1949 Leyland Titan PD1/3

This is a photograph that I took at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

I didn’t make a note at the time about this bus, but it appears to be one of the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s own vehicles, a 1949 Leyland Titan PD1/3, about which the programme of the event had this note:

 

Leyland Titan PD1/3, Metro-Cammell H30/26R,1949                                                                   JNA467

Manchester City Transport 3166

Entered by P.F.Wotton, Littleborough

Operated by M.C.T. until 1969, this vehicle carries bodywork to Manchester’s own design and is the sole survivor of a batch of 100 identical buses. It operated both North and South of the city during its career.

1937 Lagonda LG45

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It’s the 1937 Lagonda LG45 of A.W.Barker who competed in two 4 lap handicap races at the meeting. The LG45 was produced from 1935 to 1937 and had a 6-cylinder inline 4,453cc engine which is a modified Meadows unit. The Lagonda Club has this information about the LG45.

1955 Cooper Bristol T40

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Coys Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1993.

It’s the Cooper Bristol T40 that Jack Brabham drove in the British Grand Prix of 1955 and which in 1993 was owned by Thomas Bscher and driven in the Champagne Charles Heidsieck Sports Car race at the meeting by Katharina Schmidt.

1936 Lagonda LG45 and 1913/18 Monarch

I took this photograph during a Four Lap Handicap Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in 1993.

David Hine in his 1936 Lagonda LG45 is leading the 1913/18 Monarch of Mark Walker at Foulstons chicane.

1958 Leyland Titan PD2

This is a photograph that I took at the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It’s a 1958 Leyland Titan PD2 and the programme of the event had this note about the vehicle:

 

Leyland Titan PD2, Massey H58R

Birkenhead Corporation 10

Entered by J. Nolan for the 201 Bus Group, Wallasey

Following regular service use, this vehicle was in the driving school until 1980 and has since been restored by the 201 Bus Group.

1962 AEC Mercury Turntable Ladder

This is a photograph that I took at the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It’s not listed in the programme of the event, but it took part in the rally in 1996 when the programme of the event had this note about it:

 

AEC Mercury, Merryweather, 1959                                                         VBA 187

Entered by    B.Longden, c/o Sylvan Brick Ltd, Trafford Park, Manchester.

This vehicle was new to Salford Fire Brigade in 1959. Retired 1983 and used by a Painting Contractor. Bought by us and renovated to present condition. Ladder 100 ft. Diesel Engine 15 mpg, 45 mph.

 

The DVLA record says that it was first registered in 1962 and has been untaxed since August 1998.

1959 Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1

This is a photograph that I took at the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It’s a 1959 Leyland Atlantean and the programme of the event had this note about it:

 

‘Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1, MCW H78F, 1959

Manchester City Transport 3629

Entered by T. Greer, Bury

One of the first batch of rear engined buses to enter service in the Greater Manchester Area, 3269 was exported to Australia in 1972. The present owner completed the relatively simple task of returning it to the UK in 1990 for preservation.’

1951 Guy Arab III

This was one of the entrants in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It's a 1951 Guy Arab III with a Roe C35F body, and was part of the Lancashire United Transport fleet from new until it was withdrawn from service in 1965. It's not listed in the programme of the event, but was at the 1996 Rally when a note in the programme read as follows:

Guy Arab Mk III, Roe Body, 1951                                                                     MTJ 84

Entered by      S.M.Torres, c/o Ebor Trucks, Acaster Malbis, York

Former Operator - L.U.T.  Ex. Lancashire United 440, this vehicle was repainted over the winter and appeared at The Museum of Transport's L.U.T. weekend in May this year.

1934 Alfa Romeo P3 and 1938 ERA E-Type GP2

This is a photograph that I took at Foulstons chicane during the Richard Seaman Historic Memorial Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

Rodney Felton in his 1934 Alfa Romeo P3 is leading Gordon Chapman’s ERA E-Type GP2, which is being driven by Bill Morris.

1950 AEC Regent III

I took this photograph at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It's a 1950 AEC Regent III, a former Morecambe and Heysham Corporation bus, and the programme of the event said this about the vehicle:

 

AEC Regent III, park Royal H56R, 1950                                                          LTF254

Morecambe and Heysham Corporation 69

Entered by M. Knott of the Mersey and Calder Bus Preservation Group.

The last closed top survivor of Morecambe’s preselector Regent III’s. Restored to the 1950 Livery featuring the chrome rear bumper.

1955 AEC Regent III

I took this photograph at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It's a 1955 AEC Regent III, a former Huddersfield Corporation bus, and the programme of the event said this about the vehicle:

 

AEC Regent III, East Lancs L55R Body, 1955                                               JVH 373

Huddersfield Corporation 243

Entered by     E.G.Sykes, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

The last lowbridge bus to operate in the fleet. Recently returned to the rally scene after a fifteen year absence.

1934 MG K3

This car competed in a scratch race and a handicap race  at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It's the 1934 MG K3 Magnette of Philip Walker. The original K type Magnette, the K1, had a 6-cylinder inline 1,087cc engine and was available as a 4-seat open tourer or a 4-door saloon. The K2 was an open 2-seater with a shorter chassis, and could have the same engine as the K1 or a larger 1,271cc version of that engine. The K3 was a racing variant using the shorter chassis and a supercharged 1,087cc engine. Only 33 of the K3 model were made, many of which have not survived, and a number of replicas have been made using the K1 or K3 cars. Philip Walker's car may be one of those, and the programme of this Oulton Park event shows it to have a 1,408cc supercharged engine.

