Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc

Hornet SpecialNewsletter

Issue 14March 2003

HighlightsHighlightsHighlightsHighlightsHighlightsThe special heritage ofan ACT Hornet Special

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Annual Meeting andDinner Oct 10-12, 2003

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Subs now due ......... 3

A chock full weekend for2002 AGM and Dinner

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WA News ........ 6

The Hancock’s 1933Hornet coupe ....... 6

Qld News ........ 7

Discovered:Qld Sanction 127 ....... 7

Vic Sanction 114 ....... 8

Hornet revelations fromPerth archives ....... 8

Mystery Uncovered!!!!!!Malcolm Smith’s Hornet- designed by John SherwoodJohn Sherwood was one of the leading figures in New South Wales motor sport inthe 1930s – and of course is known to all Horneteers as the Captain of the victoriousMaroubra Hornet relay team of 1933. Sherwood sometimes served as a judge inmotor sport and, among other things, drove his MG NE Magnette to victory in the1939 150-mile race at Bathurst, the fore-runner of today’s Bathurst 1000.

Sherwood kept an extensive photographic record of his career, usually providinghandwritten notes explaining the significance of each photo. Thanks to TerryMcGrath, of Terry McGrath Motoring Archives, we have been provided with threephotos from this collection.

The firstshows NoelSpark inaction in 1935in the factoryracing Hornetlater used byJim Gullan inthe 1936A u s t r a l i a nGrand Prix. Itwas Sparkwho competed in the speed trials in Canberra on May 12 1935 in this car, whichcame with a written guarantee that it would do 102 mph.

The photo discovered by Terry shows Spark in a park setting, almost certainlyThe Domain in Sydney, where we have another photo showing Spark with theCastrol Trophy he won that year for dominating speed events in the hornet. Sparkis sporting his familiar basin cut, and naturally wearing a three piece double breastedsuit.

The second photo shows the Maroubra team cars in Dalgety’s showroom inPhillip Street Sydney (that is their old showroom prior to moving to the streamlinedart deco showroom in Woolloomooloo later in the 30s.) In this photo the registrationnumber of each car is clearly shown and, in Sherwood’s handwriting, the name ofeach driver is given.

Other photos we have of the team show them at the track and at the gatehouseof Government House in Sydney, but none of the other photos clearly give theregistration numbers of the cars, or attribute them to the drivers.

WHS Club ContactsSecretary

Bill Russell,ph (03) 93622862

Qld ContactHoward Kenward,ph (07) 3267 6046

EditorJohn Clucas,

ph (03) 9872 3330

Page 2 Hornet Special Newsletter

The winning Horneteers inthe showroom of Dalgety’sin Phillip Street, Sydney.

John Sherwood wasjustifiably proud of hisown design of bodywork.

The same car around 1963.

Issue 14 Page 3

The Government House photo is famous as a ring in,as one of the cars shown is a vertical dynamo 1931model. Or, is the showroom photo a ring in? At any rate,this new photo gives us a lot more to work on. In thebackground of the photo, an advertising placard can justbe made out “Wolseley Wave of Success for 1933”.

The third photo contains the most interesting newinformation. Underneath a photo of a side view of whatis indisputably Malcolm Smith’s car in a park setting,Sherwood has written “Special Body designed by Selffor 1933 Wolseley Hornet Special”.

Another interesting aspect is that this photo shows thevehicle clearly with two scuttle humps. The photo takenat the track shows Sherwood’s car with only a single hump.

Another interesting feature of the new photo is that itshows the WHS monogram painted on the hubcaps of theMagna wheels. Malcolm Smith has confirmed that themonograms are still visible on the hubcaps, in red paint.

To bring the story up to date, later photos shows thecar with NSW registration BWR 539 and then ETD 119when owned in the ‘60s by George Cannock.

Other owners included Rob Simpson and David Kerr,before it passed to Malcolm Smith, along with DavidKerr’s 1934 WHS roadster.

Clearly visible in most photos is the unusual slot inthe left wing, to accommodate the spare.

A further photo of the vehicle, as currently owned byMalcolm, appears left.

For the record, the 1933 team members and theregistrations of their cars were:

John Sherwood 250-712J St Heaps 2888G Dinsdale 254-173R Althouse 250-430

The car during George Cannock’s ownership.

Malcolm Smith’s car today.

2003 Dinner will bein central west NSW

As a result of the successful towing of vehiclesinterstate to the 2002 dinner, the AGM decidedto hold the 2003 dinner in central west NSW at

Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes or Wellington. It was felt that sucha location offered many points of interest, and wasequidistant from the four major cities where Hornets areowned, viz: Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

The date for the event will be 10-12 October 2003,and more details will be provided in the next newsletteras to exact locations. John Prentice, Bill Russell and JohnClucas are taking on the planning. Mark the date in yourdiary and get your Hornet ready.

We expect to be able to strike an economical deal witha car friendly motel in the area. As usual, UK membershave been invited to attend.

Subscriptions now dueBoth Australian and UK subscriptions are due on April

1. If you would like to contribute to the club by beinga paid up member, the following are your options:Option 1: Pay nothing we’ll still send you the newsletter.Let us know though if you don’t want to receive it.Option 2: $10 †This will pretty much cover the cost ofkeeping this newsletter going (it does cost us a bit inpostage and printing), so if you like receiving it then thisis a good option.Option 3: $70 †This includes the $60 subscription to theUK Wolseley Hornet Special Club and their excellentmagazines and spares service, together with a contributionto the Australian group to cover printing, postage andhandling. Cheques should be made payable to WHSC,not to any individual person, and should be sent to thetreasurer: John Ireland, 20 Durak Courts, 51 HamptonSt, Durak, Qld 4077.

Page 4 Hornet Special Newsletter

The Brisbane Autokhana

Roger Banks can go backwards ...

but so can Bill ...

and Howard ...

and Chris.

Issue 14 Page 5

Brisbane’s 2002 AGM and DinnerA wonderful lunch accompanied that visit.After lunch, a visit to the bowels of Howard Kenwards

mother’s house revealed a variety of hornet restorationprojects and parts amid the cobwebs and dust.

Chris Pike accompanied the tour in a strange (butmagnificent) jalopy, but turned up in his Hornet for theSunday’s motorkhana and cane toad squashing event.

Bill Russell and John Prentice arrived from Melbourneand Canberra respectively with their Hornets.

Bill had the pleasure of driving around Brisbane inhis Hornet. John’s is very nearly complete andhe should be able to do similarly very soon.

The following office bearers were electedat the AGM:• President Howard Kenward• Vice President, NSW - John Summerfield• Vice President, ACT - John Prentice• Vice President, Vic - Richard Snedden• Vice President, WA - Peter Wells• Treasurer - John Ireland• Secretary - Bill Russell• Newsletter Editor - John Clucas

The usual splendid Queensland hospitalitywas enjoyed by all, both at the clubrooms wherethe dinner was held and in the billeting andrefreshment areas.

Roger Banks represented the UK club, andtraveled from Melbourne with Bill Russell. On

the way, a particular highlight was a visit to NormanJones at Daysdale, where Roger had the opportunity ofconducting the Betty Corbin Hornet on a number ofcircuits of the woolshed until the car eventually expiredamid explosions.

The Saturday’s visit to the garages of Brisbanemembers was a highlight of the weekend as itprovided the opportunity to see the various cars

and projects.Under David Monckton’s house he had his 1932

Sanction 65 on show in many pieces. The Sanction 65 isunusual because it takes 19” wheels, and Bill Russell wasable to drop off a spare set of these brought up fromMelbourne for the purpose.

After inspections, David’s wife and their two girlsprovided the gathered multitudes with an excellentmorning tea, with piano accompaniment.

