Anyone end up going to Thatcham today?

[Guest]

I went to Thatcham today but made a bit of a rickett on the times - I though it ended at 5pm but in fact it was 3pm so by the time I arrived most of the cars had left. Anyway here's a few of what was there ;

































Anyone want to try and guess what the red one is?

[jleyton]

Anyone want to try and guess what the red one is?

Yeah, it's a Mini Cooper S about 67 which would make it a 76hp 1275 Mk1 - Oh, do you mean the Fiat 500? As for the car in the foreground obscuring the view of those two, I haven't got a clue - Autobianci, Lancia??

Cheers

Julian

[Guest]

Ha ha ha...nice one Julian! Yes, well the one I was on about is actually a Buckler -a Reading company who made between 500-900 cars from mid 50's to early 60's I think.

[KOY 23]

Looks like a special built on a side valve Ford chassis. There were loads of them in the 60's.

[Guest]

Pretty much spot on there John. The owner said they were designed to take engines and running gear from a 50's Ford Popular. The one in the picture has Austin A30 (I think) components.

[jleyton]

Well, talking of locally made cars, I heard about a car that was produced in the very early part of the twentieth century called the Somerset. In fact it looks like it was more a case of a metal workshop that made a framework with some wheels and an engine and they only ever made a handful of them.

However, when I was being shown around Beaulieu by the curator there, I asked if he had any info on the Somerset and he found a couple of bits of paper. It turned out that they were produced less than 400 yards from where I live !! The place is just a farm now.

Cheers

Julian