1-4 June 2011 – Three Castles Welsh Classic Trial, a three day classic car event with regular rally, driving tests and concours taking part in the ancient landscapes of Angelsey, Gwynedd and Clwyd in North West Wales. More information here.

3-5 June 2011 – Alvis International Weekend at Brooklands, Surrey,  the birthplace of British Motor Racing with Alvis racing cars, featuring every one of the Alvis models manufactured during the years of production, with concours and driving tests. http://www.alvisoc.org

4-5 June 2011 – Klondyke Steam and Vintage Show at Draycott in the Clay, Staffordshire, engines in steam, open workshop, tractors stalls, hot and cold refreshments and more for a day out with the family. http://nsctec.co.uk

5 June 2011 – Bude Cornwall Motor Classic, the 2nd Classic Motor Show at the rugby ground of Bude, Cornwall for all classic cars and free to all entrants and visitors, with full bar and food facilities, situated next to the River Neat and close to the town centre, camping for entrants available if required. More information on the website.

5 June 2011 – 22nd Classic London to Brighton Run, start at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Brooklands, Surrey with Sir Stirling Moss flagging the cars off, stopping point: Bluebell Railway, finish: Madeira Drive, Brighton, more information on http://www.classicmotorshow.com

Classic Car © Roberto Verzo/flickr.com

Illegal scrapping is a large problem in the UK. Of the two million cars that are declared off the road every year, only one million of them are processed through Authorised Treatment Facilities and issued with a Certificate of Destruction. If a car is scrapped illegally, it is stripped of valuable parts then abandoned. Tyres pile up on the side of the road or in dodgy scrapyards. Oil and brake fluid are poured down the drain, causing immeasurable damage to our soil and our water system. Even more shockingly, some of these cars are unlawfully and unsafely put back on the road; leaving you as the unsuspecting owner likely to be liable for speeding tickets for a car you thought was long deceased.

So, how can you scrap your car safely? Giveacar is working to combat this problem as well as raise money for charity. They provide a safe, easy and ethical service that facilitates the collection of scrap cars. Then, depending on the age and condition of the car, it is either scrapped or sent to a car salvage auction. If it is scrapped then at least 85% of the car by bodyweight is recycled. A small administration fee is taken from the proceeds, then the rest is donated to the charity of the owner’s choice.

Giveacar has over 300 affiliated charities, from smaller ones such as Pathfinder Dogs to massive ones such as Marie Curie Cancer Care. Since January 2010, they have raised over £250,000 collectively for charity.

During those seven months Chevrolet took over Ford and thousands of Ford stuff lost their jobs. But hardly anybody cared in the end as this was the first new Ford for nearly 20 years.
It caused such excitement outside the Ford showrooms in Cleveland that police had to be called to control the crowds.

930 Ford Model A © Collector Car Ads/flickr.com

The elegant little Model A was influenced by the Lincoln and for sure an improvement. It had been extended to 18 styles within a couple of years and the estate car launched in 1929 was quickly copied by other manufacturers.
The 202ci (3310 cc) four-cylinder engine produced 40bhp and the transmission was changed to a conventional three-speed sliding gear unit and the car by now also had four brakes.

Half a million cars were ordered before the car was launched and in 1929 1.3 million were sold. But Ford was still affected by the Depression and sales in 1931 dropped to less than for 1929. Tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs and factories were temporarily closed. Besides that the Model A was soon suffering the effects of competition from the Chevrolet six.

Fords answer to that was the 1932 Model 18 with a 22ci (3638cc) eight-cylinder engine producing 65bhp and a top speed of more than 80mph. It was equipped with mechanical drum brakes and transverse leaf suspension. The engine inspired a whole generation of hot rodders and would see Ford right through the 1930s.
The half-hearted attempt to make a four-cylinder Model 18 was dropped after only seven months as the American public seemed to have outgrown fours.

The Model AC had a larger engine than the original, the Model C had a front hood and a vertical radiator and the Model B at last was totally different as it reflected Alexander Malcomson’s ambition for a larger, more expensive car. It was a four-cylinder tourer with a 285ci (4670cc) engine. Henry Ford didn’t like the car at all as he wanted to build as many cheap cars as possible. The problems between Malcomson and Ford could only be solved by Henry elbowing his partner out of the company.

1923 Ford Model T © bsabarnowl/flickr.com

By 1906 100 cars were produced per day in the new factory on Piquette Avenue, Detroit. There were still three models on offer with the Model F being the final development of the Model C. The future though was lying in the Model N, because despite of having a 150ci (2458cc) four-cylinder engine it was not even half the price of the F. The big Model K with its six-cylinder engine was an expensive luxury car that again didn’t accord with Henry Ford’s ambitions. It was a hangover from the Malcomson days and Ford had to make the dealers take one for every ten of the Model Ns they ordered. In two years less than 600 Model Ks were sold.

The Models R and S were again keeping up more with Ford’s philosophy.

