Grandstand, Army v Navy?

Help me, another pub chat and another, "did I really see that" moment!

BBC's Grandstand often had rallycross fron Lydon, Wurz in the Peter Kiss Beetle, the Du Rooys in the BDA DAF, etc etc, but I am convinced I remember dear old Ray Baxter commentating on and sort of Army v Navy comp' on some Saturdays. I have a hazy recollection od watching an Alvis Stalwart trundling around what looked like a tank testing course.

Am I mad, or did I actually see this? Around 1968/69 me thinks.....

I think it was Army v London Motor Club (or something).

Event was called Autopoint. Rather like orienteering in a variety of vehicles - reach the checkpoints using your own choice of route.

Also mentioned here http://forums.autosp...?threadid=82824

I seem to recall vehicles having to go up steep slopes, Haflingers? and those amphibious lorries, (that could be the Alvis Stalwart!) and mini mokes etc. and people in specially designed little cars with thin wheels and the passenger having to lean out over the wheels bouncing up and down? or am I going mad!!

Yes Steve, when another friend of mine (Steve C) went through the BBC archive holdings 18 months ago, a few of these Army v.Navy Autopoint things were listed. Whether they actually exist in the library is another thing, though.

And wasn't there a device called the Bug, or some suchm a little 4wd all terrain vehicle powered by a Standard 10 engine? I remember the broadcasts quite clearly, quite a pioneering event in those days.

Roger Lund.

I remember seeing these events too.

Excellent, we're either ALL mad, or I did see it! Now, pictures to prove..........................

Originally posted by picblanc
I seem to recall vehicles having to go up steep slopes, Haflingers? and those amphibious lorries, (that could be the Alvis Stalwart!) and mini mokes etc. and people in specially designed little cars with thin wheels and the passenger having to lean out over the wheels bouncing up and down? or am I going mad!!

I remember the Haflingers....exceptionally agile and capable (if somewhat UGLY) vehicles.....great to watch these programmes on a dark and damp Saturday afternoon around a real coal fire

Originally posted by sterling49


I remember the Haflingers....exceptionally agile and capable (if somewhat UGLY) vehicles.....great to watch these programmes on a dark and damp Saturday afternoon around a real coal fire

.........Sterling , you forgot to mention the hot buttered crumpets !

The second post has provided a link to when it was discussed before. I don't see much advance on the previous discussion in recent posts, which could be wrongly taken as a bit dismissive of the link provider? The only thing to knock on the head is the new suggestion in this thread that the Navy were in any way involved?
It was Long Valley test area wasn't it? (just west of the re-opened Farnborough and District Motor Club Eeelmoor sprint venue) (although that was under threat again from nesting lizards or something last I heard).

Originally posted by RTH



.........Sterling , you forgot to mention the hot buttered crumpets !

Welsh Rarebit on Saturdays, crumpet on Sundays for high tea Richard!....or was it the other way around

Great days with Raymond Baxter and David Coleman commentating

From the horse's mouth ....

Perhaps the most outlandish, even outrageous of our [BBC Sport's] off-road adventures was an attempt to match London Motor Club drivers against those of the British army, each driving an assortment of vehicles. On a sandy section of heathland near Aldershot we marked a number of points which had to be reached by any route chosen by the driver. The start and finish were via an extremely steep gradient, vehicles running in pairs. We called it 'autopoint' but it was not so much the competition as the vehicles which made it extraordinary. The army discovered the prototype of a small cross-country vehicle called 'The Bug' - I believe it was the world's first quad-bike. Alec Issigonis had produced an experimental twin-engined Moke. I secured that for the LMC. The largest vehicle was the army's amphibious transport - the Stalwart, I think - and the smallest a trials club car. In between were a standard army three-tonner, the new one-ton Land Rover and the new Austrian Haflinger, both generously provided by the manufacturers. Army co-operation was ensured by Col (later Brigadier) 'Bing' Crosby, another remarkable man who became a personal friend.

Even more strange to relate, we invited Formula 1 world champions to compete - and Graham Hill and John Surtees risked life and limb on the Twinnie Mini.

"Tales of my Time" by Raymond Baxter pp208-9

There's a picture of NGH in the Moke in the "Graham Hill Scrapbook", while the car itself is on display at Gaydon.

I was young once - I remember them in black and white...............

Originally posted by Bloggsworth
I was young once - I remember them in black and white...............

Me too!