|
|
| Cars
in The Park 2006 |
Broadcast
date : 17th December 2006 |
|
The Piston Ring is one of the
biggest and most successful motoring clubs in the country.
This year it held its ambitious Cars in the Park meeting in
parkland overlooking the Modderfontein Dam, east of
Johannesburg, and the setting was ideal for a classic car meet
with its lush grassy slopes and plenty of shade. A strong
contingent of really old timers made things mellow.
|
|
The Piston Ring was started in
the 1970s when a bunch of enthusiasts decided to encourage the
preservation of cars that were "twenty years and
older".
These days the membership numbers well over the 1000 mark, and
under the leadership of President Eric Milner, the club has
shown a new dynamism.
|
The Whippet with its distinctive
starved-dog mascot is a rare sight in the car world these
days.
|
|
|
|
The pre-war section displayed a
number of Chevrolet four-cylinder cars from the late 1920s,
like this smart deep-cream Tourer.
Gordon Harvey’s red Superior Tourer sports a few mods, like
a non-original radiator cowl in brass, which the purists may
frown upon, but looks good.
It also has some brassy detailing in the engine bay, but he
likes it that way, and appreciates these strong cars.
|
|
The most unusual car in the
park, and one of the rarest in the world, was this
strange-looking device called a Tempo G1200 Model. It was
built in 1937 in Hamburg Germany, and was used as a Swedish
Army Staff Car. It’s powered by two independent engines and
boasts four-wheel steering.
The Tempo uses a pair of 600 cc two-stroke engines, one
mounted up-front, one mounted in the rear. When they start up,
it sounds like two cars having a race.
|
|
Riley was a name that was
revered in British racing circles for decades. This late
forties model saloon epitomises all the grace of the marque
before it was swallowed up by the British Motor Corporation
and turned into a badge-engineered Austin.
It uses an advanced twin-cam four cylinder engine, although
twin-cam sixes were also built by Riley in this period.
This tourer, owned by John Allison, is a late 1940’s 2,5
litre model.
|
|
It has been modified to become a
short-wheel-base car, with a chunk taken out the middle. It’s
a beautifully-done job along the lines of the best
coachbuilders of the period, although it’s obvious that
whoever conceived the conversion didn’t have rear passengers
in mind!
|
Going back about four decades is
this 1912 Humber, one of the oldest-known examples in South
Africa, and still in excellent fettle. It’s owned by Veteran
and Vintage stalwart, Henry Watermeyer.
|
|
The Morris Minor Owners Club was
out in force at Cars in the Park, drumming up interest for
their sixtieth birthday meeting, which takes place in 2007.
These hardy little cars were owned by at least one aunty in
every family in South Africa, or so it seemed way back then.
They were designed by Alec Issigonis, the man who brought us
the Mini.
The passion for originality in Minor circles is strong, and
owners are intent on preserving as many of them as possible,
as close to factory-spec as possible.
Period accessories like sun visors are deemed okay, and
special models like this bright red Post Office van are
considered extra cool.
The Morris Minor originally came out with an 848 cc side-valve
engine, but by the late 1950s, as in this van, the 1000 cc
four-cylinder A series was doing excellent reliable duty.
Still is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Did you enjoy reading this article?
Why not recommend it to a friend - Click here
|
|
|
|
