Daimler at SSAFA Car Show

Another luxury saloon at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

It's a 1956 Daimler Conquest Century 4-door saloon with a 2,433cc straight-6 engine. The Daimler business was purchased by Jaguar Cars in 1960 and carried on making what were largely Daimler-badged Jaguars through the BMC, British Leyland and Ford owned years. The Jaguar/Daimler name is now owned by the Tata Group of India.

One interesting fact I've picked up whilst researching this car is that the first recorded motor accident in the United Kingdom which resulted in the death of the driver involved a Daimler 6hp in 1899. It was in Harrow on the Hill in north west London where a rear wheel of the Daimler collapsed and the car hit a brick wall. The driver, Edwin Sewell, was killed instantly and one of the passengers, a Major Richer, was thrown from the vehicle and died three days later in hospital.

Bentley at SSAFA Car Show

Another car from the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014, this time from Bentley Motors.

It's a 1952 Bentley R Type, a Standard 4-door saloon and as with most standard-bodied Bentleys of that period it's basically a Rolls Royce with a Bentley grille - the Rolls Royce in this instance being the Silver Dawn. Coachbuilt bodywork was also available.

Vauxhalls at SSAFA Car Show

Alexander Wilson and Company was founded in 1857 in Vauxhall, London and in 1897 was renamed Vauxhall Iron Works. The company started making cars in 1903 and adopted the name Vauxhall Motors in 1907. Two examples of their cars were present at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

This is a 1935 Vauxhall 12 Light 6 Saloon, a 12hp car with a 1531cc 6-cylinder engine which was produced from 1933 to 1938.

Vauxhall Motors was bought by the US General Motors Corporation in 1925 so it's only to be expected that the styling of some models would show an American influence, and probably none more so than the Vauxhall Cresta, from the Cresta E model in 1954 through the PA, PB, and PC models to the Viscount. The car above is a Vauxhall Cresta PC, produced from 1965 to 1972, with a 3294cc straight-six engine.

Rovers at SSAFA Car Show

There were a couple of Rovers at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

This is one of the P4 series, a 1962 Rover 80. This car was in production from 1959 but was replaced by the Rover 95 in 1962.

This is one of the P5 series cars, a P5B Rover 3.5 litre from 1972. It was the last of the P5 cars and produced from 1967 to 1973.

Singer at SSAFA Car Show

This Singer took part in the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

It's a 1933 Singer Nine 4-door Saloon. The Singer Nine was produced from 1932 to 1937 in Saloon and Roadster versions, and from 1939 to 1949 in Roadster form only.

Triumph Cars at SSAFA Car Show

The Triumph Motor Company was represented by the cars pictured below at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

The Triumph Vitesse 6 was produced between 1962 and 1966 and was a 6-cylinder 1596cc version of the 4-cylinder Triumph Herald. The car pictured here is a convertible model from 1964.

The Triumph TR6 was a 6-cylinder fuel-injection engined sports car produced between 1969 and 1976, and here is a 1975 model.

The note in the windscreen says that this is a 1981 Triumph Dolomite with a capacity of 1854cc. The Dolomite was apparently only produced until 1980 and the 'W' on the number plate shows this one to have been registered between 1 Aug 1980 and 31 Jul 1981. If it's a late model with an 1854cc engine then it's a Dolomite 1850HL.

Another Triumph Vitesse, this one is the 1971 model with a 1998cc version of the 6-cylinder engine.

This is a 1967 Triumph Spitfire and the lettering on the rear of the car proclaims it to be a 'Spitfire 4 Mk2'. It appears that these are now generally regarded just as a Spitfire Mk2 to avoid confusion with the Mk4. The 'E' in the number plate denoting the date of registration had the shortest run of any of the age-designated plates. The letters 'A' to 'D' were used for the calendar years 1963 to 1966 but car manufacturers complained that because the letter identified the year of manufacture, instead of sales being spread throughout the year there was a concentrated demand for new cars in the very early part of the year. In 1967, therefore, the 'E' registration was only used from 1 January to 31 July, and thereafter the registration letter ran from 1 August to 31 July.

Sports Cars at SSAFA Car Show

Sports Cars from four different eras at the SSAFA car show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

This is a 1952 Sunbeam Talbot 90, which may not look a particularly sporting car but it had considerable success in rallying in the 1950s, Stirling Moss taking second place in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally in a Sunbeam Talbot 90 Saloon. He is also one of only three people to have won a Coupe d'Or in the Alpine Rally for finishing unpenalized in three successive years (1952, 1953 & 1954), each time driving a Sunbeam Talbot.

This is a replica of the AC Cobra of the 1960s. Carroll Shelby's AC Cobra was produced from 1962 to 1967 but since then a variety of replica models have been made and since the late 1980s Shelby Automobiles Inc have produced what are known as 'Continuation Cars'.

The TVR Engineering company was formed in Blackpool by Trevor Wilkinson in the late 1940s and has subsequently produced a large number of different sports car models, the above being a TVR 3000S from 1978.

The Aston Martin DB7 was produced from 1994 to 2004 and this is a 1995 model.

Wolseley at SSAFA Car Show

This Wolseley took part in the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

It's a 1936 Wolseley Wasp with a 1069cc engine, a car which was produced for just 2 years in 1935 and 1936. The fact that it's got a number plate with black letters on a white background (which has been mandatory for new cars since 1973) is odd. Cars first registered prior to 1973 are allowed to still have the old white (or silver) letters on a black background. The rear number plate is also of the newer black letters on a yellow background type. It looks, though, that the number plate has been fastened over the original number plate, possibly for use when it's being driven on today's roads. The 'JL' in the registration number, by the way, says that the car was first registered in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Renault at SSAFA Car Show

Here's a French car which appeared at the SSAFA car show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

It's a 1925 Renault NN, a car with a 4-cylinder 951cc engine which was produced between 1924 and 1930. The radiator was positioned behind the engine, hence the lack of a grille at the front, and the cooling air entered through the louvres at either side of the bonnet.

