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rpaisley
United Kingdom
50 Posts |
 Posted - 18/05/2010 : 21:48:41
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Tewin Water Diamond Classic
Tewin Water, near Welwyn, Herts
20th June 2010
The Tewin Water Diamond Classic commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the Tewin Water Speed Trials, first held at Tewin Water on June 18th 1950. Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus Cars drove one of his earliest cars, the Lotus Mark 2 in the 1950 event. Other well known competitors at Tewin Water included Claude Tipper in a Formula 3 Monaco, Don Moore in an MG P Type, Brian Lister in a Cooper MG and George Symonds in a Formula 3 Cooper. George Symonds also raced an MG R Type, which he bought from Malcolm Campbell in the 1930?s. George?s son Richard lives in The Stables at Tewin Water.
The Tewin Water Diamond Classic will evoke the spirit and heritage of the original event. It will be a timed demonstration, organised by the Falcon Motor Club Ltd. The cars taking part will be classic and sports cars from the 1930s to the 1970s. The number of cars taking part will be strictly limited. The Falcon Motor Club will organise the motoring event and a Tewin Water residents? committee will organise refreshments and other activities for spectators.
Spectators will be limited to the friends and families of participants, Falcon Motor Club members and Tewin Water residents. We hope this will be a real community event which celebrates the motoring and community heritage of Tewin Water. There will be a display area for the cars taking part by the vineyard and the lawn in front of the main house, and an opportunity to view an impressive array of classic cars both in the display area, and in action at a viewing point along the access road.
Falcon Motor Club and Tewin Water Residents, April 2010
Entry form available from:
http://sites.google.com/site/falconmotorclub/eventregulations
For further details, please contact:
Robert Paisley
MGCC 100555
robert@paisleyfam.freeserve.co.uk
07817 251335
Robert Paisley |
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McEvoy
United Kingdom
252 Posts |
Posted - 18/05/2010 : 23:37:39
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Robert thanks for your interesting post it is good to hear about the old racing venues being recognised and re-invigorated although perhaps not in their original full bloodied way.
Being a little pedantic regarding George Symonds R Type MG. This was Chassis No 0260 and was indeed originaly driven by Malcolm Campbell at Brooklands in 1935 but it passed through the hands of Reggie Tongue and Charlie Manders before George acquired the car in 1938 and subsequently selling it on after the war to Roy Salvadori.
Good luck with the Diamond Classic Anniversary
Bob |
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rpaisley
United Kingdom
50 Posts |
Posted - 26/05/2010 : 21:57:00
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Thanks, Bob, for your message and interesting background.
I have been delighted by the response by the MGCC and Triple M register especially. Colin Butchers has provided me with some fascinating archive material, including programmes, as well as introducing me to a number of Triple Ms who have entered, including Mike Allison's supercharged NA Magnette. This car was, I believ, twice a class winner at Tewin Water. Please email me or call me if you (or any other MGCC member) would like further details and an entry form. The road is no longer suitable for a full-blown speed trial or sprint, so a competition licnce is not needed. You do not need to be a member of the Falcon Motor Club as membership to the end of the year is included in the entry fee. Please note that entries are limited, so please ask interested entrants to email me to confirm their entry as soon as possible.
Best wishes,
Robert.
Robert Paisley |
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Mike Allison
United Kingdom
196 Posts |
Posted - 27/05/2010 : 08:56:32
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Hi everyone reading this!
I was interested to see the history profile of RA0260... over the years things got a bit mixed up. And McEvoy is right, don't be too pedantic, there is a bit of a mix-up in what he says!
Salvadori, I think you will find, had RA 0251 which he bought from Duncan Hamilton, which was one of the original George Eyston (or "Works" cars) He also had RA0252 and RA0253. When the "axe" fell at Abingdon on competition activities, the instruction from Leonard Lord was "..That lot can bloody go!" (Ref. Reg Jackson in 1967) Arrangements were quickly made for George to take the cars away, and sell them off. At Brooklands, however, Wal Handley succeeded in rolling one of the cars (I think RA0253) bending it badly. Cousins was present, and everyone was a bit glum, as no provision had been made for spares at that point. They needed, I believe, front suspension, firwall and various steering and body bits.
George Symonds had bought RA0251 just before the war, and it was present at the Elstree (Actually, I think,a nascent housing estate at Cockfosters) display in 1945.
RA0260 was the Development car, so bits were pirated from that chassis, and transferred to the bent car so that it could be sold on.
The chassis of RA0260 was not sold, but was taken to Cowley by Enever and H.N.Charles, where it remained for nearly forty years, when it surfaced at the old MG factory in Edmund Road, at that time the scrap stores. It was bought by Syd Beer as scrap from there, and identified as RA0260 by stampings on various components, and a patemt plate, which tied up with the later patents raised for the "RB" rear suspension. There were also components associated with the parcel which I personally identified, with help from Syd Enever, and drawings at the MG Gactory, as prototype parts for the "RB" rear suspension with unequal length wishbones, and an anti-roll device, which we never fully resolved.
So back to Tewin Water, where indeed my NA was a class record holder,in its standard bodied form, and then it returned the following year(1952)now adorned with its new special body and set a course record that was never broken. The driver was Derek Davis. One report says FTD at 16.6 seconds for the standing quarter... it beat a Cooper-MG and several more modern cars!
When I bought the car in 1961 it still had the special body, and I restored it in 1965/69 to its pre-war Monte Carlo Rally trim.
I am hoping it behaves well at the coming meeting, although these days both car and driver are carrying a lot of excess weight they did not have years ago!
