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Prewar but WW2 wood gas converted?  … LHD so probably not of British manufacture.   But is that the remnant of a British number plate in the background? Surroundings confusing e.g. the model car with collapsed front wheel in front of the computer keyboard … Is the car in a distillery?

 

Still scratching head and looking for clues. 

 

dunk

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Dunk, 

 

Correct. I thought it would take longer than that. This one was converted very early in WW2, as soon as petrol was rationed in France in 1939. It was put away in a barn for nearly 70 years but with just a small amount of work, replacing perished rubber hoses, cleaning out the sump, etc, it was working again. Flat out is about 25 to 30 MPH but they hope with a bit of experimentation on different woods and the size of the lumps, they can get it up to 35 MPH. They have promised to give me a ring the next time they fire it up (literally). Apparently it makes more smoke than a traction engine with dirty coal until it heats up. The iron chimney at the front is for the draft booster fan, which you turn on when the fire needs a bit of a stir up. The iron bit is the gas cooler/condensate extractor, with the big aluminium plugs at the bottom of it being the condensate drains. 

 

Wilson

Edited by wlaidlaw
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When I was looking up the history of Gasogene cars, I came across the amazing fact that two coal burning Gasogene Alfa Romeo 6C 1750's along with 4 Gasogene FIATs were entered in the 1934 Mille Miglia. At least one Alfa finished well over a ton of coal later. Here is a picture of a model of the Alfa. 

 

Wilson

 

PS "Fill her up mate" 

      "How much will she take"

      "Oh about two sacks of nutty slack" 

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Edited by wlaidlaw
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Wilson, When taught 'General Science' at school, some experiments fascinated me - including the 'destructive distillation of coal' when we made our own miniature gas works - thus anything 'wood gas' or 'coal gas' rings a bell and brings back memories. 

 

I have another car puzzle pic 'in progress' and will post it later today. 

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

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Next puzzler:

 

 

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Spotted at Peterborough Autumn Show.

 

I know the make and possibly know the original model.

 

dunk

 

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At a very rough guess, a 1.5 litre Aston Martin Inter. The only other car I thought of was the 12/75 FWD supercharged Alvis but they are so rare, I think all are now in fully restored condition rather than the lovely well used patina of this car. 

 

Wilson

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Wilson, It's not an Aston Martin but it is an Alvis

 

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And maybe it's a Speed 20 Tourer … but maybe it was once a Speed 20 'Long Boot' Saloon with same registration?

 

http://alvisarchive.com/?attachment_id=591

 

Or maybe I'm incorrect in stating Speed 20?

 

But … you stated the correct make … so your turn again … and if you have any ideas as to the actual Alvis model could you please advise.

 

Best wishes

 

dunk

 

 

 

Edited by dkCambridgeshire
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Alvis engine looks like a Speed 20

 

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dunk

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Dunk,

 

I think it might be a 1937-39 4.3L. There were a few built for historic racing in the 1960's or 70's probably from Charlesworth bodied tourers or short chassis coupes, I think by The Red Triangle Motor Company. There was one on the Colorado 1000 miles rally last year. I think this might be one of those cars. They are surprisingly quick and one of the few vintage racers that will stay with the Talbot 105, Delahaye 135S and V12 Lagondas. The 4.3 is a lovely engine and I was never sure why they did not use it post war as a larger alternative to 3 litre engine. This would have enabled Alvis to compete better with Aston Martin and Jaguar. All it really needed was updating to shell bearings. 

 

Here is your next one with a very characteristic radiator. 

 

Wilson

 

 

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Here is your next one with a very characteristic radiator. 

 

Wilson

 

A small car … maybe a cycle car … maybe in a transport museum … maybe railway rolling stock or a fire engine behind the car … I do not recognise the car radiator. 

 

dunk 

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Right at the other end of the spectrum to a cycle car and very much not a fire engine. It is stored at the same vineyard as the Clément Bayards, the gasogene Model A and the Kegresse. The owner of the vineyard, who is a friend of my brother, specialises in collecting lost causes. You have never seen such a bunch of weird cars. There was one make of cars I had never heard of "Donnet", although I knew them as aeroplane makers (Donnet-Denahaut). They were eventually bought by Simca in 1934 after joining up with Zedel in the 1920's. 

 

Wilson

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This has nothing to do with the current challenge - so apologies if I am disrupting trains of thought. I posted this elsewhere, but got no response. Maybe this active thread can assist.

 

"While here (a thread on Rolls Royce), perhaps someone can smarten me up. There are three pre-war RR models with odd (to me) designations. The 40/50 (Silver Ghost), 20/25 and the 25/30. The 10, 20,15, 30 hp and twenty seems pretty straightforward, but the double barreled models elude me.

 

What do the numbers mean and signify? Do any other manufacturers do the same?"

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This has nothing to do with the current challenge - so apologies if I am disrupting trains of thought. I posted this elsewhere, but got no response. Maybe this active thread can assist.

 

"While here (a thread on Rolls Royce), perhaps someone can smarten me up. There are three pre-war RR models with odd (to me) designations. The 40/50 (Silver Ghost), 20/25 and the 25/30. The 10, 20,15, 30 hp and twenty seems pretty straightforward, but the double barreled models elude me.

 

What do the numbers mean and signify? Do any other manufacturers do the same?"

For the original Silver Ghost, which had a 7036cc engine (enlarged to 7428cc from 1909) the 40 HP supposedly was its Royal Automobile Club horsepower rating, which was also used to calculate the annual road fund tax for the vehicle ( D² x N divided by 2.5, where D is the cylinder diameter and N the number of cylinders). 50 is the actual brake horsepower developed by the original 1907 engine. There is only one thing wrong with this explanation in that the RAC horsepower formula was not developed until they were invited to do so by the UK government in 1910, whereas the 40/50 designation was in use from 1907. There was an earlier calculation for nominal horsepower developed from steam practice and maybe this was what was used. Most Silver Ghosts nowadays are producing around 65 to 70 BHP.

 

However although for later cars, e.g. the 20HP, 20/25HP, 25/30HP etc, while the initial figure is still the calculated RAC horsepower for tax purposes, I have no idea what the second figure is because for example, the 20HP car produced just under 50 BHP and the later "Continental" versions of the 40/50 Phantom II engine produced around 150 BHP.

 

I have asked the man who looks after the two Ghosts I sometimes drive (1911 London to Edinburgh model and a 1925 Springfield Piccadilly Roadster) and he did not know either beyond what I post above. Sorry not to be able to help. 

 

Wilson

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Thanks Wilson - very much appreciated. And very helpful. Sometimes names and designations point back to prior usage and are retained for historic reasons - I've no idea here, but odder things have happened. RR certainly has retained and reused "Ghost", "Phantom", and "Silver" in many guises and to elegant effect.

 

Thanks again.

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Michael, 

 

I just calculated the Silver Ghost RAC horsepower (4.5"B X 4.75"S) and the answer is 48.6, so neither 40 nor 50. For road fund tax this would have been rounded up to 49HP and charged at an annual rate in say 1925 of £1 per HP =£49. That sum in 1925 is equivalent to paying £2650 per annum today, so in reality the £450 per annum I pay nowadays for my Porsche 911 Turbo, is a bargain  :)

 

Wilson

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