number plate identification 1931 Southport

[JonE]

I've put this up on the Ulster archive but any thoughts on the plate here? I can't think it can be other than 'B' or 'G' as a first letter...    

[Henry Harris]

BU 6684, de Ferranti at Southport. 31st January, 1931

   

[JonE]

ok good, so that makes it registered late Dec 30, which means its definitely a different car from his Jan '30 "new production Ulster" at same place... this is another near-new car.

[austin]

What do you mean by "near-new"? This car has been known about for years.

https://austinharris.co.uk/photo/1931-ir...d-prix/177

[JonE]

near-new when reported then! Registered two weeks previous. And the 1930 report we can only guess at, but Jan '30 was a pretty early production car. So what spec exactly was the 'new production Austin Ulster' (Canning Brown)?


btw, great that you have your comments back up on the austinharris site! I wonder where the supercharged car is, as its likely extant if recorded in the 1960s.

[Mike Costigan]

Jon, you are assuming that the 1930 car was registered when new - it is possible, if a bit unlikely, that de Ferranti competed in the car for a year before registering it.

I seem to recall in the mid-1960s when I first got interested in sporting Sevens that de Ferranti, or his family, still owned two Ulsters - memory suggests they were in north Wales at that time and that they 'could be bought'. I didn't have the funds to even consider looking at them.

[JonE]

good thought. So from fittings shown on BU images, do we think reasonable that it IS the car was in existence in Jan '30? Perhaps an early B- series car? (If 'they' could be bought in 1960s, then someone probably has the chassis numbers!)

[John Mason]

A bit off track (No pun intended) but from that photo the winter of 1930 - 1931 was a cold one.

John Mason.

[Hedd_Jones]

Jon, you are assuming that the 1930 car was registered when new - it is possible, if a bit unlikely, that de Ferranti competed in the car for a year before registering it.

I seem to recall in the mid-1960s when I first got interested in sporting Sevens that de Ferranti, or his family, still owned two Ulsters - memory suggests they were in north Wales at that time and that they 'could be bought'. I didn't have the funds to even consider looking at them.

Seb, his son showed a steam tractor at events in cheshire and staffs during the 1960's. Apparently he often used to arrive by helicopter. 

From memory the family 'home' at the time was Henbury Hall, almost opposite one of the events the steamer used to attend at Astle Park near Chelford. 

I didnt know about the Ulsters. Whereabouts in norrh wales were they supposed to be. I could guess. But wont.

[Mike Costigan]

Just found this entry for Denis de Ferranti; especially interesting because I nearly put that I thought the Ulsters were in Ireland. Maybe I should have gone with my initial thoughts ...

https://www.ferranti.me/denis-1908.html