Monthly Archives: January 2013

Series E Tourer – Hupmobile Eight Tourer

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By 1925 Hupmobile was ready to ditch it’s Model R which had been in production since 1917 and move up market with the Series E.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

The Series E was powered by an all new eight cylinder motor with L shaped cylinder heads.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

An innovative feature of the Hupmobile Eight was the double tilt beam head lights which were a for runner of modern headlights with dipped beams.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

With 60 hp produced by the four litre / 244 cui motor it was deemed prudent to fit the Series E with hydraulic operated brakes in place of the hitherto ubiquitous cable operated and or rod brakes which needed constant adjustment.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

While the instrumentation has changed much in detail since 1925 the basic information remains pretty much the same, note the Hupmobile Eight is fitted with a handy light above the ignition switch.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

The chassis number indicates today’s featured car was built in 1926 with the E1 model designation.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

Hupmobile was known for its poetic use of language and fine arts in its advertising, I am guessing the adornments on the running boards and rear wing fender are factory options.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

Punctures were a very much more frequent occurrence than to day the tyres all had inner tubes, if you were lucky you could save the expense of buying a new tyre after a puncture by repairing the inner tube.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

The Hupmobile Eight were offered as a Sedans, Tourers as seen here, Coupés with or without Dickie seats and Roadsters.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

Production of the Series E Hupmobiles ceased in 1928 when the Model M replaced it.

Hupmobile Eight Tourer, Brooklands Double 12

In the absence of any room within the cockpit to carry anything a traveling trunk was often the smart way to carry ones chattels.

Thanks for joining me on this “Series E Tourer” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Congratulations to Johnny Martinez who won a trophy for his ’29 Ford Pick Up at the Grand National Roadster Show on Monday, John would also like to thank every one who has voted for him in the Cool Rides Online ® pole at goldeagle.com.

The vote is still incredibly close and today is the last day of poling, YOU CAN VOTE “John’s 1929 Ford Model A” ON THIS LINK, please take a second to click the links and vote, thank you.

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Coffee, Croissant & Cars #8 – Avenue Drivers Club

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Two weeks ago was the first scheduled monthly meeting of the Avenue Drivers Club at Queen Square in Bristol.

Parsons, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

It was great to see Alan Spence, on the left, there with his Parsons still uncleaned from our adventure on the previous weekends Exeter Trial.

29/01/13 STOP PRESS Please keep Alan, who I understand had an unexpected major surgery yesterday here in Bristol, in your hearts and minds. Thank you.

Pilgrim Bulldog, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Pilgrim Bulldogs used to be built up from Morris Marina running gear frequently with MG motor’s, I am not sure if this would be the case with the pristine recent example seen here, if for no other reason that there are not many Morris Marina’s left.

Ferrari California , Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Representing an altogether faster breed of car was this 2009 Ferrari California 2+2 Convertible.

Chevrolet Custom 10 deluxe, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Never ceases to amaze me how many US pickups pass through the Avenue Drivers Club, above a 1972 Chevrolet Custom 10 deluxe.

Rover 110 P4, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

This 1963 Rover 110 P4 is the largest engined version of the Rover P4 first seen in 1949.

Volkswagen Beetle, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

On the other side of the street was this 1957 Volkswagen Beetle.

Ford Model A, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

After our Coffee and Croisant it was nice to enjoy a little sunshine which highlighted the candy flake paint on this 1930 Ford Model A.

Nissan 300ZX, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Representing the far east was this customised twin turbo 1989 Nissan 300ZX.

Austin Healey Sprite, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Thanks to “fryth’ at The Nostalgia Forum I believe this Austin Healey Sprite has a Lenham Le Mans non removable hard top which comes with a Kamm tail for extra straight line speed.

Ford Cortina GT Crayford Convertible, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Some one in the area might be a Crayford fan last month we saw a Ford Capri Crayford Convertible and this month is was the turn of this 1970 Ford Cortina Crayford Convertible to put in a welcome appearance.

Mercedes Benz CL500 Auto, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Finally this very ordinary Mercedes Benz CL500 has a particularly interesting story to tell, it’s first owner was Kenny Baker who was the who spent the entire original Star Wars trilogy walking around in the R2-D2 outfit, surprisingly the double glazed car then moved onto the Dark Side when Dave Prowse bought the car from Kenny, Dave spent his time wearing the Darth Vader outfit in the original Star Wars Trilogy.

