What is this car? Who built it, and what were the engine and transmission arrangements?
Can't say now (of course) and I also know who the man with the watch is!
Quote from: Allan L on November 25, 2013, 08:10:17 AM
Can't say now (of course) and I also know who the man with the watch is!
So do I ! I reckon this one might make it all the way to the Pros. Watch this space, as they say.
Experts?
I'm well into a bottle of Merlot, so Allan Lupton can have a Xmas present. Over to you, Allan......
I won't snatch your Christmas present: Grab it Allan!
Quote from: 4popoid on December 25, 2013, 01:53:58 PM
I won't snatch your Christmas present: Grab it Allan!
That's decent of you!
Was not online for most of yesterday or I'd have replied sooner.
The car is a special called "Dorcas" named after a biblical lady who was "full of good works" and made by the brothers Gordon and Donal Glegg.
Gordon Glegg is at the wheel and Eric Fernihough has the stopwatch as the car takes off at the top of the Brooklands Test Hill.
A massive enlargement of that photo adorned the office walls of Ben Walker from whom I bought the Lea-Francis you see to the left of this. Ben and Eric were great friends, as Brooklands motorcyclists, and Eric prepared the JAP engine in Dorcas. Much later Ben was one of the pall-bearers at Eric's funeral.
Technically this would be Dorcas II in its later version. It had the front end of a BSA three-wheeler (i.e. gearbox, front drive and independent front suspension) and when that JAP engine broke the transmission too often a four-wheel-drive system using long chains to transmit power from front to back was added. I can't remember if the chains would have been visible in this view, so can't be sure that this is 4-w-d but before that Dorcas often ran with twin-tyred front wheels.
In this photo no 12 seems to be Dorcas with twin-fronts and bodywork!
(http://www.bsafwdc.co.uk/pica/094-ds.jpg)
Well, yes, exactly. The full answer I was expecting! My notes say this is indeed Dorcas II from 1932/33.
Quote from: nicanary on December 25, 2013, 12:53:48 PM
I'm well into a bottle of Merlot, so Allan Lupton can have a Xmas present. Over to you, Allan......
Thanks for that!
I'm pleased that my bottle of Shiraz hadn't got to the brain when I wrote the answer.
Cheers!