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February 2025
Regular readers will be well aware of our obsession with engines, boats and cars that have 'lived a life' and have a story to tell, or were the result of someone wanting to do 'something different'. It continues to amaze us that collectors will pay premium prices for engines that were massed produced and exist in their thousands, and in many cases were not particularity good at the time. A bit like going to the Tate Gallery and seeing nothing but Athena prints? There are a few parallels though that contradict this, a particular example being Lalique glass, which is entirely mass produced from moulds, each piece exactly the same as the next, but at premium prices, ultimately it's all in the name and the 'desirability'.
This begs the unanswerable question as to what makes engine A desirable, collectable and valuable but not engine B? On the face of it the mass produced Redfin twinshafts should have ended up in cars, not in display cabinets or consigned to boxes for evermore, yet they are now changing hands for almost double their original cost? We have a personal connection with another motor that started as a 'flight of fancy' and quickly became a 'collectable' although our connection began with one being used in anger, possibly one of the few that ever saw action?
The 'twin' engine was far from new, but in the main comprised two standard engines bolted together, or two cylinder assemblies mounted on a common crankcase. Unbelievably, it is now well over fifty years since the late Gualtiero Picco set to and built a twin from scratch, designed from the ground upwards as a unit. Everything was purpose designed and machined and if contemporary reports are to be believed, whilst 'he was on holiday' following the 1971 European tether car championships in Sweden, coincidently, his first title. So was born the OPS B20 twin. Induction was via a belt driven, half speed, rotary valve and twin Perry carbs, whilst the exhaust was taken care off by two standard 60 sized tuned pipes with long elbows.
There was never any intention to build any more, but such was the interest that in 1973 a small batch of production versions was marketed, around 120 in total over the next two years when it was announced that no more would be built, making them immediately collectable.
At around £100 by the time they were imported to the UK they were already expensive, but this did not put off Dave at our local boat club who, following in the footsteps of Merlotti, promptly bought one, put it in a multi boat with two Weston pipes and then attempted to fire it up. As a 'screamer' it sounded so lovely when he could get the Perry carbs synchronised, but this did not happen too often. Ultimately the attraction of the noise was overcome by the fact that at 5lbs it was a big lump and getting it running sweetly on both cylinders was something of a lottery, so this may have been the first to end up on a shelf, quickly appreciating?
Appreciate they did, with their equally impressive wooden boxes, as they became sought after collectors items, changing hands for around £750 by 1976. Within twenty years it had probably become the most expensive collectable, 'production' engine, changing hands by then for around £1500. Sometimes someone gets exceedingly lucky as one example, along with three other equally desirable engines sold for just £352, hammer price, at the de Rancougne auction in 2004. Three more we saw sold, with one at Gildings in 2010 costing the buyer over £2,000 and more recently someone offering one for sale at nigh on £3,000.
Sometimes dismissively referred to as 'doorstops', but what a journey, from 'flight of fancy' to highly valuable and collectable, but as mainly NIB, missing out the being used bit in the middle.
Pitbox inevitably then is a couple of B20s, but one with an rare provenance as it was passed directly from Gualtiero Picco to a fellow tethered car competitor where it remained from then on. It does have an unusual feature and an anomaly though.
The Photo features the builder of the boat and engine that recorded the first ever 100mph run with a tethered hydro, and a boat that shares very little in design with anything seen in Europe. The Album celebrating the development of the Buckminster track continues this month with a timely reminder that at least eight weekends of running are in the Calendar, beginning with the SAM Spring gala in April.
The M&E Challenger mentioned last month presents something of a mystery, as it was first relisted and then vanished mid auction, so we are no further forward than just a chassis number to add to the database. Carrying on from the trawl through ebay after the repro Dooling at just under £1,000, an original from the same seller came on at more than this, and for a motor that can be picked up regularly for way less that half this figure? On the same tack, it has to be worthwhile bidding at the BMFA auction, because some of the engines bought there have been reappearing on ebay at up to treble what was paid, so don't miss the two March auctions. Three swapmeets also scheduled for Buckminster.
We are delighted to be able to announce that the new set of 'Oliver sized' castings we hinted at last year are now available, this time, a near scale version of the 1957/8 Vanwall. So, if you are sufficiently inclined there is now the complete range of Oliver cars, including the Tiger Bomb, the BRM that never got beyond a pattern, and as a bonus the Vanwall, which only arrived in full sized form after Oliver had ceased producing cars. Market Place has a very special offer for readers.
