Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc

Hornet Special Newsletter

Issue 49June 2012

WHS Club ContactsSecretary

Bill Russell, ph (03) 9349 2262

PresidentLyle Cooper

ph (07) 3312 2365Editor

Henry Hancock, ph (07) 3878 2850

3 Gilia Court Indooroopilly Qld 4068hlaevt@aanet.com.au

The car ran well, but petrol vaporization created intermittent problems with the fuel pump. Peter had installed an electric fan because the car hadn’t previously had one, so there was no general overheating problem.This car, while it hadn’t been running for many years, is well known to the Club. Peter has a copy of a receipt from Ward Motors, Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, dated 31st August 1935, selling the car second-hand to Mr J. N. Taylor for $265 (less the trade in for an Austin roadster of $75). It passed through several owners, see page 8, and was sold to Peter and Jo by Cyril Davis in 2007. We reported in Newsletter 44 of March 2011 on oil pressure in Peter’s and President Lyle Cooper’s 1933 WHS ….. now the heat is on Lyle to complete his car.

Hornet Registered 8 February 2012

Peter Baker’s 1933 WHS was registered on 8 February 2012 and has had its first country run from Brisbane to Dayboro with the Vintage Car Club of Queensland.

Congratulations Peter

Page 2 Hornet Special Newsletter

Ward Motors on the corner of Church Street and Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley. The Valley Baths are at the far left of the photograph. Peter Baker’s car was sold here second-hand in 1935.The building still exists today as a motor scooter showroom

Wolseley Hornet Special Club

AGM 2012Proposed at

Goulburn NSW12th, 13th and 14th October

Details Next Issue

Contact: Bill and Rhonda Trollope at wwt@bigpond.com

Issue 49 Page 3

Car No 157416, Chassis No 16/127, without an engine, bought as a “spare parts car” by Howard Kenward and Lyle Cooper on 7 May 1961 from a Mr J Elisseas in the Bardon area of Brisbane, has been bought for res-toration by Joe Wilson.Some years ago Howard assembled the parts for a 14 HP engine to go into the car, but due to the vast amount of work to be done on the (huge) 1919 D Type Vauxhall - and quality work takes time – he did not proceed further.Joe was bored without a current project, and Howard would be very, very pleased that he now has the car and engine, because Joe is an expert veteran and vintage vehicle restorer, winner of a Churchill Scholarship to study vintage vehicle restoration in the UK and Ger-many, and a past President of the Vintage Car Club of Queensland.Joe is kindly looking after the collection of spare Hor-net engines and other bits which were for many years kept beneath Howard’s parents’ house and is happy for owners to “raid” as necessary.Joe has owned many old cars including a 1920 Silver Ghost and his current favourites; an Amilcar and a Lan-cia Aprila … and now the Wolseley Hornet Special.

1934 Wolseley Hornet Special restoration commences

1934 Hornet Special with interesting horizontal bonnet louvres

Joe in his Morgan 3 wheeler at Amaroo Park in 1977, terrorizing Graham Wright, a Wolseley Hornet Special chassis ex-owner (chassis passed to Monty Schofield).

The 14 HP Motor - Joe is presently in the UK at the Festival of Slowth and is talking to his Vintage Sports Car Club friends and the WHSC (UK) racing fraterni ty a b o u t e n g i n e “improvememts”.

Competition for John and Sharon Balthazar

John Balthazar has purchased Bob Grantham’s spare 1934 engine with the thought of preparing it as a “faster” motor for his ‘34 supercharged WHS.He is looking forward to comparing notes with Joe upon his return from the UK and maybe even some competition at Rob Roy.

Coincidence - Joe’s car at 16/127 is one earlier than John and Sharon’s at 17/127.

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During Dave and Mary Phillips’ visit to Australia last year we advised them of our planned holiday in the UK in 2012. Dave undertook to advise on what meetings/meets would be happening in the UK in April, and consequently Margaret and I were invited to a WHSC National Committee Meeting at Sudbury House, Faringdon, Oxford-shire on 14-15 April.We were very kindly hosted by the Club with Jayne and Malcolm Fisher collecting us from Oxford Station on Saturday morning and driving us to Faringdon, and Tony Gould ferrying us back to the station on Sunday.I attended the Committee Meeting on Saturday afternoon which lasted 4 ½ hrs, while Mary Phillips looked after Margaret exploring the beautiful surrounding countryside. Dick and Jan Serjeantson took the trouble to attend and we were very warmly welcomed by members, attending the evening dinner and lunch on Sunday at a country pub. I had the chance to have a ride in Barry Baxter’s 12hp 34 EW and Chris Smith’s 14hp 35 (the one on the front of the UK magazine) dur-ing a cruise through the countryside with eight Hornets taking part.

