Weekly Motor Fix: a classy 1955 Bentley S1

8 November, 2016

Such a charming and classy elderly lady, and one that brings poise and elegance with her wherever she goes. Observers pause a moment in their busy day to admire a classic from a bygone era as she glides along with such apparent ease.

Her first appearance in public was back in 1955, in Scotland, where she must have made many hearts beat faster as her rivals turned away in despair.

But bigger dreams were to become a reality, and soon she landed on the shores of America, where she had many suitors waiting to lavish love and affection on her.

She was probably often seen on the pages of many Who’s Who magazines, and stealing the limelight, however, as middle age advanced the call of the South Pacific became louder, and New Zealand became her next place of residence.

She has kept a diary of all her adventures, including her lineage and which suitor paid for what. Over the last 20 years she was really fortunate to be in a very caring and loving relationship with a gentleman of means who has been able to continue to treat her in the manner that she had become accustomed to.

She partook in delightful outings where everyone dressed to impress — which of course she herself has always attained to — including classy weddings and special occasions, though naturally, if the weather was even slightly inclement, she would stay snuggly in her luxury suite.

However, her present lover is getting a little elderly now, and isn’t getting out and about so much these days, so maybe it’s time for a new romance to begin all over again.

There’s still a lot of love and life in this old princess yet to be enjoyed, so if you’d like to arrange a time and place for a first date, phone 021 433 878

Grand Routier — in the french tradition

Sitting in Paddy and Patsy Williams’ Dunedin garage is a stunning example of one of these rare French grand routier sedans. It is a 1949 four-door Lago-Record Factory Berline sedan, to give its full name. Daughter Cath let us know how proud she was of her dad, who had been tinkering away in his garage on this car for so many years.
Without exaggeration, it has been a mammoth task. I first saw this Talbot-Lago in mid 2019. The long-nosed, sweeping, curved four-door saloon, clothed in its misty green metallic paint, was quite breathtaking. There’s more than a little English influence in it, too, harking back to company owner Tony Lago’s involvement in the Clement-Talbot-Darracq era. The long front wings and bonnet, usually multi-louvred, highlighted with artful touches of chrome bling, are typical of the era, but these were indeed luxury length. Interiors provided leather-clad, armchair-style seating and ample legroom, with touches of wood and surprising details such as dainty childproof interior locks — a far cry from today’s lozenge boxes.
Paddy, a retired civil and structural engineer, knows his way around a lathe. He has a well-equipped garage-workshop to assist in any machining tasks along with his other passion for restoring classic motorcycles.

The Great River Road

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.