1953 Cooper Bristol

This was one of the competitors in the race for Pre-1959 Front Engined Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It's the 1953 Cooper Bristol T23 (or MkII) of Raymond Wilkinson and is powered by a 1,971cc straight-6 Bristol engine based on the one in the pre-war BMW 328. The original Cooper Bristol was designed as a Formula 2 car, but found itself involved in Grand Prix racing in 1952 and 1953 when the World Championship was run to Formula 2 regulations.

The car on the left is the 1952/57 HWM Jaguar of Kirk Rylands and the car number 18 in the background is the 1936 ERA R14B of Donald Day.

1975 Daimler Fleetline

I took this photograph of an unusual Daimler Fleetline at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

The programme of the event had this note about the vehicle:

 

Daimler Fleetline, Northern Counties, 1975

Entered by M. Forrest, Bolton

One of the more unusual treatments applied to former stalwarts of the Greater  Manchester Transport fleet in the days before deregulation. There are no plans to convert any more of the fleet.

1957 Maserati 250S

I took this photograph just before Lodge Corner during the 1950's Sports Car Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It's Robin Lodge's 1957 Maserati 250S and was driven in the race by Nigel Corner. A note in the programme of the event reads as follows:

 

'Robin Lodge has entered Nigel Corner to drive his 1957 250S Maserati. The Prototype of the 250S sports cars of 1954-56 used the earlier sports A6GCS chassis fitted with a 6 cylinder 250F 2.5 litre engine giving 230 bhp instead of the 240-270 bhp of the Grand Prix 250F engines as it ran on petrol instead of alcohol. The developed 250S cars were converted from the left hand drive of the A6GCS to right hand drive and these, in turn, were developed into the 300S Maseratis by an increase in stroke, giving 245 bhp. There was a second coming of the 250S, 1957-1959 having a 196 bhp 4 cylinder engine in a shorter wheelbase chassis resulting in a lighter car. Robin Lodge's car has this later chassis (#2432) with the 4 cylinder engine.'

1950 Leyland Titan PD2/1

I took this photograph at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It’s  a 1950 Leyland Titan PD2/1, new to Leicester City Transport, and the programme of the event  said this about it:

Leyland PD2/1, Leyland H30/59R, 1950                                                                                     FJF 193

Leicester City Transport 154

Entered by 154 Preservation Society, Leicester

Following a service life of twenty years, this vehicle passed through the hands of a strawberry picking farmer and was left for three years in a field before being rescued by Leicester City Transport and restored.

Tatra 603

I took this photograph of a car I spotted down a side-street in Ashton-under-Lyne when I was on my way to work one morning in May 1993.

It's a Tatra 2-603 II, a rear-engined car that was produced by the Czechoslovakian company from 1968 to 1975 and had a 2½ litre air-cooled V8 unit. It's a rare car in this country, and I've not seen one of these models before nor since this one.

1936 Maserati V8RI

I took this photograph at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It's the Maserati V8RI of Doug Marr (the 'RI' denoting 'Ruote Independente', or 'Independent Suspension'), one of four cars built in 1935/36 with a supercharged 4,788cc V8 engine. This car is chassis 4503 and was originally delivered in February 1936 to Phillipe Etancelin who drove the car to win the Pau Grand Prix in its first race and competed with it in most of the European Grands Prix that year. At the end of 1936 Etancelin took the car to the USA to compete in the Vanderbilt Cup where he finished in eighth place, but soon afterwards sold the car which remained in the USA until it was eventually brought to England and ended up in the hands of Doug Marr in the late 1970s. It was driven in the Historic Trophy race at this Oulton Park meeting by Tony Merrick.

Historic Grand Prix Racing at Silverstone

This is a photograph that I took at Luffield Corner during the Chopard Grand Prix Cars Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1993.

The blurred car at the front is the 1958 Maserati 250F of Lindsay Owen Jones, and he is followed by the 1958 Vanwall of Vijay Mallya driven by John Harper and David Duffy's 1955 Connaught B-Type which was driven by Martin Stretton.

1967 Leyland Titan PD2/40

This was one of the vehicles taking part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's annual Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It isn’t listed in the programme of the event, but it’s  a 1967 Leyland Titan PD2/40 originally operated by Salford City Transport. It took part in the rally in 1995 though and the programme that year  said this about it:

 

'Leyland Titan PD2/40, Metro-Cammell, 1967                                                                         JRJ281E

Salford City Transport

Entered by         M.C. & R.A.Cotton, Irlam, Lancs

This bus was the penultimate of 103 such vehicles bought by Salford City Transport between 1963 and 1967. Operated from the now closed Weaste Garage for most of its life. Withdrawn 1980 and was bought by the present owners for preservation in 1984.'

 

It was at that time one of the exhibits in the Greater Manchester Transport Museum, but now appears to be part of the Southdown Historic Vehicles Ltd collection in Worthing.