11 replies to this topic

[Gav Astill]

For those of us with access to the 'Talking Pictures' TV channel*, tomorrow at 16:10 you can catch WhitMonday Motor Racing;

 

"Glimpses: 1951 Classic Car Race meeting at Gamston airfield in Nottinghamshire. A must for all classic car enthusiasts."

 

The results of course can be found on racingsportscars (it's the 14/05/51 meeting)

 

Enjoy

 

(*Watch on Virgin 445 | Freeview 81 | Sky channel 328 | Freesat 306 | Youview 81)

[Stephen W]

Already recorded it on a previous airing.

[retriever]

Look out for the pair in mackintoshes/raincoats chatting to each other as they walk up the side of the track with their backs to the racing traffic!

[nicanary]

The sound engineers didn't know how to handle the strong breeze!  I rather liked Shillito's converted Dodge Command Car - it would look good at the Revival.

 

PS A bit OT, but where are the support vehicles parked at the Revival? I've never seen one, and since they will invariably be modern, no doubt they're tucked out of sight. I suppose if the old Dennis Poore Dodge was present a suitable parking place would be found, and ditto for any other period transporter. The covered paddock spaces would have made things difficult in period for trucks to be near to their contents - were the trucks and trailers allocated one of the car parks?

Edited by nicanary, 03 May 2018 - 09:27.

[oldclassiccar]

The sound engineers didn't know how to handle the strong breeze!  I rather liked Shillito's converted Dodge Command Car - it would look good at the Revival.

 

PS A bit OT, but where are the support vehicles parked at the Revival? I've never seen one, and since they will invariably be modern, no doubt they're tucked out of sight. I suppose if the old Dennis Poore Dodge was present a suitable parking place would be found, and ditto for any other period transporter. The covered paddock spaces would have made things difficult in period for trucks to be near to their contents - were the trucks and trailers allocated one of the car parks?

 

Yes the old ones tend to get placed quite centrally, I went along to the Revival in 2015 with the jolly green giant, and ended up in the main paddock. It was enjoyable driving it back into one of its regular paddock haunts, Poore raced there in 1948, through to 1955.

 

 

 

 

Again O/T somewhat, but does anyone know where the Poore Alfa now resides, following its sale in 2013?

 

thanks, RJ

Edited by oldclassiccar, 17 May 2018 - 18:13.

[nicanary]

I couldn't tell you the answer to the Alfa, but while we're there, how is the Croot Commer coming along? I understand it's a bigger job than was first thought. AFAIK the Sphinx is back in the UK and there was talk of a suitable Armstrong-Siddeley engine bieng sourced. It would be lovely to see the two reunited in years to come.

[oldclassiccar]

I couldn't tell you the answer to the Alfa, but while we're there, how is the Croot Commer coming along? I understand it's a bigger job than was first thought. AFAIK the Sphinx is back in the UK and there was talk of a suitable Armstrong-Siddeley engine bieng sourced. It would be lovely to see the two reunited in years to come.

 

The Commer's squirrelled away in the "pending" corner, while I fettle other projects at the moment. In the meantime I'm looking around, sourcing parts for it when I can. It won't be more or less work than originally anticipated, I had a pretty good idea once I'd had a crawl over it. There's plenty to do, but it's not in nearly as bad a condition as the Dodge was, and spares are easier to track down which will make a big difference.

 

RJ

[Doug Nye]

The Poor Dodge was an abiding disappointment to me.  When we pulled it out of Dennis Moore's family garage/warehouse in the late 1980s - I think it was, might have been early '90s - it was in splendidly complete if heavily patinated order.  We even found in the cab a last fuel fill-up bill from a Midhurst garage, incurred during the final return trip from Goodwood.  The Dodge ended up at Donington - too large o accommodate under cover.  I failed to educate Tom Wheatcroft about the vehicle's intrinsic cultural - as opposed to financial - value, and the poor thing began to moulder out in the open.  I think at some point it was vandalised, and then rotted some more.  Really unacceptable.  And really unforgivable. I was delighted to see it restored so thoroughly, but sad that so much of the original fabric which we once saw, handled and savoured - had been lost to uncaring ignorance.   As for the Alfa itself - well, it was itself restored with similarly uncaring, uncomprehending, and from my intensely critical viewpoint unforgivably selfish, wilfulness.    or  (take your pick).

 

DCN 

[nicanary]

I can picture the Alfa in my mind as it now stands - almost certainly red and everything polished to within an inch of its life. At least it still exists. Small mercies and all that.

[oldclassiccar]

... but sad that so much of the original fabric which we once saw, handled and savoured - had been lost to uncaring ignorance.   ...

 

DCN 

 

Yes it was a real shame that much of the rear panelling had to be replaced, it was in a terrible state (see below). Had it still been "oily-raggable" then that'd have been my 100% preferred option. The trailer has been left alone for this very reason, being panelled in aluminium it has survived way better than the Dodge's steel. On the up side, all the original signwritten panels from both sides of the truck, and the rear doors, that were removed and used as templates I kept, even though they're in ropey condition. So they survive, just not on the vehicle any more, that was the best option I could come up with really.

 

 

Perhaps this Alfa/Poore talk should be split off into its own topic, apologies to the original poster

 

RJ

[nicanary]

Apologies from me too. Perhaps we should concentrate any discussion on the "Transporter" thread.

 

(I bought an inordinate number of lottery tickets on the weekend before the Poore auction - some hope, but I could see in advance what was going to happen.)

[Charlieman]

"Glimpses: 1951 Classic Car Race meeting at Gamston airfield in Nottinghamshire. A must for all classic car enthusiasts."

A gripe about nomenclature.

 

I don't think race organisers had Classic Car classes in 1951. The races were for contemporary cars. Drivers raced what they brought and hoped that they didn't need a lift home at six o'clock.