Issue 24
July 2013
BMCT News N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E B R I T I S H M O T O R C Y C L E C H A R I T A B L E T R U S T
In This Issue: Haynes Museum Redevelopment Banbury Run Bonhams Auction Report Beaulieu Stafford Show Pioneer Run Donington Park Classic Festival 1926 Rex Acme TT Model
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Artists impression of the completed museum (above) and work in progress (below)
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he £4.2 million redevelopment of the Haynes International Motor Museum is entering its final stages. The redevelopment, which includes new display halls, café, shop and state of the art conferencing and banqueting suites, will provide a completely new façade to the museum, and is due to be fully completed in Spring 2014. The development has been privately funded by founder and Chairman John H Haynes OBE, who opened the museum with just 33 cars, housed in one hall, back in July 1985. Phase one reveals the first of the new exhibition areas, nicknamed „The Black Box‟ due to its exterior. A huge two-storey display area, the Black Box overlooks the Haynes‟ test track and is divided into two areas – The Vroom Room on the ground floor and The Motorcycle Mezzanine on the upper. The Vroom Room, spanning over 360 square metres and accommodating around 18 to 20 cars, is dedicated to high powered, high performance
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sports cars, while the Motorcycle Mezzanine, at 330 square metres, will create a permanent home for the museum‟s two-wheeled collection of around 70 motorbikes which includes Motorcycles from around the World and the Forshaw Speedway Collection, the World‟s largest and most complete Speedway display (below). This area will also be home to the British Motor Scooter Collection which was recently acquired for the nation by the BMCT.
Prior to the opening of the new exhibition halls, Haynes will reveal a £250,000 new family entertainment zone in the museum‟s grounds called Haynes Motorland, featuring a 1,500 square metre adventure playground with a myriad of motoring themed interactive games and miniature vehicles for children to enjoy. There are also two classic buses – one featuring a cinema and the other a soft play area - and a new go-kart circuit known as „Haynes Hatch‟ with battery operated vehicles. The new family zone is just one of the new developments that will see the museum expand beyond the restraints of the internal exhibition halls. Managing Director Marc Haynes explains: “The outdoor family zone is part of a new pedestrian area at the rear of the museum that will, thanks to the help of our wonderful volunteers, allow us to link the exhibits in the display halls with outdoor activities. We are looking to create a visitor experience that appeals to all the senses, which includes bringing some vehicles outdoors so we can fire up the engines allowing visitors to hear and smell the motoring heritage as well as admiring the 400 vehicles on display.”
Front page photograph. No excuses for featuring another Velocette on the front cover. This time it’s renowned Velocette authority and BMCT member Ivan Rhodes setting off on the Banbury Run astride the ex Alec Bennett 1928 Junior TT winning works machine.
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Two gems from the Sammy Miller Museum Sammy Miller (1925 Grindlay Peerless) Malcom Griffin’s 1922 Coventry Eagle S293
A Triumph sets off with a New Imperial for company Lewis Onions on the 1911 Scott two-speeder
Paul Depper (1920 Quadrant 600cc) “Nurse Gladys” on her Kenilworth
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t was good to see so many BMCT members listed in the entry for the 65th VMCC Banbury Run, which started again this year from the impressive setting of the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon. An impressive 600 pre-1931 machines assembled for what was billed as “the largest gathering of Veteran and Vintage machines in the world”, choosing one of three routes to follow and (hopefully) getting back to Gaydon
without incident. Of the BMCT members we spotted Lewis Onions (1911 Scott Standard 2 speed), Gold Award winner Chris Oliver (1927 Zenith 680), Sammy Miller MBE (1925 Grindlay Peerless ST1 Barr & Stroud), Richard Duffin (1927 Scott Flying Squirrel), Pete Burrows (Royal Ruby), Ivan Rhodes (1928 Works 350 Velocette) and Malcolm Griffin (1922 Coventry Eagle S293). Despite stopping early on to make adjustments, Malcolm gained a Gold Award and won the Bill
Banbury regular Chris Oliver (Zenith)
Family fun aboard a 1924 AJS Model D
Moore Trophy for the rider running closest to their allotted time schedule at one or more checks. And for good measure, Malcolm also took home the Vintage Tyre Scheme Trophy for the best performance on an Early Vintage machine. Well done sir! Chris Oliver’s son Ashley took the Ken Cobbing Trophy for the best performance on a Late Vintage machine for his ride on his 1929 Sunbeam Model 5.
