Engine Punk

Phil's wife it was who painted on those eyes I would like to say exactly when I first clapped eyes on Kermit - for it was indeed a momentous occasion - but I can be no more specific than Easter 1984 or Easter 1985. Or maybe Easter 1986. I can't honestly remember. The venue is in no doubt, though - Tregrehan Hillclimb near St Austell in Cornwall On that occasion there were bikes, cars and three-wheelers at the same event, which featured a very muddy paddock. The three-wheeler classes consisted of traditional asymmetrical sidecar outfits and symmetrical home made creations, often a triangluar frame extending backwards from the front subframe of some front-wheel-drive saloon, typically a Mini. Kermit as built was a stubby little fellow. It's now a lot sleeker to allow me to get in it. One of them was so obviously different in concept from the others and conspicuously supercharged that it held my interest as it came to the start line. This I subsequently came to k...

Podgy- our old school bus - was 848 BOR, a Thames Duple Yeoman coach built in 1961. Here it is seen at Truro in August 1974 (Photo: Brian Botley) By the power of the internet I have received this image of Podgy. A very good friend of mine Peter Yarlett, Professor Emeritus in Ferro-Equinology at the University of Andover (and chair of the Faculty of Yeast Culture) is not only interested in steaming leviathans, as you might have guessed from his distinguished title, but also classic buses. He sent me a link to a well-known internet auction site that advertised a black and white photo of 848BOR when owned by Creamline Coaches of Bordon, long before this fine example of a Thames Duple Yeoman ever came west and carried spotty, snotty school children to Goonhavern County Primary. The auction had long since closed but undeterred I contacted the seller and explained my interest. Unfortunately, that image had sold and was no longer available but after he'd read my blog he got back ...

Tarkus is the title of a 20 minute Emerson, Lake and Palmer prog rock epic describing the three battles of a turret toting armadillo on caterpillar tracks by the name of Tarkus. But of course I knew nothing of this until recently, being a punk rocking gear head. To me, Tarkus was the grandaddy of all Citroen hill climbing trikes. The existence of the hillclimbing Tarkus had often been mentioned just within my earshot in hushed whispers as I stalked around the Cornish hillclimb paddocks and pits. It was always in connection with a fire breathing supercharged Citroen powered trike called Kermit . Gradually, I pieced the story together and discovered that Tarkus was the inspiration behind Kermit. Tarkus was built by a chap with the suitably heroic name of Jake Challenger and is actually one of six. The very first one was originally designed around a two-stroke three-cylinder engine from a DKW (Vintage Thing No. 13) . Tarkus - small loud and very fast. I love the matching helmets...

Those all enveloping front wings need to be that big to allow the steering lock. The radiator mascot is the hilt of a Spanish sword This extraordinary creation caught my eye at the 2011 Crash Box Club Historic Vehicle Gathering at Powderham Castle. It's a post war Alvis clothed in one man's interpretation of outrageous French pre-war coachwork Mike Waters specialises in electric power steering solutions that make classic and vintage cars more useable. His conversions are very neat and unobtrusive and this is a side project that illustrates a long standing interest in French coachwork The epogee (oo that's a good word) of this style was a carossier (another good word) called Figoni et Falaschi (Italians working in Paris) who the Anglo-Saxons nicknamed Phoney & Flashy. The basis was a post-war time-expired Alvis 14 saloon, which donated its chassis, engine, gearbox, radiator and headlamps. Mike knew what lines he wanted and created a new bodyshell around re-p...

In my recently acquired copy of Hot Car magazine for January 1973 I've spotted this advert for an original GP Centron. This is the one as originally conceived with the lifting canopy instead of doors by Pierre du Plessis at GP Concessionaires Ltd and just look who's selling it. Then check out the spec. There's a Porsche flat-6 engine in the back and an ominous comment about being for experienced drivers only. I interpret this as meaning that it was far too fast for its chassis. It would still have had a Beetle chassis and all the joys and disappointments that brings. Nowadays there's quite a lot of chassis tuning expertise for Beetles but back in 1973 cars like these were pioneering ways of showing the limitations of rear-engined swing-axle layouts. But the invitable question is - does this car still survive? And if it does is the paperwork straight? And if that admin hurdle can be overcome, can the latest corner better goodies be applied to it?