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A reminder and invitation from Paul Harris that practice sessions are held on the Bristol track on the second Thursday of each month from 10.00 to 2.00. The is even a hint that donuts might be available by courtesy of Dave. Hopefully it should be a bit warmer but a little bit of snow does not deter the enthusiastic. No in village hall if inclement here? Reminder of the swapmeet in Germany this month with a sizeable number of stalls booked and a number of interested British collectors making the trip. Guest of honour is Lyndon Bedford with his historic ETA collection and archive. |
Commercial news. SAS auctions of Newbury have a toy and model auction on Feb 11th which includes a number of tethered cars, including many, original British commercial models including M&E ED and more. Most are fresh to the market and in addition there is a large number of engines, including some real rarities. Do be careful though as several of the cars are noted as having their original motors removed and replaced with more modern ones.
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Empty Spaces: Danielle Duran has passed on the sad news of the death of French racer Philippe Novak in the last days of January. Philippe was a World Champion and a double European Champion in the 1980s with his innovative 2.5cc cars that have been the inspiration for the composite cars that have become so popular of late. A full appreciation of Philippe's career and cars will follow in due course.
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Update 1st Feb: Unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected, news that there will be no more Model Flying events at Old Warden, which includes the ModelAir weekends. This is apparently down to the Trust requiring the airfield for operational reasons. Another staple of the calendar gone, along with Wings and Wheels, all exhibitions bar the Midland and more. Makes the continued success of the National Centre at Buckminster with all the events, trade shows and swapmeets even more important.
Update 7th Feb: As well as the SAS auction of tethered cars and engines mentioned above we have been contacted regarding a collection of engines that is to be part of a toy and model auction on 25th February at UK Toy and Model Auctions. Thirty three lots comprising no less that 130 engines, including the Rowell 60 that Dick Roberts tested in 2008. Online only
Update 12th Feb: The SAS auction showed that prices for tethered cars are holding up well and in some cases far exceeding even the most optimistic estimates. Engines by comparison were not doing well, apart from the lot with the Speedwell, did you spot it? A pair of 1066 MRCs at £950 a prelude to a M&E ERA with perished tyres at £2300 and then a M&E Special with a Stentor but not much else at £2100. A bitza with most of a Challenger body at £1400 was the first of the shocks, but nothing like the next lot, a blinged up M&E Wasp at £2800 compared with an original at £1200. An Arrow with an odd body at £1400 made the same money as an original Oliver Mercedes, around £1000 less than similar Olivers on ebay. The speculative bid of the day was for a BRM that might just be another Baigent, cheap at £2800 if it is, but very expensive if not. The only other engine that got anywhere was a Grayson with accessories at £380.
January 2025
Firstly, a very Happy and successful New Year to all our readers, and by way of a change a 'salutary tale' to start the year:- Back in the October Pylon we featured the address given by Michael Schmutz suggesting that there is a wealth of material lurking in workshops and sheds that could be of use. This is true of both cars and hydros, although age does mitigate against boats, especially if they have not been looked after. It is ironic that any one of the A3 hydros sold recently would have won the 2024 European Championships with 20+mph to spare. A rough count of cars reveals something like 1500 cars existing in Europe, previously but not currently registered most of which would be useable to some degree or other or provide valuable material and parts. Individual models do come up for sale on a regular basis, and there are the inevitable estate sales, but recently there have been some enthusiasts who, although still competing, have been having a right 'clear out'. From two sources alone came around thirty cars, at the top end a selection of FEMA cars that were registered, legal, ready to run and would not be out of place at any current meeting. One was even brand new and had never turned a wheel, although over thirty years old, another a national record holder. A few, still registered, that were older but runnable, along with a number of 'retro style' cars from 2.5cc up to 10cc, again mostly runnable with a minimum of work. All good so far, but then there were about half a dozen that were 'projects', anything from all there but needing to be put together, to just about started but that was as far as it got. No problem, as long as there was sufficient information, or that the cars could be seen in the flesh to ascertain what category they fell into. None of these, apart from one, was not what it seemed, but that one was a real doozy. On the long and boozy nights at hydro meetings the late and lamented Doug would ask us in his thick Lincolnshire accent, 'would you like a story or a saga luv?' So here is a ' Salutary Saga for the New Year'.