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he Bonhams auction at the International Classic MotorCycle Show at the Staffordshire County Showground topped £1.4 million on Sunday 28th April, with the top-selling lot a 1952 Vincent Black Shadow (above) which realized £113,500. The fully restored, ex-works machine
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formed part of the factory's bid to set a new 24-hour speed record at Montlhéry in France in May 1952. Although mechanical failures prevented the bid from being successful, the British team returned home with eight new records, including six hours at over 100mph. Among other auction highlights was a 1931 Brough Superior SS80 motorcycle won in a raffle more than 40 years ago and a 1914 Indian Model F once o w n e d b y l e g e n da r y Hollywood actor Steve McQueen. The latter sold to
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a European telephone bidder for £32,200, while the SS80 realized £57,500 – more than a million times the cost of the 1972 raffle ticket. Starting life as a sidecar outfit with Ipswich Police, the motorcycle was converted to solo trim and later offered as first prize in a fund-raising raffle at the Brough Superior Club. Tickets were sold for five pence each, or 50 pence for a book of 10, and second and third prizes respectively were 10 and five gallons of oil. Ben Walker, Head of the Bonhams Motorcycle
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Department, said: "Once again our auction at the 'International' Classic proved to be exactly that, with interest from bidders from across the globe. "Record-breaking machines like the 1952 Vincent Black Shadow and the movie star charisma of Steve McQueen were among the draws for the crowd."
B e a u l i e u there will be a whole new area devoted to a fresh display of motorcycles and their associated memorabilia, some of which has never been seen in public before. The trustees were privileged to have a tour of the Collection Centre for a behind-the-scenes look at the conservation, preservation and restoration work that is going in to this exciting project.
BMCT trustees examining the first phase of the new motorcycle exhibition at Beaulieu
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he trustees of the BMCT visited the National Motor Museum in June to meet their management team and to look at ways in which the Trust might be able to get involved with improving the way motorcycles and their place in the social history of this country are interpreted within the museum. As regular visitors to Beaulieu will know, the last few years have seen them stage some block-busting
exhibitions, including the Top Gear display and latterly the James Bond “Bond in Motion” exhibition, which has proved so popular it has been extended for an extra year until 5th January 2014. These attractions have boosted visitor numbers dramatically and the BMCT have seen the benefit with large numbers of new members joining having picked up our leaflets on their visit. When “Bond in Motion” finally closes
Following the visit, BMCT Chairman Ian Walden said “The trustees are enthused by the plans we have been shown today, and we are keen to increase our involvement with Beaulieu to the benefit of ourselves, our members, and the general public”. Watch this space for further news.
In July Beaulieu welcomed their 25 millionth visitor since Lord Montagu opened the attraction in 1952.
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he Stafford County Showground again played host to the International Carole Nash Classic MotorCycle Show at the end of April. This being the one of the two “Staffords” that caters mainly for British bike enthusiasts, there was a fair amount of black and gold paintwork on display. As usual there was much competition between the clubs to see who could win the Best Club Stand award. This year it went to the DOT Motorcycle Club with their interesting and colourful display (above). Those who followed the memoirs of Roland Pike in our last two issues of
BMCT News will be interested to see the “Rudge” BSA MC1 above. The BSA directors entered Geoff Duke for a race at Silverstone with the bike badged as a Rudge so that the BSA name wouldn‟t be disgraced if it failed! But they lost their nerve and scratched the entry. The bike took the award for Best Machine of Technical Interest. BMCT member Ivan Rhodes brought another piece of Velocette history to
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employed a blower from the Foxwell company (better known for their vacuum cleaner units) to supercharge the engine, and raced the machine himself with some success at the TT. Les Archer also rode the machine before it was dismantled and the special parts dispersed. Now after many years and much hard work, Ivan has restored Clara to her former glory .
