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2009  HOSPICE IN THE WEALD RUN

Classic Car Rally - The Hospice Challenge

Sunday 14th June 2009

In aid of the Hospice in the Weald

After checking out the Rally pack and explaining the road-book to Danny, it was time to attend the drivers briefing before at the drop of the Union Jack flag, cars started to set off from 9.30am.

Selwyn in his 1972 BMW 2002tii touring would have Dave as his navigator, and would be in the lead for the first half of the route. Just a couple of minor route deviations by the 02 in front! Our first stop was a coffee break at The Cock Horse Inn, Detling, a 14th century inn standing at the foot of the North Downs escarpment. We did come across horse and bike riders as the 33 route book instructions took us along The pilgrims way. All cars seemed to have made the stop, some of the larger vehicles using the “get out of Jail” map at the back of the route-book to miss out the narrow Pilgrims Way part of the route. With cars not only parked in the now full up car-park, the road soon filled up with rally vehicles. One Jaguar having a heating problem on this hot June day.

Second part of the drive was to our Lunchtime stop at Godinton House and Gardens, Ashford. Again part of the route was on the Pilgrims Way, again meeting up with horse riders and a driver who made Selwyn back up 30 yards, because he couldn’t. We arrived after the 44 mile trip at Godinton at high noon. The sun was shinning, so we were in for a couple hours relaxing, taking in the gardens and having our picnic lunch. This weekend was also a Delphinium Festival at Godinton, the gardens were looking spectacular, plus a bonus of seeing a grass snake in the pond. Buying some home made ice cream just topped off the lunch. Walking around and looking at the eye catching automobiles on the event. As you can see from the picture album slide-show below the owners were rightly proud of them.

Afternoon part of the route I took the lead, remembering to reset the trip meter and going out the correct gate at Godinton. We came across the black Jaguar XK140 reversing, as they had missed the turn off. Then at the next junction instruction, they turned right, when it should have been left, perhaps we will see at the finish. Not long after that we came across a Lotus reversing as they had missed a right turn. It was giving way to a Porsche that came the wrong way too, all good fun! Further along we came up behind the 1928 Austin 7, the driver had done this type of event before, as they did not hang around, until the hills got the better of the Austin 7. Arrived back at the Hospice around 3.30pm with Danny making no mistakes in the mileage calculation, so all goes well for his accountancy exam coming up soon. Time to have Tea and Cake before the drawing of Raffle, Prize giving and thank you’s at 4.30pm. The Most Desirable Car, voted by rally entrants was David Deane’s 1964 VW Type 2 Samba. This vehicle was formally an Italian ambulance, undertook an extensive restoration in 2003, another fine example of the vehicles on event.

So another great day out and it also helped the Hospice. It costs approximately £4 million per annum to run the various services provided by Hospice in Weald. Therefore the £50,000 that all seven car Rallies have raised is greatly appreciated by Tanyia Ingham and team at Pembury. So if you are interested in motor vehicle history and want to do good at the same time, why not make a note to enter next years event.

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Classic Car Rally - The Hospice Challenge

Sunday 14th June 2009

In aid of the Hospice in the Weald

Report and Photographs

By Melvyn Pettit

This, the 7th Classic Car Rally in aid of the Hospice in the Weald was once again well attended. There were some very interesting motorcars among the sixty-six vehicles that took part, and the event raised £6,500 on the day.

The 1933 Rolls / Bentley 'Blue Train Bentley' is one of the finest “replicas” I have seen. The engine bay, interior and the bodywork right down to the locking wire on the knock off wheel nuts, could not be faulted (see photo‘s in slide-show). Petersen Engineering, Devon, UK, have manufactured three of these magnificent vehicles in the style of the 1930 Barnato Blue Train Speed Six Coupe. This one built for Mr Andrew Streek. The original had a Bentley 4.5-litre 6-cylinder “Speed Six”. This model has a Rolls Royce 6.5-litre 8-cylinder “Speed Eight” engine fully rebuilt, dynamically balanced and modified with 'BENTLEY' casting on the rocker box.  A slice of Bentley history: In 1930, Woolf Barnato one of the 'Bentley-Boys', at a Cannes party made an impulsive bet that he could not only race the Blue Train to Calais in his Bentley Speed Six, he could cross the channel to England and arrive at his club before the Blue Train arrived in Calais. Barnato's scorching pace at the wheel of his enormous Speed Six Bentley ensured that, despite a puncture and failing to find the fuel lorry he had arranged near Auxerre, he beat the train and managed to arrive back in London four minutes before the Blue Train arrived in Calais. To commemorate this event he nick-named the Speed Six, that he took delivery of a couple weeks later, 'Blue Train Special'. Gurney Nutting was responsible for the design of the fastback coupe. In recent years a lot of controversy has arisen about the 'Blue Train Special.' For many years the Gurney Nutting Coupe was considered the car that raced the train. Thorough investigation has unveiled that the actual Speed Six used was fitted with a Mulliner saloon body. Such is the stuff of the Bentley legend. Now that I have stopped drooling, it’s back to the rally!

From Austin 7, A30, and Healey, Bentley’s, Bristol, BMW‘s, Citroen, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Ford, Jaguar’s, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes, MG’s, Mini, Morgan, Porsche’s, Reliant, Riley, Rolls Royce, Toyota, Triumph’s, VW and Wolseley to name a few of the Automobiles that took part in the Hospice Challenge.

1933 Rolls Royce / Bentley - Peterson 6.5ltr Speed Eight, "Blue Train" Coupe special replica.

Once again the event started at the Hospice in the Weald, Pembury. After registration, and having a tasty breakfast of organic bacon roll with Coffee and meeting up with fellow club BMWCC members Selwyn Frostick and David Cooke and Danny who was going to be my navigator for the day. The car park soon started to fill up with some very excellent examples of the automobile history. There were sixty six vehicles entered for the event. Two vehicles which needed closer inspection, The 1948 Bristol 400 and the “Blue Train” Bentley.

1948 Bristol 400

Ex Humphry Corke car.

Four owners from new.

Overdrive, big valve head and anti-roll bar added.

This car returned from Greece 3 days before event.

The Bristol 400 luxury car is the first automotive product of the British Bristol Aeroplane Company. After World War II, BAC decided to diversify and formed a car division, which would later be the Bristol Cars company in its own right. BAC subsequently acquired a licence from Frazer Nash to build BMW models. Bristol chose to base its first model the best features of two outstanding pre-war BMWs, namely the 326's engine, and 328's frame. These where covered with a neat all steel body inspired on BMW 327's. The Bristol 400 featured a slightly modified version of BMW's 6 cylinder pushrod engine of 1,971 cc (bore 66 mm, stroke 96 mm). This engine, considered advanced for its time due to its hemispherical combustion chambers and very short inlet and exhaust ports, developed 80 horsepower at 4,500 revs per minutes and could carry the 400 to a top speed of around 148 km/h (92 mph).