The National Committee comprises the usual Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, plus Spares Secretary, Events Secretary, Publications Secretary, Registrar, Magazine Editor, Website, and secretaries from five areas within the UK and in addition, reports are received from America, Australia and Continental Europe secretaries.

The English club is wrestling with many of the same issues that have engaged us of recent time. The major points discussed at the meeting which may relate to us in Australia were:

Current membership 294.

Attracting younger enthusiasts and new members to the Club. Sug-gestions included:An obligation on every Committee member to attend at least two classic car related- events outside the WHSC each year and promote the Club by means of leaflets, posters and application forms. Details of Hornet successes at competition event sent to press, radio and TV stations. Letters to the editors of The Automobile, Classic Cars etc about recent competition successes. Posters illustrated and laminated, displayed at motor museums. Print run-ons of the magazine and send copies to other magazines, VIPs in the classic car world. All members carry Club business cards in pockets/handbags with contact details of the Club to people who have expressed interest, have an old photo etc.

A sub-committee has been set up to look at standardising the de-scriptions of Wolseley Hornet Specials, Wolseley Hornet Saloons, conversions etc.

Australian President Visits UK

Dave and Mary Phillip’s EW International

Lyle and Barry Baxter about to venture cross-country in Barry’s ‘34 EW

Chris Smith’s 14 HP ‘35 in which Lyle enjoyed beautiful English weather

Ann and Rick Pardoe’s EW Daytona

Issue 49 Page 5

The National Committee is considering bringing out a one or two year calendar and would like to receive high quality photos of Hornets from around the world.

Concern that Hornet Specials are leaving the UK and being purchased in Europe.

A suggestion that during the reworking of the UK website, it be made more appealing to younger enthusiasts.(The website receives 900 visits per month, with the free noticeboard very popular – whsc.co.uk)

Information Leaflet – One member intimated that he had a card printed and put on the inside of his car window wherever it was

parked. This has resulted in a few leads to Hornets in barns and ghosts etc. The Committee resolved to produce a standard information leaflet that could be used by all members.

Postage – The cost of postage in the UK is set to rise by about 30% and would cause a rise in membership fees unless ways can be found to reduce costs such as emailing much of the information to members.[Since this meeting, an email has been circulated by the WSHC Treasurer Brian Thrussell advising that all members (UK and overseas) who have email, will be circulated this way – however those without email will still receive their information in the post. The Club Magazine will still be posted].

I undertook to forward an up-to-date address/email listing to the UK Committee of Australian members.

Lyle Cooper

Derek Tew’s Swallow 2 seater

Libby Fenwick’s Samuel Holbrook 2 seater

Page 6 Hornet Special Newsletter

WOLSELEY HORNETS IN AUSTRALIA – YOUR INPUT IS REQUIREDThe new book on Wolseley Hornets in Australia is underway with some owners having already forwarded the forms included in the last Newsletter to Michael Santin, however many more responses are expected.

Please look at the forms and provide all the information that you know about your Hornet, or any others that you know of, or any information, articles, photos etc that you may have.

An important part of making the book a success, is the provision of PHOTOS of the cars pre and post restoration and the history of the car and its restoration (or otherwise) as well as the nitty gritty information of car numbers registration, bodybuilders etc.

Return the form WITH PHOTOS (details in form), articles, story etc to Michael Santin:

mycroft3@optusnet.com.au or Michael Santin2/71 Airlie RoadMontmorency Vic 3094(if you do not have email, your hard photos/articles etc will be scanned and returned to you)

Oh oh, subs are overdueSubscriptions to both the Australian and UK clubs for 2012 / 2013 were due on April 1. The subscription has been unchanged for several years - it’s the same as 2003, your options are to:

1. Pay $25, which helps to cover the costs of this Australian newsletter;2. Pay $70, which gets you this newsletter, Membership of the Wolseley Hornet Special Club (UK), copies of their excellent magazine and access to their parts service;3. Pay nothing. We’ll still send you this newsletter, but please let us know if you no longer wish to receive it.

Cheques should be made payable to WHSC, not to any individual person, and should be sent to the club treasurer, John Ireland, 83/40, Riverbrooke Drive, Upper Coomera, Qld 4209. To pay by direct transfer please email John (deeandjohn@ngvemail.com) for details.

Vic NewsBill Russell and John Clucas flew the Hornet Special flag at the RACV Classic Showcase display day at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse on April 29. Approximately 1200 cars were entered in the event.Bill never misses this day and is always there with his ’34 EW International. John took along his two-seat ’35 Day-tona, and it won the President’s Trophy despite not getting chammied, tyres blackened or windscreen cleaned before the show.

