A conversation piece

[Archivist]

A little addition to the Archive this week has been the purchase of a copy of Autosport from July 1963 that contains a report on the first 750MC Beaulieu Austin 7 Rally. I thought it might be of interest and, perhaps, prompt memories from our more 'Senior' members... I know one person from Cambridge who attended in 1963, but she (I don't think) has been after celebrating her 50th straight attendance in 2013. At that point she declared that she couldn't really cope with sleeping in her tent anymore...

   

[Hugh Barnes]

Oh, and in case you didn't realise, it is likely that you will be able to click on the above image, which will then open in another window, where you will be able to enlarge it to get a clearer image of the text etc..

The specifics will depend on your technology environment, of course...

[Mike Costigan]

The car in the foreground of the top picture is Fred Ely's 1923 chummy YA 7103, now on loan to the Atwell Wilson Museum.

Edit: Maybe I'm wrong, I should have read the caption first! That says it belongs to J A Harris; did he sell it to Fred, or have I got the wrong car altogether?

[Mike Costigan]

The article mentions J A Flower's Nippy from Sheffield; here is Andrew in the Nippy taken on the Luxembourg/Germany border in 1964:


  6 Luxemburg-Germany border A4 portrait crop.jpg (Size: 138.62 KB / Downloads: 287)

[Gordon Puzey]

Hi Mike 
I think Fred's Chummy was DO 4046. 
Gordon

[Mike Costigan]

Thanks, Gordon; I need to stir up the grey cells!

Edit: DD 4046 is the car in the Atwell Wilson Museum, which is, indeed, the Fred Ely car.

[Ivor Hawkins]

What an excellent read and an excellent turn out, over 300 Austin Sevens made the trip and it was only the race cars on trailers, as it should be!

[Parazine]

Sadly, I missed this rally as I was still at primary school.

[Ivor Hawkins]

...and I was still in short trousers