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<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Secondly, however, there is a passage
which reads:</s> | 1,659 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
"Still the fastest 500 miles race
in the world, it might have been won at record speed
but for the tragic accident in which Clive Dunfee
lost his life and one of the fastest cars in the
race was wrecked for ever."</s> | 1,660 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Mr. Slowe relies upon this remark to
show that the car ceased to exist. However, this was
only three days after the race and before Wally Hassan
had made his vital inspection and made the decision
that it was only superficially damaged and that a rebuild
was possible. I must also bear in mind that the defendant
has never seriously contended that the 1932 post-crash
rebuild was not a rebuild of the 1931 Brooklands car.</s> | 1,661 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
The East London Despatch, published
in South Africa some weeks later, contained a report
of the race and a tribute to Clive
Dunfee:</s> | 1,662 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
"The particular Bentley which crashed
to ruin on September 24 was the famous Old Number
One which won the 500 miles race in 1929. Owned
by Woolf Barnato who has since given up motor racing,
it was fitted with an entirely new engine for this
year's race. The old veteran was resuscitated once
too often."</s> | 1,663 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
I must be careful not to regard this
report as supporting the plaintiff's case. However,
it is wholly inconsistent with the defendant's contentions.
Likewise, in the Times report of 26th September 1932,
on the Monday after the fatal accident on the previous
Saturday, it is reported:</s> | 1,664 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
"Mr. Dunfee had much experience
of the car he was driving when he was killed. In
partnership with Mr. S.C.H. Davis he drove it into
second place in the 500 miles race in 1929 when
it was fitted with its original 6 litre engine.</s> | 1,665 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
The car won the 500 miles race
last year in the hands of Jack Dunfee and Cyril
Paul. For this year's race the car had been fitted
with an 8 litre Bentley engine."</s> | 1,666 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Research has revealed that the Times
reporter was Maynard Greville, a much respected commentator.
These two articles again reveal the contemporary perception
of the car, namely that it was the same car that had
raced in 1929 and 1930 and again in 1931 and for the
last time in 1932.</s> | 1,667 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Mr. Slowe relied upon the sales particulars
published by Jack Barclay Limited when the car was offered
for sale in 1936. There is a reference to the engine
number and the chassis number and the registration number,
and rather beguilingly (secondhand)". It is described:</s> | 1,668 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
"A special chassis built for Captain
Woolf Barnato modified in 1932, 1933 and later."</s> | 1,669 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
There is no reference to the car as
the 1929 or 1930 Le Mans winning car. Nor is there a
reference to the fact that it was the car which was
driven by Clive Dunfee when it crashed and he was killed.
There may well have been good reasons for Jack Barclay
not to divulge the previous history of the car, particularly
the fact of the crash, when he was offering it for sale.
I therefore attach no importance to it whatsoever.</s> | 1,670 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Equally, I attach no importance to
the fact that Michael Sedgewick, the curator of the
Montague Motor Museum, wrote to the editor of the Standard
in 1960 to the effect that Old Number One had been completely
written off in a tragic crash at Brooklands in 1932.
He later consulted with Mr. Ward, who by this time had
acquired the car and subsequently wrote that he was
misinformed that the car had been rebuilt after the
disastrous crash. He went on to say:</s> | 1,671 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
"There is no doubt whatsoever that
the car now owned by Mr. Ward is none other than
Old Number One and this has been confirmed by the
Bentley Drivers Club."</s> | 1,672 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Mr. Sedgewick was not called to give
evidence, nor was his evidence put under the Civil Evidence
Act. There is no evidence that he examined the car and
he appears to have formed his revised view merely on
what Mr. Ward told him. It was in Mr. Ward's interests
to convince Mr. Sedgewick that he in fact owned Old
Number One. Accordingly, I decline to put this correspondence
in the scale on either side, save that it does confirm
the defendant's contention that there was an informed
body of opinion that the car was completely written
off as a result of the 1932 crash.</s> | 1,673 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
I am satisfied that this body of opinion
was totally misinformed and was totally unaware of the
restoration work carried out by Wally Hassan which is
now generally accepted as having restored the pre-crash
car. In the course of evidence I was referred to many
other articles and I have only picked out those which
I consider to have been of any assistance to me when
reaching the conclusion that I have.</s> | 1,674 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Conclusions</s> | 1,675 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
I am satisfied that the car which was
the subject matter of the contract for sale on 7th April
is the Bentley known as Old Number One. The car can
properly be refereed to as Old Number One. This is borne
out by the logbook, the Bentley service records, the
Bentley Drivers Club register, the evidence Wally Hassan,
the evidence of Mrs. Walker, the evidence of Mr. Hay,
the evidence of Mr. Guppy and the application of Hugh
Young's criteria.</s> | 1,676 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
The name has been used to describe
a particular racing Bentley in a succession of forms
from its first registration, its first appearance in
the Double 12 race at Brooklands in 1929 and successive
races at Le Mans, Brooklands and other locations until
it crashed, and thereafter when it was rebuilt in 1932.</s> | 1,677 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
I find that thereafter it continued
to be known as and was properly called Old Number One,
until its reappearance in the United Kingdom in December
1988 and its purchase by Edward Hubbard. I also find
that the plaintiff has faithfully, sympathetically and
accurately restored it to its last known racing form,
i.e. the form it was in Brooklands in 1932 when it crashed.
There has been no break in its historic continuity from
the time when it first emerged from the racing shop
in 1929 until today.</s> | 1,678 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
CLASSIFICATION</s> | 1,679 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
These findings are capable of further
refinement and I turn to consider the car in the light
of Jenkinson's classifications which were referred to
in evidence and which are considered by many to be authoritative
and helpful. For reasons of time and space I need not
set out the original text of classifications. I consider
only the relevant classification.</s> | 1,680 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
The car is not and cannot be considered
to be, or be known properly as the "original" car which
won either the 1929 or 1930 Le Mans. It would have to
be composed of the same parts with which it left the
racing shop or replaced by identical parts over the
period of its existence, or the form for which it was
prepared for the start of either race, or the form it
was when it won. Degrees of originality, such as "nearly
original", "almost original" or "completely original"
have no meaning in the context of this car. It could
properly only justify the description of "original"
if it had remained in its 1929 Le Mans or Double Twelve
form, even though such thing as tires, radiator, fuel
tank had to be replaced (more than once) due to the
ravages of time or use.</s> | 1,681 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
It cannot properly be described as
"Genuine" Old Number One. This is a broad and practical
description but more befitting a racing car which has
had an active continuous life with no occasion when
it disappeared into limbo or changed its character in
any way. Old Number One has had a continuous life. It
has never disappeared into limbo. It is arguable that
it changed its character when after the 1932 rebuild
it had a fixed head coupe body and it was used for touring
in the United States, or later when it underwent its
Mark Quinney transformation to the sorry state in which
the plaintiff first saw it.</s> | 1,682 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
It cannot properly be described, as
the defendants in effect contend, as a mere "resurrection"
(another of the Jenkinson descriptions). Neither after
the 1931 rebuild nor after the crash in 1932 did it
reach the end of its useful life. The car in its then
form (on each occasion) did not die, was not abandoned
nor cannibalized, nor gradually dismantled and used
as a source of spare parts for other cars. It did not
reach the stage that such components as existed were
gathered together to form the basis of a new car "from
the bare bones or ashes of the original another one
appeared . . . a resurrection from the dead, or from
the graveyard". In 1930, 1931 and 1932 I am satisfied
it was rebuilt substantially from its component parts
and remained throughout a living entity.</s> | 1,683 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Even the defendants have not suggested
the car was merely a "reconstruction" after the 1930,
1931 or 1932 rebuilds or in its present form. This expression
is meant to cover a car which stems from a single original
component, or a collection of components from a variety
of cars and where there is little left of the original
racing car except its history and its character. The
defendants have not really attempted to stigmatize the
car in that matter.</s> | 1,684 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Can it be said that the car bearing
the plates MT 3464 which I saw in Lincoln's Inn gardens,
can properly be described as "authentic"? That description
or classification of Jenkinson requires some careful
consideration. (Quote the definition "authentic") It
is true that it has had a chequered career, through
no fault of its own. It was given a clean bill of health
after the 1932 crash. It has, however, never disappeared
from view. The entity or sum of the parts has always
existed in some form or another and has now been put
back to a specification that it was in at some known
point in its history, namely the start of the fatal
1932 Brooklands race, with the exception of the colour
and possibly the detail of the rear suspension.</s> | 1,685 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
If anything, this car seems a better
example of authenticity than that cited by Jenkinson.
Here the entity which started life as a racing car never
actually disappeared, so that the results of all the
labours can justifiably be described as "authentic".
At any one stage in its evolution it had indubitably
retained its characteristics. Any new parts were assimilated
into the whole at such a rate and over such a period
of time that they never caused the car to lose its identity
which included the fact that it won the Le Mans race
in two successive years. It had an unbroken period of
four seasons in top-class racing. There is no other
Bentley either extinct or extant which could legitimately
lay claim to the title of Old Number One or its reputation.
It was this history and reputation, as well as its metal,
which was for sale on 7th April 1990.</s> | 1,686 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Summary</s> | 1,687 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Thus, in summary, the expression Old
Number One is the famous name in history of vintage
Bentley racing car. It is justifiably applied to the
car which in a succession of forms raced at Le Mans
between 1929 and 1932 when it crashed. It is the "authentic"
"Old Number One".</s> | 1,688 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
This year I had the opportunity
to participate for the second time in the Colorado
Grand, starting and ending in Vail, during the
third week of September 2010 covering some 1100
miles in 4 days. The route selection took the
80 pre-1960 racing and sports cars through beautiful
canyons, mesas and mountain passes between 4500
and 12000 ft in altitude.
Day one took us from Vail over the McClure Pass,
8755 ft, to lunch in Hotchkiss. In the afternoon
we torqued up Grand Mesa and ended in Grand Junction,
4500 ft.</s> | 1,689 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Day two took us through the
most beautiful canyons to the car museum in Gateway
with lunch in Ridgway and ended in Crested Butte,
9500 ft. The mechanics were working late into
the night. Five cars failed to proceed and one
was sent home due to overtaking on a double yellow.</s> | 1,690 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Day three took us over the Cochetopa
Pass, 10135 ft, along the Saguache mountains to
lunch in Salida. The two Bentleys on the Rally,
Mark Hyman's 8-litre and mine tested each other
a little, with Mark's car a little faster on the
hills and mine cruising quicker around the corners
on the flats thanks to the shorter chassis and
Blockley tires. In the afternoon we climbed up
Independence Pass, 12095 ft, into Aspen for ice
cream and stayed in Snowmass.</s> | 1,691 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
On day four we saw hot air balloons
rising in Snowmass. Had lunch in Steamboat. The
last run was over.</s> | 1,692 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Rabbit Ears and Gore Pass, both
about 9500 ft, the Bugattis had a ball driving
neck to neck. After four days of driving we showed
the cars in Lions Head Village, a pedestrian zone
in Vail, so the tourists could admire the cars
as well. This was non-concours as we were not
allowed to wash the cars during the event, respecting
Peter Sutherland's (founder of the Grand) wish
to focus on driving. The roads here are in perfect
condition with very little traffic allowing the
drivers to exercise their machines to their full
potential.
