The Newland Files Pt. VI: Madeira Drive and more

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In Part V, we highlighted Geoff Newland’s roadside photography from the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. He still had plenty of film left when he arrived in Brighton, so we look now at his shots from Madeira Drive and of vintage cars seen on the surrounding streets.

c.1934 Humber 12
Geoff was very fond of a Humber 12. As we saw in Part II, Geoff owned a 1937 12 saloon and a 1934 tourer. This saloon would also date from circa 1934. It looks in fairly good condition here, but sadly we suspect it has gone to join the majority.

Alvis 12/50
With no registration number visible, we don’t stand much chance of identifying this car. We can only say that it’s a very pretty example of an Alvis 12/50, with the accents on the wheel spokes setting it off well.

Morris
The sight of this Flatnose Morris saloon caused Geoff some amusement. As can be seen, it sported a very high-gloss paint finish, but the owner hadn’t deemed it necessary to repair the badly dented rear pillar before sprucing it up…

1927 Clyno 10.8hp
At the end of the Brighton Run, Geoff came across what must be the most famous Clyno in existence during one of its many excursions around the south-east in the early 1960s. Standing behind it and looking barely old enough to drive, we see its owner, the prolific author and historian David Burgess-Wise.

Bentley 6½-Litre
This Bentley looks rather longer than a 4½-Litre to us, so it must be a 6½. Unfortunately, beyond that and the fact it was seen in Brighton, we know no more about it. Of course, when you’re driving a vintage Bentley, kerbs are for lesser motorists.

1923 Bentley Three-Litre
This is David Ambrose’s fourteen-inch-shortened 1923 Bentley Three-Litre, as discussed in Part V of this series. Geoff remembers talking to the lady in the car and describes her as “very posh, and probably wearing a real leopard.” Indeed, but what’s caught our attention is perhaps the most ostentatious bonnet mascot we’ve ever seen.

1926 Bugatti Type 37
The Editor has been watching the Brighton Run for more than twenty years but cannot recall ever seeing a real Bugatti on the route during that time. Geoff was very lucky to find this 1926 Type 37 on Madeira Drive. An enthusiast-owned car virtually from new, it belonged to a Bugatti Owners’ Club member at least as early as 1937 and was campaigned at Prescott in 1950.

1903 Renault landaulet
Turning our attention to the veterans, we come first to a car which lots of people will recognise. The 1903 Renault 10hp is distinctive not just for its prosperous landaulet bodywork, nor its eye-catching red and black colour scheme, but for the unique feature of sprung spokes in its solid-tyred wheels. Purchased in 1953 by Captain Philip Watters-Westbrook, with whom it starred in Genevieve, he entered the Brighton Run regularly until his death in 1967. With its current custodians, it still enters every year.

1902 Hanzer
This car is a little Renault-like with its coal-scuttle bonnet and side-mounted radiators, but it’s actually the 1902 Hanzer 5hp, the sole survivor of the short-lived Parisian marque, owned at the time by C. E. Baker of Coulsdon, Surrey. A well-known car in the Veteran Car Club, it participated in the 1946 and 1956 Brighton Runs, and then annually through the 1960s. In more recent years, it was a static exhibit at Bentley Motor Museum in East Sussex, but we have not heard of it since the museum closed in 2018.

Vauxhall tourer
This, we believe, is a 1933 Vauxhall 14/6 tourer. There appears to be no record of this car’s existence after 1983. Does anyone know if it still survives?

Sunbeam tourer
This would appear to be one of the smaller Sunbeams of the early 1920s, perhaps a 14/40. We’re sure it must still exist, but we know nothing about it.

Austin 12/4
With the English Channel in the background, this lovely Austin 12 tourer can be seen soaking up the autumn sun after mingling with the veterans on a very enjoyable Brighton Run.

1903 De Dietrich 24hp
This car, a 1903 De Dietrich 24hp with Paris-Madrid-style racing body, might be regarded as something of a celebrity within the veteran world. It was bought in the 1930s by the young Richard Shuttleworth, a racing driver and one of the first really passionate proponents of early vehicle preservation, who was tragically killed in a Spitfire crash in 1940. The De Dietrich, which had lapped Brooklands at 58mph, and his other veterans were cared for thereafter by the Shuttleworth Trust, and, besides the Brighton, may be seen today at the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire.

1901 Renault
This is a 1901 Renault 4½hp tonneau. The owner was possibly P. Grard or K. F. Savill. This car has also appeared on several recent Brightons.

1932 Vauxhall Cadet
For most of his photographs, Geoff’s memory is pretty much infallible, but he confesses the precise circumstances of this picture elude him. It was taken in Brighton, on Madeira Drive, but at what event? The row of commercial vehicles in the background would suggest it might have been at the end of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club’s London to Brighton Run in May, but close inspection shows that the old cars are participating in an event of their own. This one, a 1932 Vauxhall Cadet, has a card in its screen saying ‘Second Prize’. Was there another rally held in conjunction with the early Commercial Brighton Runs? Happily, this car is still in existence and has appeared at some recent rallies in the east of England.

1929 Essex
This 1929 Essex is right-hand drive, so would have been assembled at Hudson’s English factory on Brentford’s Golden Mile. The all-weather coupé body may have been locally produced, too. It appeared at the same rally as the Vauxhall Cadet, and won the Third Prize award. It still exists, although it is presently off the road.

Words: Zack Stiling
 

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