At Henry Hancock’s place we examined his 1933coupe (see story elsewhere) a remarkably intact carjammed sideways into the back of Henry’s garage. Itshouldn’t take toomuch work before it’son the road again.

We then visitedGerry Dunford andlooked again at hism a g n i f i c e n tCoachcraft aerocoupe and theremains of otherspecials.

At Lyle andMargaret Cooper’splace, Lyle’s 1933Daytona was the nextcar for inspection.

John Prentice’s very tidy engine bay.

Gerry Dunford riding in style.

Page 6 Hornet Special Newsletter

WA Newsfrom Peter Wells

The Bob Grantham 1932 Hornet has now beencompletely rebuilt and licenced. It has a 4-seatsports tourer body similar in many respects to the

EW bodies of the period, but without the rounded rearpanel.

I first saw the complete chassis of this car in a Perthbackyard in the mid 1950s, along with a decrepit 1933Hornet saloon, which unfortunately seems to have beendismantled, and most parts scattered to the four winds.

After moving from one owner to another, the 1932car finally ended up in the Grantham stable, having hadvarious components worked on along the way, notnecessarily correctly, or to a high standard. So Bob foundthat he had to re-do much of the work done by others.Bob has promised an article with photos of his rebuild,so members can look forward to this.

*********************Peter Partridge is threatening to begin work on his 1934ex-Brammer two seat Hornet Special, and work is stillproceeding on the 1933 Hornet Special owned by theMackintosh Brothers.

*********************My 1935 Fourteen (originally Australian bodied saloon)is awaiting the final coats of paint, and then the hood andseats can be trimmed to virtually complete the job ofbuilding a two seat roadster body. A few more small jobsare needed to complete the mechanical restoration, andthen I should be able to present the car to the examinersfor licensing.

I have lowered the radiator bonnet line and fitted anoil filter and brake booster, otherwise the car is standardmechanically. I have also opened out the ports on theexhaust manifold to improve the breathing.

Since the body is much lighter than the original saloonI hope the performance will be reasonably brisk – I can’tsee why these cars were considered lethargic since theyare very similar ton the Fourteen Hornet Special, apartfrom exhaust and inlet systems and they probably onlyproduced four or five extra BHP.

*********************A Wolseley Car Club has now been formed in WA but sofar not much to show in the way of pre-war cars, mostlyBMC types but at least it is a step in the right direction.

*********************It was great to find that the elusive West AustralianFourteen Hornet Special has at last surfaced aftermany years out of circulation. It also means that myfruitless enquiries over just as many years can nowcome to an end.

Just to set the record straight. This car first appearedon the streets of Perth in, if my memory is correct, 1951,when I was terrorising pedestrians and motorists alike inmy 1934 Hornet Special.

The 1935 car had been imported from England andwas painted black not red as alleged in the last newsletter.It was repainted after the car changed hands perhaps ayear after arriving in Perth.

*********************I now have more hope that both my 1934 and 1933 HornetSpecials will once more come to light – after all, when lastseen they were both complete running cars in good order.

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Hornet coupes aboundAustralian Hornet coupes have

featured prominently in ourrecent newsletters, so why change agood thing.

Our national get together inBrisbane last November gave many ofus an opportunity to inspect HenryHancock’s very complete and original1933 Hornet coupe.

Henry’s uncle gave him the car in1984 and, with three children still atschool, Henry says “... the reality is thatit may be some time before I startserious work on it”.

In the meantime the Hornet getshigher priority in the garage than other,lesser machines. Doesn’t it Henry. The Hancock’s coupe in 1969.

Issue 14 Page 7

Qld NewsEarly in January, Howard

Kenward visited Jim Croul ofEagleby (near Beenleigh, south

of Brisbane) to check out his Sanction156 – 1935 14hp saloon.

The car was bought by Jim’s fatherand used extensively until 1968 in thenorth island of New Zealand. Jiminherited the car and brought it toAustralia in 1976.

