02-01-2022, 10:57 PM
I have just looked at this thread having been hors de combat for a few days. Ilmoro raises the question of maximum downhill speed in a Ruby. In 1982 when Fenella and I were just married I dared not tell her that my plan was to complete the run in less than 24 hours in DKL214, my scruffy 1936 3 bearing Ruby, so I pretended not to hurry until we reached Exeter, and she asked where we were going to put up the tent. At that stage, after making leisurely stops at all the hospitality points and a few other service areas, I looked at my watch and said we should carry on for a sub 24 hour run. Sue Walker had persuaded me not to take a Ruby over Bodmin Moor so we went down through Plymouth. We completed in 23 hours and 10 minutes. On the downhill stretches the speedo was over 75 mph a number of times, and this was on 4.50 tyres which raised the gearing a bit. The only mod was borrowing an SU carb from Hugh Barnes. We did another sub 24 hour run in 1992 in the 1928 Chummy we had bought by then. It was not so fast downhill, but it climbed hills quite well.