Tag Archives: Classics

One and a Quarter Litre – MG YB

After MG had been taken over by Morris plans were made for the new acquisition to offer four ranges of vehicles , which would be become known as the “W”, “V” “S” and “Y” model lines that were to be built for sale with either 4 seat closed saloon or 4 seat open touring bodies.

The smallest MG Y series was the last in the range to be developed in 1939 powered by a 1.25 litre / 76.27 cui 4 cylinder motor with a single SU carburetor.

Gerald Palmer was responsible for the design of the new car whose, body draw’s heavily on the Morris Eight Series E four-door bodyshell in pressed steel but with an MG radiator grill, swept tail and wings / fenders added. The body of the MG Y was mounted on a separate chassis, one of the first to be designed with cutting edge independent front suspension.

When “Y”Type was launched at the 1939 Earls Court motor show the sales literature boasted “A brilliant new Member of the famous MG breed. This new One and a Quarter Litre car perpetuates the outstanding characteristics of its successful predecessors – virile acceleration, remarkable ‘road manner,’ instant response to controls, and superb braking. A ‘lively’ car, the new One and a Quarter Litre provides higher standards of performance.”

However almost soon as the model was announced plans to manufacture the MG “Y” Type had to be indefinitely postponed thanks to the commencement of the 1939 – ’45 war. Eight years after it’s first public appearance the “Y” Type went into production in 1947.

In 1952 the YA saloon / sedan, was upgraded with smaller 15″ inch wheels replacing the original 16″ spec, a new Lockheed brake system, front anti roll bar and stiffer shock absorbers all round.

1031 YB saloon’s, like the 1953 model featured today, were manufactured between it’s introduction in 1952 and the end of production in 1953 when the aging “Y” Type was replaced by the MG ZA Magnatte for 1954.

Thanks for joining me on this “One and a Quarter Litre” edition of Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”. MG blogs will be returning to their usual Tuesday spot next week. I hope you will join me for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Shopping Around #2 – Cadillac 6 Window Sedan

Summer Classics – Easter Compton

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Halfway between Bristol and the former holiday resort Severn Beach lies Washingpool Farm just outside Easter Compton which played host to Summer Classics at the weekend.

By no means the biggest show I have attended this year, what Summer Classics lacked in quantity it more than made up with in quality and good company on Saturday. Above is a 150 hp V8 that took part in a race, possibly the greatest race of all time the nuclear arms race. This 1971 6 x 6 Zil 131 was fitted out as a Zelda R140 mobile radio station designed to be used as a mobile command center. The cabs for the radio operators on the back of the trucks were designed to survive nuclear fall out and thus ensure the possibility of mutual destruction !

The Type 3 Transporter / Multivan above is one of the last 6, 2494 of 2500, Last Limited Edition (LLE) Multivans made in 1992. There was also a Redstar limited edition available to VW employees only and production of the Type 3 continued in Mexico until 2003. This particular LLE Multivan is a particularly quick camper having been fitted with a 230 hp 3.3 liter / 201 cui Subaru flat six motor, Porsche gearbox and brakes and a Scania Shifter.

Saturdays ‘car manufacturer I had never even heard of before’ was Paramount. The 1953 Paramount Sports above featuring an aluminium body on an ash frame is one of only 3 road worthy Paramount vehicles from a total of 80 of all types thought to exist.

After the MG Rover group disappeared in 2005 the MG marque was revived in 2011 with help from many former employees who were re employed at the MG Motor UK Technical Center by new owners of the MG marque SAIC Motor. The MG6 GT above, built from a complete knock down kit supplied by SAIC was assembled at Longbridge, home to the former MG Rover Group. Despite a successful presence in the British Saloon Car Championship production volumes so far are thought to be small probably not yet reaching a thousand.

I have never sat in a Peterbilt before, nor a TV star nor a vehicle that has 1,000,000 miles, I ticked all those boxes on Saturday when I climbed into the cab of Straight 8 a 1993 Peterbilt which was featured in Trick My Truck in January 2007. As can be seen the truck has over 1.2 million miles on the clock !