At that stage it was drivable, but inneed of total restoration. In 1980 Jimwrote to the Wolseley club in the UK;the letter was referred to the WHSC andRoger Banks replied.

Over recent years Jim has restored most of themechanicals – brakes and some other minor issues stillto resolve – and has started work on the body, which reallydoesn’t have any major problems.

This car appears to be the only example of a Sanction156 in Australia; all 1935 14hp saloons sold here newwere Sanction 170. The engine and gearbox sit in a rubber

Jim Croul’s Sanction 156 saloon after arrival in Australia

mounted subframe and the gearbox is the familiar freewheel unit common to the 1934 models. The car has mostof its original equipment and is virtually complete.

Jim works as a plant operator on construction of theAlice Springs to Darwin railway, which is programmedfor completion in April 2003. After that, some seriouswork is planned for the car.

Casino 127The remains of a 1934 Sanction 127 WHS have come

to light in Casino, northern NSW. It was last registeredin 1969, in Sydney, and at that stage was fitted with aRiley 9hp motor and gearbox. The Wolseley componentswere not with the car.

When seen in Casino recently, the car had been totallystripped, with all the chassis and car identificationnumbers lost. Features of the car are as follows:• chassis extensively rusted - rear section falling off.Front section extensively modified to mount the Rileymotor.• firewall rusted and hacked about to fit a battery.• four seater Flood body needing re-timbering. Oneguard rusted. Windscreen good. Some hood bows.• front and rear axles and steering box in good externalcondition in oxide primer.• badge bar, headlamps, sidelamps, radiator andsurround in good condition. Speedo is the only originalinstrument.• set of 18” centre spoke wheels.

The car is for sale - inquiries through HowardKenward, ph (07) 3267 6046.

Howard Kenward reports that: “The radiator on myblack 1934 WHS has given up, in a big way. After

almost 70 years of fairly constant service I think it is outof warranty. Of course the old girl had the good graceand breeding to do this at home where the problem canbe addressed without too much trauma.”

John Ireland is waiting for Robin Moore to locate aninput shaft which will allow him to couple a 1932/33

four speed ‘box to his early, vertical generator model.

Howard’s offending Sanction 127

Page 8 Hornet Special Newsletter

Whatever happened toWestern Australia’s .....

Hornet trophy from1934 still existsThe CEO of the Australian Sporting Car Club has writtento advise that his club is still in possession of “TheTelegraph” Wheels and Wings Trophy that SW Higginsonwon at Maroubra Speedway in November 1934 driving aWolseley Hornet Special. The ASCC wishes to return thetrophy to its original owner, so correspondence would bewelcomed from anyone who can assist in this regard.

Close shave for Hornet in bushfiresThe Canberra bushfires nearly put an end to JohnPrentice’s marathon and nearly complete restoration ofhis Sanction 114. John’s back and side fences were lost,and at one stage his main shed was also alight. However,he managed to put it out with a garden hose.

Old Hornet photos just keep turning up. These threephotos have recently been extracted from Terry McGrath’sarchives in Perth.

Apparently Terry came by them all from the samesource, so perhaps the Sanction 78 coupe registered 30-005 became the roadster.

Considering the rarity of Sanction 78 machines inPerth, a Sanction 78 rear axle now in the possession ofPeter Partridge may well have come from this car.

Another Specialdiscovered in VicThe remains of a 1934 Sanction 114 WHS have turnedup in the northeast corner of country Victoria. John Clucashas been ratting through a huge shed full of bits and piecesaccumulated over many years by an older enthuisast. Sofar the archeological work has revealed the radiator andgrille, a freewheel gearbox (destined for John’s Sanction163), a tacho, inlet manifold, carburettors and front andrear axles. It is hoped that further excavation may evenuncover a chassis.

Rare Startix for saleContact Ed Nantes ph (03) 9859 3159