My 1931 4/8- Litre, which lives here in Colorado
at 8500ft, was well suited for the fast runs and
was almost able to keep up with the Bugattis,
Alfas, Jaguars, Mercedes and Ferraris.</s> | 1,693 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Barbecue lunches with local peach
cobblers were served in small town parks, giving
the drivers a chance to rest in the shade and
mix with the local admirers of expensive toys.
The weather was, as usual, around 25 degrees Centigrade.The
Aspen trees just started to turn yellow, mixing
well with the deep blue sky and the red sandstone
formations.
A good part of the entry fee goes to small town
charities and to the State Patrol Family Foundation.
In return the State Troopers, on their Harley
Davidsons, keep the roads open for us!
It would be nice to have a few more Bentleys on
this fantastic motoring event.</s> | 1,694 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
My only complaint about vintage Bentleys
is that by the time you can afford one, you’ve
got a lot older and a lot less nimble at climbing into
high cockpits. But once in them, what a real blast from
the golden era of automobiling (new word, feel free
to use it). A vintage Bentley really does thunder down
the Queen’s Highway, long bonnet stretching out
before you, aero screens shovelling the wind above your
face so the dandruff is blown out of your hair, and
behind you the bellow of the exhaust rivalling a WWII
Lancaster bomber.</s> | 1,695 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
About 3400 cars were made by WO Bentley
during the ’20s. Cars that so rivalled Rolls-Royce
that the iconic marque knew it had to buy Bentley out
when the Great Depression, combined with under-capitalisation,
forced WO to sell up. Thereafter, Rolls Bentleys became
known as Derby Bentleys, and embodied Rolls-Royce’s
concepts of how such a car should look and perform rather
than WO?Bentley’s.
The Derby Bentleys were, and are still, very fine motor
cars indeed, but they aim at a different ideal, one
that doesn’t include the kind of raw performance
that enabled Bentley to score repeated successes at
Le Mans. The Derby Bentleys from the ’30s are lower
and cruisier and not so hairy-chested as WO’s awesomely
fast lorries – as they were allegedly termed by
Ettore Bugatti. That said, the Derby Bentleys are usually
much more affordable (relatively) at the lower end,
and still bloody expensive at the highly desirable end.
Importantly, they have all, without exception, remained
totally driveable and utterly reliable, decade after
decade – even with Lucas electrics!
Touring Bentley-style
It rather seems that possession of a Bentley is pretty
well concomittant with a sound cash flow. Although it
also seems to me that it’s mainly the capital cost
that gets serious, Bentley drivers actually do drive
their cars and the 40?cars that have made a recent trip
to New Zealand from the UK, USA, Switzerland, Scotland
and Australia (here to find out how to succeed at rugby,
netball and league, I suspect) demonstrated this need
to drive by touring nearly 4830km from Christchurch
to Northland and, as I understand it, without any maintenance
problems.
This was a month-long trip taking in pretty well all
of an exceptionally dry February. Consequentially, I’m
likely to die never have seen a vintage Bentley with
the top up, ’cause these Bentley Drivers’
UK certainly never bothered to hoist their rooves. Interestingly,
about 30 of the visitors were vintage Bentleys, and
the total value of these alone is a reputed $15,000,000.
I talked to another old UK pensioner, Tony Lang, who
used to have a factory filling cosmetic aerosol cans
with cosmetic materials such as hairspray. He’s
very much in favour of women looking after themselves,
and in so doing it seems that they also look after him,
because it turns out he has three of these cars and
is on his second NZ Bentley tour. This time he brought
his biggest one – to accomodate the wife’s
baggage, he said – naturally I pointed out to him
that he should be careful of what he says, since we
are a nation obsessed with making politically correct
statements, unless they’re said about men, in which
case it doesn’t matter.
Joining the tour
I joined the cavalcade in Takapuna, getting a lift from
Guy King, who exercises a very interesting Peterson
Blower for the owner, John Blair. It’s a difficult
car to categorise and, typically of the old car game,
there are those who like to put it down as not being
a ‘real’ Bentley, but it wears the trademark
badges at each end and I’m assured that they’re
Bentley approved. However, I think that it’s such
a wonderful car, whatever it is, that you’ll read
the details elsewhere in this issue.
I joined Guy at about 7.45am as he swung along Esmonde
Road and went to a Takapuna Hotel, where the tour had
stopped for the night. I was suffering from getting
up at such an early hour. Unbreakfasted and blinking
in the dawn light. I came alive when I first saw the
cars – collected together were an amazing set of
high-end collectables. There were also a large number
of Asian businessmen displaying that national penchant
for being photographed with local colour, and as far
as lots of these smartly dressed gentlemen were concerned
the Bentleys were perfect props for their NZ trip.
The initial briefing was about pointing the tour in
the direction of Richard Izard’s personal airfield
just out of Wellsford. Now consider this, these cars
were about to join Auckland’s working weekday car-jam.
No problem for these behemoths, all the rice rockets
ducked to one side, ensuring they weren’t crushed
by the considerably bigger chassis and tall wheels of
the thundering Bentleys. North Shore Aucklanders are
about as sophisticated as it gets in New Zealand, so
everybody tried to pretend that these cars were in the
traffic flow every day, and thank heavens that favourite
trick of slowing in front of a vintage to read the badge
wasn’t a problem here, because all these Bentleys
have been equipped with big brakes front and rear.
Bentley bellow
Once on the Northern Motorway, heading for Wellsford,
I was able to simulate nonchalance as I leaned back
while Guy kept the boot buried as close to the limit
as was permissable. No radio! That was great, because
there was nothing to compare with the bellow of the
seemingly completely open exhaust. Not a true Bentley?
I’d settle for this any time, what a great road
car. The torque in all gears means the car is monumentally
long-legged – up Orewa Hill in top cog revelling
in the passing lane.
However, essentially I’m a devout coward, especially
in the passenger seat, and I’m sure that my bum
was picking up quite a bit of understeer on some of
the long curves where Guy gathered speed wearing a maniacal
grin under his Biggles helmet and goggles. However,
the exhaust bouncing back off the rocky walls on our
left, opposite the plunging drop on the right, soon
set me at ease! Right? Nothing like a bit of a scare
to titilate the senses, I’ll swear I regained quite
a lot of my diminished testoterone.
When we finally arrived at Patience and Richard Izard’s
version of Croydon, I was ready for a superb breakfast
masquerading as morning tea. One foreign gentleman said
to another, “Och aye, if I’d known abart this
wee feast I could have saved the baubees I spent on
that breakfast!” This from a Bentley owner who
thinks that money is something the accountant handles
for him? Richard Izard has a Bentley that’s been
in his family for many years. I think he also has the
latest Bentley too, in fact I saw two of them there,
so I suspect that one was Patience’s shopping basket.
Richard used to have a large collection of classic and
vintage cars housed in a purpose-built building, but
he’s lost interest and released most of them to
new and grateful owners, and is into his and her aeroplanes
these days. Yes, he and Patience each have a plane.
I did hear it said that she was the better pilot, but
that’s barely possible because it would go against
nature. It was a fabulous morning, here we were on a
windless day with the sun shining down on a line-up
of stunning cars, several vintage aeroplanes, a proper
hangar and clubrooms, and whilst we were there a couple
of mates dropped in, including one in a vintage Gypsy
Moth.
They must be an idle lot in Wellsford, I felt a glow
of virtue as I slaved away at my journalistic trade
– the only worker there. Another UK visitor, on
departure, laughingly complimented Richard on his magnificent
toy shop.
Prestige visit
The next time I caught up with the Bentley Tour was
the following Saturday at Independent Prestige in Great
North Road. It’s significant to me that, despite
gloomy statements about the economy continuing to fly
around our ears, this very up-market agency, selling
only Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini, is under
the direction of a couple of smoothies including a friend
of long standing – Mike Clarke. Mike has the remarkable
ability to take large sums of money off people when
selling them a car and have them actually enjoy the
experience, enjoy him, and come back for more! I know,
I did several times – but not here, I’d have
to wear a jacket and a tie.
Buy a car here and there’ll be lots of noughts
following the prime numbers. It was natural, of course,
that this, the home of Bentley, would host these cars
on their last Saturday in New Zealand. Another excellent
breakfast accompanied by a couple of French chanteuse
warbling frog songs – at a British car collection,
talk about true entente cordiale.
Again the public crowded in to have a look. I did enjoy
one switched-on young father. His small boy stood on
his pedals as he raced across on his precariously wobbling
bicycle, heading for some million dollar car. Dad leaning
casually across swiftly grabbed him and disbiked him,
not even interrupting his conversation with a friend.
Observe, mothers, dads do know where the priorities
are.
Bentleys on the Green
The last day saw the Bentleys gathered at St Heliers
on the village green, a big turn-out of cars including
Auckland members with some very beautiful Derby Bentleys.
I couldn’t help but notice that the Peterson Blower
attracted a great deal of attention. Built with the
benefit of hindsight, and to a very high standard indeed,
it struck a solid note with everybody. In the end it’s
all about loving cars, especially the significant ones.
One highlight for me was the incredibly original 1926
3.0-litre car. It had been bought in 1936 – second
hand – by a Major Turner, who put it into storage
in 1939 in Edinburgh, no doubt he was off to work. Finally
in 1972 he sold it to the present owner, John Watson,
who got it running despite the 33?years of hibernation,
and has used it ever since. I love originality but ownership
of this car would be pure torture for me, as I fought
off the temptation to refurbish the unique example.
Are there any unattached, Bentley-owning ladies out
there who would be appreciative of an altruistic pennsioner’s
companionship?
George Sharp
At 96?years young, George Sharp (now an Auckland resident)
enjoyed being reaquainted at St Heliers with a 1927
4.5-litre Bentley he worked on when he was a 17-year-old
at the WO?Bentley factory.
Later in the ’30s he met the car again when he
was a radio operator in the Police Flying Squad in London,
and it was a car he frequently travelled in. Later still,
after WWII, and still in the police force, George met
this car once more on the police Advanced Driving Course
in Hendon. Clearly, anything to do with Bentleys is
tough and long-lived.
Rationalisation
At Independent Prestige in Great North Road I was talking
to a Kiwi Bentley owner who commented that he’d
bought his older, early ’70s Bentley for $35,000
in 1998, and frequently drove it as his everyday car
(likes to see serfs tugging at the forelock as he sweeps
past). Some years he spent $3K on general servicing,
other years a lot less. Currently it was probably worth
about $45K to sell. Try that sum on an everyday modern.
Now, if you buy a modern Bentley you’ll be writing
a very fat cheque (in my case it’d be a criminal
offence), and for a few years you’ll take a slugging
– probably deductible for such customers? But eventually
it’ll get to a sizeable residual value and start
to climb again – and the way things go, inflation
will probably return your original expenditure.
The Bentley Driver’s Club
Kerston Pelmore, as a young man, bought a 3.0-litre
Bentley in 1933, and became captivated by ‘real
motoring.’ He had a flat in Sloane Avenue, and
by the usual method of putting cards under wipers lured
26 people, in 1936, to an inaugural meeting of a proposed
Bentley Owners’ Club. Some very famous Bentley
names, including WO himself and also Woolf Barnato,
Benjafield, and Kensington-Moir all joined. By 1939
there were 110?members, but of course, war then stopped
everything.
