknown Italian exotica on the day, unfortunately all the action I saw was qualification sessions, I’ll try and make more time for the event in 2012. Many thanks to garyfrogeye amongst many others who helped me out by contacting Mr John Sprinzel who along with the recently departed Chris Lawrence was responsible for this masterpiece of British craftsmanship.

If I had my way every Wednesday I’d be up at the crack of dawn, sometimes earlier, and head 125 miles north to Mallory Park for the finest full English, breakfast, that money can buy and enjoy a veritable pot puree of vehicles being run in and tested around the track. Sadly this year I only made it the twice but it was worth it, where else could I see a vintage Riley being driven flat out next to a spec series Ford Ranger ?

Thanks to another tip from David Roots I made a, very long, diversion on my way from Bristol to the airport to the Haynes International Motor Museum to see the Rare Breeds show. I was not disappointed, I still have many of the vehicles I saw that day to blog about in the coming month. Above is a rotary 3 cylinder motor that tilts to engage the clutch of the Lafitte 5 CV.

Among many firsts in 2011 I managed a visit to the worlds first purpose built motor racing venue, Brooklands which dates to 1907 and sadly fell into disuse in 1939 with the onset of World War 2. I was there for the William Boddy Tribute Meeting to honor a journalist who was in part responsible for realizing my own passion for all things motoring and who did much to help save what is left of the Brooklands track today. One of the highlights of my motoring year was seeing a handful of cars from Brooklands heyday being driven over the crumbling but none the less hallowed concrete.

The day after Brooklands I visited Dyrham Park which used to be a Hill climb venue in the 1960’s where a demonstration of vehicles that were and would have been, entered in the original events took place. Unfortunately today’s safety requirements make it quite impossible for a modern competitive event to take place at Dyrham Park but it was wonderful to see so many cars being driven with a modicum of spirit up the hill.

Unfortunately my hard drive went on tilt after my visits to Brooklands and Dyrham Park so I will not be able to post any further images from these two events.

A couple of weeks ago I was near Manchester for a TNF meeting with my friend Tim who had never been to Oulton Park before, so we made the short diversion from a friends house and found a track day in progress, one of the star vehicles was this 130 hp Simca 1000 which once belonged to Frank Breidenstein – President of ”Simca Heckmotor (rear engine) Deutschland”.

My sincerest thanks to everyone who made these adventures and the blogs that came form them possible, not least Tim who is both a fountain of useful information and a handy map reader.

Thanks for joining me on this events edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me for a review of 2011’s racing action tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Set 1 Sports & GT Cars

Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition

Set 3 1934 Season

Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s

Set 5 Mike Hawthorn’s Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

Looking for Automotive Seasonal Gift Idea’s? Visit Automobiliart Now !

Hybrid Test – Honda CR-Z Sport

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As my landlady braces herself for the request from her teenager to take driving lessons, I thought it might be neighbourly to look out for some options to ease the pain, one of which was to find out about the Motability Leasing Scheme which he will be legible for.

With this in mind last week I saw an Ad on Facebook offering test drives in the Honda CR-Z and pressed some buttons filled in a form and booked a test drive with Bristol Honda (South) on the Bath Road which was to take place less than 48 hours later.

Steve the Sales Executive phoned me up the next day to confirm the appointment and at the appointed hour I showed up handed over my drivers license for copying and we discussed how Motorbility worked and I was given a useful information pack which my Landlady has found most useful and has allayed many fears regarding her sons coming of age.

One of Steve’s colleagues thoughtfully brought the CR-Z I was to test round for me to have a look at and I was impressed with what I saw, the profile is reminiscent of the CRX models of the 1980’s, but all similarities cease thereafter.

The CR-Z is a billed as a Low Emissions High Exhiliration hybrid with a 112hp petrol engine and an 14 hp electric motor powered by batteries that are charged using an energy recovery system that uses the heat from the brake discs each time they are used. This is similar to the kind of technology that is mandatory in Formula One these days.

In the UK the CR-Z is available in 5 different colours with 3 different levels of trim S, Sport and GT, the model featured here has the unique to the £18,735 (otr) Sport model privacy glass at the rear and fabric upholstery trim combination.

Once I had entered the CR-Z my immediate sensation was one of security as my Marblehead acquaintance Red Farmer might have observed I was sitting in a ‘cage’, a safety cage that is and that is good when compared to one city car that I have driven this year. Despite the fact that the CR-Z is a two plus dog only automobile I had no feeling of claustrophobia, in fact the exact opposite I felt as comfortable sitting in the CR-Z as I do in my Landladies German estate / station wagon.

Being the first time I had ever driven a Hybrid I was not at all too sure what to expect, it turns out that driving a CR-Z is pretty much like driving any other kind of car, electronics deal with the management of the two power sources, you can preset the electronics for economy, normal and sport modes of performance and I certainly noticed the difference in the acceleration between the different modes. I understand that uniquely among hybrids the CR-Z is the only one available with manual transmission, and in this instance it’s a super smooth six speed.

Over the course of the couple of miles I drove the car I was not able to discern how the car handles but I did observe the suspension felt reassuringly secure and that the steering felt as good as any I have ever experienced, reassuringly direct without being in anyway twitchy and it gave a good feeling for what was going on between the front wheels and the road.

Overall I was very impressed and I’d love to drive one of these models some more, particularly I’d be interested in doing some like for like tests between the Economy, Normal and Sport modes, ever since I first drove a Mk 1 Golf GTi with a fuel economy gauge I have been as fascinated with the fuel consumption I can achieve on a long journey as I have with journey time.

