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A road trip with two Land Speed Record cars - captured on camera
In a time where classic car events seem so far away due to Covid-19, it is perhaps even nicer to look back at great events from the last period. So did Stefan Marjoram - a highly talented photographer and sketcher - who went on a road trip to Gaillon, France. He and his friends took two Land Speed Record cars - the impressive 200hp Darracq from 1905 and the mighty Beast of Turin, the Fiat S76. Stefan did a write-up of their adventure and captured it on camera - with this great result!
A roadtrip to Gaillon
"The fun started with a late-night blast through Portsmouth. Two land speed record cars, well over a century old, 53 litres between them. The first time out for the Darracq after it’s extensive engine rebuild - and also the first long road trip for the Beast of Turin. How would they fare?...
Day 2: We leave the ferry bright and early, out of Le Havre, onto the majestic Pont du Normandie - and the Darracq coasts to a halt in a cloud of steam. My heart sinks. But in a nearby garage, we discover a nut has worked loose on the water pump. A quick tighten and refill and we’re on the way again. In the afternoon it’s the Fiats turn. In stop-start traffic Duncan’s foot disappears to the floor - the clutch forks have crumbled into a handful of little chunks. We try some local garages but they’re closed - and probably don’t stock parts for 1911 Fiats anyway. Just as I’m thinking it might be the end, Charles rocks up in his Vauxhall and flips back the tonneau to reveal the best part of a blacksmith’s workshop. With a vice clamped to the running board, the clutch pieces are fixed together and braced with lengths of bent threaded-bar and copious amounts of silver solder. It wasn’t pretty but it lasted the rest of the trip - and it’s still the same now.
Day 4: The first day of the event was a relaxed affair involving short drives to local towns - where we parked up and created impromptu car shows. This gave plenty of time to get to know the other motorists from all over Europe - and to have a good look at their machinery. French vintage motor events can attract extravagant (and highly flammable) moustaches - so we removed the Fiat’s exhaust especially.
Day 5 - Race Day! A bit of rain about but that doesn’t spoil the fun. The cars leave the start line in pairs - which makes for some fun (strictly non-competitive, ahem) drag races. To go up the hill in the Fiat at full chat, with the Darracq spitting flames alongside is an experience I’ll never forget. We spend the afternoon making more runs - with passengers swapping seats. I jump at the chance to ride on the Darracq - the very car that set FTD in 1906 with Algy Guinness at the wheel. The ride back down the hill in the tiny Alcyon was also pretty thrilling.
Day 5: We could have happily stayed in Gaillon, swapping rides and stories for several more days - but it was time to head West on the second part of our trip. France is the best place for road trips... beautiful empty roads through picturesque scenery, chateaus, little villages with delicious bakeries - and the most friendly people. The weather’s pretty good too... mostly.
Day 6: Today’s route took us past Caudebec and the amazing Latham/Amundsen Memorial and then on to Dieppe. We seemed to be just ahead of the rain for the morning - but in the afternoon we drove straight into the biggest downpour I’ve ever been in. In seconds the water had flooded the Darracq’s electrics and we were stranded at the side of the only busy road we’d found on the whole trip. Sloshing around, soaked to the skin, we managed to tow the car to a lay-by where Mark dismantled and dried everything. We hung our clothes on the Fiat radiator to dry a little before setting off again - straight into a second downpour. We reached Dieppe in the middle of rush hour traffic, feeling rather exhausted. Battling with the rapidly heating beast, Duncan momentarily lost sight of our friends in the little Riley. We found them again when the razor-sharp blade on the front of the car tried to slice them in two. Oops.
Day 7: Time to say goodbye to our lovely hosts Karine and Matthieu at Hotel Les Arcades and head along the coast to Le Havre. We managed to squeeze in one more location with a historic motoring connection by stopping for coffee at Etretat. And then we were on the ferry again - heading back to normality. Writing this several months later it seems a bit like a weird dream - but I have the photos (and a missing hat) to prove it was real."
Words and photographs by Stefan Marjoram.
Publiziert:
Donnerstag April 30th, 2020
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Kommentare
Leslie Murray
27 März 2021, 14:47
Brillaint to be part of the expedition to Gaillon. Not only fun for us but the hundreds of smiling happy families and kids. These monsters bring much needed joy!! Well done Stephan!!
