Valve Bounce

Triumph TR3As and ASRA sports car racing in the desert

I've no idea where these films are from or who filmed them but they are very entertaining. There are seven films in all, and they feature a whole range of Little British Cars (LBCs) in various states of duress. They are all racers and were filmed somewhere on the coast near/in Mexico in the early seventies. There are TR3As, MGBs, a Datsun 2000, VW Beetles, a Volvo PV544, Mini Coopers, MG Sprites, Porsche 356, plus some Formula B/Libra cars.

Film 6 sets the scene nicely with some background and paddock shots and there is some great (and sometimes wild!) racing in films 3 and 4. There's a nice laid back commentary and some lovely warm colours from the old cine film.

Any more information on these gratefully received. Thanks @TRWLondon for pointing them out to me.

New Autoart Mercedes-Benz 280SE Coupe 1:18 model

I saw this fabulous new model from Autoart in St. Martins today. I'm hoping they bring out a 3.5 v8 version sometime, it always seems to get missed.

A Traffic Update from Regent Street - 1910

So you think traffic in London is bad today just look what it was like in 1910.

This picture is from a fabulous new book from English Heritage and Philip Davies called Lost London 1870 - 1945.It doesn't feature much four wheeled action but if you love London it's a must. With 500 spectacular photographs from the London County Council archive featuring lost buildings and streets.

The taxis were very well turned out in those days; some even featured white wall tyres.

Stirling Moss in serious fall after lift shaft accident

Good luck to Sir Stirling Moss after a serious fall at his home at the weekend. He fell down three storeys after a lift malfunction and broke both ankles, let's hope he makes a speedy recovery and is back in a car soon.

According to this report about his gadget filled house the lift was made from carbon fibre by the Williams F1 team.

Triumph TR3A stars in pop video

Anyone remember Fantastic Something? They were two Greek born brothers that were based in the UK (no Wham! references please). In the early 80s they had a hit with If She Doesn't Smile (It'll Rain) on Cherry Red and then disappeared after a couple of other releases. 

Here's the long forgotten video for their hit. It stars a TR3A plus some walk-on parts for a Mini, Triumph Herald, Ford Zodiac MK1 and a Ford Zodiac Lowline all very twee...The world has moved on a bit in the meantime. Thanks to @tracey_thorn for the reminder.

The first Mercedes-Benz 280SE Cabriolet of spring

The sun is shining and spring has almost sprung in London. So a few more oldies have been tempted out of their garages. This spotted in Primrose Hill yesterday...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Themed Garages

Ever wondered who puts together the wonderful garage sets at the Goodwood revival meeting, and where they get all those period accessories?

This Gulf petrol station was particularly striking last year.

Well here's the answer... a company call Themed Garages, and they've just started selling their services. So if you would like the look of 1950s Le Mans  to compliment your D Type or maybe a 1960s cafe to match your Lambretta look no further.