Tag Archives: 3 litre

Straddling Hostilities – Delage 3 Litre Course

In 1932 Delage launched it’s D6 series which featured independent front suspension, hydraulic front brakes and a six cylinder motor of 2.1 litres / 128 cui.

Delage 3 litre Course, John Warden, VSCC, Loton Park.

Like the Delahaye 135 series, which initially used cable operated brakes, the Delage D6’s were available with a variety of chassis lengths onto which coach builders, like Charon would build a body in what ever style a customer required.

Delage 3 litre Course, John Warden, VSCC, Loton Park.

By 1936 D6’s were available with motors just over 3 litres / 183 cui when Delage started building the 3 Litre Course model for competition.

Delage 3 litre Course, John Warden, VSCC, Loton Park.

Records show that one such car entered by Ecurie Walter Watney driven by Louis Gérard and Georges Monneret finished second at the Le Mans 24 Hours and on the other side of the hostilities in 1949 entrant and driver Henri Louveau sharing a 3 litre D6S with Juan Jover from Spain repeated the feat at the same venue.

John Warden’s 3 Litre Course shown in these photographs taken at a VSCC meeting at Loton Park is listed in the programme as a 1937 model, the DVLA records show the car as being built and imported to the United Kingdom in 1949, their are myriad reasons for such a discrepancies arising, if you happen to know the real reason please do not hesitate to chip in below.

Thanks for joining me on this “Straddling Hostilities” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psychoontyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now.

Coffee Croissant & Cars #06/14 – Avenue Drivers Club

Today’s blog comes from last month’s Avenue Drivers Club meeting at Queen Square where I marveled not only at the range of vehicles but the quality of the sunlight that enabled be to capture a few details I might ordinarily miss.

Bentley Arnage T, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Above a headlight cluster from a 2005 Bentley Arnage T automatic.

Sunbeam 3 litre TC Six, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

When Sunbeam wanted to take on the world of advanced motor engineering they went straight to the top and hired two FIAT employees; Vincenzo Bertarione and Walter Becchia who designed the first Sunbeam twim cam engines in 1923 starting with a 2 litre 122 cui straight six, which won the 1923 French Grand Prix and progressing to a 3 litre / 183 cui straight six as the 1927 example seen above, which after surviving an accident finished second in the 1925 Le Mans 24 hours.

Riley RMD, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

From 1949 to 1951 just 502 Riley RMD drophead coupé were built. Despite it’s regal interior opulence as seen in the 1950 example above, the would be the last convertible to carry the Riley name.

Chevrolet Custom Deluxe 20 Camper Special, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

For those into seriously long road trips Chevrolet built a Camper Special on the C/K 20 pickup trucks, this one dates from 1973, the idea is to take the tailgate off and slide a camper pod onto the load platform. Sounds easy but from experience best not done in a garage with a low ceiling.

Dodge Challenger, Avenue Driver Club, Queen Square, Bristol

The waste line on this ’71 Dodge Challenger is in my humble opinion a work of pure art, like taking a smidgen of Devon cream from the pot on the end of your little finger it’s perfect.

Toyota Supra Twin Turbo, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Back in the day when I was selling cars a turbo was something to aspire to and twin turbo’s were something strictly for the track, just as I left the trade Toyota introduced the 320 hp sequential twin turbo Supra Mark IV in 1993, a car that would remain in production until 2002. The tail lights seen here are on a 1994 model.

If you at a loose end in the Bristol area tomorrow morning you could do worse than pop down to Queen Square for Coffee Croissant and Cars.

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee Croissant & Cars #06/14″ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you join me again tomorrow when I’ll be featuring a gathering that included a blind folded guy driving a monster truck ! Don’t forget to come back now !

Hawkeye Special – Bentley 3/8 litre #477

Of the proper, UK definition, Vintage vehicles built between 1919 and 1930 few hold the beholders gaze and ooze presence like an open tourer Bentley, today’s featured car the “Hawkeye Special” is the first of four Bentley specials I’ll be featuring on Sunday’s in January.