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Stephen
17 Mai 2020, 21:17
Yes it is a typical thing that us brits do, my father has ruined lots of shirts and the occasional suit, we just get stuck in
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Leo van Stirum
02 Mai 2020, 14:33
What a great series of photo's, they made my day, thanks Stefan !
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patrick jacquemond
01 Mai 2020, 16:13
it's not always so easy to travel to Gaillon!! thank you so much to came in september 2019 to the third time in 20 years !! Enjoy lost boys
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pascal LE PODER
01 Mai 2020, 13:34
J'ai sonné plusieurs fois le clairon pour leur donner le départ de la montée historique, ce n'est que quelques jours plus tard que j'ai vu sur facebook
un extrait de leur montée en pleine vitesse , tellement impressionnant et faisant froid dans le dos.quel courage aux pilotes.
j'ai aussi vu le petit film quand la DARRACQ est en panne au retour sur la départementale sous l'orage et les camions qui leur passe au ras des fesses.
merci messieurs pour nous donner tant de plaisir , et vous avez été en particulier notre récompense a nous les organisateurs.
ls absent s ( et ils sont nombreux ) ont vraiment eu tort , espérons que ce reportage les fera réfléchir quant az leur participation dans 10 ans.
moi , je vous y donne rendez vous avec ma GREGOIRE.
à bientôt les amis
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un extrait de leur montée en pleine vitesse , tellement impressionnant et faisant froid dans le dos.quel courage aux pilotes.
j'ai aussi vu le petit film quand la DARRACQ est en panne au retour sur la départementale sous l'orage et les camions qui leur passe au ras des fesses.
merci messieurs pour nous donner tant de plaisir , et vous avez été en particulier notre récompense a nous les organisateurs.
ls absent s ( et ils sont nombreux ) ont vraiment eu tort , espérons que ce reportage les fera réfléchir quant az leur participation dans 10 ans.
moi , je vous y donne rendez vous avec ma GREGOIRE.
à bientôt les amis
The PreWarCar.com Team
02 Mai 2020, 08:52
Translation:
I blew the bugle several times to give them the start of the historic climb, it was only a few days later that I saw on Facebook. An extract of their climb at full speed, so impressive and cold in the back. what courage to the pilots. I also saw the short film when the DARRACQ broke down on the return to the departmental road under the storm and the trucks passing them close to the buttocks.
Thank you gentlemen for giving us so much pleasure, and you were in particular our reward to us the organizers. Those absent (and there are many) were really wrong, let's hope that this report will make them think about their participation in 10 years. I will meet you there with my GREGOIRE. See you later friends
Weiter lesen
I blew the bugle several times to give them the start of the historic climb, it was only a few days later that I saw on Facebook. An extract of their climb at full speed, so impressive and cold in the back. what courage to the pilots. I also saw the short film when the DARRACQ broke down on the return to the departmental road under the storm and the trucks passing them close to the buttocks.
Thank you gentlemen for giving us so much pleasure, and you were in particular our reward to us the organizers. Those absent (and there are many) were really wrong, let's hope that this report will make them think about their participation in 10 years. I will meet you there with my GREGOIRE. See you later friends
Andrew Howe Davies
01 Mai 2020, 10:39
Bloody marvellous trip
Bloody Marvellous photographs Stefan
Perhaps not enough photos of the Scat and the attractive crew in her !!!
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Bloody Marvellous photographs Stefan
Perhaps not enough photos of the Scat and the attractive crew in her !!!
Charles Walmsley
30 April 2020, 23:21
How are these cars legaly road worthy? Please tell me.
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Mike Clark
30 April 2020, 11:45
What an adventure - these chaps show the real spirit of the VSCC - the Fiat and the Darracq are magnificent machines, superbly authentic in detail and so exciting to see them out on the road as well as competing. France as usual a wonderful place to travel in an ancient car. Lucky Stefan!
Mike
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Mike
Detlef Kayser
30 April 2020, 11:15
Must be typical british to fiddle around under the Fiat monster with a white shirt and a tie on !
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