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee, Croissant & Cars #8” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Congratulations to Johnny Martinez who won a trophy for his ’29 Ford Pick Up at the Grand National Roadster Show on Monday, John would also like to thank every one who has voted for him in the Cool Rides Online ® pole at goldeagle.com.

The vote is still incredibly close, YOU CAN VOTE “John’s 1929 Ford Model A” ONCE A DAY ON THIS LINK until poling closes 31st January, please keep your daily votes coming in, thank you.

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Aim Sure The Prequel – MG PA Supercharged Sports #P 0522

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A couple of months ago Suzanne posted a response to last years “Aim Sure” blog about an MG PA that belonged to renowned combat Pilot Len Miller for 59 years from 1943 until his death in 2002.

MG PA, Purfleet, Essex

It turns out that Suzanne her Dad, her brother Paul and Trevor all new Mr Miller through Trevor’s TJK Repairs where he had the car restored after it was damaged in England’s great storm on the night of October 1987.

MG PA, Purfleet, Essex

Suzanne’s Father and brother Paul had carried out a restoration of Mr Miller’s PA prior to that.

MG PA, Essex

After that first restoration Mr Miller lent Paul the MG PA for Paul’s wedding in 1985.

MG PA, TJK Repairs, Purfleet, Essex

On the 15 of October 1987 Mr Miller had his MG booked in at TJK Repairs for some minor paint repairs, but got delayed at his factory and ended up keeping his pride and joy in the in his warehouse overnight.

MG PA, TJK Repairs, Purfleet, Essex

On the morning of the 16th of October Mr Miller returned to his factory to find a warehouse roof beam had collapsed overnight on to his MG PA.

MG PA, Race Retro

TJK Repairs under took a second restoration of Len’s car which included replacing the cracked engine block, to which later Len had a side mounted Arnott supercharger fitted. Lens restored car seen above at Auction in 2012 and can be seen in my “Aim Sure” – MG PA blog linked here.

My Thanks to Suzanne Fogg, Paul Lockyer and Trevor Kirk of T.J.K. REPAIRS for sharing their photo’s and prequel story for today’s blog. Suzanne informs me TJK Repairs no longer does body repairs but continues to offer customers car and light commercial servicing alongside MOT testing services. TJK Repairs can be contacted at UNIT 3A, TANK HILL ROAD, PURFLEET, ESSEX, RM19 1SX or by phone on 01708 861810.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘AIM Sure The Prequel’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Congratulations to Johnny Martinez who won a trophy for his ’29 Ford Pick Up at the Grand National Roadster Show on Monday, John would also like to thank every one who has voted for him in the Cool Rides Online ® pole at goldeagle.com.

The vote is still incredibly close, YOU CAN VOTE “John’s 1929 Ford Model A” ONCE A DAY ON THIS LINK until poling closes 31st January, please keep your daily votes coming in, thank you.

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Elle va à Bexhill On Sea – Elva Climax Mk III

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Bexhill on Sea second hand car dealer and engine tuning specialist Frank G Nichols decided to enter the racing car manufacturing business as a response to enquiries arising from a CSM Frank bought from Mike Chapman, no relation to Colin and raced successfully in 1954.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Elva name is a mash up of the French “Ella va” which means ‘she goes’. By the time production ceased the Elva name had appeared on over 1000 vehicles.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

By 1958 Elva was manufacturing the Coventry Climax powered Mk III, known drivers of the cars back then included Charlie Kolb, Burdette Martin and William Jordan in the USA with Eugine Hall and Ian Raby representing the Marque in the United Kingdom.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Of the 92 starts known for the model at Racing Sports Cars.com three were outright victories Kolb at Miami, William Bradley at Green Acres both in 1958 and the last recorded by George Ranney at Grayling in 1960, many additional class wins were also recorded.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The history of the car seen here at last years Classic Motor Show is unknown, it is owned by Bexhill Museum who had the original aluminium body that had at various times been painted red, blue and white, replaced by a new one manufactured by the original suppliers Hastings Motor Sheet Metal now known as Moore & Tye in 2009.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Nostalgia Forum member Bloggsworth has kindly informed that the team that made the new body included Alan Jenner who worked on the original car. A small reunion of ex Elva employees took place when the restoration was complete. The Mk III can now usually be seen in the Technology Collection at Bexhill Museum.

Thanks for joining me on this “Elle va à Bexhill On Sea” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Congratulations to Johnny Martinez who was awarded a trophy for his ’29 Ford Model A at the Grand National Roadster Show yesterday, John would also like to thank every one who has voted for him in the Cool Rides Online ® pole at goldeagle.com. The vote is still incredibly close, YOU CAN VOTE “John’s 1929 Ford Model A” ONCE A DAY ON THIS LINK until poling closes 31st January, please keep your daily votes coming in, thank you.