I’d also be fascinated to see how well the CR-Z performed in a production car trial or gymkhana, I suspect it might do really well.

On the strength of what I experienced I’d have no hesitation recommending the CR-Z to anybody who regularly drives in an urban environment or has to regularly negotiate heavy traffic, as I would any car that attracts a zero rate road tax.

My thanks to Steve and everybody at Honda Bristol (South) who made my visit real a pleasure.

Thanks for joining me on this hybrid edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Set 1 Sports & GT Cars

Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition

Set 3 1934 Season

Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s

Set 5 Mike Hawthorn’s Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

Looking for Automotive Seasonal Gift Idea’s? Visit Automobiliart Now !

Comic Discovery – Hudson Suburban Sedan

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Back on Independence Day during the Rally organised by the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club I came across this delightful 1935 Hudson, unfortunately I did not get any details about the car from the owner at the time so I have had another carcaeology session to discover more.

This Hudson chassis #533370, with blue body work probably marketed as Surban Sedan model, was one of just four vehicles first registered in Dundee, where the strap line reads City of Discovery, on the 7th of May 1935.

The Hudson was registered to a Mr R D Low of Westleigh, Number 9 Nevill Street, Downfield, Dundee alongside a Morris Saloon, BSA Motorcycle and a 3 ton Commer Coal merchants truck.

Robert Duncan Low is known to have been a journalist to the Dundee City Archive, but as we know journalism can cover a multitude of sins and it would appear that Robert was no gum shoe rather he was employed by DC Thompson & Co in Dundee where he was responsible for launching a number of publications aimed at children including Adventure (1921) The Rover (1922) The Wizzard (1923) The Skipper (1930) and The Hotspur (1933).

In 1937 Robert became managing editor at DC Thompson and over saw the launch of The Dandy and the following year the Beano for which with artist Ken Reid he created Roger the Dodger in 1953, when he also oversaw the launch of The Topper. Earlier in his career Robert is also credited with co creating the Scottish vernacular comic strips Oor Wullie and The Broons with illustrator Dudley Dexter Watkins.

It is not at present known how long Robert Low kept this Hudson he died in 1980 aged 85. This car is reported to have been ‘knocking around the North West of England in the 1990’s’ before it was offered at auction in 2005 when the body was painted maroon and sold for £1,500. The history of the cars original ownership outlined above appears to have been unknown to the auctioneers at the time when the car was noted to have had 4 previous owners with 92,275 miles shown on the clock and the model name was given as Big Six Saloon, the chassis number indicated the car would have been known as a 53 model at the Hudson factory from whence it was probably sent as a knockdown kit for assembly in Brentford west of London.

According to the best source I have available 29,476 cars were shipped and it is thought that number included the knockdown kits.

My thanks to John MacDonald form ‘oldcarandtruckpictures.com‘, Jon B, Terraplane 33, Geoff C NZ, Alex ‘Hudsontech’ Burr, Old Fogey UK and Paul Butler over at Hudson Forum who helped me identify this car and finally to Richard Cullen at the Dundee City Archive who provided the final clue as to the original owners identity.

Thanks for joining me on this comic edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Monster Bow Tie – Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT

Awful In Everyway ? – Ferrari 400i

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Allegedly an oafish TV presenter of a well known pseudo comedy motoring program who probably couldn’t tell you the difference between a gear knob and a knob of butter once described the Ferrari 400 as ‘awful in everyway’.

Personally I don’t see how any car with a chassis that owes it’s heritage to the Ferrari Daytona and with a Ferrari V12 engine, no matter how strangled to meet emissions regulations, can be awful in any way.

Certainly the 400i body, designed by Pininfarina, is not as appealing as the GTC and Daytona models that preceeded it but IMHO it’s seventies boxiness is a good deal less retro and a good deal more appealing than the mindset of the oaf described in the opening paragraph.

The coupé was first launched as the 365 GT 2+2 in 1972, by 1976 that model was re badged the 400 which became the 400i in 1979, when this particular car seen at Bristols Italian Auto Moto Festival was built. The ‘i’ denotes fuel injection which was fitted in place of the previous carburetors.

Although compliant with US regulations, unlike the 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer, none of the 422 manual GT or 883 Automatic 400i variations, or indeed any Ferrari 400 models were officially imported into the United States, doubly surprising since the 400 was the first Ferrari to be offered with automatic transmission.

Thanks for joining me on this fuel injected edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Full Size – Plymouth Voyager

You can’t go wrong with a Bristol under the bonnet #2 – Lotus X

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The Lotus X was a variant of the Lotus marks VIII and IX, built in 1955 to accommodate a larger engine than its siblings.

Using essentially a strengthened chassis the Lotus X carried a 6 cylinder 2 litre /122 cui Bristol engine as used by Lotus competitors Cooper and Lister.

Only 6 or 7 Lotus Mk X’s are thought to have been built and some of them raced with Turner or Coventry Climax motors instead of the Bristol as used by Team Lotus.

The Lotus X was driven to victories in both Europe and the United States. This particular Bristol engined example is seen at the recent Silverstone Classic with Nick Adams at the wheel. Nick and Co Driver Adrian Hall drove this car to three straight victories in 2008 and were awarded the Woodcote Cup.

Thanks for joining me on this Britol Powered edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring