Well, we'd been to see Isles' Valiant Charger collection, but his brother Lance had not been there, so we, the Cocky, Roger Ramjet (who is an Essex fancier), and Young Liam,(who is a Charger fancier), and the Lupino, thought it only fair to go back when he was and have a geek at the Essex-Hudson collection that was also there on the farm.
There is something about the two brothers that is disturbing. They are both so moderate in appearance, and in manners, and yet their collective acquisitive instincts are radical to say the least. Isles collects Valiants, but only Chargers, and then he does it by the acre.
Lance is a bit broader in taste. He likes 1950's Vauxhalls, and Hudsons, of which he has 20 or so, but his main passion is Essex, of which he has more. How many? Bit hard to say really. Do you count the complete cars, which only need a little bit of care, the mid-problem cars that need more, or the basket case items, that are complete, but need money, or the parts cars? If you counted them all I'd reckon there would be about 60 Essex on that farm, probably more. Not a bad effort when you consider the short time Essex were actually in production, 1919-1933.
The photos here are just a very small proportion of what is on the farm. There are cars being restored by Lance, though I have yet to work out why certain cars are chosen. The green car to the left is virtually complete in every detail, including bodywork and upholstery, and yet Lance is tackling a basket case at the moment. Curious, but then again, we all have our little quirks.
The red car is a 1929 Roadster in perfect condition with after-market Jaysen Side Curtains.
The larger photo below is of Lance at the recent Eddington sprints in the car that started it all. This was the original family car bought new in the 1920's.
It goes without saying that Lance is the authority on Essex, having virtually every model in his collection. He's also a very nice bloke, as is his brother Isles.
Well, it's no surprise to us!
How can we put this diplomatically...... nah won't even try.
For those who have no lives, and follow the taudry adventures of the Ferals, they might remember that in Mount'n Men Mount'n Women (See Old Crap), Madame Yandoit (MY) was of pioneering stock and traced her ancestry back at least to the early 1880's in the Old Vic. And we could see that quality radiate from her. At last we have confirmation of breeding and good taste.
No doubt, old race memories were stirred in the derriere of MY as she was transported about the countryside in the capacious back of the ancestral Lupino 1927, 7 seater Huddo Limo, (despite the dog hairs of a still resentful Frazzle). The upshot of this stirring was that an ancestral photograph has emerged, of the aforementioned pioneering family with a splendid 1925, 5 seater Huddo. It shows, without a shadow of a doubt, that a younger Frank Sinatra had slipped in there,(3rd from right) and, Frank being Frank, probably improved the genepool with hybrid vigour. I wonder if the Yandoit can sing, "I did it my way"?