Bentley 3/8 Litre, Hawkeye Special, Dana Point, C d'E

This particular car, a Red Label Speed model was built in 1924 with a 70 hp four cylinder, four valve per cylinder, 3 litre / 183 cui motor and first registered to a customer in Rochdale near Manchester on the 4th of June the same year.

Bentley 3/8 Litre, Hawkeye Special, Dana Point, C d'E

Records show #477 was fitted with a 24 valve six cylinder 6 1/2 litre 140 hp motor, upgrading to the latest motor’s was common for any number of Bentley’s of this period.

Bentley 3/8 Litre, Hawkeye Special, Dana Point, C d'E

In the early-1970s renowned Bentley builder John Guppy and Hawkeye “The Flying Swede” Wijkander upgraded the car with an 8 litre / 488 cui six cylinder motor, #TW2702 of the type that was launched prior to Bentley’s financial collapse in 1931. The original 8 litre motors were said to produce 220 hp the one on the Hawkeye Special is said to produce over 400 hp.

Bentley 3/8 Litre, Hawkeye Special, Dana Point, C d'E

Guppy and Wijkander were responsible for the 2 seat coach work carried by #477, giving it the presence of a pit bull on steroids, as seen in these photo’s taken a couple of years ago by Geoffrey Horton at Dana Point Concours d’Elegance.

Bentley 3/8 Litre, Hawkeye Special, Dana Point, C d'E

The huge motor allowed the drivers of the original two ton Bentley 8 litre models to drive at walking pace in top gear and then accelerate rate smoothly to a top speed of above today’s highway speed limits without effort.

Bentley 3/8 Litre, Hawkeye Special, Dana Point, C d'E

The Hawkeye Special #477 was sold by RM Auctions for US$671,000 in August 2012.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hawkeye Special” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a Protect-O-Top from Santa Clara CA. Don’t forget to come back now !

Brighton Speed Trials Under Threat of Permanent Cancellation !

In their infinite wisdom, Brighton & Hove City Council are seeking to ban the Brighton Speed Trials from 2014.

If you care about speed and or motorsport history, please sign this linked petition to save Brighton Speed Trials in 2014 and beyond.

It’s a faf to Register before signing, but relatively painless compared to loosing the event which has been run with few interruptions since 1905.

You do not need to be resident in Brighton or even the UK to sign.

More on Brighton Speed Trials on this link.

Thanks and please spread the word through whatever social media you have at your disposal.

Hooded Fuel Consumption – Bentley 3 litre #1138

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Le Mans is not so well remembered by numerous teams for quirky rules which have seen them retire if not be outright disqualified from the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race.

Bentley 3 litre, Brooklands Double 12, Brooklands Museum

1925 saw the organisers of the third running of the 24 hour endurance classic introduce a rule that cars had to run the first 20 laps of the race with the hood, convertible roof, up.

Bentley 3 litre, Brooklands Double 12, Brooklands Museum

After winning the twice round the clock race in 1924, Bentley Motors Ltd had two 3 litre cars entered in the 1925 event one of which is chassis #1138, seen here at last years Brooklands Double 12 meeting, which was to have Herbert Kensington-Moir and Dudley Benjafield at the wheel.

Bentley 3 litre, Brooklands Double 12, Brooklands Museum

It appears that Bentley aimed to make their fuel stop at 20 laps to coincide with being able to lower the hood and put in just enough fuel to cover the distance. Herbert Kensington-Moir is said to have made a good start and was timed at speeds of over 90 mph, however on the 19th lap the car ground to a halt out of fuel.

Bentley 3 litre, Brooklands Double 12, Brooklands Museum

It would appear no one had factored in the additional fuel consumption created by the additional drag created by the hood and so Dudley Benjafield never got to race the car. The sister car chassis #1040 driven by 1924 Le Mans winners Captain John Duff and Frank Clement ground to a halt just short of half distance after a carburetor fire.

Bentley 3 litre, Brooklands Double 12, Brooklands Museum

The following year Bentley returned to Le Mans with 3 cars but all three retired but in 1927 Dudley Benjafield joined Sammy Davis and their 3 litre Sport known as Old No. 7 delivered Bentley a second victory in the French endurance classic.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hooded Fuel Consumption” 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 !