The Magazine

New Shopping at Half Prices until May 1

Yesterday we launched a new system for ordering & paying ads by  private sellers.
Nothing changed dramatically. New is that you don't have to do separate payments for every single advert like in the past. You add one or more orders to your 'shopping cart' and pay in one go. To get you going and try out the new set-up we run a special deal up to May 1 :  all private ads at half price.  

The earlier features will remain.
First adverts free.
Plus for all vehicles below 10,000 US$/Euro/GBP no charge, so free ads.
Plus for all parts below 200 US$/Euro/GBP no charge, so free ads.
Here is a simple table with >>> Click > overview of prices. 

For all paid ads we cut the prices in half up to May 1 2013.
So one month of advertising a car is US$/Euro 12 in stead of 24.
Renewal will be Euro 6 in stead of Euro 12.
For paid parts ads the same deal.
A standard one month parts advert is from now up to 1st of May  US$/Euro 1.30 in stead of US$/Euro 2.60

So clean out your shed, your barn, your garage and have some fun!

Friday, 26 April 2013

Speedy Vauxhall turns 100

Ian Murray reports:  "....desperately trying to take a serious photograph of my pride and joy, and guess who feels left out!" and then continues:   Long before Vauxhall became a part of the General Motors Empire and a producer of sensible family cars, it was building one of the greatest ever sports cars. This year marks the centenary of the 30/98. While the first car to exceed 100 mph was Louis Rigolly’s 15-litre Gobron-Brillie which ran at 103.56 mph in 1913, it was the Vauxhall 30/98 that became the original production sports car to top 100mph. Described in the advertising of the time as “The car of grace that sets the pace”, the 30/98 was derived from Vauxhall’s C10 “Prince Henry” which is generally acknowledged as the British car industries first real sports car. The first 30-98 was constructed at the behest of car dealer and motor sport competitor, Joseph Higginson, inventor of the Autovac, who won the Shelsley Walsh hill-climb competition on 7th June 1913 in his new Vauxhall. 30/98s made a further public appearance as a team of three entries in the Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France on 4 July 1914 led by Ralph DePalma. These were never racing machines but fast touring cars guaranteed by their makers to do 100mph stripped down to the bare essentials. The 30-98s used the Prince Henry chassis but had flat rather than the distinguished V-shaped radiator. Before WW1 only thirteen 30/98s were produced for selected drivers, the last in 1915 for Percy Kidner a joint managing director. Several of these went to Australia, where one was used by the Vauxhall importer Boyd Edkins to break the Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane to Sydney records.  Actual production began in 1919. Between December 1919 and October 1922 there were approximately 275 E Type 30/98s produced, of which 36 still exist (22 in the UK, 10 in Australia & NZ, 4 in USA). Laurence Pomeroy took the Prince Henry L-head side-valve engine and enlarged to 4,525 cc. He cold-stretched the crankshaft throws 5 mm using a steam power hammer and lengthened the stroke to 150 mm. The camshaft was given a new chain drive at the front of the engine, high lift cams and new tappet clearances. The crankshaft ran in five bearings with pressure fed lubrication. It was fitted with a single Zenith 48RA carburettor, as fitted to the DeHaviland 4 Aircraft. The engine's power output was 90 bhp at 3,000 rpm. Between 1923 and 1927 there were approximately 312 OE 30/98s produced, of which 138 still exist. The engine was updated and fitted with overhead valves and a detachable cylinder head. The stroke was returned to its original length which gave a slightly smaller capacity of 4,224 cc but power output was up nearly 30% from the original to 115 bhp at 3,300 rpm. Low speed torque was also improved. The car and its wheelbase were lengthened four inches and widened three inches making more room for passengers and more comfortable seating. There is in addition a further 65 or so RE and ROE 30/98s built up on replica chassis or using “other” Vauxhall variants. Various centenary celebrations have been planned by the 30/98 Register, details of which can be found at www.30-98thecentenary.com

 

Thursday, 25 April 2013

Machines speak at Montlhéry

Starting off chilly but revving up with more sun every hour. The cyclecar, edwardian and vintage sports car plus 'moto' crowd had trailered in the best of their materials. Did we say trailer? Lots of them came on own wheels. Most courageous our friends of The Automobile who crossed the Channel with the very much unrestored Ford Woodie and a fine Peugeot that after visiting the banks of Montlhéry needed elaborate clutch maintenance. They were not the only ones who experienced hardship. The Citroën Tank couldn't race due to magneto issues. The vast majority however went out without too many issues. A not so environmental friendly Deguignand. Lots of oddball machinery, by example the brakeless, clutchless 1915 Chater Lea Special. The only(?) surviving blown d'Yrsan. The Morgan and Villard tricycle pick-up . The Tsjech designed and now recreated V4 Torpedo. And when did you last see a Mieusset. We can go on forever going down this track, but let's stay focussed. Let's not overlook the fleet of fabulous Voisins, brought together by Thierry Auffret. The countless rows of Bugattis. Or the 10 Amilcar C6s, nearly 25% of the total production! And the unbelievable 1911 Delage Coupe de l'Auto, believed to be the first car with fifth gear overdrive (for going faster downhill).  The aerocar flown in by the Lane Motor Museum. The very last constructed but only recently finished BNC.  The incountable number of  Amilcars, Bugattis, Salmsons, Morgans, Sandfords and more. There were even two tandem Bedelias. Demo racing in classes from early in the morning till late in the afternoon. The atmosphere is hard to describe with a handfull of photos and words. It was magic. The machines were talking and we all were mere spectators. That's what we like to express with the small video. On the warm Sunday afternoon PreWarCar had the task to point out a few exquisite examples, possibly slightly more exquisite than all. Basically an impossible task, but what the heck. Helped by several scouts we chose the Sandford Club ATF for the Club Esprit Award, here presented to Remy Rucheton.  The Amilcar C6 flown in from Japan by retired Formula I engineer Mr. Kawamoto received the Spirit of the Event Award. The prize for the most original motorbike went to a 1915 Indian oval racer( no brakes, no gears, no clutch, no paint). And finally the prize for the most original car handed over by organiser Vincent Chamont to Bernard Vaireaux for the most impressive 1922 GP Roland Pillain 8C, presented and raced by the Musée Henri Malarte from Lyon. An unforgettable weekend. See you all at Vintage Revival Montlhéry 2015!

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

The Italian Buick mystery

Recently we were shown a Buick brochure that was published in Italy. So far, so good, but the models shown had us confused. The sedan looks to be a 1920s model, but apart from the Buick logo, it's one we have never seen before. The pointed radiator and sharp looking bodywork is something we have never seen before on a Buick. Apart from the sedan there's also a frontal picture of what seems to be a roadster, however the brochure doesn't mention any dates, nor manufacturer of the coachwork. We know that Buick had a Spanish connection with the Abadal-Buick, but we have never heard of an Italian connection. Who can tell us more about these Italian Buicks?
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Tuesday, 23 April 2013