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Jewel In The Crown – Daimler Majestic Major DQ450

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In 1958 Daimler introduced it Majestic saloon with a six cylinder engine, three speed Borg Warner automatic transmission, power steering, and the first use of vacuum servo assisted disc brakes on a saloon car. However the by now antiquated separate chassis and bodywork construction meant that for all the cutting edge technology the car did not perform to the highest order.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

In 1959 Daimler announced an addition to the range in the form of the Majestic Major which featured a 220 hp version Edward Turners V8 that first saw the light of day in the Daimler SP250 earlier in 1959 and a larger boot / trunk area than the standard Majestic.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

The new motor raised the top speed from 112 mph to a for the time sizzling 120 mph plus, there was no maximum speed restriction in force at the time, and acceleration from rest to 60 mph was achieved in just 9.7 seconds. Note the V in the air intake chrome trim differentiates a Majestic from a Majestic Major.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

In 1960 Jaguar took over Daimler and Jaguar founder William Lyons had one of the Majestic Major compact V8’s fitted to a forthcoming Jaguar Mk X and his ego was dissapointed to discover that the Daimler powered Mark X raised the cars top speed from 120 mph to 130 mph. Most might have turned this to their advantage but Sir William Lyons decided to let the jewel in the crown of the Jaguar Daimler empire wither away over the next nine years.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

Like it’s lesser Majestic sibling the Majestic Major was equipped with disc brakes on all four wheels, it also had a 42′ turning circle, power steering was initially only optional.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

The Majestic Major bodies were built by hand by Carbodies with old school cellulose paints covering the zinc phosphate protected steel panels which were supplied by Park Sheet Metal. The zinc phosphate protection proved to be less successful than anticipated.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

According to the owner of the model seen here at last years Classics at the Castle in Sherbourne in the Owners Manual specifies three different tyre pressures for normal motoring, over 90 mph and (unrestricted) Autobahn.

Daimler Majestic Major, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

Between 1960 and 1968 1187 Daimler Majestic Majors are thought to have been manufactured of which 30 are thought to still exist outside private collections and museums.

Thanks for joining me on this “Jewel In The Crown” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t for get to come back now !

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Cruise Control & Central Locking – Lotus Type 89 Excel s.e.

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Last Saturday I looked at the prototype 1982 Lotus Excel today I’m looking at a couple of Lotus Excel s.e. models built with in months of each other.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Between 1982 and 1987 numerous modifications were carried out which included the introduction of a louvred bonnet with body shell coloured bumpers and rear spoiler in 1984.

Lotus Excel s. e., Family Clubs Day, Castle Combe

In 1985 the wider wheel arch profiles, larger boot aperture, VDO intrumentation, front fog lights were introduced with a 15 inch road wheel option were introduced.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

For 1986 the s.e. option with raised engine compression and an adjustable steering column was announced.

Lotus Excel s. e., Family Clubs Day, Castle Combe

The S A Automatic option was launched for the 1987 model year with cruise control, central locking.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Of the 400 plus Excels known to be in the UK, only one was ever built to US specification, more than half are no longer on the road.

Thanks for joining me on this “Cruise Control & Central Locking” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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First Ferrari Road Car – Ferrari 166 Inter Coupé Touring Superleggera #017S

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At the Turin Motor Show in 1948 Ferrari presented two new models to the world, the 166 Barchetta sports racer and the 166 Inter Coupé which sits on a longer wheelbase. Both vehicles are powered by Gioacchino Colombo designed two litre / 122 cui all aluminium V12’s.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The car seen here carries the chassis number 017S, like all Ferrari’s at the time even numbers were saved for the works team racing cars while odd numbers were designated to cars intended for customers to buy.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

This Right Hand Drive car appears to have been sold new to the Cerana brothers of Milan in 1949 where it remained until 1958 before finding new owners in Switzerland where the car remained until the turn of the Millenium when the car moved to the Nehterlands before finding an owner in the UK in 2009.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The most popular coachwork supplier for the 166 Inter Coupé appears to have been Touring who built the aluminium body panels for the car seen here with their usual Superleggera structure of tubes in support.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

With 110 hp the 166 Inter Coupé could reach a top speed of 105 mph.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The 166 Inter Coupé represented Ferrari’s first series road cars and in all 37 were built between 1948 and 1951.

Thanks for joining me on this “First Ferrari Road Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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