John’s car is still getting used, despite Melbourne’s winter having set in early. Over May 18-20 John and Annabelle drove the car up to Beechworth on a Jaguar social weekend. 420 miles were covered at 25.0mpg. John says that 95km/hr is a comfortable speed, although the occasional squirt to 110 can’t be resisted when the road surface allows it.

David & Yvonne Armstrong, who now own the ex Chris Pike WHS, brought an Armstrong Siddeley over from Adelaide for the RACV Showcase. They joined the Balthazars, the Clucases, Richard Snedden and Maurie Couper for Japanese on the Friday night before the event. Maurie recently bought the Bob Grantham car from W.A. What with newcomers eager to learn and old timers keen to demonstrate their wisdom, Hornet technical matters got a real hammering.

Issue 49 Page 7

More than 1150 European VehiclesCongratulations John Clucas and his 1935 WHS DaytonaWinner of the President’s AwardSee pictures of John’s car in Newsletter Issue 43, De-cember 2010, page 2.

Nice Hornet Special - but Whose?was the question asked 32 years ago in the Vintage Car Club of Qld 25 year book, published 1980.

Answer just uncovered - President Lyle Cooper’s, taken he thinks, before 1963.

Lyle reports that he’s picked up the chrome work from the platers and is particularly pleased with the finish achievd on the lights which were a bit knocked around; has had the hood bows powder coated; has got the guards back from the panel beaters; and has mastered the MIG welder, with gas, for body repairs.

Henry Hancock, whose green ‘33 coupe was first reported in Newsletter No 14, March 2003, and which may be the green coupe which belonged to Don Reid in Melbourne in the ‘50s, Newsletter No 25, is progressing to assembly stage with all mechanical components refurbished except for the shock absorbers - TF ones were fitted to the front and Henry is looking for either two original round front ones, or one nearside TF one. About 1/2 the woodwork is done and then the metal body - some time yet as Henry works full time.This car appeared to have been used as a farm vehicle because it was seriously knocked around and full of red dirt with the nearside front wheel pushed back (the leading brake shoe had been broken; been welded; but had crystalized and re-broken). The impact had broken teeth on both the worm and the wheel in the steering box; three out of four

shock absorber arms had become detached, the flailing link of the rear nearside one having crushed the brake line, which together with the missing woodruf key from the nearside handbrake shaft meant that stopping was accomplished only by the offside rear handbrake and maybe a foot out the suicide door. The rear un-derslung fuel tank was deeply dented from stump impacts. Oh! and the nearside rear backing plate was ground away where a rear wheel had apparently come off - quite a mess!Thanks to Monty Schofield, John Ireland, John Clucas, Howard Kenward and Peter Baker for bits.

Qld News

The Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc. (Victoria, No. A0035489S) exists to encourage the preserva-tion and use of Wolseley Hornets, Sports and Specials. The Club and its Committee take no responsibility for the accuracy of this newsletter’s content nor for the consequences of acting upon any information published herein.

Bob Grantham’s truely immaculate Sanction 51 Hornet roadster and the spare ‘32 engine has been sold to Murray Couper of Wonga Park, Victoria, who has been a member of the Morris Register for many years. He has a 1925 Bullnose Morris and a 1925/26 Morris 1 ton Commercial.Rob, Bob Grantham’s son, is a TF man him-self, but is keeping Bob’s 1909 AX 2 cyl Renault.

West Australian Car moves to Victoria

VALE IAN BOUGHTONIan Boughton 1937 – 2012The Club’s condolences to Val and the family of Ian Boughton who passed away on 31 May 2012 in Western Australia.While known to most readers here as the builder of the Balthazars’ supercharged WHS, Ian owned, restored, drove and raced an amazing array of cars - 73 in fact. They included two Aston Martins, three Bristols, two Coo-pers, two Goggomobiles, two Maseratis, four Triumphs and 19 Jaguars including an SS100 he raced in the 1973 Singapore GP. He was a true gentleman, overly generous, and he freely gave of his time to like-minded souls.

Photos Required for CalendarThe UK Club is considering putting out a calendar and are looking for high quality photos of Hornets. If you would like to see your car on a calendar - email some photos to brianthrussell@compuserve.com

Peter Baker’s car as it appeared on page 99 of the Vintage Car Club of Qld 25 Year book published in 1980. Peter and Jo don’t have a copy because some time ago a faulty refrigerator burnt their house down - book too!The good news is that the workshop and cars were saved!

Graeme Bennett of Campbell’s Creek, Victoria has bought the 1930, vertical dynamo chassis car with a 4-speed gearbox advertized in Newsletter No 33, May 2008, owned by Brendan Furlong. Graeme is an enthusiast with a “cammy” Morris Minor, so we are very interested to see what he makes of it.