The concours entries were dominated by this enormous 1921 Reynolds Runabout. An ancestor of the motor scooter, it was made from
from 1959. Based on a Royal Enfield 692cc Super meteor, around 800 of these were produced
between 1958 and 1961, with a large number of the being sold to the New York Police Department. Note the large tank, deeply valanced mudguards, and 16 inch wheels with wide tyres. Outside, the autojumblers were doing well in the Spring sunshine, and there were some interesting bikes for sale amongst the spares. Here are a couple of tidy looking things that were up for grabs.
1919 to 1924, but must have struggled to cope with just 269cc to drag it around. Upstairs we found this Ariel Arrow with a nicely engineered cutaway engine and gearbox, and also on the
balcony there was a very attractively presented 1966 AJS 250 Model 14 CSR. Unloved by the public when new, they are really quite rare now.
Stafford for the enjoyment of enthusiasts. “Whiffling Clara” was modified by works engineer Harold Willis from a standard KTT. He
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Another rarity was the Indian Chief
BMCT member Richard Duffin‟s 680cc V-twin Burney made an appearance on the Mortons stand (below). Richard has done a wonderful job of conserving the bike in original condition rather than going for a full-blown restoration.
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fter last year‟s exceptionally mild weather and clear blue skies (above), all looked set for a real celebration this year for the 75th Pioneer Run for Veteran motorcycles, which runs annually from Epsom Downs to Madeira Drive Brighton. The
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historic Sunbeam Club who organise the event, which sees the largest gathering of veteran machines (pre1914) in the world, had even published a lavish book charting the events history for the Diamond Jubilee. However, extreme weather overnight along the route caused the club to take an early decision on the Saturday to cancel Sunday‟s early morning start in the interest rider‟s safety, both on the event and getting to the start from all over the UK and Europe. Many of the 383 entrants were already reporting difficulties in leaving their home counties, which would have severely depleted the number of starters.
With freezing conditions being predicted overnight, it would not have been safe for the riders of the primitive bikes that need constant juggling of ignition and air levers and manual oil pumps to be primed, to have to cope with snow and ice with rudimentary handling on tyres not much wider than a bicycle. It is the first time in the event‟s 75 year history that weather has caused a cancellation of the event which is seen by many spectators as the natural start of the riding season and a chance to give freshly completed restorations a shakedown.
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olin Seeley, member A239, has contacted us to say that his Charity, the Joan Seeley Pain Relief Trust, has been nominated by the Classic Racing Motorcycle
Our series on Roland Pike and the BSA MC1 prompted Mike Jackson to send this lovely photo of Roland enjoying a Gold Star at a BSA OC event in Florida, from the time when Roland was working for Jaguar in the USA
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BMCT member John Walters with the Trust‟s 1929 Humber 350 ohc. The engine is now back in the frame after a rebuild by John Kidson.
Club as the official Charity Partner for the Donington Park Motorcycle festival event on the weekend of 9th11th August. The aim is to raise at least £10,000 , all of which will be presented to the New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, now famous for treating injured soldiers. The three day meeting, which incorporates a round of the Lansdowne Series for classic GP bikes, will showcase many of the star riders and machines from the 60s and 70s eras. Peter Williams will also be there, celebrating 40 years since his victory in the Formula 750 TT on the monocoque Norton he designed. It appears Peter has set up a company to produce 25 replicas of that famous 1973 Norton (below).
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Please also be aware that admissions staff at the museums may ask for another form of identity when the BMCT card is presented to them, so to avoid embarrassment make sure you‟ve got a credit card or something similar with you!
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Member no. A935 Denis Lane is keen to trace a machine he once
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the Heritage Motor Centre in allowing free entry to BMCT members only, and not their families. This has meant a change to the wording on the new membership cards which you will be receiving when your annual renewal is processed. It‟s likely that by the end of the year the remaining affiliated museums will follow suit, and free entry will be restricted to members only.
As our longer standing members will be aware, and thanks to the continuing support of our affiliated museums, the cost of BMCT membership hasn‟t risen since the scheme was introduced ten years ago and represents fantastic value. However, recent changes of policy at Beaulieu mean they have joined the National Motorcycle Museum and
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owned and rebuilt from a basket case in the late 1950s. It‟s a 1926 BSA 349cc side-valve, registration YP1376 and according to the DVLA hasn‟t been taxed for the road since 1983. If anyone out there knows of the m a c h i n e ‟ s whereabouts Denis can be contacted through the editor.