On the face of it, all the parts were in the box needed to put back together a car from a well known builder and racer, all stamped with his logo and serial numbers. However, as related to us, a tale of woe unfolded that gradually became the basis for this barely believable story. The motor, coupling, gearbox, fuel cut-off, onboard ignition and tank were all from the same car, but not the pan that was included in the sale, which in turn was already machined and drilled, but of course, not for those items. The gearbox was far too narrow to fit in the pan and as it was still on the build plate had never been tried with the wheels. The engine mounting holes had been drilled to line up the cylinder with the hole in the body, but unfortunately, the body was not for that pan either so the engine was too close to the gearbox to allow for the supplied coupling that matched both. No room to move the motor either it seems as there was a bulkhead for the bridle attachment in the way. The bosses for the cut-off did not match the cut-off and neither did the tank or mounts fit anywhere.
Effectively it was a scrapper, or sell what parts could be salvaged to try and recoup some of the cost. Only the owner, being the perverse sort of character he is, delights in retrieving other peoples cock ups from oblivion, so set about solving all the problems, one by one. It fought to the bitter end apparently, to the extent that when the hold down feet were cut off, the wheels would not fit through the bottom of the pan as they were too close together effectively negating much of the previous machining. The final sting in the tail was when the primer was applied to the body it promptly curdled whatever had originally been applied, so that all had to come off, revealing a perfectly good finish underneath another layer of primer, but a totally different colour?
Finally, in October 2024, there it was, a complete car, ready to run (ish), with fully damped suspension, a triumph of persistence and ingenuity over common sense. As is the norm now for all cars, an inspection followed, everything fine, until it was put on the scales, oh dear. Not just overweight, but solidly obese to the tune of over 1/2lb or 220gms, without fuel or the on-board ignition and still with a 4mm bridle. No diet or course of Ozempic could ever cure that, so a scrapper, sell the parts to recoup the cost, but never the time spent, or see it become a portly shelf queen? It would be unthinkable to consider selling it on, 'sold as seen' but presumably at some stage in its past a previous owner had realised that it was a dog's dinner?
So, a happy and successful new year to all our readers, but beware. We have built up quite a library of 'them as aren't quite what they seem' and another one was added from the first BMFA auction, a very nice Moki TR6 that proved to be an amalgam of three different motors, none of them of the same model. Having seen the photos of what was lurking inside we can only side with the buyer as there was no way any visual inspection would have revealed the internal calumnies.
Inevitably then, the first Pitbox of 2025 features the car described above, or should that read the first 'scrapbox'?
One of the great successes in the UK has been the building of the tethered car track at Buckminster and subsequent work that has made it the most used track in Europe. It is now just over five years since Oliver Monk marked out the outline and six months later the first runs were made despite the disruption caused by Covid. It seems fitting therefore that the new Album should be a retrospective looking back at this remarkable facility.
The concluding part of the article outlining the career of Ron Thrower and the cars he built and raced. Unfortunately there has been nothing yet forthcoming that adds anything to the information we have gleaned from period publications and a bit of inspired deduction. However we did receive a photo and description of a replica of the GRP car built some years ago that we have added to the article.
Reminder of the 2nd International swapmeet at Lampertheim-Hüttenfeld (Germany). Photos for some of the amazing engines and cars at last year's event can be found on Tight Lines. Special guest this year will be our own Lyndon Bedford outlining the history of the ETA company with many original and rare ETA engines.
Two confirmed auctions at Buckminster, both in March, engines on the 8th and then a 'hybrid' auction on the 22nd with engines, planes, airframes and associated equipment. See the BMFA Buckminster website for more details. Whilst on the subject of engine sales one must wonder how hopeful the vendor is when asking nigh on £1,000 for a reproduction Dooling 61, well over double what an original can be found for and it is not the Hende version either? Still on the auction front and proving that there are still discoveries to be made was a pristine M&E Challenger that appeared on ebay in December. Chassis number 1312 has not been seen before and apart from the engine mount having been drilled there were no signs of anything else. To confuse matters slightly either the chassis has been blasted or an aluminium type paint applied as there were only the vaguest vestiges of the factory, black paint. Unusually the opening bid was just £9.95, but it didn't stay there for long.
Old photos hold so much interest as the digital age will almost ensure that very little will survive from the modern era. Thanks to what's-app, facebook, Fanny Kraznai and those who posted the photos originally we can add two images to our long lost tracks page from Cachan in Paris that originate from either end of the track's existence.
All the hydroplane dates have now been added to the calendar, including the intriguing prospect, still in the planning stage, of hosting the 2025 European Championships exactly fifty years after it was last held in this country at Welwyn Garden City in 1975, although this was for every NAVIGA class, so a huge event by comparison.
More good news from Canada with Adrian Duncan's continuing recovery to such an extent that he managed to publish a new edition of his website in mid December. The level of detail he manages to elicit from his research is remarkable and a valuable reference for us all, keep it up please Adrian.
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