Morris Minors at SSAFA Car Show

Three Morris Minors photographed at the SSAFA car show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

1958 Morris Minor 1000

Morris 1000 Traveller

1969 Morris Minor 1000

Plymouth at SSAFA Car Show

Another of the American cars at the SSAFA car show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

1958 Plymouth Savoy Third Generation

Jaguars at SSAFA Car Show

A quartet of Jaguars which attended the SSAFA car show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

1963 Jaguar Mk2

1965 Jaguar E-type 4.2 litre Series 1

1966 Jaguar Mk2 3.4 litre

1972 Jaguar E-type Series 3 2+2 V12 5.3 litre

Lambrettas at SSAFA Car Show

It wasn't just cars at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014 - there were a few motor cycles as well, and the Lambretta scooters pictured below.

Scooters, usually Lambretta or Vespa, were a popular means of transport for youngsters in the 1960s, particularly amongst the 'Mods' who were well known for their altercations with the motor cycle riding 'Rockers'. There's still a sizeable number of enthusiasts and I've managed to make out that the nearest Lambretta belongs to a member of the Buxton Black Sheep Scooter Club.

Standard at SSAFA Car Show

Another of the cars at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 10 Oct 2014 was this one from the old Standard Motor Company.

Standard used the Standard Eight name on four different models starting with the Standard Flying Eight of 1938-1941, and the one in the photograph is the last of the Standard Eight models which was in production from 1953 to 1959. You can't tell from the pre-1963 number plate when this particular car was built, but the 'XN' tells you that it was first registered by London County Council. Although it was known as the Standard Eight the badge on the front of the car actually says 'Standard 8'.

Bedford at SSAFA Car Show

Just about the only commercial vehicle at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014 was the 1946 Bedford KD pictured below.

It was said to have been first registered in Midlothian, although the 'UT' in the number plate relates to the Leicester Vehicle Registration Office, the letters for Midlothian being 'SY'. It apparently broke down in Manchester in 1972 and languished in a breaker's yard until 1986, was in pieces when bought by A.Houghton in the late 1990s, and restoration wasn't completed until 2010.

MGs at SSAFA Car Show

Here are photographs of some of the MGs at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014.

The MGA was first produced in 1955 and this looks like the 1600 model which was introduced in 1959. The prototype of this car was the EX182 which raced at the Le Mans 24 Hour race in June 1955, and the MGA was introduced on 26 September 1955 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. I remember seeing motoring journalist and BBC commentator John Bolster drive what I thought at the time was one of the EX182 cars into the paddock at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park on 24 September 1955, but it may well have been a pre-production MGA.

1974 MG Midget MkIII. The MkIII was produced from 1966 to 1974 and is considered the most desirable of the Midgets. It did not meet US federal safety regulations so was superseded in 1974 by the MG Midget 1500 (the one with the large black plastic bumpers).

This is 'the one with the large black plastic bumpers', a 1976 MG Midget 1500. The MG Midget 1500 was the last of the MG Midgets and production ceased in 1980.

An MGB, and the 'M' in the number plate relates to vehicles registered between 1 Aug 1973 and 31 Jul 1974 which infers that it is a MkIII model, produced between 1972 and 1980.

Over 10 years after production of the MGB ended the car was reincarnated in the form of the MGR V8 using the basic MGB bodyshell with a 3.9 litre version of the aluminium Rover V8 engine. Production ended in 1995 and the car in the photograph is a 1995 model.

This is another 1974 MG Midget MkIII, but this one was built later than the one shown in the earlier photograph as it has the 'N' registration of cars built between 1 Aug 1974 and 31 Jul 1975.

Crossley at SSAFA Car Show

A large proportion of the cars on display at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014 belonged to Tameside Car Collectors members. Here's one of them, a 1927 Crossley 20.9 Tourer.

Crossley Motors was based in Gorton, Manchester producing motor vehicles from 1904 to 1938, continuing to produce commercial & military vehicles until 1945 and buses until 1958.

Liberace's Cadillac

One of the star attractions at the SSAFA Car Show at Ewen Fields on 19 Oct 2014 was this Cadillac, described as being once owned by the late American pianist Liberace.

All the articles I've found about this car say 'believed to have belonged to' Liberace, but I suppose there's no reason to doubt that it's the genuine article. Here's what the board in front of the car says:

Liberace's

Classic

1931 Roadster

Golfers Coupe

Hand Guilded in 28.6 carat Gold Leaf

Mr Showmanship

May 16th 1919 - February 14th 1987

This Rare Classic Car from Las Vegas

Now part of the.....

Mike & Shaun's Classics

It's a 1931 Cadillac Series 355A and the Wikipedia article about that car makes no mention of a 'Golfers Coupe', although there was apparently a 2-door Club Coupe.

Friday's Ferrari

There was a Classic Car Show in support of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Family Association in the Hyde United football ground car park at Ewen Fields on Sunday 19 October 2014. Amongst the vehicles on display was the Ferrari pictured below.

It's a Ferrari 360 Spider, a model that was produced between 1999 and 2005, and the 'W' in the number plate suggests that it was registered between 1 March and 31 August 2000.