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Within the next few weeks we will have completed the upload of all available back issues of BMCT onto Issuu, a website that allows you to read various kinds of publications without going
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through the time consuming drama of downloading. To find our newsletters simply go to www.issuu.com and type BMCT News into the search bar.
NEW MEMBERS We welcome the following new members and supporters of our cause: Geoff Wragg, Christchurch Claudia Street, Ringwood Patrick Coevoet, Sittingbourne A J Godbehere, Amersham Harvey Ward, Esher Robert McCarthy, West Drayton Steve McCarthy, West Drayton Gerold Ebner, Austria Gary Smart, Woking Steve Pilgrim, Northallerton Dave Hammond, Leeds Peter Maskell, Bromsgrove Brian Green, Reigate Harold Smith, Reigate Robert Heap, Hall Green Tony Day, Poole S Godwin, Lymington Gareth Buck, Wareham Angie Wright, High Wycombe Ray Semmens, West Byfleet John Leggett, Shepperton Julian Klym, Bordon Tony Early, Shepperton Tony Styles, Newport Colette Buck, Wareham P Slack, Swindon Steve Norris, Chessington Geoffrey Lloyd, Banbury Brian Daglish, Halesworth Peter Lester, Orpington Dennis Lane, Weston-super-Mare Shaun Mabey, Yeovil Clive Searle, West Molesey D Mothersole, Marlow B Collis, Weymouth Russell Daniels, Banbury Stephen Millard, Gillingham Heather Beachill, Barnsley Clive Webb, Seaford Peter Lyne, Sandhurst Ernest Rixon, Reading Charles Clark, Banbury C Clarke, Bagshot Tony Cutler, Camberley P Bowdery, Camberley Ian Parker, Winchester John Larkham, Bognor Regis Richard Andrews, Bures Kathryn Appleton, Eastleigh Andy Taylor, Camberley Robert Massey, New Malden Stewart West, Liskeard George Brown, Swanage Roy Enser, Ashford Keith Maxwell, Shenstone Phil Sallows, Wellesbourne Alan Whatley, High Wycombe Adam Hubbarde, Binfield Roy Springate, High Wycombe Ian Dew, Gosport Richard Soudan, Fareham James Whiting, Southampton David Gosling, Gosport John Coope, Berkhamsted RJ Cragie, Woodbridge Michael Pinckston, Bournemouth Ethel Andrews, Bournemouth
WE’RE ON THE WEB! WWW.BMCT.ORG
T H E B R I T I S H M O T O R C Y C L E C H A R I T A B L E
T R U S T
Registered in England No. 01445196 Registered Charity No. 509420
Registerered Office: Holly Cottage Main Street Bishampton Pershore United Kingdom WR10 2NH
Phone: 01386 462524 Mobile: 07754 880116 E-mail: info@bmct.org
The Trust was originally formed to facilitate the building of the National Motorcycle Museum at Bickenhill, near Solihull in the West Midlands, but since 1995 the BMCT has been an entirely separate organisation, a grant - making Charity dedicated to the promotion of British motorcycle engineering heritage through a network of affiliated transport museums throughout the country. Membership is open to all, and allows free entry to all the museums in the scheme. Our funding comes from membership fees, bequests, donations and income from investments. Please direct any enquiries to the secretary, Andy Bufton, at the address on the left.
Preserving the past...for the future Trustees: I N Walden OBE (Chairman) P J Wellings, S Bagley, T P V Barnes, J F R Handley, M Jackson, J N Jeffery, J Kidson,
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wo well known Coventry firms Rex and Acme joined forces in 1922 and produced machines with proprietary engines as Rex Acme until their demise in 1933. Their most famous machines
were the Blackburne engined TT models, introduced in 1926, the year after their works manager Wal Handley won the Junior TT on a similar machine. The engine is the classic external flywheel type, with drive through a
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Burman gearbox. With the depression looming, and Handley having left, the company lost direction and in 1931 they were taken over by Mills-Fulford in a move which failed to revitalise the firm.
Published by Matchless Management Services, Holly Cottage, Main Street, Bishampton, Pershore WR10 2NH