Billed as the New Year Driving Tests this event has become a popular addition to the Vintage Sports Car Club calendar. There is not much left of the old Brooklands race track except for the area around the old clubhouse, the Test Hill and the banking under the Members Bridge.

 The sheds and workshops where the race preparers and tuners were based are gathered around the area behind the clubhouse with the museum offices. There are several aircraft including a Concorde as outside exhibits and another with all manner of early aircraft including the only surviving Vickers Wellington which was fished out of Loch Ness. The clubhouse itself, which was Barnes Wallace’s office during and after the war, is an interesting historic building with it’s billiard room and ladies room. It is just like any of the many London gentleman’s clubs of the early 1900’s.

Having a mildly competitive meeting at such a famous venue is now very popular and although the catering at the clubhouse is very good they ran out of food at lunch time. This gives an indication of the numbers who attended this year. 
                                                                             
                                              
For your reporter it is also a very nostalgic place because he was apprenticed to Vickers Armstrong Aircraft there in the early 1950’s. Most of the old track still existed although parts had been built on and they cut a hole in the Byfleet banking so that the Vickers Valiant bombers could take off for Wisley across the A3 to be fitted out. We used to try out the Test Hill and banking during the lunch hour until someone turned a 3 wheel Morgan over and such enthusiasm was banned. They also dumped a pile of rubble at the bottom of the Test Hill. In those days the Nash Collection was housed in a shed which if one got close enough amazing old cars and aircraft could be seen through the cracks in the doors. One of the sheds built on the end of the members banking where it leveled out was known as W100 and it was in this that Howard Hughes had his own personal Vickers Viscount built. He was very fussy and had a team of his own engineers to supervise the build. They changed the wings three times. He never took delivery and it was sold to Aer Lingus.

Although the event is a driving test it is surprisingly difficult to complete each section without getting lost halfway round. We know because we tried it last year in the office Austin “Chummy”.

 As always at such meetings the cars in the visitors car park are often more interesting than the competitors so we show a cross section of those which caught our eye. We were also there to see and take some pictures of David Howe’s recently completed restoration of one of the 1931 Austin Seven Tourist Trophy cars. We have the remains of two others and are assisting, by email, the restoration of another which has surfaced in Canada.

We particularly liked the beautifully restored Vauxhall (think it is an A11) in off white. A rare Horstman was there with the whole of the front of the chassis from the engine bulkhead forward all a one piece aluminium casting! It also had a kickstart operated by a pedal on a serious spline on the propeller shaft. (See photo below)

Amazingly the weather was fine although very overcast but it was a good event and an excellent days entertainment. We met many of our old friends too. Not to be missed.