Engine Punk

Despite an interest in light cars (and medium-sized ones I suppose) I also like lumbering great beasts. This is a particularly fine example that belongs to some friends of mine. Gravitas in metal For many years, this Bentley Mk VI James Young saloon languished in one half of a two-car garage, a mournful shape without front wings or radiator. It had been left to my mate's grandmother by the old man for whom she had once kept house. Jerry’s grannie was not a large lady but could still see over the steering wheel and reach the pedals. However, one day the handbrake cable snapped and the Bentley went into a supermarket plate glass window. It then sought retirement at the back of his parents’ garage for remedial work. Time passed – as it always does – and more remedial work began to mount up. I couldn’t really make out the Bentley’s shape properly where it stood. There was just enough room in the garage to squeeze behind the wheel, make engine noises and pretend you were a “Bentley Boy”...

Beautifully presented and beautifully presented. Not my mate's Clan but a very fine example nonetheless. Have you noticed how most Vintage Things are worth more as the total of their parts? It seems to be the opposite of gestalt , where some things are worth more than the sum of their parts. I was talking to a friend the other day who owns a very nice Clan Crusader, probably the nicest Clan Crusader you've ever seen. It's all set up for rallying with a big bore engine, twin 40s on the right manifold, a very rare and strong gearbox and - perhaps best of all - a very lightweight shell. He's considering selling it because he has a growing family and won't get to use it properly for a while. However, having assembled all these glorious bits to create what could be the ultimate Clan, he's faced with the prospect of breaking it up because the sum total of the parts is £15,000 and nobody would ever spend that on a Clan. But they would spend £5-6k on the engine, ...