Charity is at the heart of most aspects we do and to that end we have organised a Drive it Day run out on Sunday 23rd April starting at the Fox & Goose on the Ongar to Writtle A414 https://www.foxandgoosepub.co.uk/ driving through the Essex countryside to end up at Kersey Mill https://www.kerseymill.net/drive-it-day-poster-and-registration where a club stand awaits us. If you care to join please contact Alan Mason soaring.ace@btinternet.com who together with Tony Cartwright are planning a suitable route, I would think we would start to leave after early refreshments at 10am.
The local Rotary Club of Billericay (Essex) are holding a Classic Car fest on 2nd July, we have been asked if we can support this charitable event by ‘putting up’ a few SPs.
http://queenvic.mgccangliacentre.org.uk/index.html
Likewise, I have booked a club stand at Helmingham Hall https://www.helmingham.com/ on 6th August which is their annual charity classic car event held to raise funds for the Air Ambulance service . This show usually has some 1000 plus classics turn up. If you wish to join this event please email me. More later.
The last few years the classic car events have been somewhat curtailed, this year, however, all is breaking out with so many such events being planned, both Goodwood https://www.goodwood.com/ and the Silverstone Classic https://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/silverstone-festival have been pouring money into the promoting their activities by trying to catch the ‘early bird’ with discounted tickets.
The Gospel of all SP owners, the publication pasSPort needs funding to get this years’ edition printed. Its costs have risen exponentially, as has its success, year-on-year and running a slide rule of the expected costs, it is near £5000. However, at £5 a time for a 1000 copies it‘s money well spent seeing as it binds likeminded enthusiasts together. Please send donations to Glyn Overy glynovery@talktalk.net – thank you
Here is something completely different, although not an SP, under its bonnet is a Turner V8, not too sure if using American parlance it’s chopped! https://youtu.be/mLW0NbwAZMQ judge for yourself.
Those American SP Racers, Bill Holland and Steve Sannett of Petra Motorsport :- https://pentamotorsports.com/daimler-sp250/ have been collaborating with old friends Robin Read and Bertie his right hand man here in the UK, on developing a “bulletproof” bottom end. At Penta Motorsports they have built some very robust main caps similar to what Robin utilises on his potent ntromethane-fueled Daimler 2½ V8 2000HP! engine. (yes 2000 HP) Comparisons of a standard bottom end and a modified are depicted opposite. Now that should hold the crankshaft in place.
More modifications from the Holland/Sannett workshops next month
Alarm bells are ringing all over Europe as that giant of car makers, Ford hands in the towel and retreats back to the states. Initially, it is thought that jobs being lost are in the engineering sector, however, the rumours are that Ford will quit Europe in particular Germany where they are fed up with the bureaucratic nightmare. The company stated it needs “ to compete and win in a highly competitive region that is facing significate economic and geo-political headwinds” wow! some PR people at work with that statement “geo-political headwinds”? in plain English, we are hitting our heads against a brick wall! Ford are fed up with the political shenanigans and have decided not to play ball any longer.
It’s third time lucky! for Britishvolt the UK startup manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, initially funded by some £40m from Glencore the minerals conglomerate. The company initially planned production of batteries for the automotive industry. It began construction of a gigafactory in northeast England in 2021, but work was halted in August 2022 due to funding difficulties despite taxpayers investing a £100m. It quickly slipped into administration in November, then again in early January of this year. However, an Australian company, Recharge Industries owned in turn by a New York venture fund has ridden to its rescue, for how long is pure speculation. Yet another pipe dream on the road to domination by the EV brigade turns sour.
So the truth is slipping out as Tesla build their internal combustion engine service fleet:-
https://www.google.com/search?q&tbm=isch&ictx=1&tbs=rimg:CbDqUHICbSSqIgiw6lByAm0kqioSCbDqUHICbSSqEZ3DkC-EJJkG – wot no EVs?
I have been forewarned of a new dilemma when inviting friends in for dinner, be wary of the guests arriving not with a bottle of wine, but whine of another aspect, “May I plug in my car as not sure where the local charging station is” – you have been warned.
To celebrate when in 2019 JDHT bought the only DART after its long sojourn in Canada, they produced a limited edition souvenir brochure, I have a few left to sell on their behalf, and the cost is £25 plus p&p. This Dart was registered in March 1959, as a month later when at its unveiling at the New York Car Show, Daimler faced a challenge from Dodge over the name DART. Daimler therefore renamed their Sports car the SP250
And finally……of things to come
…….from the Robin Reed collection we have his small! dragster to showcase at this years’ NEC in November. Turner would have been proud that his engine can boast 2000 HP
Thought for the day:
You can only predict things after they’ve happen.