Happy days,
Mike
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rpaisley
United Kingdom
50 Posts |
Posted - 27/05/2010 : 22:25:54
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Thanks for joining in Mike.
George Symonds son, Richard goes to our Church and actually lives at Tewin Water. George drove a supercharged Austin Seven at Tewin Water. It sounds like he had sold the R type by the time Tewin Water started, but I will check with Richard. I was trying to trace George's R Type and got in touch with George Herschell, an R Type expert (!) in New York. He knows the current owner who is in Germany, but the car is currently being restored.
I will send a link to our topic to Richard and George Herschell and hopefully they will join in!
Looking forward to seeing you at Tewin Water.
Best wishes,
Robert.
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Allison
Hi everyone reading this!
I was interested to see the history profile of RA0260... over the years things got a bit mixed up. And McEvoy is right, don't be too pedantic, there is a bit of a mix-up in what he says!
Salvadori, I think you will find, had RA 0251 which he bought from Duncan Hamilton, which was one of the original George Eyston (or "Works" cars) He also had RA0252 and RA0253. When the "axe" fell at Abingdon on competition activities, the instruction from Leonard Lord was "..That lot can bloody go!" (Ref. Reg Jackson in 1967) Arrangements were quickly made for George to take the cars away, and sell them off. At Brooklands, however, Wal Handley succeeded in rolling one of the cars (I think RA0253) bending it badly. Cousins was present, and everyone was a bit glum, as no provision had been made for spares at that point. They needed, I believe, front suspension, firwall and various steering and body bits.
George Symonds had bought RA0251 just before the war, and it was present at the Elstree (Actually, I think,a nascent housing estate at Cockfosters) display in 1945.
RA0260 was the Development car, so bits were pirated from that chassis, and transferred to the bent car so that it could be sold on.
The chassis of RA0260 was not sold, but was taken to Cowley by Enever and H.N.Charles, where it remained for nearly forty years, when it surfaced at the old MG factory in Edmund Road, at that time the scrap stores. It was bought by Syd Beer as scrap from there, and identified as RA0260 by stampings on various components, and a patemt plate, which tied up with the later patents raised for the "RB" rear suspension. There were also components associated with the parcel which I personally identified, with help from Syd Enever, and drawings at the MG Gactory, as prototype parts for the "RB" rear suspension with unequal length wishbones, and an anti-roll device, which we never fully resolved.
So back to Tewin Water, where indeed my NA was a class record holder,in its standard bodied form, and then it returned the following year(1952)now adorned with its new special body and set a course record that was never broken. The driver was Derek Davis. One report says FTD at 16.6 seconds for the standing quarter... it beat a Cooper-MG and several more modern cars!
When I bought the car in 1961 it still had the special body, and I restored it in 1965/69 to its pre-war Monte Carlo Rally trim.
I am hoping it behaves well at the coming meeting, although these days both car and driver are carrying a lot of excess weight they did not have years ago!
Happy days,
Mike
Robert Paisley |
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McEvoy
United Kingdom
252 Posts |
Posted - 28/05/2010 : 00:54:24
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Thanks Mike for the very interesting post re RA 0251 & 0260 I must admit that my recollections are 30+ years old and I must refer to my notes and letters from owners that I kept from the time when I was custodian of 0257 & 8. You were very fortunate to be able to talk to the original MG factory personnel and see the factory records. It may well be that like a recent K3 saga well documented on the forum that R type bits became very interchangeable which may have led to cars being incorrectly identified.
R Types had their chassis number on a number of components such as firewall; front suspension etc which could have been readily interchangeable in the situation Cousins found himself in at Brooklands. Having said that 0257 never had a chassis number anywhere and as you will remember Mike this was the reason I could never register the car with the TripleM in the very early days of the Register. Many adverts of R Types state a chassis number 802194 that appeared on a plate welded to the chassis. This numer alluded to a registered design for this chassis in Great Britain and I well remember researching this and noting that the registration had been renewed every 5 years up to I think it's maximum of 15 years being signed by Enever.
The car that I saw in the late '50s at The Chelsea College of Automobile & Aero Engineering bore the number 0251 on the firewall having been owned by the late Principal, his widow giving the car to the college and of course I knew this car very well when Charles Duerden owned it as he only lived a few miles away from me and in fact I sold him many excess parts from 0257 & 0253 (If the numbers are correct)
My dealings with 0260 (or whatever it was) concern correspondence with George Symonds, Roy Salvadori, John Coundley and John Fisher. Again I remember purchasing a Zoller and wheels from Coundley Without rereading the correspondence I don't recall any chassis numers being mentioned but they did confirm who the car was purchased from and to whom it was sold.
Robert the interesting thing is that what ever the chassis number of these two cars they are now both with Karl Wiessmann in Northern Germany undergoing major rebuilds - Hope he doesn't get the numbered items muddled up !
Mike I wonder if the Handley rolled car was 0252 as the car that Pete Stevens had and I shipped to New Zealand for him bore the numbers 0253 in a number of places.
Regarding the ex "scrap" chassis that Syd Beer bought I thought that this was the one I found in Bristol that Hutchinson was going to turn into a special with a Riley engine but unfortunately was killed in a RAF flying accident. Syd did send me some copies of MG drawings showing improved anti-roll rear suspensions for the "RB" but not sure if these applied to his purchse.
Anyway Mike keep the info rolling about these interesting cars and have a great day with the NA at Tewin Water, don't worry about the weight it will help traction!
Bob |
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