10-11-2019, 10:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-11-2019, 11:05 PM by Tony Griffiths.)
One hesitates to post this - but go on then, I will.
On the 1st of January 1973, the day we joined the "Common Market", as a celebration, Lord Montague arranged for four car clubs - the Vintage Sports Car Club, Veteran Car Club, Vintage Motorcycle Club, and the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club - to organise a 67-car "Drive into Europe". By some miracle (OK, my wife's father was a big-wig in British Rail) I obtained sponsorship from Sealink and (more string-pulling) four days off work - with pay. However, things were not entirely straightforward, and the four-day holiday turned out to be just as well for, on the preceding Saturday, the car was a pile of bits in Mike Hurst's garage in Great Longstone. This state of disassembly had been caused by me asking a young friend, Philip Muzalewski, to drive the Chummy back at night after a freezing cold November driving test at Silverstone. Unfortunately, on a country lane, he didn't see a wide strip of ice across the road and the car snapped sideways, spun round and turned over. Philip was badly shaken and suffered acid burns from the shattered battery, but was otherwise intact. I was driving in front of him, in the warmth of a just mobile Morris Minor, together with Mike Costigan, and we saw, in the mirror, the Chummy lights change from white to red to white - and then, crunch, bang, nothing. So, after some difficulties, expense and urgent body and suspension repairs, the Seven was just about ready for reassembly. We started on the Saturday morning with one continuous work run of 48 hours - and it was only when Philip said, "Which way do you turn a spanner to tighten a nut?" that I thought it best we went to bed (not together, of course). The job was finally completed rather too close to the deadline, at around midnight on the 5th, and then it was straight down to Horse Guards parade to be seen off by ....Ted Heath....
At this point I was, to put it mildly, exhausted, and the rest of the trip remains something of a blur. However, one amusing incident stays in my mind for, halfway across the channel, the traction engine had to be fired up so that it could drive off under its own power. As a result, the vehicle deck filled up with thick brown smoke, to leave a surprisingly clear patch about 8-feet deep - fine for the cars, but just sufficiently shallow to put the traction engine driver on instruments.
I wonder if there will be a "Drive out of Europe"? I somehow doubt it, but I wouldn't mind doing the route in reverse, but not on January 1st.
![[Image: drive-into-europe-1973.jpg]](http://www.lathes.uk/drive-into-europe-1973.jpg)
On the 1st of January 1973, the day we joined the "Common Market", as a celebration, Lord Montague arranged for four car clubs - the Vintage Sports Car Club, Veteran Car Club, Vintage Motorcycle Club, and the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club - to organise a 67-car "Drive into Europe". By some miracle (OK, my wife's father was a big-wig in British Rail) I obtained sponsorship from Sealink and (more string-pulling) four days off work - with pay. However, things were not entirely straightforward, and the four-day holiday turned out to be just as well for, on the preceding Saturday, the car was a pile of bits in Mike Hurst's garage in Great Longstone. This state of disassembly had been caused by me asking a young friend, Philip Muzalewski, to drive the Chummy back at night after a freezing cold November driving test at Silverstone. Unfortunately, on a country lane, he didn't see a wide strip of ice across the road and the car snapped sideways, spun round and turned over. Philip was badly shaken and suffered acid burns from the shattered battery, but was otherwise intact. I was driving in front of him, in the warmth of a just mobile Morris Minor, together with Mike Costigan, and we saw, in the mirror, the Chummy lights change from white to red to white - and then, crunch, bang, nothing. So, after some difficulties, expense and urgent body and suspension repairs, the Seven was just about ready for reassembly. We started on the Saturday morning with one continuous work run of 48 hours - and it was only when Philip said, "Which way do you turn a spanner to tighten a nut?" that I thought it best we went to bed (not together, of course). The job was finally completed rather too close to the deadline, at around midnight on the 5th, and then it was straight down to Horse Guards parade to be seen off by ....Ted Heath....
At this point I was, to put it mildly, exhausted, and the rest of the trip remains something of a blur. However, one amusing incident stays in my mind for, halfway across the channel, the traction engine had to be fired up so that it could drive off under its own power. As a result, the vehicle deck filled up with thick brown smoke, to leave a surprisingly clear patch about 8-feet deep - fine for the cars, but just sufficiently shallow to put the traction engine driver on instruments.
I wonder if there will be a "Drive out of Europe"? I somehow doubt it, but I wouldn't mind doing the route in reverse, but not on January 1st.