A most Happy New Year to you all, pictured is Hans-Egon Hebel’s SP at the St. Antoni Pass in the Black Forest, a most appropriate setting for this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere,
Mind you if you have not seen this amazing photograph before, it implies you haven’t bought the SP250 Calendar.
Alan Mason has nonetheless just a few left from the second print run, so do please contact Alan on soaring.ace@btinternet.com – any profits he makes on these sales go towards helping run SP250 activities.
Alan is also planning, yet again, this years’ venture to the Spa Classic 22nd – 24th May and there are a couple of spare spaces owing to cancellations, therefore, if you wish to join this trip, please contact Alan. Many tend to make it a 7-to-10-day trip stopping en-route sightseeing etc whilst a hardy few will leave early on the 21st and return on the 25th – it’s your option as to how you travel either by train or boat.
This year is the 130th Anniversary of the first Coventry built Daimler and most appropriately this years’ National Rally 24th – 28th June is centred on the Coombe Abbey Hotel, Coventry CV3 2AB. Mark Keshaw and his West Midlands team are organising the 5day activities including a visit to the Jaguar Historical Collection – not to be confused with the JDHT collection at Gaydon. There is to be a dinner on the Saturday 27th at the hotel with the rally itself close by the following day. For costings and bookings etc see the DLOC rally web site: – https://www.dloc.org.uk/rally-2026
John Abel who owns, restored and races the famous SCCA Duncan Black SP has now bought the equally celebrated ex- Trevor Crisp SP chassis no: 100666 reg: 1902 HP. This was for some 53 years owned by the great Daimler aficionado Mervyn Cox. John’s intention is to race 1902 HP alongside the Black SP. Trevor Crisp was, later, a director of engineering at Jaguar and 1902 HP was one of a handful of SPs factory fitted with rank & pinion steering. It had been the intention for SPs to be so fitted however, the Jaguar takeover needed the Daimler site for expanded Jaguar production which hampered any future development of the SP. It must be borne in mind that Jaguar could make 3 E-Types to 2 SPs and the E-type was the new sexy glossy icon then on the block and much more profitable per unit.
John will document all restoration work so as to be able to run ‘1902 HP’ in its original format with its rack & pinion steering, it was also factory fitted with a rear axle torsion bar. John has already opened up positive discussions to race it at Goodwood. No doubt he will seek the knowledge and guidance of John Symes who was the former RAC director of Motor Sport, later the MSA. John will keep us informed of his and its progress and when either SP is rolled to the start line.
John has bitten the bug in more ways than one as he now seeks your/our help, it is his intention to document any race SP – past or present and if given sufficient material write a book on racing SPs. So please help John in this monumental task whether from the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Continental Europe or indeed here in the UK. Contact John on john_abel289@hotmail.com note this is an underscore _ between his names.
Look beyond the King of Rock, the legs and the TR…………. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvqpmpWGlLk
The late Quentin Willson and his first SP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SiLKVGyaMw
And finally……….
Whilst we shiver in zero temperatures here, Brooksy and his mates fancied a little jaunt around NSW – just a mere 18 days! On their ‘walkabout’ around NSW or should that be ‘driveabout’ – spent a day or so at a music festival in Deniliquin.- ‘Once a Jolly Swag Man always a Jolly Swag Man’
Along the way a conversation went like this, “Brooksy, the bloody water pump gone up the Swanee” “No issue Dave, got one in the boot.” As you do! So, all repaired and on their way. Brooksy could rebuild a whole SP with the spares he carries. No doubt the SPs needed to have the front suspension greased a couple of times – every 1000 miles as it states in the book!
Thought for the day: Wood burns faster, this time of year, when you have to saw and chop it yourself!
