Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 41

LETTERS

The NovemberissueofC&SCwas

an interestingread, becausefor 25

years I pilotedthe Métallurgiquefor

DouglasFitzpatrick.Therewas a

knackto it, and few succeeded!

As yousay in your article,it is

gearedin top at some80mphper

1000rpmso, althoughthe gearsare

nicelyspaced,it neededto be taken

from atickoverof about350rpm

whenwarmto 800rpmbefore

secondcouldbe engaged...Few

peoplehad the courage to revit in

first, so nevermadeit into second.

I’m still proudof myVSCCpot for

FTD at the Colernesprintin July ’81.

Duringpractice,the standingstart

kilometrewas over100mph,and I

promisethat the clutchwas slipping

for the entirerun.The final times

were 17.80secondsfor the quarter

mile and 31.71for the kilometre–

not bad for an Edwardian.

I took it aroundIrelandin 1976

on the GordonBennettre-run,and

also to the southof France for a

hillclimbup MontVentoux.Cruising

on theautorouteat 80mph-plus

with an occasionalburstto show off

its true prowess amazedadmirers.

The startingprocedurewas pure

theatre.Whendrivingthe car

withoutFitzpatrick(he generously

used to let me takeit out without

him) I learntto recognisethe

differentcompressions.I couldpull

it overtoTDC on number2, then fire

the tremblercoil withoutlookingfor

the mark on the flywheel.It would

hold compressionfor long enough

to enableyouto stow the crowbar

then don suitableclothingand

gogglesbeforeflickingthe switch.

It would then appearto burstinto

life unaided,scaringonlookers

and their dogs alike!

I still havean LP of SteadyBarker

and Fitzpatrickdrivingthe Met, and

sometimesplay it after dinner

parties.It gets the stragglersaway.

Happymemoriesof one of the

world’s greatestcars.Thankyou.

Alan Carter

Viae-mail

That mesmerisingMétallurgique

Edwardianhot rod

Your articleon the Métallurgique
(C&SC,November)remindedme
of an old familylegend.
In the ’50smy fatherwas Rolls-
Royce’s representativein East
Anglia.He oncewentto visitMr
Fitzpatrickwitha viewto selling
hima newBentley. Fitzpatrick
agreedto buyone,as longas the
demonstratorbeathis car in a drag
raceon oneof Norfolk’s disused
airfields.Theold manlookedat the
skinnytyresand barn-dooraero-
dynamics,thenagreed.
My fatherwas no meandriver,
and was at the timecompetingin
small-capacitysportscar racing,so
he spentthe intervening period
workingout whathe was goingto
spendthe commissionon.
On the day, he drewup alongside
the Métallurgique and waitedfor
the flag to drop.It was all overin
about10 yardsbecause,in an explo-
sionof noiseandsmoke,the
Edwardianblastedoff the line and
disappeared.Subsequentinvestiga-
tionrevealeda successionof black
tyremarksgoingup the runway
correspondingwitheachpiston
stroke.No sale,but a greaterappre-
ciationof ‘outdated’technology.
Whata pleasureit was to finally
put picturesto the story.
Nick Bleaney
Viae-mail

Letter of the month

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Few drivers were ever

brave enoughto change

up to secondgear in the

Métallurgique,says Carter

R16 remembered

I boughta newRenault16TS

(C&SC,September)in Vancouver

in 1970.Thecar, I wastold,was

assembledin Quebec,butthe

enginewas builtin France.

The interior was very comforta-

ble, in looksand style.In the days

whenyou couldnot pumpyourown

fuel,attendantsoftenremarked,

“Wow, lookat thoseseats!”

Thetorsion-barsuspensionwas

excellentandcrossingrailroad

tracksat intersectionsyouwould

hardly feel the bumps. You never

felt tiredin the car afterlonghours.

Theenginehad a hemiheadand

the mechanicwhoservicedmine

said that he oncereached122mphin

a TS. I did over100mphwithease.

At highspeedon a long,level

straightyou couldfeel the second

chokeof the Weber carburettor

cuttingin, althoughduringhard

accelerationbothwouldbe in play.

Thesaleswerenot all thatgood

in Canadabecausepeoplethought

the bodyshapestrange,but I now

thinkit wastheforerunnerof

today’s SUVs.Renaultvirtually

copiedthe CitroënTr actionAvant,

(I once owned a 1956 Slough-built

version),whichis ironicbecause,

on seeingthatcar in around1934,

LouisRenaultapparentlysaidto

AndréCitroën:“I will nevermakea

front-wheel-drivecar.”

StephenBentley

Vancouver, BC,Canada

Régie’srustyrival

Your articleon the Renault 16

(C&SC,September),tookme back

to 1973, when my parents returned

from the Middle East to Glasgow.

My fatheragonisedoverwhich

car to buy, and amongthe choices

werethe R16and Simca1204S.He

was also keen on the DS, but it was

too pricey. As a boy of 12, I likedthe

R16TX withits matt-blacktail,

or thehorrendouslyexpensive

CitroënSM,not the pedestrian

modelsthat we werelookingat.

He eventuallyboughtthe Simca,

which,aftersix months,startedto

rust badly. He tookit to the dealer,

wherehe was scoldedfor havinga

dampgarage!By 1975,it lookedas

thoughit had beenusedfor target

practiceby the Navy– underwater!

Still,the photoof the pristineone

on page25 of the sameissuemakes

me hopefulthat a few havesurvived.

BruceA Healey

Cincinnati,Ohio,USA

Healey was surprisedby rot-freeSimca

Renault16TSwas quick

and comfortable,reckons

Bentley, who drove from

Canadato Californiain his