Vintage Sports Car Club
Wiscombe Park Devon 2013

Story and Images© by tim surman photography
Contact Photographer For Information on Photos of this Event

Think of Devon and your'll be forgiven of not thinking of motor-sport, in fact most would think of creams teas.

The Vintage Sports Car Club's (VSCC) visit the Wiscombe Park's beautiful grounds, with its winding hill climb that starts just outside Wiscombe house, crosses a bridge then with its stunning views across the countryside, winds its way up and into the trees, before crossing. It's very different to circuit racing, it seems all together more relaxed, Pims anyone? Most definitely a picnic.

You can see how the sport started. Before circuit racing, and with the rich gentlemen wanting to test their cars speed, the country estates with there narrow winding drive ways seemed a perfect place to find out how fast they could go. With no room to over-take, a timed run is perfect and far more gentlemanly.
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Before dedicated race tracks one way to race cars without shutting down public streets, was to employ private path ways. In many cases driveways to private estates were used for this purpose.

Early on cars had engines with less that 100 HP, many times less than 50HP and did not travel at high speeds on normal roads, so the need for highly effective brakes was not a requirement. Totally infective mechanical levers and cables were used to apply pressure to stop the wheels from rotating and hence stop the car.

As stopping a car going uphill requires far less braking than stopping a car traveling down hill, speed trials going up-hill was far more logical given the ineffectiveness of the cars braking system.

With the wooded nature of the private drives and narrow pathways, going off road even, at moderate speeds, was not something most drivers wanted to experience.

The Car is 'period correct' however the modern safety helmet and fire suit is dictated by event organizations to prevent the repeat of early racing tragedies

One way to make a car faster is to make the engine perform better and the other way is to make it lighter by taking off parts, like mud deflectors or wings (fenders).

At the time when these cars were new, they were raced by owners, where they then could brag how fast their new cars was.

Sporting cars were small light 2 seaters

Visualize the driver, with his cloth cap turned around backwards, pulled down tight and in his a tweed sports coat, pressing for more speed on this narrow damp track of slippery hard topping.

This car was built for racing.

And so was this one

Men just want to go faster so cars were made to just for that.

Light, low and pointy tails have always been (looked) fast,

Morgan 3 wheelers (trike) have always been a 'hot' race car

Another 'pointy tail' and a lot of 'body English' to correct the 'oversteer'

Holes are the only thing one can 'put' in a car that makes it lighter.

END