British Model A's Racing

[wensum]

In the big tidy up resulting from retirement I discovered a box of “Motor Racing Greeting Cards”
Amongst them was the attached copy showing two British Model A Fords competing in a race in 1929, but with no indication of what or where?
The British Ford A’s had a smaller engine for tax reasons and sidelights on the front guards.
But here you have a couple competing with Bugatti and other exotica. (Numbers 58 & 59)
It’s a Le Mans type start, but clearly not at Le Mans
Keith

[Y-Blockhead]

I like it. Thanks for sharing.

[JDupuis]

Cool picture. Is that Sterling Moss running for the #56 car? Ha ha Jeff

[updraught]

Looks like Goodwood.

https://www.carchaseheroes.com/uploa...s-original.jpg

[Synchro909]

With that small engine you guys ran, acceleration and speed would have been "leisurely", I would expect. Surely those guys were the supreme optimists.

[Jim Huseby]

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It was LeMans. Notice all the tops are up, "erected" in British terms. The class required the cars to have tops and be erected in the first portion of the race. I believe the A's completed the race, but of course did not go fast like the real race cars. One author of the time commented on the A's performance by finishing a sentence :"...as the Fords serenely chuffed by."

[Cornishman]

I'm fairly sure that it's not Le Mans, the countryside in the background is all wrong. It could be Sussex but it's not Goodwood as circuit racing there didn't start until 1948 as, like Silverstone, it uses a WW2 airfield.
Wherever it is it's a great photo. Thank you for sharing it.
The British Model A Fords would have been fine racing against contemporary competition as many of the European marques that they would have been racing against used much smaller engines themselves. Endurance racing has always had different classes racing at the same time so the small cars would have been going for class wins while watching the Bentleys etc head off into the distance.

[updraught]

I thought the French Fords were the first at Le Mans

http://www.velocetoday.com/charles-m...-racing-fords/

[Cornishman]

Originally Posted by updraught

I thought the French Fords were the first at Le Mans

http://www.velocetoday.com/charles-m...-racing-fords/

Thank you for that link. One of my friends attends the Le Mans Classic every year with his Alpine 310 replica Poisson Dieppeoise. I might go with him next year and if I do I'll keep a look out for the Charles Montiers T.

[johnbuckley]

ARRRRGH I got it WRONG!!! brain going spong. It's the RAC Tourist Trophy held near Belast 1928 , Hussey has it right abut the tops being up for the start , tthey hd to drop the tops at the start .As soon as I locate book on booksheves on my book shelves I'll post further info. The 2 fords were privately entered and as I recall averaged about 50 mph . They were the slowest of the cars still running at the end , but were still running which I guess just about sums up Model As!

[wensum]

Thanks guys, the information coming through is really interesting. I am really looking forward to more material from John Buckley.
Cheers
Keith

[johnbuckley]

sorry I put it was lemans in #10 , have ammended it as it was the RAC Tourist Trophy 1928!

[Chippy Minton]

It will be interesting to see what you find. In the 1929 Le Mans 24 hour race there were 25 starters and 10 finishers. No Model A's are listed in anything I've seen.

[Mart]

Sorry for gatecrashing (i'm normally a V8er), but a friend posted this on another forum. Just from googling I can say that yes, this is the Ards circuit, and the 1929 Belfast Tourist Trophy.

Googling "1929 Belfast Tourist Trophy" will turn up a wealth of images and information, including the full programme from the day, which contains lots of big names from motorsport at the time.

It was all new to me and I enjoyed digging around finding out what I could.

All sparked from this pic being posted here, so thanks.

Mart.

[Chippy Minton]

From the same race.

[johnbuckley]

Thanks for putting us right, Mart. Yep 1929 and .......here's a you tube link of it
Video for 1929 rac TT▶ 0:24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpBcKvCCRpI

who needs books when you've got google!

[Chippy Minton]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rpBcKvCCRpI
This is interesting, it shows exactly what happened to the tops in the 1929 Tourist Trophy. It's a shame that the Model A's are too close to the camera.

[johnbuckley]

I'd be still taking the top down by the time the leaders had done 20 miles! Here's a link to programme http://www.progcovers.com/motor/ards290817.pdf

[Chippy Minton]

http://www.hells-confetti.com/Histor...0programme.pdf
This too. The A's are listed in the entrants along with their driver's names.

[Cornishman]

Another link, this time the results. The Fords finished after the same number of laps as the smaller engined Austins, Triumphs and Rileys but because of the handicap system they were unclassified while some of the British cars finished high up in the order.
http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...8-17-7613.html