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Showing posts from May, 2012

Wonderful Wiscombe again

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We'd only just parked up when we spotted this fire engine red Guzzi The annual pilgrimage to Wiscombe got off to a good start. We hadn't even got out of the carpark when Pete Low and I spotted this bacon slicer Moto Guzzi that had turned up to watch. Funnily enough, Pete and I just been saying that one of the unmissable experiences at Wiscombe was the breakfast bap in the morning after camping under canvas. For greatest effect the egg should be slightly runny and ooze all the way down your forearm. This year I surpassed myself and managed to get egg all down my trousers and on my boots. High performance breakfast baps are indeed something "special" at Wiscombe. Must be the critical mass of all those vintage specials And here is one of those vintage specials - Wasp II (check?) - on opposite lock with cylinder heads akimbo at the recently resurfaced Martini Hairpin The weather was good, too, despite being wet for days on end beforehand. The car park and paddo...

Vintage Thing No.111 - the Kayne Special

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The Kayne Special III finds grip from the line at Werrington This machine caught my eye at Werrington Hillclimb. It's the Kayne Special, actually the last of a series of 3 built by John Cooper (not the one who did the Minis but another John Cooper whose world famous among MG owners)  using MGB components and this one had a Rover V8. It was originally built in 1983 as a tow car with a slushbox for the other Kayne Specials but when drivers were allowed to drive more than one car at meetings John changed to a manual box and got serious with it. Looking and sounding good, this Kayne Special has MGB IFS and semi-elliptic leaf springs It's been sold on now and sports a comprehensive roll cage which spoils its clean lines for me. So who ever heard of a hillclimb car rolling? Remember that Renault 5 Turbo in an earlier post about a meeting at Werrington? As I see more and more Locost Caterfields with cages like this, my eyes are becoming used to them but a traditionally ...

Watery Werrington

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Just after this, it hammered down It's already been a couple of weeks since the Hillclimb at Werrington Park but that's the summer months and long evenings for you - it's been a packed programme this year and no mistake. I took a little time out from my experiments in the garage/studio/laboratory to check out the sport on Sunday and also ask competitors how to get started. When I arrived it was dry and almost sunny but by the end of the meeting the temperature plummeted and we had some heavy rain. A couple of cars on slicks had just started runs and proceeded very cautiously up the hill to derisive remarks from some youngsters near me but their dad explained it was better to pootle up the hill than go off and damage something expensive. A couple of spactators were in just jeans and tee shirts and by the middle of the afternoon they appeared to me to be suffering from hypothermia. Still by the time I got home, it was dry and sunny with sign of rain south of Upton Cro...

Vintage Thing No.110 - Siva Mule

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Could this be the last surviving Siva Mule? (Photo : Johnathan Twyneham) Before the Hillman Imp-based Siva Llama was the even rarer Mini-based Siva Mule. This particular one is a survivor that belonged, about 12 years ago to a young chap called Jonathan Twyneham. I've lost touch with him but would really like to know if this car made it back on to the road. I remember he was having lots of problems getting the thing to go but as it's Mini-based that shouldn't prove a problem. It's the rare Siva Mule bits that are important and this car looks largely complete - except for the headlights. Headlights are a sore point for me. My Llama has rectangular Mk1 Escort units fitted to the outside of the bodywork, not neatly flush fitted as in the photos. Even with this lash up, the bulbs are wedged up against the inner wing. It's obvious that the Llama was designed to have much shallower headlamp units and when I come to do my body off restoration of my Llama...

Vintage Thing No.86.1 - Austin 20 Sports

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That Austin radiator may suggest motoring for the masses but this is motor car is a cut above AND came before the Austin 7 Whilst awaiting our turn at Rodney's Revenge on the 2012 Land's End Trial, your brave boys in the Candidi Provacatore team car caught up with this lovely old Austin 20 sports car. I'd seen it ascend Blue Hills 2 in the 2011 event and admired it then. This time I managed to get a better look. Step aboard and go trialling What I like about this car is that it shows what can be done by stripping down a heavy old vintage saloon and fitting it with a much lighter body. A ratty old Austin 20 saloon isn't that valuable and - although they do have their followers - to restore one to pristine condition would take a lot of time and money. There are plenty of very smart ones about, too. We were pumping up tyres at the time so I forgot to ask what mods had been done but it probably doesn't stop at the twin SUs I always thought of Austin...

Vintage Thing No.109 - Old Spot Piglet

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Duncan Welch told me that the 1996 Testing Trial was where the Old Spot Piglet first appeared I was sorry to hear of the demise of this rare breed. At the Bridgwater Control on the 2012 Land's End Trial I got chatting to fellow competitor Duncan Welch who was campaigning his cunningly disguised Austin Healey Sprite. It seems that the Old Spot Piglet, one of his earlier creations, has been cut up. You've had sheep dog trials - now you've got piglet trials He built the Old Spot Piglet around 1996 with the intention of creating the ultimate Class D special for use in classic trials organised by the Motor Cycling Club such as the Land's End, Exeter and Edinburgh Trials. For those who don't know, Class D caters for three wheelers below 1300cc and includes motorcycle and sidecar combinations as well as three wheelers of a more symmetrical disposition. Duncan got a Gold award first time out with the Old Spot Piglet and in a brief but brilliant career with this ...