Lochwinnoch Car Show

Went for a run this morning on the Traveller, partly to check it was running OK as I'm intending using it for work this week, and partly to go to a car show in the nearby town of Lochwinnoch. It was a bright if slightly chilly morning, but it's the first this week that hasn't been misty until midday!

The show was held in the carpark of the Castle Semple Visitors Centre, a popular local venue on the banks of a loch, so was fairly busy. Good selection of cars, there were a few bikes there but they belonged to visitors rather than exhibitors. Here's a selection of some of my favourites:

I think this is an Austin A30, rather than the later A35.

 Not the original engine in this Ford Anglia!

 Never seen 'hotrods' like this at a show before

 Ford Escort 'Mexico' – a really cool car when I was a teenager.

 What a beauty – a 1962 Mini

 Triumph Dolomite Sprint. One of those 'we've got a not very good car that we can't sell – let's put a big engine into it and sell it as a 'sports car''. It had a very rude nickname back in the 70s/80s, and it's brown (no excuse for that!)

 I don't think this is a genuine Police car! *

Watersports are popular at the Centre with sailing clubs, etc using Castle Semple Loch. Saw these wheelchair users canoeing – ideal sport as it only requires upper body strength.

 There's also friendly ducks and swans that come up to you hoping for some bread.

 Despite being on a Skorpion, I didn't have the rarest bike there! Hesketh V1000

There's more photos on Flickr.

* Some countries like Sweden and Turkey call their police forces 'Polis', but it's also the pronunciation in the local vernacular!

Friday bike

Another rarity! The 1928 Ascot-Pullin 500 was an unusual bike in that it had a number of features rare on British bikes of the era.

It featured a pressed steel frame, a flat single engine, and a telescoping centre stand with 'park' and 'wheel change' positions.

It also had a dashboard like a Majestic and there was more of a hint of Art Deco about its styling.

There was an optional adjustable height windscreen with wiper!

However, its real claim to fame was that it was the first bike to be fitted with hydraulic brakes. (Note hose behind chain cover.)

It's thought that 400 – 500 were built and only 6 or 7 still exist. A restored example sold for £30,000 a few years ago, so keep looking in barns!

40 years, man and boy

Forty years ago today I arranged an afternoon off school, put a combat jacket on over my school uniform, rode to Paisley test centre on my Honda CD175, and passed my bike test.

Friday bike

1984 Jawa Typ 824 500cc prototype

Found a few pictures of this on the Web. In 1984, Jawa showed a prototype of a 500cc OHC flat twin. Very little information on it other than only 10 were built, but it didn't reach the production stage.

You can see from this drawing that it had a fairly convertional engine layout with cam chains running up the rear of the cylinders, and vertical inlet and exhaust ports.

Power output was claimed to be 27 kW (36 bhp) and dry weight was 176 kg (388 lb).
Probably the only video of one running: