Engine Punk

Nice to see such a wonderful old car out and about in January Now that the dust - well, mud - has settled after the Exeter Trial, I find myself returning to these photos of a splendid Frazer Nash that was nonchalantly parked at the bottom of the section at Fingle Bridge. There's something of Chitty-chitty-bang-bang in this view They only made chain gang Nashes in penny numbers and this is the six-cylinder variety. That means a double overhead camshaft 1660cc designed and built by the Blackburne company lurked under that bonnet but it would have been incredibly rude to have had a look without the owners present. It was tempting, though. According to my info, the six-cylinder Blackburne engine powered the Colmore, TT replica and Shelsely models of Frazer-Nash but none of the illustrated examples feature bodywork like this one. There's nothing quite like wood when it's been worked by a craftsman The most impressive bit about this car - I thought - was...

And awwwaaaayyyy they go In reverse order, there was the CCM 604 of Geoff Westcott and Michelle Maidment. I seem to have taken one of them leaving as well. I am still getting used to the various modes on my digital camera. In the middle is a Troll, a familiar enough car to me (I really like the colour) but I can't make out the number to determine the crew. The one of the Imp smoking its tyres is, unfortunately, of Bill and Will Rosten coming to grief. Bill suffered a puncture and by the time he got past us the tyre was spinning on the rim. We had a quick word with him and he'd been doing well until then. My biker mates Pete and John noticed Bill was wearing motorcycle boots. This caused no end of ribaldry because they know I like Imps and - I am sorry to say - that mention of The Flintstones was made and aspersions were cast. Thanks to Mr Robinson-Collins who, with Dave Turner, was next in the running order to Bill and Will, I can now reveal that Bill is a...

Geoff Westcott and Michelle Maidment climb Fingle on their CCM oufit I've just got back wet and muddy, cold and tired but very happy from Fingle Bridge, near Drewsteignton on the northern edge of Dartmoor. I was spectating on the Exeter Trial. This is real grass roots motorsport and a few tree roots came past my ears today not to mention mud and stones. Anecdotal evidence suggested that it was wetter this year but last year I got soaked watching at Simms, near Ilsington. Bill Rosten was really unlucky with a flat tyre As usual, I saw quite a few of my mates. I've either marshalled or competed for some years now and sometimes we often don't see each other for years but we just know that we're out there, somewhere. It's a Troll On a price per mile basis, classic trials are brilliant value. Sadly, the organising body, the Motor Cycling Club, has to put in a tremendous PR effort with each event to allow them to continue. The fun police are sniffi...