A sunny morning sandwiched between a faecal Saturday and the threat of an even worse Sunday afternoon saw a few hardy souls venture to Sandy Bay for August's Classics by The Beach. It may not have been the event's biggest ever turn-out but, as usual, that didn't diminish the quality of the cars on display.
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| Best of British to you! Michael's Austin Healey 300 and a Mk II Jag |
No wonder the Mazda MX-5 was an instant classic: pretty from every angle, paying homage to earlier classics - especially the Lotus Elan - with exquisite handling and lively performance to boot. This one's in top nick and is a real credit to its owner. There's a fairly strong school of thought that the first model, like the one featured here, was the purest and best looking of all the MX-5s but UMPH isn't going to enter into that debate.
There's something wonderfully evocative about the magnificent 1968 Ferrari 365 GT shown below. It somehow combines the suggestion of great speed with an air of unhurried elegance, as if it were designed solely to effortlessly cruise into Monaco at 100 + miles per hour with some Audrey Hepburn-type gracing the passenger's seat. Then again, it probably was!
It's not every day that you see a Humber Super Snipe - especially one this old. UMPH is of an age that he can still remember one or two of the later ones, relatively old even then, being piloted around Launceston by gentlemen of advanced years. Try as he will, he can't shake the mental link between Humbers and dark suits, hats and pipe-smoking. The one featured here sported an expired Northern Territory rego label, so it's come a long, long way to grace our shores.
UMPH was so taken by this apparently pre-war boat-tail roadster that he forgot to look and see what it actually was. Can anyone enlighten him, please?
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| A nice, tidy 'sud |
This 1937 Riley TT Sprite draws a crowd every time it comes to the Bay, which is hardly surprising when its owner, Michael C, is so happy to show and discuss his pride and joy with the many people that gather to admire it. Michael told UMPH that his TT is unique, being the only one in the world to be fitted with four - yes, that's quadruple - 1 and 1/16" Amal Ltd side-draught carbies, which he reckons work a treat.
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| A nicely blued set of extractors |
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| 4 carbies: 4 cylinders |
UMPH wishes he'd thought to ask, but it appears to him that the 1500 cc motor is a twin-cam (the double rocker covers suggest that it is). Is anyone able to confirm this to be so? At the very least, it is a cross-flow head with a very nice set of stainless steel extractors visible on the passenger's side of the car. It must have been absolutely cutting edge when it was made nearly eighty years ago.
Lotus Esprits put UMPH in mind of James Bond's submarine car. But, in the next thought, he remembers Top Gear's ridiculous attempt to make their own ... . Too bad about Jeremy Clarkson, by the way.
Can you be an Australian male and not be moved by this very tidy HT Monaro? UMPH thinks not. The owner was overheard to say that it's a work in progress, with some finishing work still to be done, including the fitting of a set of original hubcaps. The rego suggests it's just been re-registered. Nice.
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| An MGTD and an MGA |
Why is it that the word quirky comes to mind when describing French car design? Here's a wild guess:
Quirky or not, the Citroen 2CV can also claim status as a Bond car. A yellow one, from memory, taking a rather direct route through some hairpin corners in some Mediterranean scene... .
Like Michael C's Riley, this 1964 Bolwell Mk IV replica really attracts attention. And, like Michael C, owner / builder Nick is happy to let admirers get close enough to have a really good look at his handy-work.
Nick explained that he built the car over about three years, having started by chalking out its chassis design on his garage floor. The idea was to build something that he could drive to the track, have some fun with and drive home again. He used panels from a Bolwell wreck to make some of the molds from which he fashioned the svelte fibre-glass body, as well as some of his own design and construction, before fitting it with a 289 Ford V8 motor, a Toyota 'box, Torana diff centre and Volvo front brake calipers. The rest of the mechanicals were of his own making, except the steering rack. He even designed the suspension from scratch, rather than modifying existing components, to ensure that the car handled properly. It was first registered in 1999 and he says that it's been totally reliable ever since.
UMPH thanks all those who let him get up and personal with their classics, and especially to Michael C and Nick for taking the time to discuss their fabulous cars. He hopes to feature even more great vehicles over the next few months.
U M P H
The Riley earned quite a few ribbons at the Tops off for Breast Cancer on Parliament House lawns the other year.
ReplyDeleteThe Lotus Esprit looks like a Series 4, whereas it was an S1 that featured in The Spy That Loved Me. The cars have the same basic shape, but the latter is more rounded, has different tail lights and numerous mechanical differences. It was also produced with an entirely different vacuum assisted rein injection process which greatly increased rigidity.
Thanks, RR. UMPH doesn't know much about Lotuses (Lotii?) at all but the one featured here does seem to have a more contemporary look that the one Roger Moore took to the ocean in. As you say, same basic shape but ... . A great car, anyway. The Riley truly is magnificent, as is Michael C's Guilietta (probably poorly spelled but close?).
DeleteUMPH.
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