In 1945 the Bentley club reconvened, alas no Kerston
who had been a casualty of war. By 1950 there were over
1000?members, rising steadily to today’s 3500 and
with ‘regions’ all over the world, including
New Zealand – which organised this highly successful
summer rally.</s> | 1,696 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Mike and Marianne Knowles, from Auckland,
along with their 1924 3-litre short-chassis, red-label,
speed-model Bentley are part of the New Zealand Bentley
Tour 2010, which started on January 20 in Christchurch
and finishes on March 6 in Auckland.</s> | 1,697 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Twenty-three Bentley cars, including
one of New Zealand's oldest, have rolled into Blenheim
as part of a five week nationwide tour.
The New Zealand Bentley Tour 2010 started on January
20 in Christchurch and finishes on March 6 in Auckland.
Mike and Marianne Knowles' 1924, 3-litre short-chassis,
red-label, speed-model Bentley is one of only two New
Zealand-owned Bentleys taking part in the five-week
jaunt around the country.
There are also 21 Bentleys and four Lagondas from England
taking part in the tour. Mr Knowles, who has owned his
classic car for 37 years, said it was one of the oldest
in New Zealand.
"The only thing that's not original is the driver
and the passenger," he said.
The relic of the motoring industry was first owned by
Forrest Lycett, who went on to become a famous Bentley
racing driver.
In the 1950s, Mr Lycett set a record on the Jabbeke
Straight in Belgium where he drove an 8-litre Bentley
over 241 kilometres an hour.
Mr Knowles' vehicle is not quite as quick, but it still
has plenty of power under the hood. "It's a man's
car, it goes like s...," he said.
The car comfortably handles speeds of up to 110kmh,
but despite his urges, he has never pushed its limits
because he is wary of blowing up the engine.
Mrs Knowles said that throughout the trip a number of
people had approached them with "lovely stories"
about old cars and had thanked them for maintaining
a piece of history.
The country's quiet open roads were the main talking
point for the tour's British members.
Peter Brennan, from Cambridge, England, who was returning
for his third visit to New Zealand with his 1930 Le
Mans Bentley, joked that he might never return home.
"It's superb ... there's a lot of countries where
you can't do this because of heavy traffic."
Event organiser Frank Renwick, of Christchurch, said
it was the fifth time the tour had taken place since
1999.
Blenheim residents could expect to see some of the cars
"putting" around town until tomorrow when
the tour embarked on its North Island leg.</s> | 1,698 |
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IMPORTANT
Access to knowledge and information is imperative
when buying or restoring a Vintage Bentley -
This website is dedicated to recording and preserving
past and current information on Vintage Bentley
cars. Today's information is tomorrow's history.
We are talking about a marque whose oldest cars
will soon be 100 years old.
We owe it to our future generations to make available
as much information as possible relating to the
cars' history and authenticity. Information must
be recorded. We and our readers do our best to
make this possible. We append to the information
on our pages as we receive updates from readers
and owners, creating precious Bentley history
trails. We also come across opportunities to correct
errors and clear up misinformation.
While car description and sale information is
transitory on auction and dealer websites (becoming
unavailable once the car is sold), it assumes
a permanent home when it is published on VintageBentleys.org.
Interested persons can draw upon it in the future,
for investigative and other purposes. Claims about
the car and how it is described is serious business.
After all, big fortunes revolve around the sale
and purchase of these cars, based on their stated
history and specifications.
Buying a modified car is fine but you have a right
to know the correct history of that car, and what
is inside it. Access to knowledge is imperative
when buying or restoring our cars. - RCM</s> | 1,699 |
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The London Evening Standard reported
on Feb 18, 2010 that a vintage Bentley similar to the
model that twice won the Le Mans 24-hour race is at
the centre of a High Court battle.</s> | 1,700 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
An American lawyer is suing a Hertfordshire
classic car dealer over the restored Speed Six she bought
for £430,000. Mercedes Travis Brewer claims Stanley
Mann wrongly told her the vehicle had been restored
with original and authentic engine and components. The
Speed Six, made between 1926 and 1930, was Bentley's
most successful racer and won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.
A valuation by Bentley Drivers Club Ltd priced such
a model at £550,000.
But Ms Brewer, who bought the car in 2007, says that
when she put the car in for auction at Bonhams in 2008,
it was valued at £300,000 to £350,000.
She says it was discovered that the engine was only
a 1927 6.5-litre Bentley modified to look like a Speed
Six. Parts of the chassis, wheelbase, petrol pump, steering
drop arm and gearbox were also not authentic, she adds.
She says Mr Mann, head of Stanley Mann Racing of Radlett,
"knew the actual provenance of the engine ... as
he personally had acquired it and installed it".
She is claiming unspecified damages for "misrepresentation
and/or breach of warranty", plus just under £95,000
she paid to the hire purchase company, and interest.
But Mr Mann, whose firm describes itself as "the
world's leading vintage Bentley specialists", rejects
her claims and insists he acted in good faith: "I
built the car for myself in the late Seventies and I
love that car. For 18 months she had nothing but fun
with it. Then she decided to sell it and the valuation
she got didn't reach the price she wanted.
"She then comes flying back to me. I offered her
her money back but she wants more and she wants interest.
I would have loved to take the car back. I built it
for myself, not anyone else." The case is due to
start next week.
In 1930 Bentley chairman Woolf Barnato bet £100
he could drive a Speed Six from the Carlton Hotel, Cannes,
to his London club before the train could reach Calais.
He won by four minutes - but was fined by the French
authorities for racing on public roads.</s> | 1,701 |
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A Feb 19, 2010
update on CPedia.com said, "The case opens next
week and we predict Stanley will become the most famous
man in the history of Bentley since Woolf Barnato."</s> | 1,702 |
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UPDATE:
March 7, 2012
The case was originally heard by a High
Court Judge who had ruled against Stanley
Mann in 2010. The case was then taken to
the Court of Appeal, and in a landmark ruling
of nearly 200 pages, the Judgment was overturned,
vindicating Stanley Mann of wrong-doing.
Please watch this space for the "Brewer
v Mann Court of Appeal 2012 Judgment"
document that will be presented here soon.
Editor — VintageBentleys.org, March
9, 2012</s> | 1,703 |
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Many people eventually get round to
trading in their first car. But not Mike Harrison. He
loves his 1931 black Bentley sports coupe so much that
he's still driving it — 54 years after he bought
it.</s> | 1,704 |
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Mr Harrison was 20 when he paid £150
(about £3,000 now) for the car after passing his
test in 1956. It had already done 85,000 miles and he
has since driven it a further 100,000, yet the car still
runs like clockwork.
It is now one of only three left in the country and
is worth £250,000. Despite its value, Mr Harrison,
74, says he would never sell the car 'which has been
my best friend and part of my family all my life'.
Mr Harrison courted his wife Jenny in it during the
early Sixties and it was their family car when children
Caroline, now 46, and Ben, 42, came along. Even when
he took a job as an advertising executive which came
with the company car of his choice, Mr Harrison kept
the Bentley.
He said: 'How many people still have their first car
these days when everything is so disposable? But it
is a real eye-catcher. It has something that modern
cars just don't have — style and character. 'I
still drive it most days, even though it only does about
15 miles to the gallon!'</s> | 1,705 |
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Motorist Mike Harrison is still driving
his first car, 54 years after paying £150 for
it. The 74-year-old was 20 years old when he bought
the black Bentley sports coupe in 1956 after passing
his test. Now it is one of only three left in the country
and valued at £250,000. The retired advertising
executive, of Whitney-on-Wye, Hertfordshire, said the
car 'has been my best friend and part of my family all
my life'. The 1931 classic, which still runs like clockwork,
had done 137,000km (85,000 miles) when he bought it
and has clocked up 161,000km (100,000 miles) since.
Mr Harrison courted his wife Jenny in it during the
early 1960s.</s> | 1,706 |
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There is something hugely imposing
about a vintage Bentley automobile aside from its massive
scale; perhaps it’s a combination of the famous
ghosts each car carries, the spirits of wealthy playboy
racers, forward-thinking engineers and the man who was
determined to build England’s finest sporting cars.
Despite the legends that surround the original Bentley
cars—those sometimes called “W.O.s” after
the company founder—a great portion of those near
90-year-old cars are in fine running order today. Enthusiast
motoring is these cars’ raison d’être,
and the faithful who maintain them take pride in upholding
the founder’s ideal. If you’ve ever harbored
dreams of thundering down the Mulsanne Straight at Le
Mans behind the winged “B,” you may be the
right sort for vintage Bentley ownership.</s> | 1,707 |
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It may be hard to imagine, considering
that most of the models built in the last half century
have been ultra-luxury sedans, but the first Bentleys
were based on race cars. Patterned after the Humber
racers built for the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, and
using advanced engine design technology and the future
industry-standard light aluminum pistons that W.O. developed
during World War I for aircraft engine use, the first
series of Bentley cars were called 3 Litres, for the
displacement of their four-cylinder engines.
The 3 Litre entered production in the spring of 1921,
and like many high-end cars of the period, it was available
in different chassis lengths. The standard 9-foot, 9
1/2-inch chassis was intended for lighter, more sporting
coachwork, and a long standard 10-foot, 10-inch chassis,
new for 1923, was intended to support formal coachwork;
cars so adorned often wore a blue “label,”
or a blue-colored background for the radiator shell’s
cloisonné badge. A high-performance short chassis
variant built from 1924 to 1929 was designated “Speed,”
and it was embellished with a red label badge.</s> | 1,708 |
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The 3 Litre’s engine used a five
main bearing crankshaft and was cast en bloc, so there
was no possibility of head gasket failure. It displaced
2,996cc via its 80mm bore and 149mm stroke, and followed
Grand Prix engine practice by incorporating a single
overhead camshaft to geardrive four valves per cylinder.
Twin ML magnetos modulated two spark plugs per cylinder,
and the standard fuel delivery system was a five-jet
Smith-Bentley carburetor, while Speed models were fitted
with twin “sloper” SU carburetors. The standard
4.3:1 compression ratio allowed for 70hp at 3,500 RPM,
while Speed models’ 5.3:1 ratio gave them 85hp.
The only transmission available was a four-speed manual,
and rear axle ratios from 3.78 to 4.23 could be specified.</s> | 1,709 |
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Because every Bentley left the Crickle-wood
factory in North London as a rolling chassis, owners
had their choice of coachbuilders to craft the car bodies.
A number of prominent firms had their hand at bodying
Bentleys in all forms of ‘saloon’ (sedan)
and ‘tourer’ (open car); among them were famous
names like J. Gurney Nutting, Hooper, H J Mulliner,
Thrupp & Maberly and Freestone & Webb. It was
the artisans at Vanden Plas who constructed, among other
body styles, the famous Weymann-type fabric-covered
open touring bodies that were used on Bentley’s
Le Mans racing cars. Other coachbuilders worked in this
style, too: the H.M. Bentley and Partners (W.O.’s
brother) firm actually rebodied our photo car in 1935,
as it had been born in 1928 as a George Maddox &
Sons of Huntingdon four-door saloon.</s> | 1,710 |
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Although they happily sold their standard
cars to wealthy clientele to engage in more sedate motoring,
it was in competition that W.O. Bentley knew his car’s
value would be proven. The second Bentley car ever built
drove to victory in the Whitsun Junior Sprint Handicap
in 1921, and in 1922, the first three cars, now prepared
as a team, took on Britain’s grueling Isle of Man
Tourist Trophy race and finished, a rarity even for
established automakers. Winning a team prize inspired
Bentley to build 71 “TT Replica” models—short
standard wheelbase cars with raised compression and
a Claudel-Hobson carburetor, costing £1,295—in
1922 and 1923.
