Engine Punk

As part of this Le Mans event, Morgan were the featured marque at the British Sports Car Welcome at St Saturnin. Among the British Mogs was this French one.( Photo by Alan Mansell) I love the little aerofoil below the sump! It looks like it's highly polished aluminium. According to the accompanying blurb, it had a 1233cc Harley Davidson fitted and "carosserie unique". Some people would decry the use of a modern powerplant but I really like what's been achieved here. And H-D's are not that modern. I'm no expert on Harley valve cover design but this one doesn't look like a Knucklehead, Panhead or Shovelhead to me. Maybe those are aftermarket items that make this engine more special. I've always had a weakness for polished aluminium. Unpainted panels like these leave bodges nowhere to hide. This Darmot must be a devil to keep clean but the effect under artifical lighting is fantastic. The best contract for such shiny panels is a dark colour and t...

If things have been a bit quiet on this blog recently, it's not because I have fallen off the world. I went to one of the inspirations for the Wild Hunt, the Le Mans 24 Hours race and since then have been making the most of what is turning out to be a fantastic summer. This was the view from my sleeping bag of a morning - that's the Morgan of my mate Al parked in the Houx campsite within the circuit and in the distance are the tribunes around the start and finish line. Everyone was there because they were enthusiasts and we had a great time enjoying the atmosphere together. I felt very much like this during my time in this year's Land's End Trial. Of course, what I should have been doing at Easter was promoting the launch of The Wormton Lamb for this was published on the Easter Saturday but this was the very day that I was making my almost triumphant ascent of Blue Hills near St Agnes. At Le Mans I should have been promoting the Engine Punk thing and networking...

Hallo - I'm back from Le Mans and will be posting my thoughts about this fantastic event on this blog dreckly (good Cornish word). There were loads of Vintage Things that Ill share with you soon. This was just one. I didn't travel down to the Sarthe circuit in it but a whole bunch of other people did. This Bedford TK was parked in the campsite hard by the Porsche curves and I really its livery. There's an obvious London Transport influence and those who know anything about graphic design will know what a towering contribution Harry Beck and Edward Johnston made to simply catching the eye. Applied to a classic British lorry, the effect is highly pleasing and not only recalls the home city of many endurance spectators at Le mans but also reminds me of the wonderful support vehicles and racing car transporters of yesteryear. There were some models of theses I haven't just got back, I've been making the most of what has so far been a brilliant summer here in Cornwa...

By the time you read this I will be gone. I will be on the camp site in the middle of the circuit enjoying the 24 hours of endurance racing at Le Mans. This will be my third visit to the circuit for this event and I am really looking forward to it. Everybody says that it's so much better value for money than Formula 1. I think that Bernie and Max should dispense with the racing and just concentrate on the refuelling and tyre changing because that's how Formula 1 cars overtake these days. At Le Mans, I will have virtually a very long weekend of proper job racing and razzmatazz.