Lakeland roads - as they used to be

[Henry Harris]

From the November 1959 edition of the 750 Bulletin....

   

   

   

[Steve kay]

A retired museum curator writes, I can't help it. So a little research had to happen.

As Mike Costigan pointed out, looking at detail such as shadows clearly indicates that the filming took place over several days. Looking at trees also shows that whilst the original climb took place in March, filming was quite a bit later in the year. If only we had other footage of the film being shot we might find out how the camera crews got up to road,  and indeed unmade up track side locations before the Landy had been invented. It can be noted that crew's costume changes from the halfway stop to the triumphant climbing out at the end, it is not easy to see if they are the same people.

The credits are rather modest about who was involved. Thomas Wisdom was indeed better known as Tommy Wisdom, and as well as being a motoring  journalist was a very active driver. He drove both in races and in Rallies. Just after surmounting the Cumbrian summits, he and Archie Scott Brown drove a Singer in the final pre-war Le Mans. J. F. Bramley is credited with being Editor of the Austin Magazine but was already prominent in sales and publicity. In 1955 he was promoted to being Export Sales Director for BMC.

G B Screen Services had made promotion films, including for Austin,  from about 1935. They were about to get very busy making government films throughout the war. Music is largely Smetana, orchestra and conductor unattributed.

Some of the roads are not unfamiliar to Sevenists, even if they are the easy bits getting to character forming sections on a certain trial. What is remarkable is how little road surfacing had happened across the Lake District as late as 1939. I'd love to drive this route in the 2CV, I'd be less confident about doing it in the Ruby. Is the Austin 8 a hidden trialing possibility? Might it take a confident place in class zero on the Exeter or Lands End next year? The crew's smart phones will be able to record the whole event if that were ever to happen.

[Malcolm Parker]

Thank you Henry for the 750MC Bulletin report on the Skiddaw ascent.  I think the 'Mike' referred to could have been the late Mike Telford.
Have you noticed how often the 30/31 SWB saloons crop up in these heroic exploits?  Surely the most versatile of all the Austin 7's!
I think the one that climbed Skiddaw must have had the crash 4 speed box with the demon 1st gear.

[Henry Harris]

Malcolm, I think you're right about the versatility of SWB steel saloons.
Not only nimble but unlike the earlier Aluminium saloons, strong. 
We trial two 1931's

   

YD has a standard 3 speed gearbox, 5.6 rear axle and 18" wheels ( 1st gear = 18.2 : 1 )
OU has a standard 4 speed gearbox, 4.9 rear axle and 18" wheels ( 1st gear = 21.4 : 1 )

   
750 MC Cold Turkey Trial, 2018

[austin]

Same car on same section but video:

They always surprise people on how good they are as trials cars, (added bonus being you stay dry), gives the VSCC Boys & Girls a run for there money on the 750MC trials.

One day would love to do the big trials such as the Lakes etc.

[Tony Griffiths]

Is the Austin 8 a hidden trialing possibility? Might it take a confident place in class zero on the Exeter or Lands End next year? The crew's smart phones will be able to record the whole event if that were ever to happen.

Absolutely! The "Eight" was based on the Big Seven and, Bert Hadly, Austin works driver and trials competitor in a Grasshopper, also used his Big Seven to good effect: "I took my Big 7, accompanied by Bob in the Exeter Trial of 1939 and gained a premier award. It made us wonder why we had endured all that open car and drenching rain nonsense."

[TonyHodson]

Wikipedia strikes again! Archie Scott Brown would have been 12 years old in 1939 so even for someone of his skills Le Mans would have been a bit much. Tom Wisdom's co-driver was one A C Scott about whom I can find nothing. They retired with fuel problems having completed 105 laps it seems.
Tony

[Mike Costigan]

Archie C Scott was one of the first customers for an HRG, and in 1937 competed in his HRG in the Monte Carlo Rally (33rd overall), the Le Mans 24 hour race (13th overall), the Donington 12 Hour race (10th overall), and the Tourist Trophy (retired).


  1937 Le Mans HRG Archie Scott.1000.jpg (Size: 203.69 KB / Downloads: 105)

[Steve kay]

Mea culpa, it was me sat at the keyboard late in the evening who made the embarassing mistake of changing "Archie Scott" to "Archie Scott Brown" I must go immediately to the back of the class. They were reported to manage 105 laps before fuel problems finished their race. The exact nature of fuel problems has yet to be determined, the first to find out will get a packet of biscuits presented in the paddock at Shelsley, quite when has yet to be arranged. Here is a challenge for the serious historian, who drove the Argyll that took 1st place on handicap at the Speech House Hillclimb, Good Friday 5th April 1912, and who took FTD?

[Mike Costigan]

According to Quentin Spurring's Le Mans History, I quote: ... their car remained strong all the way to the mid-morning, when the engine would not run properly after a routine pit stop. A quantity of rust and gunge from the refuelling tower had got into the fuel system. Some of this was cleared, but the remainder had to forced through by repeatedly revving the engine. This consumed so much fuel that the car ran dry after only 23 laps after it had rejoined. As soon as the car was refuelled, disqualification ensued.

I hereby claim my packet of biscuits