In an unusual move, W.O. had a special boattail racer
built to run in that year’s Indianapolis 500, although
it finished in 13th place; not letting this seeming
flop dissuade him, he took the special highoutput, 9-foot
‘short’ chassis version of the 3 Litre to
France to run against Bugattis, Mercedes-Benzes and
the like at Le Mans, where his cars won outright in
1924 and 1927, inspiring numerous Le Mans replicas and
the 18 “100 MPH” models, also known as the
“Supersports” green label cars built between
1925 and 1927, the latter being the last year that the
3 Litre was produced.</s> | 1,711 |
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Six-cylinder Bentley cars, in the form
of the 147hp 61/2 Litre and 180hp Speed Six, were introduced
in 1926, and these cars would win Le Mans again in 1929
and 1930. The four-cylinder 3 Litre was revised into
the 4 1/2 Litre, the car that would spawn what is arguably
the most famous of all W.O. cars, despite it being one
that he himself didn’t approve of: the 50 supercharged,
175hp “Blower Bentleys” built in 1929 at the
request of one of his prominent patrons for racing homologation
purposes.
Being a development of the 3 Litre models, the black
label badged 1927-1931 4 1/2 Litre Bentley was also
available in long standard (10 feet, 10 inches) and
short standard (9 feet, 9 1/2 inches) chassis lengths,
although just 10 short chassis were built. Its twin
SU-fed 4,398cc fourcylinder engine used a 100 x 140mm
bore and stroke and a 5.1 to 5.3:1 compression ratio
to make 100hp at 3,500 RPM. This change raised the car’s
average maximum speed from 80 to more than 90 MPH; light,
open cars like the famous cyclefendered, Vanden Plas-bodied
Le Mans replicas could now better 100 MPH off of the
showroom floor, a boon in the competition in which these
cars were often engaged. Some late 4 1/2 Litre cars
were fitted with the heavy-duty crankshaft of the supercharged
model, improving their legendary durability yet further.
Sadly, Bentley Motors Ltd. was nearing the end of its
days as an independent company; Rolls-Royce purchased
the firm in 1931.
The issue of placing a standardized value on a vintage
four-cylinder Bentley can be a thorny one, explains
Robert McLellan, Bentley historian and the host of the
www.vintagebentleys.org website. “The most fundamental
aspect is learning about the cars before buying one,”
he explains. “The biggest problem is that most
buyers think they are getting an original car when they
are not; they then realize they paid too much. Our website
tells the history, so buyers and sellers will actually
know what they are looking at. Most ‘experts’
cannot tell the cars apart—two cars can look identical,
and one is only worth half of what the other is worth.”
David Brownell, former editor of Hemmings Motor News
and Special Interest Autos magazine, Automobilia Auctions
founder and the 25-year owner of a 1924 Bentley 3 Litre
touring car, adds, “In terms of values, the car
that’s never been mucked with is worth more than
a comparable car that is running its second body, but
the fact that a body’s been changed doesn’t
eliminate it from Bentley Club activities. Some people
will try to bring a chassis or car back to its exact
correct original configuration, but the penalty of doing
that with a closed car—a sedan or limousine—
is that the market demand and value aren’t there
for all of that work, and it usually costs more money
to build a closed car body than it does to build a roadster
or phaeton.
“Gooding just sold a 1927 long-wheelbase 3 Litre
tourer at Pebble Beach; this was a matching numbers
car with a one-off body by Harrington, and it was very
well restored and presented. That car, with the buyer’s
premium, brought $308,000. The sellers of a 1924 3 Litre
Speed that was featured at the Bonhams Brookline [Massachusetts]
auction turned down a bid of $230,000, and that car
needed a lot of loving; I think if that car had cracked
$250,000, they probably would have let it go. That’s
a strong price to pay for a car that essentially was
all right, but cosmetically was in need.”
David continues, “They’re great fun, a good
value. Dare I say, [vintage Bentleys] are a good investment,
because there’s an international demand for them.
People want them here, they want them in England and
in Europe. These cars work on a number of levels in
terms of use: They’re Full Classics, they’re
a vintage sports car that you can race, they’re
eligible for AACA activities, they can go to concours,
they have a lot going for them in terms of acceptability.
They have quite a heritage, and that’s part of
what you’re buying when you buy a Bentley. It’s
that great racing heritage, the great engineering, the
toughness. Everything’s very overbuilt—there’s
nothing delicate about a vintage Bentley,” he says.
“I couldn’t afford to buy mine today—they’re
not cheap. They’re going to cost you a lot of money.”
Body/Frame
A huge variety of coachwork was fitted to the three
chassis lengths that 3 and 4 1/2 Litre cars were built
on, and the frames themselves were overbuilt with truss
braces and five crossmembers; an even sturdier frame
was employed under the 4 1/2 Litres built after the
spring of 1929. Original frames are available from specialist
sources today for those who want to body a vintage Bentley
in their chosen style and trim.
As we’ve noted, many 3 and 4 1/2 Litres look different
today than they did new, but this is not necessarily
detrimental, as sporting open bodies are more highly
sought than formal closed ones. Because they were coachbuilt
cars with bodies and fenders crafted in aluminum or
aluminum, wood and fabric, skilled restorers can bring
even the worst basket cases back to life, given suitable
time and money.
Engines
The 2,996 and 4,398cc 16-valve four-cylinder engines
have been lauded for decades for their durability, but
cars that have been driven with vigor may experience
broken cross-shaft gears. “These are the gears
that go across the tower that goes up to the camshaft,
and their teeth engage the gears that run the magnetos.
The reason they break is not because they’re weak
or badly designed, but because on start-up, they’re
the last part of the engine to get lubrication,”
David explains. “The man who previously owned my
car was a professional restorer, and this happened to
him on a tour in California. He stopped into a place
that did machine work for the aircraft industry, and
had new gears made out of Delrin, a space-age plastic.
This Delrin doesn’t need lubrication, so my cross-shaft
gear worries are over.” Another engine mod that
helps longterm durability is the addition of a modern
oil filtration system to improve upon the primitive
original.
“If you have a really worn engine, the center main
bearing is liable to let go, as that’s the one
that takes a lot of crankshaft whip from the unbalanced
crankshaft. This happened to my car when it had already
done about 200,000 miles, and at that time, we measured
the taper in the cylinders: It was zero. We didn’t
have to replace the pistons or rings, and that’s
a hell of a tribute to the metallurgy in that car. They’re
very, very hard to hurt.” Because the head and
block are cast as one, the engine must be removed to
do this work.
There are a number of vintage Bentley specialists in
the United Kingdom and the U.S., so any engine part
that may be required can either be sourced new or refurbished.
Transmission/Diff erential
W.O. Bentley specified a number of different transmissions
in his four-cylinder cars for the different bodies and
uses that they would encounter, and they differed in
gearing. All were four-speed manuals, and among the
variants were the closeratio A and D type units, the
wide ratio B type and the wide/close ratio C type unit.
An inverted cone clutch with Ferodo lining was used
until a plate clutch replaced it in 1929, and like the
gearbox, this often requires a bit of effort to engage.
Because many vintage Bentleys remain in serious use
today, the swapping of interchangeable gearboxes to
achieve better performance is considered quite acceptable,
as is the adoption of a modified Laycock overdrive unit,
a similar type as used in Austin-Healey sports cars.
The semi-floating rear axle with spiral bevel gears
is another notably sturdy component, and substituting
different gearing can improve the performance of a car
with little hassle.
Suspension/Brakes
Three Litre models built through the fall of 1923 had
mechanical drum brakes on the rear wheels only, but
after that, front drums were added, and the handbrake
acts on separate shoes on the rear wheels. “For
their time, they have excellent brakes,” David
says. “That doesn’t mean that they’ll
stop like Brembo discs today, but in the context of
their time, they have really good brakes.”
All 3 and 4 1/2 Litre cars use semi-elliptic leaf springs,
those in the rear underslung, as well as adjustable
duplex Hartford shock absorbers at all four wheels,
offering a firm ride with little body lean. Rudge Whitworth
wire wheels in 21- inch diameters were standard on early
cars, and later ones used 19-inch wheels. As would be
expected, steering effort is high, although it is laudably
accurate.
The addition of a power steering kit—seemingly
inconceivable in such an old car—is also an accepted
modification, as David explains; “This kit fits
in so neatly that you literally don’t know it’s
there.”
Interior/Trim
If your 1921-1931 Bentley is missing its dashboard clock
or fender lamps, you won’t be able to ring up your
local auto parts store to find replacements. It is therefore
lucky that vintage Bentley specialists and enthusiasts
within the Bentley Owners Club are a tight-knit bunch
who are willing to help each other with spares, and
if necessary, patterns to remanufacture needed part.
Specialists
Dennison-Jayne Motors
610-436-8668
www.dennisonjaynemotors.com
Tim Houlding International Vintage
Bentley Cars
011 44 1905 352 419
www.vintagebentley.co.uk/index.htm
Stanley Mann Racing
011 44 1923 852 505
www.stanleymann.com
The Vintage Garage
802-253-9256
http://vintagegaragevt.com
Vintage Bentley Parts Ltd.
011 44 1926 496 739
www.vintagebentleyparts.co.uk
Parts Prices
Brake shoe, front or rear - £300 ($483)
Bulkhead, 4½ Litre, original - £580 ($935)
Complete 9-foot 9½-inch chassis, 3 Litre - £6,936
($11,176)
Engine block, 3 Litre original - £1,000 ($1,611)
Engine, 3 Litre original - £12,500 ($20,141)
Gas tank, 4½ Litre restored - £700 ($1,128)
Grease gun, Tecalemit original - £75 ($121)
King pin - £155 ($250)
Mirror, original - £225 ($363)
Pedal shaft, cone clutch - £1,656 ($2,668)
Wrench set, original - £100 ($161)
Club Scene
The Bentley Drivers Club Ltd.
W.O. Bentley Memorial Building
Ironstone Lane
Wroxton, Banbury, Oxfordshire
OX15 6ED England
011 44 1295 738 886
www.bdcl.org
Dues: £50.00 ($81); Membership: 3,600</s> | 1,712 |
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Values - Bentley
3 and 41/2 Litre*
Low
Average
High
3 Litre $185,000
$250,000 $600,000
41/2 Litre $300,000
$450,000 $800,000
*Values vary widely and depend upon condition, body
style, originality, provenance etc.