The Rover 3500S came in two different forms for the UK Market S stood for Synchromesh as used in the four speed manual gearbox while in the US Market all Rover 3500 S models were automatics. Looking at the dash this is clearly a right hand drive vehicle, unfortunately I did not notice if the car was a converted LHD automatic or a UK supplied manual making use of the Rover parts bin with a US spec front number plate mounting, ice warning device seen to the left of the number plate and US spec bonnet with three air intakes. The wipers would suggest this is a UK spec car with some US spec goodies.

Unlike Bristol Cars which refrained from using the names of Bristol Aeroplanes, it’s parent organisation, for it’s vehicles until 1975 Armstrong Siddeley used the names of it’s parent companies WW2 aircraft, including Hurricane and Lancaster upon the the resumption of vehicle manufacture in 1945. The Sphinx mascot is seen above on a 1953 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley which takes it’s name from a twin engined bomber that is named after a suburb of Coventry where Armstrong Siddeley’s were built.

My personal vote for car of the show goes to this 1936 Lincoln Zephyr. This V12 was occupied by a family of four with an outsize classic TV and was making it’s way on a 1600 plus mile holiday journey from Dresden, Germany at an eye watering 21 mpg imperial / 18 mpg US !

Among many storied cars at the Summer Classics Show on Saturday was this Singer Le Mans built in December 1935 it took part in the 1936 Exeter Trials with HD Acres at the wheel as can be seen on this link. By 1939 the Singer had acquired the large centre fog light and was in the hands of RJW Appleton who used it to compete in the Lands End Trial. The present owner spent many years rebuilding the Singer after acquiring a big box of ‘bits’.

The “striped tomato” 1974 Ford Gran Torino seeen above is one of the first six built in 1973, for the ’74 model year. It was picked up by it’s current owner in San Francisco with a straight body and has been slowly restored since with well over £6k in suspension parts alone. By all accounts Paul “Michael” Glaser took an instant disliking to the car with which he will be forever associated as Starsky from the Starsky & Hutch TV series. He thought the car looked like a ridiculous ride for a supposed undercover cop and referred to it as striped tomato both in private and later in scripts for the show.

Fresh paintwork and equally fresh cream leather interior suggest this 1953 Sunbeam Alpine Mk I has been recently restored, love the way the Brooklands Aero screens sets the look of this car apart from it’s 1.582 siblings that were built from 1953 to 1955.

BSA first built the 591cc / 36 cui M21 in 1937, with production lasting until 1963 ! Used by the armed forces and in large numbers with combination sidecars, as seen with the 1951 model above, by the Automobile Association (AA) as roadside assistance units.

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

Classics At The Castle – Sherborne Castle

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Sherborne Castle is a 16th Century Tudor Mansion built for Sir Walter Raleigh who leased the grounds of the ruined old Castle from the crown in 1592. Last weekend David Root, wearing his Italian Auto Moto Club hat, kindly invited me to Sherborne Castle to visit a very busy Classics at the Castle event.

As one might expect from the grounds of such a storied estate many interesting automotive stories, myths and legends emerged from the day. The Lancia Delta Integrale seen above parked next to David’s Lenham Alfa was painted pearlescent white when it was purchased by Lance Bombardier Mark (Bing) Chandler several years ago. Mark intended to return the car to it’s original factory specification however before he could fulfill that dream he was killed in action in the Helmand province of Afghanistan while protecting the local population from insurgent intimidation. In memory to their son Marks parents have had the Lancia restored to it’s original factory specification.

As can be seen by the striking contrast between the Austin 7 Hamblin Cadet and the second generation Toyota 4Runner Sunday’s event catered for a diverse range of motoring tastes.

Some years ago the special above was labeled as being the Aston Martin DP155 however once some experts has compared it to period photo’s of DP155, a car that was raced in New Zealand by Reg Parnell in 1956, it was noticed the driver sat in a central position atop the transmission in DP155 and that a number of other features of the special in my photograph above did not match the description of DP155. The mystery of this specials identity has still not been solved four years after this linked thread was started on The Nostalgia Forum.

