Over 40 years ago, a small team of steam engine enthusiasts decided to organise a vintage steam rally in the northwest of England. Their idea grew and grew until the annual Cumbria Steam Gathering on the old Cark Airfield at Flookborough is one of the biggest in the country. We were there on 27 July. There was a wondrously eclectic mix of old cars and commercial vehicles of all sizes, lovingly restored tractors and giant traction engines. And a Belgian dance organ. And a Stanley steam car.
We hope you enjoy the photos…
1926 Humber 12/25 – one of only eight survivors.
The Humber’s interior.
The 1.8-litre four-cylinder inlet-over-exhaust (IOE) engine. Humber replaced its sidevalve units with new IOE engines in 1923. The 11.4hp, an updated version of the pre-WWI ‘Ten’, was enlarged in 1925 to 1,795cc, becoming the ’12/25′, the latter figure approximating to the maximum brake horsepower. A four-speed-plus-reverse gearbox was fitted.
1957-58 Vauxhall Cresta PB – clearly showing the American influence of Vauxhall’s owners, General Motors, with wrap-around windscreen, tailfins and a striking colour scheme.
The three-piece rear window identifies this example as a pre-facelift model. 1959 saw the change to a single-piece rear window.
From American influence to the real McCoy. This 1972 Buick Riviera is powered by Buick’s own 455 ci (7.5-litre) V8, producing 315bhp.
The dramatic boat-tail styling was new in 1971 for this, the third-generation Riviera.
This 1975 Renault 14TL may be a more modest machine than the Buick, but it is a TV star. During 2006 it featured in the second series of the BBC’s “Life on Mars”, screened in 2007.
This 1952 Marauder is a rare car, one of only 12 survivors from an initial production of 18. The Marauder was developed by Peter Wilks and George Mackie, who left Rover to set up the company, with the help of Spen King, who stayed with Rover. Originally powered by a 2.1-litre six-cylinder IOE Rover engine, this car, like several of its sister vehicles, has been upgraded with a six-cylinder engine from a Rover P5. The bodywork is a mix of steel and, for the opening panels, aluminium. Sadly, since the Marauder eventually sold at £2,200 against only £1,700 for a contemporary Jaguar XK120, the car did not survive beyond 1952. Wilks and Mackie rejoined Rover.
The Marauder’s origins in the Rover P4 are very evident from this rear view.
Evidence of the two principal protagonists.
The early Standard Vanguard was the fruit of American influence well before the Vauxhall Cresta seen above. Built between 1947 and 1953, the Phase 1 Vanguard was facelifted in 1952 to become the Phase 1A, with a lowered bonnet line, a wider rear window and a new grille with a wide horizontal chrome bar in place of the narrow slats of the original grille. This is a Phase 1A car from 1952.
The distinctive wider rear window of the Phase 1A Vanguard.
This 1914 Rhodia is thought to be the sole survivor of this American truck. It was first registered in Glasgow in 1914 and was used in World War I as an ambulance car. Alex Stobie, who served in the RFC and RAF, brought it back to Scotland and used it as a taxi and charabanc at Strachur, a small village in Argyll in the west of Scotland, in 1921.
1961 Roadless Fordson Super Major. The Super Major was built between 1960 and 1964. Roadless Traction Limited of Hounslow carried out four-wheel-drive conversions on these tractors, using Italian technology under licence.
1961-65 County Ploughman. These tracked tractors were also built on the basis of the Fordson Super Major.
No tractor display would be complete without a Fergie. This beautifully restored machine is a 1951 Ferguson TED 20.
Now to the really big stuff. This Fowler DNB, Works No. 16971, was built in Leeds in 1927 as a road roller. It was sent to Ireland with another Fowler to work on the roads for Kerry County Council. The two vehicles were named ‘Paddy’ and ‘Murphy’ – this is ‘Murphy’. It returned to England and was converted to a showman’s engine.
1926 Fowler B6. This was restored from bits by its current owner and looks superb.
1917 Stanley 730 20HP 5-seat tourer sport steam car. This is not its radiator but its condenser. The car will travel much further when using the condenser, but the steam oil in the engine contaminates the feed water and requires a full blow-down, which shoots a highly dangerous blast of superheated steam many feet in front of the car. But, as the owner confirmed, short (20-mile?) stints are fine, and water is plentiful and usually free.
The boiler and its complex pipework.
The twin-cylinder steam engine with conventional railway-technology Stephenson’s valve gear is encapsulated in this oil-filled shroud.
A little bit of history. The car was imported to this country in 1989, travelling on the QE2 liner. Not in First Class, we presume.
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