Bentley Production*
3 Litre
Long standard wheelbase: 765
Short standard wheelbase: 194
Speed model: 513
Tourist Trophy and Tourist Trophy replica: 71
Light Tourer: 40
Supersports/100 MPH: 18
Indianapolis 500 racer: 1
Unknown: 11
Total 3 Liter production: 1,613
4 1/2 Litre
Long standard wheelbase: 657
Short standard wheelbase: 10
Total 4 1/2 Litre production: 667
*Production figures courtesy Bentley-Fifty Years
of the Marque, Third Edition, by Johnnie Green.</s> | 1,713 |
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It is internationally known that I
have a desire to document the history of every Vintage
Bentley ever built, and in 2006 we created an interactive
web site where all Vintage Bentley owners and enthusiasts
could post information and photographs of every W.O
chassis ever built. Now, Clare Hay, the world's foremost
Vintage Bentley historian has compiled all available
information and photographs on Chassis 141 into a magnificent
work. She has done for owner Peter Briggs what every
owner tries to undertake — a complete history of
their car.
"Chassis 141" tells the story of the first
British entry in the famed LeMans 24 Hour Race in 1923.
This is the origin of one of the most legendary teams
in motorsport history — the "Bentley Boys"
— a group of wealthy playboys who drove Bentley
racing cars in major events across Europe.
Australian motoring historian, editor and designer of
the book, Graeme Cocks points out that the book is appealing
as it chronicles the story of the people and the car
back in the 1920s and then traces it right through to
its discovery in a barn in the 1980s, then how the car
was shipped to Australia and totally restored by Peter
Briggs and John Hunting in Perth.
"We wanted this book to appeal to historians and
motoring enthusiasts who would be interested to see
how such a famous car is restored from start to finish
— few books are prepared to show cars covered in
rust — usually they just show the end results which
are always absolutely pristine," Mr. Cocks said.
"As one of the world's most valuable cars, we wanted
to make sure that the book did justice to its historical
significance and the research which went into its restoration."
Anyone who enjoys vintage cars and restoring them, will
find this book an inspiration to get out and turn a
wrench on their car. From rusty parts to a fine sporting
machine, just takes encouragement and this book is a
shot of adrenalin. Recommended to the true enthusiast.
Chassis 141: The Story of the First LeMans Bentley
has been produced in two editions — a deluxe leather
case edition which has been limited to 200 copies and
a hardcover edition. It is available at www.lemansbentley.com.au.</s> | 1,714 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Approximately thirty six Bentleys and
their owners, members of the Bentley Drivers Club having
arrived from England, Scotland, Australia and other
far-flung parts of the world, commenced their "USA
Fall Tour" on Friday September 4th 2009. They drove
up North Rolling Road to Frederick Road, then on through
Ellicott City (Main Street) to Route 40, I-70 then north
on Route 15 through Pennsylvania up to New England,
then back south to Colonial Williamsburg, Maryland`s
Eastern Shore and home in late September.
They arrived on Main Street by 9:00 am on Friday September
4th; it was worth having cameras at the ready! Bentleys
were parking in front and around the B&O Railroad
Museum, and were flagged off, one at a time for the
"official start" of their tour.
The temperature was perfect and the crowd had gathered
for something real special; The Bentley Drivers Club
Fall USA Tour was in town and was putting on quite a
show, with horns soundin, bagpipes playing and tv cameras
around the whole affair was quite fancy. The drivers
were kind enough to share their stories with us of their
journeys past and their route they are taking on the
Fall USA Tour. I managed to snap a few shots and here
are some of them.</s> | 1,715 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Thirty vintage Bentleys will start
their engines on Main Street.
Do you love a parade? Show up on Main Street, in Ellicott
City. Friday, Sept. 4 about 8:30-9 a.m. for one the
likes of which it's practically guaranteed you'll not
have seen before.
Thirty vintage Bentley automobiles shipped from England,
South Africa and Australia by members of the Bentley
Drivers Club will gather at the B&O Railroad Station
and, after some interview time, will head on up toward
Route 70 to begin their month-long "USA East Coast
Fall Tour."
The route will take them up to New England and back
down to Delmarva before they start heading home, after
driving some 3,000 miles.
The parading cars date from 1925 to brand new; Le Mans
racing models to long-winged touring cars to "saloons"
(sedans); in colors from the popular racing green to
"chocolate and cream" to unusual "Wildberry."
There's a rare 1936 model, one of 25 assembled entirely
from spare parts, and even a fragile Lagonda Rapide
affectionately called "The Batmobile" for
the shape of its rear mudguards (fenders to us in the
U.S.) and eligible for the group because Walter Owen
Bentley designed the engine.
All this classy excitement is thanks to J.W. "Pete"
Huey, of Ellicott City, a railroad station volunteer
and former Bentley owner who still maintains his interest
in the vehicles and his membership in the organization.
At a Bentley event in Scotland last year he was asked
if he could handle some of the arrangements from this
side of the pond, since the group had already decided
to ship their cars to the Port of Baltimore.
"The next logical step seemed to be an 'official
start' from in front of the B&O Museum," Huey
says; especially apt due to the station's own historic
past and his position there.
What's more, this will be the only place for such an
exclusive parade, since once on the road tour, drivers
make no effort to keep together. "It's just too
hard, with people trying to pass and so on," says
Jack Triplett, of Kensington, another Bentley owner.
Who are these intrepid drivers, and why do they prefer
Bentleys to the better known, more pricey and more showy
Rolls-Royce, anyway?
"We're the Bentley Drivers Club. They're the Rolls
Royce Owners Club. That says it all," quip members
Tony Lang, of Yorkshire, Robert Furzeland, of Devon,
Doug Salmon, of Kent and Richard Freestone, of Essex,
all as English as their vehicles.
Bentleys began as Le Mans-winning racing cars in the
Roaring 20s (the color "British racing green"
originated with Bentley and is prevalent among the visiting
vehicles, too), but the company was acquired by rival
Rolls-Royce during the Depression and although a few
differences remained, the two became popularly known
as indistinguishable except by the front grille and
Bentley's lack of hood ornament.
"British peers have Bentleys, rock stars have Rolls-Royces,"
is the way Huey puts it.
Yes, they're pricey, new or "previously-owned,"
but weren't when club member "Turkey Dave"
Smith — he's an English turkey farmer — bought
his oldie-but-goodie at age 19 as cheap transportation.
It's the very one he shipped across the pond for the
tour.
You've just got to have been at the right place at the
right time. But isn't that always the way? True vintage
Bentleys — as connoisseurs consider the ones built
by the original company from the years 1919 to 1931
— consisted of the chassis and mechanical parts.
Bodies, often fabric-covered to keep the weight down,
were added to these by separate companies (think Fisher
Body here), Salmon explains. There were no standardized
bodies — all were unique, with as few as one produced
in a design, and all were made by hand.
Salmon's genuine John Deere-green 1930 Speed-6 is "the
best car here," Lang judges.
Most of those original bodies were "saloons"
(that's sedans, remember), but as these deteriorated
over the years, people have changed them to the racing-style
because they want that original "Bulldog Drummond
look with goggles and leather flying helmet," says
Lang. An original is a real find.
Easy for the proud owner of a black-with-red-interior
4.5-liter 1929 long-wing tourer to say.
Vintage Bentleys are rare birds, all right, yet the
club boasts 3,500 members around the globe. Judging
from these four friendly Brits they're no snobs, and
if you arrive in time tomorrow they should be happy
to exchange car talk.
"If people show an interest, we welcome it,"
says Freestone, owner of the 1928 chocolate-and-cream
original. "It keeps the car alive in people's minds."</s> | 1,716 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
While enjoying, and surviving, the
50th Bentley Drivers Club's "Scottish Whit Weekend"
2008, my colonial accent gave me away and I was asked
by one of the organizers if I could help a bit with
routing, etc. for the "North East U.S.A. Tour"
being planned for September 2009. By way of background,
I've been a BDC member since 1969, although I haven't
owned a Bentley for some years. I gladly agreed and,
as the starting date approached, a series of e-mails
shot back and forth across the Atlantic. Several of
the organizers had made a "dummy run" this
past April, checking routing, accommodation arrangements,
etc., so as things evolved, there was very little work
involved on my part.</s> | 1,717 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
It did, however, occur to me that some
sort of "official start" might be appropriate,
with the individual cars being flagged off from a suitable
location. The decision had already been made to ship
the Bentleys (from England, Scotland, Belgium, South
Africa, Australia and New Zealand) to the Port of Baltimore,
Maryland. Since I happen to be the only BDC member living
in Ellicott City, a quaint little 18th century former
mill village about ten miles from the Port, the decision
was made. The local tourist bureau was asked to make
arrangements for "Bentley Parking Only" the
morning of September 4th in the town square, all around
the historic Ellicott City Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Museum, housed in the oldest railroad station in America,
the local media were alerted, flyers were printed and
placed in the local shop windows and all awaited an
event the likes of which this sleepy little village
had never experienced.
The Tour was scheduled to begin on Friday, September
4th 2009. On the Monday prior, several of the participants,
having flown over earlier, a few local BDC members and
I headed for the warehouse to unload the cars from their
containers, their having cleared the Customs brouhaha.
Eight or ten of them were then driven the ten or twelve
miles to the hotel where the participants were staying,
an interesting drive indeed led, at least until I took
a wrong turn, by what must be the only Subaru Forester
on the planet with a Bentley Drivers Club badge, dusted
off and affixed for the occasion. The rest of the run
was taken over by a vintage Bentley owner with a "sat-nav"
device.
The evening before the big day, a "get-acquainted"
dinner was held during which American "rules of
the road" were discussed and ridiculed a bit, one
local participant pointing out there is no such thing
here as "lane discipline", while I made note
of the supposition on the part of quite a few local
"drivers" that there is some sort of connection
between their turn signal and the brake pedal of the
car they are about to swerve in front of...</s> | 1,718 |
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The Bentleys, one Lagonda and a Jaguar,
(the owner's two Bentleys both took sick at the last
moment) all arrived in Ellicott City to much fanfare
the next morning, several having driven across the U.S.
after completing the 5000 mile Alaska tour(!). After
an hour or so of gawking, TV interviews etc., they were
flagged off to the skirling of the Gael Mor Pipe Band,
headed for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Niagara Falls and
points north, to return south to Maryland's Eastern
Shore, where they will participate in part of the "St
Michaels Concours d'Elegance", then to Williamsburg,
Virginia, back to Baltimore and home.
I hope some of the folks who were fortunate enough to
enjoy the entire tour will submit accounts of their
adventures along the way, as well as lots of photos.
In the meantime, I can only say that never in my wildest
dreams did I think I would see over thirty vintage Bentleys,
as well as a few "moderns" gathered less than
one hundred yards from my front door!</s> | 1,719 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Three members of the Bentley Drivers
Club of Australia, Tony and Christine Johns (1924 3
litre), Trevor and Judy Eastwood (1925 3-4½)
and Phillip and Sue Schudmak (1924 3-4½) took
their Bentleys on this most interesting and generally
very enjoyable "rally" in February and March,
2009. Trevor Eastwood was making a return visit, having
first visited as a young salesman for the Australian
Meat Corporation in the 1970’s. At that time no
building was higher than two stories. We were joined
by four other Aussie teams: Lindsay Moore and Kathy
Forrester (1989 Bentley Turbo R), Tom and Francis Bevington
(2006 Bentley GTC), Terry and Janice Ward (2007 Bentley
GTC) and John Matheson and Jeanne Eve (1934 Rolls Royce
Phantom II). The total enrolment was some 75 Bentleys
and Rolls Royces.
