Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
Mirror, signal, change down, pedal to the metal ! "Wot no burn outs" 
Col.
Col.
Hairy Bikers and Other Petrol Heads
- Thread starter Eastsidepilot
- Start date
Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
That second motor looks like something Dick Dastardly and Muttley would turn up in
Col.
Col.
Peter Cross
Western Thunderer
I like watching those going around Goodwood.
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
SimonT
Western Thunderer
I've seen/heard (envolves feeling the sound) them on separate occasions at Prescot. Both fantastic but The Beast wins on amount of noise, the Daracq on the quality of noise (think RR Griffin versus Merlin). They had all been on the biannual jaunt to Montlhery where they had been driven at racing speeds on the banked track. There are no seat belts and we saw no helmets or support cars.
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
Helmets are worn during all VSCC racing events and they are proper modern ones, not vintage. Given the cost I am not surprised they were hidden from view!
Seat belts, on the other hand, are not fitted to pre war cars because there isn’t any safe way to fix them to most production cars (not specials).
As a personal comment, though, when I sit in my Riley 9 Lynx Tourer after not driving it for a while I do automatically reach for the non-existent belt!
Seat belts, on the other hand, are not fitted to pre war cars because there isn’t any safe way to fix them to most production cars (not specials).
As a personal comment, though, when I sit in my Riley 9 Lynx Tourer after not driving it for a while I do automatically reach for the non-existent belt!
Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen
Western Thunderer
alastairq
Western Thunderer
When I get in my Dellow, it would be impossible for me to reach for any seat belt, even if one were fitted!
Mind, the thing had a brief life in the USA as a racer, and had an aeroplane-type lap belt fitted , which has been removed as I couldn't get it to fit around my lap in a month of Sundays, despite full adjustment. ]The car was repatriated by me after spending around a decade in the USA, and still bore its original UK reg plates as it was never 'licenced for road use in the USA. Also, it had never left the DVLA's eyeballs, so to speak...But it returned sporting a roll over bar, and US-made consumable suspension components...The previous owner was some 4 inches taller than I as well...I suspect he didn't actually 'sit' on the driver's seat cushion, but has the transmission tunnel flattened so he could sit his backside more centrally, to get his legs onto the pedals. He could flatten the tunnel somewhat as he was racing the thing....it's orginal sporting purpose , like most Dellows, being trialling, which required a bit more suspension movement. He also paid more for the car in the early 1990's, than I did 8 years ago, including shipping costs! Mind, it went over with a supercharger, and returned without....not that a blower would make much difference on the road compared to its twin SU's...the blower being more of a torque enhancer at low revs..
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
Simon
Yes, they may not have been racing just having fun but in my experience many circuits do insist on helmets being worn to comply with insurance, etc.
Paul
Yes, they may not have been racing just having fun but in my experience many circuits do insist on helmets being worn to comply with insurance, etc.
Paul
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
The previous owner of my 1933 Riley Lynx did some research about the first owner ex-factory. Turns out he was keen on trialling and won many awards from 1933 to the outbreak of war. The popularity of trialling in the 1930s was surprisingly high and the photo below shows a small crowd near Sutton Coldfield whereas the Lands End events might have hundreds of spectators at key points of interest.
Alastair’s Dellow continued the trend after WWII.
Alastair’s Dellow continued the trend after WWII.
alastairq
Western Thunderer
The car was used on the front cover of the MCC's 'history'...photo taken on Bluehills 2 Observed section, on one of the MCC's Lands End Trials...not in my ownership, however..This photo probably taken in the late 1980's. {Bluehill, near St Agnes in Cornwall, is actually owned by the MCC so cannot be damaged by weekend 4x4 drivers...It's fenced off and gated, and supervised by locals.
The pic of yours truly included to give the impression of the [small] size of the car. With the hood erected, my head puts a bulge in the material, and getting in & out cannot be undertaken if there's a passenger in situ....Entry & exit otherwise needs to be done with caare, to avoid injury, and once exited, after an hour or so driving, requires a good ten minutes of complete loss of dignity.
The car is a mark 2 Dellow, built late 1951, registered spring 1952. It is/was one of 4 similar cars, all with KTM registration marks, that were purchased by the owner of a Bedford engineering firm [Fords], who, at the time, manufactured machinery for on-farm milk bottling, etc. The cars were purchase for use by the reps, who had to access the farms. The factory owner was a motor sporting enthusiast, who knew about Dellows, and their remarkable strength and off-road abilities [via trialling]...so bought the 4 Dellows instead of the sort of mainstream small cars normally used by reps....which would not have withstood the rigours of farm tracks for long. The engineering firm is still in existence today, run by, I think, the grandson of the original owner. All 4 cars are on the road,in the UK , still. [especially since I brought KTM372 back from its hols in the USA].
Mechanically, Dellows used Ford 10 components for suspension & drive train....which my car still has. A lot of Dellows got upgrades as time passed, including the fitment of Ford Cortina, and crossflow engines, or even, Renault 14 engie in one instance...One currently has a Rover engine. With the power upgrades. gearboxes & final drives/rear axles also got upgraded, from the original Ford ten torque tube driveline, which mine still has.
The only expensive upgrade I have done [aside from rear hub bearing kits] is to have tow new half shafts which a club member had made as a batch, by an engineering company who usually did stuff for the likes of Formula 1 teams....these are made of sterner stuff than the Ford originals, so shouldn't snap randomly. This is useful since, on a Ford ten axle, if the half shaft snaps, there is nowt to hold the wheel on!
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simond
Western Thunderer
I’m reminded of a visit to the aircraft museum at Newquay, where I was delighted to discover one could actually get into the cockpit of a Harrier. I say “get in”, but the process was rather more “put it on” in the manner of a well-fitting boiler suit…
it does look rather purposeful. What engine?
it does look rather purposeful. What engine?
