The SP is an historical vehicle, what better way to start the month than with an excellent piece of nostalgia, sit back and relax and watch this clip of the 1962 Bathurst 6 hour race. The winning duo of brothers Leo & Ian Geoghegan lead the way home in their SP some 15 ½ miles ahead of their nearest competitor. Their SP, car numbered 52F, comes in first at 1.18 minutes:- https://youtu.be/4X6IcZ3Cb_s However, before winning the race they had first completed an economy run with the SP gaining first place, then a mild tune before success awaited them 6 hours later.
Hard on the heels of the astonishing Palmen Collection being sold recently in Holland comes the ultimate ‘Barn Find’ an astonishing collection of Ferraris uncovered by hurricane winds in the USA…………. https://rmsothebys.com/en/home/lots/mo23#?SortBy=Default&SearchTerm=&Category=All%20Categories&IncludeWithdrawnLots&Auction=MO23&OfferStatus=All%20Availability&AuctionYear=&Model=Model&Make=Make&FeaturedOnly=false&StillForSaleOnly=false&Collection=Offered%20from%20the%20Lost%20%26%20Found%20Collection&TagLine=All%20Lots&WithoutReserveOnly=false&Day=All%20Days&TimedOnly=false&OneHubLinkOnly=false&AuctionedStatus=All%20Lots&page=1&pageSize=200
Please indulge me whilst I continue my rant about EVs……….
So is ‘The Dream’ fast fading with the EV movement? “Turmoil” is the word that Elon Musk has aptly described the current situation in the EV market as not only his Tesla Company mounts yet another round of discounts but many other manufacturers also. Meanwhile, on Continental Europe VW have closed their EV factories for a minimum of 3 months hoping sales will pick up. Elsewhere, heavy lobbying by the German motor manufactures, to push back the date when normal aspirated cars must cease being manufactured have met with success, as long as they use lean burn engines. And, notwithstanding that aspect, Porsche have stated they will continue to produce the iconic 911 series until (legally) ordered not to do so. This despite all governments and other vested parties trying to force their ‘supposedly green policies’ on us.
Meanwhile, hard on the heels of the Germans’ U turn, the UK government is contemplating reversing the controversial ban on petrol cars. As sources claim that the Prime Minister is poised to order a review of the net zero plan to stop sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030…. Common sense will hopefully prevail.
They were hailed as a cheaper – and greener – alternative to petrol-run cars. But it has now emerged that electric cars can now cost more to run than their gas-guzzling counterparts – and could plague roads with yet more potholes.
With rising electricity prices, recharging cars at major public points can now cost almost £50 – often making them more expensive to run than a petrol alternative.
BP and Shell – which oversee the UK’s biggest recharging networks – charge 79p and 85p per kWh respectively. In May 2022 you could recharge at a rate of 44.55p per kWh.
Meanwhile, the price of petrol has dropped to around 144p a litre, meaning it costs £72 to fill up a typical car. As a result, the cost per mile for the electric VW ID.3 is 21.43p compared to 13.03p for VW’s petrol equivalent the Golf 1.5L, according to ‘The Sun’ newspaper
Are electric vehicles really that environmentally-friendly? Greenhouse gas emissions created during the production of an electric car are significantly higher than a conventional car – largely due to the mining and associated production of the lithium ion batteries that power them. But there are other eco-issues that the technology fails to solve……….and so the debate continues. Meanwhile, here in the UK the dreaded ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) charge is to be rolled out over all London boroughs and even the opposition government has let the cat out of the bag by stating all cities and towns will, when they come to power, bring in ULEZ charges which in plain English is another stealth tax being heap on the car user, the easy target.
A repeat of what is coming up as we run into eventful September, we kick off with the Beaulieu Autojumble weekend on the 2nd & 3rd and so as not to clash, a week later and further along the coast we hit the south downs at Chichester for the Goodwood revival ‘weekend’ 8th to 10th :- here I would imagine many will be ‘working from home’ on the Friday or should I say trackside!
And a week after Goodwood, we head inland to Princes Risborough for Kop Hill on the 16th & 17thhttps://kophillclimb.org.uk/dates-for-2023-announced/ no doubt John & Pat Marr will host a Club stand. So if booking apply to go with the club. Please be charitable with their new web site – it’s a little temperamental
We will be at the NEC Classic Car show 10/12 Nov in Hall 2 stand 750 and showcasing one of Robin Read’s dragsters, a couple of SPs and a rolling chassis. No doubt we will have SP calendars on sale. You will need to ask me for the discounted ticket code.
And finally………..
Seems the local council wouldn’t give him a Tea Break, so he took his own!
Thought for the day:
Planned obsolescence is another word for Progress.