But all of these were dropped in October 1908 when the new car was launched – the Model T. It rather conventionally really, even though the new 178ci (2917cc) four-cylinder engine had a detachable cylinder head. But the very same two-speed epicyclical transmission was used as in every other model. A choice of different body styles, from a two-seater runabout to a seven-seater town car was available, and the Model T soon proved to be the most popular Ford yet.

Even though Henry Ford wasn’t the sole owner of his company, he was in full control and the ace up his sleeve was the new factory at Highland Park, outside Detroit. From August 1913 the Model T was produced there on moving assembly lines. Productivity boosted dramatically and the costs went down. In 1913 over 200,000 cars were built. In 1914 it was 300,000 cars and two years on even 738,811.

A result of the savings being made due to this mass-production, Ford was able to double the workers’ wages and the famous ‘Five Dollar Day’ gave Henry ford huge publicity. Crowds of job-seekers came to Detroit to work at the Highland Park plant even though the work was pretty hard as the pace of work was now dictated by the speed of the assembly line.

The cars also got cheaper of course. By 1915 the Model T tourer was only $440. The best year for the Ford Model T was in 1923 with over 1.8 million built and in 1924 it only cost $260. But even though in the early days people were happy to buy any car as long as it was cheap, customers became more demanding and now demanded four-wheel brakes, six-cylinder engines and a choice of different colours. So even Henry Ford had to admit that the Model T could not last forever and production was stopped in May 1927.

Ford was a more or less typical self-made man with a dominant and even autocratic character, maintaining a tight grip on his industrial empire right into his 80s. And even though General Motors became a bigger corporation, hardly anybody today has ever heard of its founder William C Durant. Henry Ford though is a household name throughout the world. A reason for this probably is the fact that the industrial dynasty has maintained the family name to this day. After having been assisted by his son Edsel, Henry Ford was succeeded by his grandson and today’s head of the company is William Clay Jr. a forth-generation Ford.

Ford Model A © LaertesCTB/flickr.com

Born in 1863, Henry Ford was the son of a farmer, fleeing the potato famine in Ireland, and grew up on a farm in Dearborn, Michigan. Henry Ford had no ambition to take over the family farm as the sight of a steam traction engine at young age encouraged his natural aptitude for mechanical things. From school he went straight to a machine shop in Detroit and later became chief engineer at the Edison Illuminating Co.

Unlike his fellow pioneers who were still pretty young, Henry Ford already was in his 30s when he built his first car and 40 when finally settling down to series production.

He built his first car, a quadricycle with a simple two-cylinder engine driving through a two-speed epicylical transmission and chain drive in a workshop behind his house. In the end Ford had to use a sledgehammer to get it out there as is was too big for the door.
The car being capable of 20mph was soon sold and Henry Ford started to build a more sophisticated version. He had a proper financial backing and the car could have gone into production. But the newly founded Detroit Automobile Co. flopped as Ford fell out with his backers.

The Henry Ford Company followed and the famous 999 built there broke several records. Even Henry Ford himself drove it to 91.37mph on frozen Lake St Clair. But once again disagreements with his backers ended the cooperation.

In 1903 Alexander Young Malcomson agreed to finance Henry’s third company and this was the breakthrough. Another simple chain driven car was built which was very similar to a Cadillac recently built by the Henry Ford Co. Hardly surprising as both cars were designed by Henry Ford. Even though the Model A was a car made of bought-in parts, it was a success and 670 cars were sold over the next 15 months.

It was the time of the estate cars and in 1941 the first Chrysler estate car, being partly of wooden construction was launched. This ‘Town & Country’ look was after the war extended to the saloons and convertibles too.

Chrysler New Yorker © sahlgoode/flickr.com

The Chrysler models of the late 1930s and early 1940s – such as the six-cylinder Windsor or eight-cylinder New Yorker – were still built after the Second World War, but completely restyled in 1949.

After 25 years of straight-six and straight-eight engines in 1951 the new generation of ohv V8s came on the market. They were called ‘hemi’ because of the hemispherical combustion chambers allowing big valves and good breathing. In 1955 the hemi produced 300bhp and up to 500bhp in the 1960s.

The horsepower race of the 1950s, usually led by Chrysler, was started by the 333ci (5457cc) engine. This was also clearly reflected by the new Chrysler 300 of 1955. The car was a two-door hardtop based on the New Yorker and was equipped with a 300bhp hemi. The 1962 300H offered 405bhp and a top speed of 135mph (217 km/h). Even though the Chrysler 300s never sold in very large numbers they did a lot for Chrysler’s reputation.

But in the 1970 Chrysler too was forced to follow the new trend of downsizing. One of the cars built at that time was the Chrysler Cordoba with a 318ci (5211cc) V8 and a 115in (2.9 m) wheelbase. This car was the company’s best seller in 1975.

