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.

1951 Cooper Mk V

This was one of the competitors in the Scratch Race for 500cc Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It's the 1951 Cooper Mk V of R.F.H.Wright with a 4998cc engine. After the Second World War motor racing in the UK was slow to re-start, partly because of petrol rationing and the cost of running a suitable car. Home-built ‘specials’ powered by 500cc motorcycle were created to provide a reasonably cheap way means of getting involved in the sport. John Cooper and Eric Brandon, with the assistance of John’s father Charles, decided in 1946 to build two cars, and in 1947 in the second post-war race meeting to be held Eric Brandon won the first race to feature 500cc cars. In 1950 this 500cc class of racing was adopted by the FIA as a new Formula 3, and John and Charles Cooper went on to build a series of these 500cc cars, eventually graduating to Formula 2, then Formula 1 culminating in Jack Brabham winning the World Drivers’ Championship in 1959 and 1960 in the 2½ litre Cooper Climax. There's a 500 Owners Association for all 500cc Formula Three enthusiasts, with lots of information about the different marques that took part.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took at Silverstone in September 2017 at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting celebrating Ferrari's 70th anniversary. There was a very large number of Ferraris there, with Corse Clienti Challenge races, Ferrari F1 demonstration runs, and displays in the paddock. This is one of the then current range of cars that were in a Passione Ferrari display.

It’s a Ferrari 488 Spider with a 3,902cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 670 CV, and was in production from 2016 to 2020.

1912 Delaunay Belleville

This is one of the cars that took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car run in June 1985 and is pictured in Manchester before the start of the run. It's a 1912 Delaunay Belleville which has a 6-cylinder inline 2.7 litre engine.

I no longer have the programme of the event, but it was also in the Run in 1983 when the programme had this note about it:

'1912 Delaunay Belleville

Reg: 9197 EH 6-Cylinder 25hp

(Derek John Casson, Lancaster)

This eye-catching rarity spent most of its life in New York's Grand Central Park. Imported into Britain in the late 1970's, it has a body by Brewster of New York.'

 

Looking for further information about this car I came across a 2019 auction description by H&H Auctions saying that the car is a Type IA6 Phaeton and its first owner was heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean who was apparently the last private individual to acquire the renowned 45-carat Hope Diamond.

1932 Morgan three-wheeler

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1973.

It's the 1932 Morgan three-wheeler of M.J.Guess which has a V-twin 980cc engine and competed in a 4 lap handicap race for Vintage and P.V.T. Cars and Morgan 3-Wheelers at the meeting.

1926 Bentley 3 litre

This is a photograph that I took at Luffield corner during the Taylor Woodrow Pre-War Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

Leading is Duncan Wiltshire in his Bentley 3 litre followed by Peterheinz Kern in his 1928 Mercedes Benz SS.

Ford Popular 103E

This is one of the vehicles I photographed at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2018.

It’s a customised Ford Popular 103E and the only information about it was a note in the windscreen saying that it was a Ford Popular. The DVLA record says ‘Vehicle details could not be found’.