Ten of the entrants were "vintage", two Rolls
Royces (including the oldest car on the rally, Howard
Phillips’ (1912 Silver Ghost) and, apart from the
three Aussie Bentleys, there were three 4½’s,
an 8-litre and another 3-4½. Only one hailed
from the UK: our old friends Chris and Jill Wray, while
the others were European. We particularly enjoyed meeting
Uwe Kai and Alfred Smidt from Germany, who had a very
unusual 4½ with special Vanden Plas coachwork
which incorporated an inboard handbrake and wind-up
windows. As will be obvious already, there was a very
mixed bag of makes and models, from the oldest to the
newest, and from many countries. The fact that there
were some 150 individual entrants made for a very full
house and was responsible for many of the long delays
at border crossings, but more of that later.
The 'adventure' was over some 2,500 km of very well-made
roads and took a fairly leisurely 19 days. It was really
more of a 'Red Carpet / Grand Hotel Tour' than a rally,
but good fun and something of an adventure too. We certainly
saw the insides of more palatial hotels than is customary
on BDCA or VSCC rallies! One limitation in the region
is the lack of choice when it comes to routes and roads.
There is really only one main road and it goes more
or less west to east from Bahrain to Muscat and there
is little opportunity to escape from it until you reach
Oman at the eastern end.</s> | 1,720 |
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Although the Arabian Peninsula has
an exotic ring to it, if you have spent a bit of time
in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, or have friends who have, the
exotic is pretty hard to find, other than the amazing
"7-Star" hotels, of which there are many.
In fact the city-states are amongst the newest and richest
in the world and have developed economically at an astounding
rate. Nevertheless, there is still a cultural and religious
divide that is not too far below the surface.
The organizing committee was led by Peter Cameron, a
retired "colonial" banker who spent most of
his working life in Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
He had previously organized very successful Bentley/Rolls
Royce tours of Malaysia in 2001 and northern Borneo
in 2005. He has some very useful high-level connections
in the region, as was shown in the first few days. The
principal sponsor for our tour was Qatar Airways and
its chairman told us that Peter and the Chartered Bank
were his first financial backers, and he has not forgotten.
Qatar and its capital Doha were pleasant surprises,
lower key than their better known neighbours, but rapidly
catching up. One of the highlights was lunch at the
private residence of Hassein Alfardan, a prominent local
businessman, who was a very charming and generous host.
We were also most impressed with the Museum of Islamic
Art, a stunning new building located just offshore and
designed by the famous American architect I.M. Pei.
After five days of culture and general indolence, some
serious motoring was in prospect as we headed towards
the United Arab Emirates, via a 135 km transit through
Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, the Saudis do not seem
to like tourists and particularly those driving open
Right Hand Drive cars, the reason being that women are
prohibited from driving in the Kingdom and would appear
to be doing so as a passenger in a RHD car. This problem
was resolved by holding us up at the border for 14 hours
without any explanation, other than our visas were "not
in order" or someone had made some trivial breach
of regulations. Around midnight, we were suddenly given
the green light to proceed, in convoy, behind police
security vehicles. These travelled too slowly and many
of the older cars overheated. To add to the misery,
there was a sand storm, which the drivers of cars without
air cleaners had been dreading.</s> | 1,721 |
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By the time we got to the UAE border
it was 2 am and several of the older cars had flat batteries
from using cooling fans and lights, which resulted in
no headlights for the rest of the night — another
two hours to the island resort of Jebel Dhanna. Quite
a challenging experience. The resort and hotel were
very pleasant indeed – pity we only had a couple
of hours to enjoy them!
The next day there was a 270 km drive to the Abu Dhabi
Emirates Palace Hotel, probably the best of the 7-star
establishments in the region. (To be able to award yourself
7-stars, you have to justify calling yourself a “palace”
in the true sense of the word.) This was such a hotel.
The next day some of us took a half day tour of the
place, others spent a couple of hours learning to work
the in-room entertainment and electronic systems (without
success.) There are only 300 rooms (all full), but there
are 2000 on the staff. It takes 20 minutes to walk to
breakfast and the decor is out of this world. A "majestic
experience", as the guide book said. The usual
room rate is also out of this world. We would not normally
stay there, but one of the advantages of such rallies
is the bargaining power of a large group.
Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest of the Emirates and did
not seem to be suffering in the current economic downturn
nearly as badly as its neighbour, Dubai. Nevertheless
hospitality promised by the local Rolls Royce and Bentley
dealers failed to materialize, as they did later in
Dubai.
After a few more days of R&R and sightseeing, a
long day’s drive was in store to the town of Nizwa
in Oman. About 530 km was only six hour’s driving
time, but another border crossing, a welcome reception
and a lunch meant a very late arrival at the next, much
more modest, hotel. Oman was really the highlight of
our tour. The people are ethnically different from their
neighbours and are more relaxed and welcoming, and the
country is scenically more attractive with rugged mountain
ranges and spectacular scenery. One of our hosts was
Omanoil and included in the “goodie bag” was
an electronic “smart card” that gave us a
couple of hundred dollar’s worth of petrol. Seeing
this cost about 30 cents a litre, it was more than sufficient
even for the 8-litre.
Nizwa, the ancient capital, was one of the few interesting
towns (as distinct from large cities) in which we were
able to spend some time. It has a reputation as a centre
for poets, intellectuals and artists, not that we saw
any, other than some fellow WO drivers, but it had a
very pleasant atmosphere and an interesting souk.
From there it was an easy drive down the mountains to
the almost mythical city of Muscat, once the centre
of the east African slave trade, the home of pirates
and the main source of frankincense and myrrh since
biblical times. We had expected to see a large village
of white-washed cottages and palm trees. Instead it
was a sprawling prosperous city of 2 million. High rise
buildings are discouraged, so it still had a charming
atmosphere. Twenty years ago Oman had 15 km of paved
roads, one hospital and two schools. Today it is an
impressive modern country and tourism as an important
feature, although like most of the region it is very
expensive, unless you are an oil sheik or on a well
organized Bentley Rally.</s> | 1,722 |
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Our base here was the Shangri-la Hotel,
which was all that you would imagine, and also the location
of a gala dinner generously put on by Zubair Corporation,
a prominent local group and the local Bentley agent.
We were also treated to a wonderful lunch at the home
of Sheik Ahmed Al Khalili, a local businessman whose
father was once the patient of one of rally participants.
His family was charming and it is very nice to be able
to put on a sit down lunch for 150 people!
We were then on the home run to our last stop —
Dubai. This was another long day — 470 km, but
with a very slow border crossing back into the United
Emirates. I don’t know that the bureaucracy in
these places is any worse than any airport or other
border crossing — the problem is really just one
of processing 150 passports. One minute each equals
two and a half hours!
It was a warm day and many of the more modern cars had
overheating problems here — though not the WO’s!
The only mechanical problems the WO’s had were
a failed overdrive unit on the last day in Chris Wray’s
4½ (lesson: always take a spare tailshaft if
you have an overdrive — in any case, WO would never
have approved!) and a failed magneto (recently rebuilt)
in Tony John’s 3-litre. We were carrying a spare
and the change-over was made in a couple of hours, thanks
to some excellent work by Tony’s newest best friend,
mechanikermeister Alfred Smidt, who runs Klassikerschmiede,
a vintage workshop near Munich. He really knows his
stuff!
And so on to The Atlantis, the newest, biggest and brashest
resort hotel on The Palm, Dubai. More like Disneyland
in the sand, or more accurately, the middle of the Arabian
Gulf. Quite over the top with a massive indoor aquarium
complete with a whale and several large sharks. You
don’t have to stay here to have a look — $20
or so buys you a day ticket. The critics say that it
represents all the excesses of the property boom in
Dubai. Still, the bus loads of tourists thought it was
worth spending a day there.
All in all, we had a great time on the rally and saw
many very interesting sights that we would not have
otherwise experienced. We also had some great motoring
and enjoyed the company of our fellow travellers. On
top of all that, PP3275 had a faultless run with its
brand new 4½ motor. Many thanks for this to Simon
Elliott, David Hanna and the team at The Derby Works
in Melbourne, and to Peter Cameron and the organizing
committee for the Arabian Gulf Adventure.</s> | 1,723 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Have you ever known a Bentley by sight
over a period of years and then, almost by accident,
found you have become its owner? Have you ever worked
on and restored and damn nearly lived in a Bentley,
and then sold it without ever driving it? Those two
experiences, and little else, represent my relations
with old XV 6601. Continued...</s> | 1,724 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Back in 2005 the BDC in Perth, WA organised
the "Across Australia Tour" from Perth to
Terrigal in NSW, about 6000kms. which was billed as
one of the last great road trips in the World. My co-driver,
navigator Jenny who is also my long suffering wife,
well what Bentley tragics wife is not, and myself were
lucky enough to participate and we completed that event.
At the euphoric final celebratory dinner and probably
fueled by alcohol, that WA stalwart Dennis Lingane declared,
"its the last frontier and one of the most challenging
road adventures as yet unexplored by the Bentley boys!!!"
proposing 2009 as ideal timing.
There were 20 proper cars on the tour and 5 of those
WOs were from Down Under, we had one 3 litre, a 3/4.5
litre and three 4.5 litres dating from 1925 to 1929.
All Australasian cars finished the tour without major
mishaps or major mechanical issues and only one WO failed
to finish a 4/8 litre... so WO cannot be blamed as it
was not a standard Cricklewood designed or manufactured
car! Incidentally, four modern Derby Bentleys from the
14 that started did not make the finish line, a real
standout result for the reliability of our vintage machines.</s> | 1,725 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Getting to the start in Canada was
the easy bit, just pack our car in a container in Brisbane
and pick her up in Vancouver, the tour started in a
similar way, nice welcome dinner, Canadian CMP Police,
TV and newspapers, politicians, all wishing us bon-voyage.
A few reasonably easy days of "only 200 plus miles"
during the first week through all the fantastic scenery
that British Columbia has to offer, with overnight stays
at 5 star hotels in Whistler, Salmon Arm, Lake Loise
and Jasper and a rest day Banff, with nice sunny summer
days thrown in, all luring us into a false sense of
complacency... this is easy, no worries, cars all going
well, only 7000 kms to go, no worries!
The Glazier Highway to Jasper and Rogers pass were really
spectacular but the temperature was dropping to just
a few degrees as we headed North, the sun was hiding
and the to-date wonderful roads were deteriorating too.
But no worries!! Jasper brought a very cold start and
the "anti freeze" was definitely needed as
hoses on our car started to weep in sympathy with us.
We headed North into Alberta, through the towns of Grande
Cache and Grande Praire, home to the annual stampede,
a big event in this the largest city in NW Alberta,
with its 47,000 hardy souls. It was also the last major
stop before our arrival in Dawson Creek BC, and the
famous mile "0" of the "Alaska Highway",
our route North and a major 1671 mile wartime achievement,
linking the USA and Canada with the Arctic and creating
a supply route to its Russian Allies in WW2. The construction
of this magnificent road was completed in just 8 months
by approx 400 officers, 11,000 US soldiers and over
7500 US civilians who used 11,000 pieces of machinery
in the appaling winter conditions, through a mainly
unmapped and extremely harsh environment, often in 40deg
below conditions... as the Bentleys burbled North we
had a small taste of minus 2 degrees in the mountains
and our admiration for this amazing engineering feat
was much enhanced by the ice on our car and the start
of frostbite on our fingers!</s> | 1,726 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Back into BC and the fur trading and
frontier towns of Fort St John, and Fort Nelson were
reached and then quickly forgotten as we headed ever
further North , in several 300 mile plus driving days.
