Wolseley Hornet Special Club of Australia Inc Hornet Special Newsletter Issue 14 Mystery Uncovered!!!!!! March 2003 Malcolm Smith’s Hornet - designed by John Sherwood John Sherwood was one of the leading figures in New South Wales motor sport in Highlights the 1930s – and of course is known to all Horneteers as the Captain of the victorious Maroubra Hornet relay team of 1933. Sherwood sometimes served as a judge in The special heritage of motor sport and, among other things, drove his MG NE Magnette to victory in the an ACT Hornet Special 1939 150-mile race at Bathurst, the fore-runner of today’s Bathurst 1000. .......... 1 Sherwood kept an extensive photographic record of his career, usually providing Annual Meeting and handwritten notes explaining the significance of each photo. Thanks to Terry Dinner Oct 10-12, 2003 McGrath, of Terry McGrath Motoring Archives, we have been provided with three ........... 3 photos from this collection. The first Subs now due ......... 3 shows Noel A chock full weekend for Spark in 2002 AGM and Dinner action in 1935 ......... 4 in the factory WA News ........ 6 racing Hornet The Hancock’s 1933 later used by Hornet coupe ....... 6 Jim Gullan in the 1936 Qld News ........ 7 Australian Discovered: Grand Prix. It Qld Sanction 127 ....... 7 was Spark Vic Sanction 114 ....... 8 who competed in the speed trials in Canberra on May 12 1935 in this car, which came with a written guarantee that it would do 102 mph. Hornet revelations from Perth archives ....... 8 The photo discovered by Terry shows Spark in a park setting, almost certainly The Domain in Sydney, where we have another photo showing Spark with the Castrol Trophy he won that year for dominating speed events in the hornet. Spark is sporting his familiar basin cut, and naturally wearing a three piece double breasted WHS Club Contacts suit. Secretary The second photo shows the Maroubra team cars in Dalgety’s showroom in Bill Russell, Phillip Street Sydney (that is their old showroom prior to moving to the streamlined ph (03) 93622862 art deco showroom in Woolloomooloo later in the 30s.) In this photo the registration Qld Contact Howard Kenward, number of each car is clearly shown and, in Sherwood’s handwriting, the name of ph (07) 3267 6046 each driver is given. Editor Other photos we have of the team show them at the track and at the gatehouse John Clucas, of Government House in Sydney, but none of the other photos clearly give the ph (03) 9872 3330 registration numbers of the cars, or attribute them to the drivers. The winning Horneteers in the showroom of Dalgety’s in Phillip Street, Sydney. John Sherwood was justifiably proud of his own design of bodywork. The same car around 1963. Page 2 Hornet Special Newsletter The Government House photo is famous as a ring in, as one of the cars shown is a vertical dynamo 1931 model. Or, is the showroom photo a ring in? At any rate, this new photo gives us a lot more to work on. In the background of the photo, an advertising placard can just be made out “Wolseley Wave of Success for 1933”. The third photo contains the most interesting new information. Underneath a photo of a side view of what is indisputably Malcolm Smith’s car in a park setting, Sherwood has written “Special Body designed by Self for 1933 Wolseley Hornet Special”. Another interesting aspect is that this photo shows the vehicle clearly with two scuttle humps. The photo taken at the track shows Sherwood’s car with only a single hump. Another interesting feature of the new photo is that it shows the WHS monogram painted on the hubcaps of the Magna wheels. Malcolm Smith has confirmed that the The car during George Cannock’s ownership. monograms are still visible on the hubcaps, in red paint. To bring the story up to date, later photos shows the car with NSW registration BWR 539 and then ETD 119 Malcolm Smith’s car today. when owned in the ‘60s by George Cannock. Other owners included Rob Simpson and David Kerr, before it passed to Malcolm Smith, along with David Kerr’s 1934 WHS roadster. Clearly visible in most photos is the unusual slot in the left wing, to accommodate the spare. A further photo of the vehicle, as currently owned by Malcolm, appears left. For the record, the 1933 team members and the registrations of their cars were: John Sherwood 250-712 J St Heaps 2888 G Dinsdale 254-173 R Althouse 250-430 2003 Dinner will be Subscriptions now due oth Australian and UK subscriptions are due on April in central west NSW B1. If you would like to contribute to the club by being s a result of the successful towing of vehicles a paid up member, the following are your options: interstate to the 2002 dinner, the AGM decided Option 1: Pay nothing we’ll still send you the newsletter. Ato hold the 2003 dinner in central west NSW at Let us know though if you don’t want to receive it. Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes or Wellington. It was felt that such Option 2: $10 †This will pretty much cover the cost of a location offered many points of interest, and was keeping this newsletter going (it does cost us a bit in equidistant from the four major cities where Hornets are postage and printing), so if you like receiving it then this owned, viz: Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. is a good option. The date for the event will be 10-12 October 2003, Option 3: $70 †This includes the $60 subscription to the and more details will be provided in the next newsletter UK Wolseley Hornet Special Club and their excellent as to exact locations. John Prentice, Bill Russell and John magazines and spares service, together with a contribution Clucas are taking on the planning. Mark the date in your to the Australian group to cover printing, postage and diary and get your Hornet ready. handling. Cheques should be made payable to WHSC, We expect to be able to strike an economical deal with not to any individual person, and should be sent to the a car friendly motel in the area. As usual, UK members treasurer: John Ireland, 20 Durak Courts, 51 Hampton have been invited to attend. St, Durak, Qld 4077. Issue 14 Page 3 The Brisbane Autokhana Roger Banks can go backwards ... but so can Bill ... and Howard ... and Chris. Page 4 Hornet Special Newsletter Brisbane’s 2002 AGM and Dinner he Saturday’s visit to the garages of Brisbane A wonderful lunch accompanied that visit. members was a highlight of the weekend as it After lunch, a visit to the bowels of Howard Kenwards Tprovided the opportunity to see the various cars mother’s house revealed a variety of hornet restoration and projects. projects and parts amid the cobwebs and dust. Under David Monckton’s house he had his 1932 Chris Pike accompanied the tour in a strange (but Sanction 65 on show in many pieces. The Sanction 65 is magnificent) jalopy, but turned up in his Hornet for the unusual because it takes 19” wheels, and Bill Russell was Sunday’s motorkhana and cane toad squashing event. able to drop off a spare set of these brought up from Bill Russell and John Prentice arrived from Melbourne Melbourne for the purpose. and Canberra respectively with their Hornets. Bill had the pleasure of driving around Brisbane in his Hornet. John’s is very nearly complete and he should be able to do similarly very soon. The following office bearers were elected at 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 hospitality was enjoyed by all, both at the clubrooms where the dinner was held and in the billeting and refreshment areas. Roger Banks represented the UK club, and John Prentice’s very tidy engine bay. traveled from Melbourne with Bill Russell. On the way, a particular highlight was a visit to Norman After inspections, David’s wife and their two girls Jones at Daysdale, where Roger had the opportunity of provided the gathered multitudes with an excellent conducting the Betty Corbin Hornet on a number of morning tea, with piano accompaniment. circuits of the woolshed until the car eventually expired At Henry Hancock’s place we examined his 1933 amid explosions. coupe (see story elsewhere) a remarkably intact car jammed sideways into the back of Henry’s garage. It Gerry Dunford riding in style. shouldn’t take too much work before it’s on the road again. We then visited Gerry Dunford and looked again at his magnificent Coachcraft aero coupe and the remains of other specials. At Lyle and Margaret Cooper’s place, Lyle’s 1933 Daytona was the next car for inspection. Issue 14 Page 5 I have lowered the radiator bonnet line and fitted an WA News oil filter and brake booster, otherwise the car is standard mechanically. I have also opened out the ports on the from Peter Wells exhaust manifold to improve the breathing. Since the body is much lighter than the original saloon he Bob Grantham 1932 Hornet has now been I hope the performance will be reasonably brisk – I can’t completely rebuilt and licenced. It has a 4-seat see why these cars were considered lethargic since they Tsports tourer body similar in many respects to the are very similar ton the Fourteen Hornet Special, apart EW bodies of the period, but without the rounded rear from exhaust and inlet systems and they probably only panel.