The AC (Brooklands) Ace above was the first of two Ace prototypes, the car seen above was also known at the “Ace of Spades” featured a Ford Taraus V6 motor and all wheel drive. Curiously both the prototype Aces, the second second Ace prototype is powered by a Lotus Engine and was built in 1997, are coming up for auction at Dorset Vintage & Classic Auction on September 20th.

Despite being born in an age where Ian Gilmore once told his sound engineers “We want everything louder than everything else”, it’s been a while since I sat in a vehicle with a hi fidelity system big enough to host a rave, I remember the first time I did so, in 1990, I played Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No:3 in G and was very moved despite not turning the volume passed the number 4 on the dial. The four door Escort Mark V is reminiscent of the 2 door Project 2000 Ford Escort Mk VI RS2000 built by Max Power magazine towards the end of the last century.

According to the blurb in the window of this 1937 32hp Daimler “… is widely repudiated to be the personal transport of King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor and Mrs Wallis Simpson following his abdication and exile to France.” An odd use of the word repudiate which I have neither been able to refute or repute.

Perversely while the original 1973-1976 MGB V8 was only available with a GT Coupé body while the retro 1993-1995 MG RV8 was only available with a Roadster body. Some enthusiasts have taken it into their own hands to bring older GT’s up to RV8 spec complete with all the lower body panels from the newer model like the owner of the 1972 GT above which features a 190 hp 3947 cc / 240.8 cui RV8 motor.

With an 85 hp aluminium block motor with origins that date back to 1922, solid front and rear axles and a wooden frame to carry the body the 1955 AC 2 litre Saloon was not exactly ground braking, but it did handle and perform well with an 80 mph top speed, though not as well as the contemporary Bristol 403 which was capable of over 100 mph.

David and i looked at each other in disbelief as bidding got underway for Lot 15 a 1987 Bentley Mulsanne previously owned by Geoffrey Rose chairman of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) got underway for just £1,500 in the Charterhouse Auctions tent. Surprisingly what must be nearly a 3 ton vehicle finally went to someone for just £2,300 excluding the auctioneers commission. That is a lot of car for not much money, though taxing it and keeping it running for a year might cost a lot more than the car is actually worth.

Over a year ago some of you may remember I attended a Piston Heads meeting in the car park of the BMW factory, for the Classics in the Castle event the Piston Heads were asked to organise a classic and sports car run, the vehicles that took part in this event with in an event is deserving of it’s own blog which I may get round to when there are not quite so many events to cover in the off season. Among my favorites was this 1954 Austin Healey 100 BN1 which was first fitted with a Chevrolet V8 by Greg Gatehouse in California around 1965. It is now on it’s third V8 a Fastco 6276 cc / 383 cui crate unit. Amongst the other interesting upgrades is an button actuated hydraulic handbrake which replaces the conventional cable operated system.

FN are well known Belgian manufactuers of fire arms, in the early twentieth century they also manufactured cars and motorcycles. Above is a 1912 FN Roadster that was taking part in a smaller Vintage Run which also finished at Sherborne Castle last Sunday.

Disappointingly there was no Concours d’Elegance or even an audience vote for a popular car but the stands of the various clubs taking part were judged in a competition with the Austin A30/A35 owners club coming third, Porsche Club GB second and Wessex Ferrari being awarded first prize.

Many thanks to David Root and the members of the Italian Auto Moto Club who made today’s blog possible, and to Tim Murray who pointed me in the right direction regarding the green open wheel special.

Thanks for joining me on this “Classics At The Castle” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when all being well I be bringing you the latest from this weekends Silverstone Classic event. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Classics

One and a Quarter Litre – MG YB

Shopping Around #2 – Cadillac 6 Window Sedan

Summer Classics – Easter Compton

Classics At The Castle – Sherborne Castle