The nights became days as the daylight hours now stretched
well into the night, and as each hotel was reached,
bed, food and drinks with our fellow Bentley drivers
seemed a blur as we were off again for another 8-9 hours
of driving, next to Whitehorse the first real Gold Rush
town, with a real frontier feel and Paddle Wheelers
on the river to boot.
Things were getting interesting now as this Bentley
adventure unfolded, we were now in the Yukon, a huge
vast mainly unpopulated area of forests, lakes, mountains
and animals bigger than many counties. Its bears, caribu,
moose, goats, deer, wolves and eagles abound and outnumbered
Bentleys and drivers by a big margin. These animals
are not shy either as we encountered black and grizzly
bears on the road and were actually chased down the
road by two wolves who showed no fear of a WO going
at speed, we also carried "Bear Spray" in
case of attack, large cans of capsicum spray, fortunately
not tested at the optimum 15ft from an angry bear!</s> | 1,727 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
On to Dawson City before crossing
the Yukon river by ferry, one of only two crossing points
in its near 2000mile length. The BDC of Australia boys
organized an Aussie night out at Diamond Tooth Lils
saloon and gambling hall, where dancing, wine, women
(ours) and song were the order of the night. Money was
gambled, lost and won, honky tonk pianos tinkled, grubby
bars served into the wee hours. The cowboy swing doors,
horses, unsealed streets and wooden buildings from the
late 1800s confirmed we were really in this Gold Rush
frontier town with our "modern" cars, and
reading a newspaper at midnight was easy...
Onwards to our northern most point, almost at the Artic
Circle as we drove the Top of the World Highway into
the USA and Alaska at Poker Creek 4127ft the most northerly
US land border with a population of 5. The fog and snow
climbing to the crossing needed the windscreen folded
down as visibility was down to just a few metres and
we were very conscious of big drops either side of the
road... never saw them but top of the world views we
are told!
On to Chicken, Alaska and its music festival, then Tok
and finally after a last 387 mile/623km days drive we
had made it to Anchorage. Wow the car and ourselves
had made it all the way from Australia, those last few
days on sometimes poor unsealed roads had been tough
on the car and its passengers, but we had made Anchorage,
Alaska in just 13 driving days. Now we just to get back!</s> | 1,728 |
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No one can really describe the Alaskan
Glaciers, after several grey wet days a super cloudless
sky greeted us for a day on the ocean looking at these
awesome sights, huge icefields, culminating in ice cliffs
plunging into the ocean, whales, otters, seals in abundance
and icebergs small and large abound... its indescribable
and the drivers and navigators had an amazing day. Being
out of the drivers seat was short lived as at crack
of dawn we were off on the return leg... roadworks and
frost heaves, big cracks in Aussie are marked by very
small red flags, usually noticed after the springs bottom
out and the passenger returns to the car after a short
spell airborne, slow progress and the Cohen average
of 45 mph is hard to maintain. But Tok, Watson Lake,
and Bell II are duly achieved, the later a Heli ski
base with luxury cabins and a great chef with after
300 miles of tough mountain roads only enough beds for
half the group, the WOs were given exclusive use, quite
right of course, and the Derbys, etc, had a further
100 miles to go to find their hotel, as accommodation,
people and petrol are scarce round here. We had a WO
only party, lots of fun, Trevor Eastwood doing a fine
job of the Aussie speech, singing by the Bentley Boys
choir, music, guitars, a few prizes, even some good
Aussie red was found... A really good night.
Things were getting serious now, our cars had cracked
windscreens, lost oil, lost gauges, one modern car actually
had eleven punctures by this stage and we were all in
survival mode, only one WO had failed with terminal
engine issues, but the excellent support team had been
unable to fix 2-3 Derby cars and each day the trailer
seemed to have another resident.. Could the Aussies
all survive? Onward to the beautiful Prince Rupert and
a ferry ride of 15hrs down the fantastic coastline of
BC between the mainland and Vancouver Island, a great
new ship carrying all our cars and us in real comfort
at 25 mph, what a wonderful trip, passing the land very
close and seeing the Indian communities and the now
defunct Salmon canneries, along with the ever present
forestry, ocean coastline and mountain scenery. Two
years ago the previous ship saw land far too closely,
as it ran aground, hitting an island at full speed and
immediately sinking, fortunately with no loss of life,
or Bentleys, but strong rumours still abound about the
captain being pre-occupied with a female officer. Scandal
indeed.
So on land again the cars burbled, and the weary occupants
pressed on, heading south down Vancouver Island, now
on nice well sealed roads. Good hotels in Port Hardy,
Campell River, and Chemainus all hosted us, some amongst
the group found time for fishing, but for the WO boys
and girls the increase in people and traffic signaled
our trip was nearing its end. After a total distance
of 5000miles/8000kms we finally drove into Victoria
the capital city of British Columbia in bright sunshine
accompanied by CMP police motorcycle escorts and preceded
by a 1930s police car, we wound our way around the waterfront
and through the city to be welcomed at the magnificent
Parliament Buildings to a big crowd, music and sparkling
drinks...</s> | 1,729 |
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We had done it. A final night and
a final dinner at the World famous Empress Hotel to
conclude the tour. We had conquered the last great frontier,
at times it almost conquered us, it left us with a great
respect for the country, its pioneers, its roadbuilders
and finally the tour organizers David & Adele Cohen
for accepting the challenge to organise this the longest
official BDC international Tour ever held, and the first
ever in Canada or Alaska, what an adventure, thanks
indeed. When the cars and our own bodies are serviced
the Aussies are heading back to North America for a
"little" tour of Eastern USA this September,
it is certain we will not find the open roads and wilderness
we have just experienced... Once in a lifetime, that
truly was the last great frontier!</s> | 1,730 |
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Early 2009: This year Roger
and I are touring Canada & Alaska in the vintage
Bentley. The month of June has been selected because
it is after the snow-melt and before the black flies
start biting! There are 34 Bentleys and one Aston Martin
participating and we plan to cover some 6000 miles/9000
km in 25 days, with rest/washing days planned, we will
cover between 100 and 400 miles/600 km per day. The
temperatures will vary between 40-95 degrees Fahrenheit/6-30
centigrade, requiring heavy jackets and shorts. We were
advised to pack an extensive first aid kit including
tweezers to remove ticks as we will travel through wild
country. We will be busy packing/unpacking, de-layering
clothes, taking pictures of bears, enjoying spectacular
scenery, maintaining the car, socializing and having
fun. As we get further north we will be able to change
tyres in daylight at midnight. (After
the South African tyre troubles we are equipped with
new heavy duty tubes and Blockley tyres but are prepared
to help others!)</s> | 1,731 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Vancouver to Whistler (site of
the 2010 Winter Olympics) via the Sea to Sky Highway
99.</s> | 1,732 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Travel by way of the scenic ‘Duffey
Lake Road’ (still Highway 99) through Lillooet,
then north via Highway 97 to Cache Creek and east
on Highway 1 to Banff (Canadian Rockies).</s> | 1,733 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Drive the spectacular vistas
of the Banff-Jasper Parkway (Highway 93) to Jasper.</s> | 1,734 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Head west along Highway 16 to
Prince George, BC.</s> | 1,735 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
From Prince George we head north
again on the Hart Highway (Highway 97) through
the Pine Pass to Chetwynd.</s> | 1,736 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Take Highway 29 through Hudson’s
Hope to Fort St. John (mile 47 of the original
Alaska Highway).</s> | 1,737 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Once on the Alaska Highway we
will travel via Fort Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse
(Yukon Territory), Dawson City, and then onto
Alaska.</s> | 1,738 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
In Alaska, our furthest northern
destination will be Anchorage where we'll enjoy
a tour of the glaciers on Prince William Sound.</s> | 1,739 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
More spectacular scenery awaits
us as we head back through the Yukon to Prince
Rupert, British Columbia via the Cassiar Highway.</s> | 1,740 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
At Prince Rupert we will embark
on a ferry and travel (12-14 hours) through the
Inside Passage of coastal British Columbia to
Port Hardy near the northern tip of Vancouver
Island (This is the cruise ships route).</s> | 1,741 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Finally we drive down the east
coast of Vancouver Island ending the tour at British
Columbia’s capital city, Victoria</s> | 1,742 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Met up with Roger and the Bentley in
Vancouver and we are ready to motor! The other participants
are from Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland,
Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, US, South Africa. We
know about 30% of the people from prior trips. A professional
photographer will be with us us and pictures and videos
can be seen on www.zgraphs.smugmug.com.
We had beautiful weather since we arrived in Vancouver,
wearing shorts. Staying right downtown on the water,
we went for a walk in the Stanley Park where the totem
poles are, representing the various Aboriginal peoples
from the the Pacific. Capt Vancouver sailed into the
inlet in 1792; today it is the gateway to Alaska for
one million tourists a year. Our first run took us to
Whistler, a picturesque valley town surrounded by ski
slopes, next year the winter Olympics will be held here.
Because of that there is a lot of construction going
on, requiring careful Bentley navigating. Whistler was
only developed in 1966, with pedestrian friendly cobbled
streets and beautiful landscaped squares. The valleys
are full of lush vegetation, as it rains a lot, with
the rocks int the forests covered with moss, plenty
of waterfalls and nice hikes.</s> | 1,743 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
In this part of the world — Vancouver/Whistler
— it seems about 25% of the people are from Asia
and the Pacific and generally very friendly. Canada
seems a little like Europe, a bit bureaucratic and not
as friendly as the Americans. It is rather expensive
with gasoline and alcohol heavily taxed, a glass of
wine costing between $8 - 13, so we are not drinking
too much — yet.
The excellent weather continued for our 255 mile/410
km ride from Whistler with its mountain passes and glaciers
to Salmon Arm on lake Shushop, which is about two-thirds
north west between Vancouver and Banff/Calgary. Salmon
Arm is a tourist town with many beaches and it is home
to the longest wooden wharf in North America. First
adjustments to the car and drivers were necessary. The
rear shocks needed tightening up as some of the steeper
pass roads were very bumpy, but the quality of the roads
improved as we descended into the valleys allowing us
to cruise at 70mph and enjoy the beautiful views. Due
to the recent heavy snow all the mountain peaks are
still covered with plenty of snow. Roger needed a cushion
to get comfortable in the driving seat, enabling him
to see the road and shift gears at the same time. Kurt
had a mishap (probably will not be the last!) —
his driving goggles decided to take time out and flew
off the top of his leather helmet without being noticed
by the driver. At the gas station we ran into our photographer
and like a miracle he produced the goggles. He had spotted
them on the highway and picked them up!</s> | 1,744 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
In the evening we had a lecture on
bears. The white spiked bears — Grizzlies —
weigh some 400 lbs and climb trees. A mature black bear
with its 800 lbs distinguishes himself with being able
to push trees over as they are too heavy to climb them!
A good defensive weapon is the Bentley fire extinguisher
in case of an unexpected attack.