After the long period of nearly 20 years the sales figures of 1927 were exceeded and Chrysler usually was placed outside the top ten U.S. marques. The post-war production saw alternating periods of good and poor sales and in the late 1970s the company was close to bankruptcy.

The 1920 were pretty good times though and in 1928 Chrysler took over Dodge to give it a place in the intermediate market. The newly launched Plymouth was able to compete with Chevrolet and Ford.

1934 Chrysler Airflow © dok1/flickr.com

In 1931 straight-eight engines of 242ci (3966cc), 262ci (4293 cc), 284ci (4654cc) und 387ci (6342cc) were added to the range. The latter was used by the new Series CG Imperial and offered 125bhp. That was enough for a top speed of 95mph (153km/h) as long as one of the lighter body options was chosen. There was a great variety of factory and Le Baron semi-custom styles available. But even though the straight-eight Imperial was able to compete with a Lincoln or Cadillac, it wasn’t a good time for luxury saloons and not many cars were sold.

But as Chrysler so far had not produced any milestone car, it was time to design one. It is said that Carl Breer, one of the young designers Walter Chrysler had brought in from Willys, one day saw a group of fighter planes that were so streamlined that they resembled geese. He thought that a streamlined car would not only look good but also slip through the air very efficiently. After six years of experimentation the Chrysler Airflow was launched in 1934. It was a streamlined monocoque construction and to have a better weight distribution the passengers were moved forward and seated within the wheelbase. This guaranteed better handling and superior ride quality.

But even though the car was a great step forward it seemed to be too radical for the customers and only a little over 11,000 were sold in the first year. A milder version named Airstream was launched in 1935 but sales kept dropping and after three years production ceased. But the Airstream’s influence on car design had been of great importance.

The fact that he didn’t built cars that bore his name before 1924 had nothing to do with him being inexperienced. At that time he was nearly 50 and had not only worked for General Motors but also for Willys-Overland. From the latter he even got a million-dollar salary just to join in. And as the troubleshooter that he was, he succeeded in cutting Willys debts in no time.

1930 Chrysler 70 © Pat Durkin-Orange County, CA/flickr.com

He was asked to do the same for Maxwell-Chalmers even before his contract was terminated and soon realized that Maxwell was in need of an up-to-date car. Therefor he bought tree young designers from Willys, who came up with the Chrysler 70 (not a Maxwell!) launched in 1924.

The car had a great performance from an advanced 203ci (3326cc) side-valve six and a top speed of 75mph (121 km/h). Nine different body styles were offered as well as hydraulic for-wheel brakes.
The car was a great success and in the first year 32,000 Chrysler 70s were sold. After Maxwell-Chalmers had become Chrysler even the smaller four-cylinder was renamed Chrysler 58. By 1926 both cars were improved. The new Model F-58 had a new four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 187ci (3064cc) and the 70’s six had a capacity of 220ci (3605cc).

A new Series I-80 was powered by a 290ci (4752cc) six.

Due to the large network of about 4000 Maxwell-Chalmers dealers, Chrysler could rise rapidly and in 1927 over 180,000 cars were sold. Chrysler became the seventh best-selling marque in the U.S. that year. But even though Chrysler soon became one of the Big Three, they always stayed in third place behind General Motors and Ford.

Les Hilton & Tim Cooke © Chonkinfeckle

Chonkinfeckle are Les Hilton & Tim Cooke from Wigan, Lancashire, England. They met in September 2009 at the Wigan Ukulele Club and found out that they share a few interests.
So the decision was made to form a group based on their passion for local history. Les & Tim keep Wigan’s heritage alive by singing about it.

The songs either have a local lyrical theme or are instrumental. They are light-hearted and easy to listen too. Great fun for all ages, played on the mighty ukulele by two really nice and talented lads from the North of England.

So if you would like Chonkinfeckle to play at your next classic car event, you can contact them through MySpace, Facebook or of course their homepage.

And if you don’t want to wait that long to hear them play their belting tunes, just come to the BIG Christmas lights switch on in Leigh Lancashire on Thursday 18 November 2010 18:00 or to Stables Court Yard, Haigh County Park, Haigh, Wigan, Lancashire on Sunday 12 December 2010 13:00.

Check out Chonkinfeckle on iTunes.

Aston Martin DB5 © Timitius/flickr.com

The Aston Martin DB5, equipped with all its lethal gadgets, was first driven by Sean Connery  in ‘Goldfinger’. It also appeared in ‘Thunderball’, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ and ‘Casino Royale’.

The Aston Martin DB5 is expected to bring in $5 million (about €3.6 million) as it is the only remaining James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5. It has been in a private collection for the last 40 years.

Another car being auctioned the very same day is the Jaguar XJR driven by ‘Zao’ in ‘Die Another Day’. The car is equipped with the Ford Mustang V8 engine, Ford Explorer four-wheel-drive and Recaro-seats. The Jaguar is expected to bring in about €40,000.