4 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

Talking with the great 'Steady' Barker (93 1/2 now, going on 23) a question arose which I cannot answer off the top of my head and am too busy (aka bone idle) to hunt down. 'Steady' recalls some kind of racing car exhibition held in the Royal Agricultural Hall, London, sometime in the 1940s. I certainly recall early BRSCC RCSes there but much later, circa 1961-62ish. However, in his case the exhibit which has stuck in his mind was Lee Guiness's widow's 200hp Darracq V8 LSR engine, the one now owned by the Walker family, and so heroically driven by Mark. Can anyone pin this early exhibition down? Was it perhaps during wartime? It rings faint bells with me - but very faint...

Intriguingly, 'Steady' also recalls an early visit to Talbot's Suresnes factory, where - if his recall is correct - he was fascinated to see a sister Darracq V8 engine, stored in a corner. It does seem unlikely that if Darracq produced one massive V8 for record breaking, they did not produce at least a twin set of spare castings, fabrications and bits. If one big V8 was secreted away in England, was there really this second unit stashed in France. And if so, where is that second unit - if it has survived - today?

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 14 March 2013 - 21:47.

[Michael Ferner]

Intriguingly, 'Steady' also recalls an early visit to Talbot's Suresnes factory, where - if his recall is correct - he was fascinated to see a sister Darracq V8 engine, stored in a corner. It does seem unlikely that if Darracq produced one massive V8 for record breaking, they did not produce at least a twin set of spare castings, fabrications and bits. If one big V8 was secreted away in England, was there really this second unit stashed in France. And if so, where is that second unit - if it has survived - today?

DCN

Would that have been before the war?

[Pullman99]

I think that there was a 1946 exhibition held there that had some backing from "The Motor" and that the exhibits included Sir Malcolm Campbell's Blue Bird. When I get a minute or two I'll try and find out more. Not sure if the exhibition was about transport or motoring or something more general. Certainly well before The Festival of Britain.

[Vitesse2]

I think that there was a 1946 exhibition held there that had some backing from "The Motor" and that the exhibits included Sir Malcolm Campbell's Blue Bird. When I get a minute or two I'll try and find out more. Not sure if the exhibition was about transport or motoring or something more general. Certainly well before The Festival of Britain.

It certainly sounds like something that ought to have been part of the 1946 Motor Industry Jubilee. I've been looking at that recently, but the only static exhibitions I've come across have been one at the SMMT which featured only model cars and one in Brighton. Campbell's 350hp Sunbeam and the 1935 Blue Bird were at Brighton, along with the 1910 FIAT, Golden Arrow and EX135 - I've seen no mention of the Darracq though.

[Doug Nye]

Would that have been before the war?

No Michael - postwar, probably around 1955-56 I understand.

DCN