Classic Motor History

Heart of England Classic Transport Club

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:42:07 +0000

The club is meeting at The Griffin Inn, Bedworth, Warwickshire, CV10 7PJ on 22 May 2012 from 7pm.

For details call 024 7631 1870.

Everybody is welcome

For those in the UK

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:52:17 +0000

The lovely government are wanting to take a bit more out of the motorists pocket.

FairFuelUK are getting a petition together to scrap the 3 pence duty rise per litre (16 pence a gallon with VAT)…

Apologies to you all

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:50:17 +0000

It’s been a hectic year here, and unfortunately one of bad news and events. This has impacted on the blog and site, and to that end I am very sorry that I have been unable to devote as much time as I should have to them.

But hopefully, things will all get back on an even keel and we’ll be putting out some new publications soon.

Thanks very much

Dawn

1953 AJS 18CS

admin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:20:29 +0000

Now this picture depicts everything there is about a classic motorcycle and of the history of bikes.

This photograph was sent in by Allen, in the USA who is the proud owner of this fantastic 1953 AJS 18C which is in it’s original format.

This bike has had three owners from new. Allen’s father owned the bike from 1954 when he purchased it from his boss.

The 18CS was produced between 1950 and 1964. It comprised of an all alloy engine in a sprung frame. A feature when introduced was the ‘fat’ rear suspension units that immediately became known as ‘jam pots’, which were an improvement over the slimmer versions.

A truly magnificent piece of machinery. Allen, you, your father and his boss must all be congratulated on maintaining an absolute show stopper of a bike.

Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition, Vancouver

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:36:55 +0000

Classic Motor History is off to Vancouver shortly and one of the main reasons for this is the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition.

Originally founded by Trev Deeley (1920 – 2002), a BC motorcycling legend, renowned for his racing prowess, business acumen and dedication to the motorcycling community, his collection thrives now through the generous support of Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada.

The collection features over 250 antique, vintage and relevant models spanning over 114 years representing 59 different makes of motorcycles from all over the world.

I’ll keep you all updated with the visit along with the photos of some of the exhibits.

Heart of England Classic Transport Club

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:25:15 +0000

On Sunday 25th July, I went to Bulkington WMC to visit the Heart of England Classic Transport Club. It was absolutely brilliant to see so many classics and so many characters who are passionate about their cars. There was a variety of motors and it was good to see so many people popping by to see the cars and discuss the history of the motors.

The club meet on a regular basis at the Griffin Inn on Coventry Road in Bedworth and everybody is welcome.

The dates of the upcoming meets are as follows

1900 – 2230 on the following Tuesdays 27th July, 10th August & 24th August 2010.

1130 – 1500 on the following Sundays 12th September, 10th October, 14th November & 12th December 2010.

If you’re in the area or you’re looking for an interesting trip out, pop in to the above meets, you’ll be made welcome and you’ll meet some real characters.

Pictures to be uploaded shortly.

Dawn

The History of Vauxhall Motors

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:06:22 +0000

Alexander Wilson founded the Vauxhall Iron Works, in what became the Vauxhall district of London in 1857. Probably not that he would have created one of the most successful European car and commercial vehicle manufacturers of the twentieth century and beyond.

The company was renamed the Vauxhall Ironworks Company Ltd in 1897, when a single cylinder 5hp petrol engine was developed to power a river launch called Jabberwock. Others had already attached such motors to vehicles and so Vauxhall joined in the experiment, producing their first car in 1903, powered by the same single cylinder 5hp engine. The first impressions were good and a sporty looking 6hp two seater followed in 1904.

A forward thinking Luton Council was encouraging new industry into their town and by 1905, London was already congested, so as Vauxhall were after more room, they moved to Luton and the company restructured as “The Vauxhall and West Hydraulic Company”, with the car making separated out as Vauxhall Motors Ltd.

To read the full publication please click here.

The History of the Mini

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:43:15 +0000

An engineer with the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in the 1950s had a dream that a small car would be put outside the house of every working person. The car that Alec Issigonis designed eventually stood outside everything from a palace to a hovel. With a limited budget, he often sketched engineering plans on the back of envelopes, Issigonis and his team worked against the clock to get the car into production. Sir Alec died in 1988, but his car lives on.

The Mini was attractive to both tuners and racers. Leading this group was John Cooper. In 1959 and 1960 he was the World Champion Formula One racing car constructor and had had personal success in his 500cc special. Cooper felt strongly enough to go to the chairman of BMC, to ask if he could build a run of four seater GTs, after a brief meeting the chairman said ‘yes, go away and do it’.

To read the full publication please click here.

The History of Vincent HRD

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:16:43 +0000

Phillip Vincent was a determined man with firm ideas on how a motorcycle should perform, and more importantly, how a motorcycle should be built.

He had studied mechanical science at Cambridge University and had a poor opinion of many features of the contemporary machines.

In the 1920s, he built his first motorcycle. Like all others, it had rear suspension with a triangulated pivoted fork and the springs were mounted beneath the saddle to work against the upper frame. It had a Swiss Mag engine, a Moss gearbox, Webb forks and Enfield hubs.

To view the full publication click here.

The History of Moto Guzzi

admin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:15:31 +0000

Moto-Guzzi is an Italian manufacturer that has endured from the industry’s infancy to its place today as the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. It is now one of seven brands owned by Piaggio.

The company was conceived by two aircraft pilots and their mechanic serving in the Corpo Aeronautico Militare during World War 1. The trio, Carlo Guzzi, Giovanni Ravelli and Giorgi Parodi envisioned creating a motorcycle company after the war. Guzzi and Parodi formed Moto Guzzi in 1921, Ravelli unfortunately died just days after the war had ended in an aircraft crash and is commemorated by the eagle’s wings that form the Moto Guzzi logo.

In the 50s, the company along with other Italian factories led the world of Grand Prix Motorcycle racing. With durable and lightweight 250cc and 350cc bikes, the firm dominated the middleweight classes. The factory won five consecutive 350cc championships between 1953 and 1957.

To read the full publication please click here.