Engine Punk

This is me getting up Simms! With Simon Knight (Photo : Pete Brown) To celebrate one a half tons of Vintage Things, - yes! 150 of them - here is my cheekily little Arkley-MG. It originally started life as a 1275cc MG Midget in 1973 but by the time I got to know it, over 20 years ago, it sported the bodywork of an Arkley SS and completely different running gear. My car stands a lot taller than other Arkleys The Arkley kit consisted of a new bonnet and boot moulding for careworn Spridgets. The man behind them was Modsports racer John Britten and I first read about the Arkley SS in Peter Filby's Alternative Cars 1979. Production began in 1970, with moulding produced by the Lenham company, and cars based on really early Spridgets needed a bespoke hood. Conversions based on post 1967 cars don't need a special hood so my M-reg example can use a standard Midget hood. (More of that later.) Arkley survival rates aren't bad considering that rust was the main reason they were converte...

As Stuart and I were not from the same social bubble, we had to wear masks to reduce potential infection. Obviously, this also made us much more aerodynamic. (Photo : Pete Brown) The Camel Vale Motor Club did a brilliant job of getting this trial to actually happen. There were 29 entries, all cars, and it was very well run with just a couple of sections where early runners had to wait while thinly spread marshals moved from earlier sections on this single venue event. The view is always good from behind aero screens For the first time, I was passengering Stuart Palmer in his Austin 7 Ulsteroid, which made an interesting comparison with the Candidi Provocatores Allard of Robert Robinson-Collins. I may have slipped mention of that vehicle into posts on this blog before.  That was about as far as we got on the last hill (Photo : Pete Brown) Stuart and I had hatched plans to enter the 2020 Edinburgh Trial but that was sadly cancelled after a supreme effort on the part of the organiser...