Today we started with a ceremony at Craigellachie, a
place between Salmon Arm and Revelstoke, where Sir George
Stephen, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway,
had his ancestral home. It was critical that the railway
came to British Columbia. The new Canadian government
had promised that B.C. would be linked to Canada by
a railway if B.C. would join the confederation. "The
Last Spike" was put in place in 1885. We re-enacted
this famous moment because two of our tour members had
grandfathers working on the railroad.
We landed safely in Lake Louise near Banff and will
enjoy a day of rest tomorrow before heading North. Lake
Louise is a glacial lake located in Banff National Park
in Alberta. It is named after Princess Luise Carolina
Alberta , fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and wife
of the Marquis Of Lorne, Governor General of Canada
1878-1833. The distinctive emerald colour of the lake
comes from rock silt carried down from melting glaciers.
On the eastern shore lies Chateau Lake Louise, a luxury
hotel built in the early 1900s by the Canadian Pacific
Railway. Today it has a staggering 790 rooms and they
charge us $32 for parking a night. We took the opportunity
to hand-wash our dirty clothes and hang them up in our
enormous 5-star bathroom!!</s> | 1,745 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
This tour is very well organized. We
are followed by a luggage van with a flat bed trailer
which has a "Smart car" on it. If one brakes
down, the day trip can be completed in the Smart car
while the "patient" is transported on the
flat bed. Most every night there is a program, yesterday
BBQ and line dancing, tonight Italian buffet and a film
from the Paris-to-Beijing Rally. The tour book gives
distances in miles and kilometers and things to see
on the way come with pictures! The room accommodations
have been perfect. So far we always have two queen size
beds — well separated — we wonder what we
will get further North.</s> | 1,746 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Spent the free day walking around lake
Louise (5km). Hand fed the Clark's Nutcracker birds
as Bruce, our neighbor, suggested. These are medium
size birds that have no fear of people. Drove to Banff
on the parkway, saw some deer and elk far away and a
group of mountain goats on the roadside close up —
no bears yet. The Canadian Rockies are very beautiful
here, wide valleys with snow caped mountains on either
side. Down the middle of the valley runs the river and
the Canadian RR track. The trains pull approximately
125 wagons with four locomotives, two in front, one
in the middle and one in the back. Weather stayed perfect,
but the forecast calls for a big change tonight. We
are putting our shorts away and are getting the heavy
jackets out just in case...</s> | 1,747 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
...Drove on the Glacier Highway to
Jasper. On the way stopped at Columbia ice fields, the
largest south of Alaska and covering some 300 square
km. The temperature dropped considerably requiring the
heavy jacket for the first time. Our accompanying professional
photographer mounted the video camera on our car today
so hopefully we get some good shots...</s> | 1,748 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
...The weather turned perfect again,
started at 40 degrees F/5 degrees C, as we drove West
to Prince Rubert. Passed Mt. Robson which at 12,972
ft is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Motoring
was fantastic, excellent roads, 100 km/h, with rivers
and lakes on each side of the road and snow capped mountains
for several hours. Descended into Prince Ruppert and
total climate change, 90 degrees F/25 degrees C and
the mosquitoes were out in full force. Drove 388 km/140
miles today, rear tires are 2mm down, front ones 1mm,
added some air in the rear but a rotation is planned
as the rear ones wear quicker due the torque of the
car. Will lubricate the king pins tonight and check
things over as we have done almost 1000miles/1600 km.</s> | 1,749 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
...After everybody but us spotted
bears, we got creative resorting to desperate measures.
Not only did we hide the fire extinguisher but we put
the Bentley on heat!! The moose came running after us
and the bears (a young black bear and a grizzly) watched
the commotion!! Got our Kodak moment!! Crossed over
the continental divide, rivers now flow into the Arctic
ocean. Visited the Bennett dam and went underground
to inspect the turbine room. Capacity is 2,725,000 kilowatts
with a 2 kilometer earth filled dam. Bald eagles were
diving for fish at the outlets. Did some 300 miles/500
km today, arriving at Fort St. John. The days are getting
longer now and it is still daylight when we retire for
the evening...</s> | 1,750 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Parking at night is secure as the cars
are cordoned off in the open parking lots and a security
guard is always on duty. As we move north the towns
are smaller and the hotels become less luxurious, but
the staff make a huge effort welcoming us. Every night
a "fool of the day" award is handed out for
e.g. driving off without securing the petrol cap, running
out of gas, loosing the name badge, forgetting the hotel
room number, overtaking on a double yellow, not respecting
the numerous construction traffic wardens. The recipient
has then the opportunity to entertain the drivers and
navigators with a humorous story. Today's drive took
us from Ft. St. John to Ft. Nelson in the north eastern
part of B.C. It has plenty of natural resources and
the economy is driven by logging, gas and oil. As we
drive along we can smell the excess gas in the air.</s> | 1,751 |
<s>[INST] What event is described in the following response? [/INST]
Just had the tires rotated and we paid
Can$ 102 (same as US and Swiss Franc) for an hour's
work, plus 13% tax. Due to the high labor rates here,
they send the cod fish they catch in Canada to China
for processing and it comes back to Canada for consumption.
Crazy world.
Last night the bottle of wine was only $25, so we had
two and enjoyed the sing along! We have now been motoring
for the second day on the Alaska highway which was built
in 1942 after Pearl Harbor to defend Alaska. It took
the US army only 8 months to build the road form Canada
to Fairbanks. Left Fort Nelson at 8 am for the 335 miles/540
km trip to Nugget City in Yukon (Canadian Territory).
Broke down after the start, both distributors stopped
functioning. Verdict after mechanic inspection: Terminal.
A gear off the auxiliary crankshaft on the bottom of
the engine disintegrated. It was driving the camshaft
and the distributor drive. Loaded up the car on the
tour trailer. 30 miles later another car broke down
with a differential problem and we had to make room
on the trailer. Our car then had to be towed for a while
and then was transferred to a flat bed truck for transporting
to Nugget City. Roger and I rode with the tour organizer
and saw some wild buffalo and bears.</s> | 1,752 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Next day left the car behind in Nugget
City with two others, covered up with a tarp and guarded
by the RV park caretaker from Arizona. He planted flowers
10 days ago and has already a nice garden as the sun
is up until 9 pm, it never gets very dark at night.
Drove to Whitehorse (capital of Yukon) in the Morgans
1963 S 2 Bentley. Very comfortable in the back as it
was designed to be a chauffeur driven car with a partition.
Next day we set out to find a rental car together with
the Grants from Scotland (who also suffered a breakdown).
We have traveled with John and Ishbel in New Zealand
and Switzerland. The rental company was called "rent
a wreck"! The car has a broken windshield but is
otherwise very comfortable for four people. Made tentative
arrangements to ship the 3 stranded Bentleys back to
Vancouver for $1500 each (2000 kms), after the first
quotes came in at a staggering $4000 each. Found the
cheaper source by going to the local car dealership
and found a company who is going South empty. In the
afternoon rode in Rolf Aschmanns Derby to Dawson City.
The Yukon valley is very wide, the trees are only 10
ft high due to a wild fire in 1995. We saw a bear on
the side of the road close up and a few minutes later
had a flat tire. Took 12 minutes for the change. Arrived
in Dawson City — all gravel roads.</s> | 1,753 |
<s>[INST] What is the main topic of the following response? [/INST]
Dawson City is a unique reminder of
huge gold mining communities of the Yukon Gold Rush
in the 1890s. Named after a Canadian geologist who explored
the region in 1887; it was the capital of the Yukon
until 1952. It was originally a camp for First Nations
people and the center of their fishing and moose hunting.
Dawson went from that camp to a city of 40,000 people
in the Gold Rush and then down to under 900 when gold
run out. The tourism industry is the new gold and ironically,
modern methods have allowed gold mining to happen again.
Despite the setback with the car we are continuing to
enjoy the tour, the weather is still nice enough to
wear shorts.</s> | 1,754 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
Had dinner in Dawson City and left
the restaurant at 10 pm, needed to put on sunglasses
as the sun was still out! Too much light to go to bed
and went back to the saloon where a local guy was playing
honky tonk music on the piano. Did a little "Bolognaise"
with the Bentley ladies. Twenty hours of daylight at
the moment here.</s> | 1,755 |
<s>[INST] Who are the main participants in the following event? [/INST]
Dawson City sits on the Yukon river
which is 2200 miles long, the 4th largest in N.A. The
Klondike gold rush started in 1896 and was one of the
last gold rushes in North America. Most of the gold
in this area is placer gold. Placer gold is found in
form of nuggets, flakes and dust in gravel in the river
bed above the bedrock. Separation of gold just requires
water and gravity. The challenge in this part of the
world was the permafrost, requiring miners to set wood
fires to thaw the ground before they could get the gravel
up and wash it. Each claim was 1000 ft by 500 ft along
the Klondike river. Went to see the largest dredging
dock on the Klondike. This technology was introduced
in 1912 and used into the 1950s. This huge machine floats
in artifical pond formed by daming a section of the
river and worked itself up the small river over the
years. With its 30 buckets it was able to bring up gravel
from 50 ft deep and was operating 7 days a week, even
at temperatures of -40 Fahrenheit. Today you just see
piles of gravel along the river thrown up by the dredging
machine. Up to 50 of these machines operated in Yukon
powered by electricity! Since gold is heavier than gravel,
it works its way thru the gravel layers and is concentrated
on top of the bedrock, making dredging very productive,
eliminating building shafts and tunnels by hand thru
permafrost. Tonight we will enjoy a cabaret and some
gambling in town and tomorrow morning will cross the
Yukon river by Ferry into Alaska.</s> | 1,756 |
<s>[INST] What details can you share about the following response? [/INST]
Crossed the Yukon river towards Alaska
by ferry. Dawson City has a levy because this time of
year the ice floating down the river can cause blockages
and floods. In the winter they drill a hole into the
rivers ice and pump water out to build an ice bridge
across the Yukon. Depending on the thickness of the
ice even trucks can cross. Stopped at the top of the
world golf course, the most northerly course in the
world and bought a cap. Entered the northern tundra
landscape in thick fog and rain. Temperature 8 Centigrade
with snow on the side of the road. Crossed the boarder
at Poker Creek, elevation 4400 ft, the most northerly
landpost. Stopped in a town called Chicken for chicken
soup and used the facilities labeled "Chicken Poop"
on the way to Tok. The road is now very bumpy from the
frost damage. The trees are spindly and not very tall,
a huge wildfire destroyed the forest in 1994. We have
not seen a single animal today.</s> | 1,757 |
<s>[INST] Can you provide details about the activities mentioned in the response? [/INST]
In Tok (initials of a Norwegian immigrant
and clown — each year on August 12 the residents
dress up as clowns) we were able to smoke our first
cigar in a pub. On day 14 drove on to Anchorage; a drizzly
day with low temperatures. The open Bentley drivers
were frozen to the bone. The oldest navigator is 84
years old and her driver son never puts the top up There
are three father and son teams, two are allowed to drive
the Bentleys. The owner of the 4 1/2 Blower has not
yet allowed his son to drive, despite pressure from
the group. We crossed beautiful wild tundra countryside
with lots of lakes, crossed a mountain range in fog
and descended towards Anchorage, taking some pictures
of the first big glacier. The climate is changing slowly,
warmer temperatures and the trees are getting taller,
lots of blue iris like in Colorado. Landed in Anchorage
at the Mariott Hotel after a few nights in simple hotels.</s> | 1,758 |
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