Engine Punk

The St Pirans Cross on the wing indicates the long standing association with cornwall At the 2022 Land's End Trial start at Plusha Services, I met David Child with this Ford 8. It's obviously not your common or garden Ford 8. This ones has a Conversion Car Bodies GRP shell from the Naco Works, in Epping, Essex. The front end reminds of a 100E Ford Pop and a contemporary Vauxhall Victor I am unsure what to call this car. The company were called Conversion Car Bodies but I've seen some people refer to them as Naco shells. The chassis is a straightforward Ford 8 so you might just as well call it that. Badged as a Ford, it seems to have a mild identity crisis and David is often asked "What is it?" Nowadays, product branding is carefully managed. From the rear there's something of a 105E Anglia estate vibe Conversion Car Bodies were quite astute in aiming their products at a gap in the market for 1950s specials. The Naco shell (see how difficult it is to call it wh...

Dennis Solway's Clayton & Shuttleworth engine soon after restoration (Photo : the Solway family) This steam engine was the first one to fascinate me. Mr Solway was the proprietor of the garage at Marazanvose on the A30. His was the nearest garage to Callestick where we lived and an easy walk through the lanes if you had a car to leave or collect. Fortunately, he was a trustworthy soul. In a small community like ours, reputation counted for a lot. Word of mouth would soon advertise good tradesmen or those to be avoided. Solway's Garage was also signwritten as Agricultural Engineers so any firm that farmers patronised - with wheat in the field and a broken down combine - was sure to be a good one. Dennis Solway was where our neighbours went for their car repairs. One of them, John Holland, even worked there.  The back of the garage, with an open view across the fields to the engine house of West Chiverton, was an over grown paddock of fascinating old cars. I got locked into a...