LEA-FRANCIS 14HP SPORTS
RUN BY Mick Walsh OWNED SINCE 1963 PREVIOUS REPORT Nov 2017
Now that the engine is back to full health and run in, the Leaf has had an active summer with club events, runs to VSCC Silverstone and the Revival, and a trip to France.
Although JEL doesn’t officially need an MOT, we still like to take it for a test because it’s a reassuring way to get a good check-over underneath. Our trusted tester in Barnes always calls the car “the nota-morgan” and failed to pass it after spotting a broken shock-absorber arm. Thankfully, specialist Barrie Price had one in stock, so co-owner John Blundell drove out the next day to collect the £102 spare, and called in at David Simpson’s workshop on the way back to fit it.
The damper had broken off completely but, such is the lively ride of the Leaf, we hadn’t noticed the difference on the road. The tester was amazed when the car was presented again the following day, with the new part fitted.
Because John planned to take his Lea-francis ‘woodie’ to Le Mans, the Sports was enlisted for the Fougères Rally in Normandy from 23-29 May. The 180-car entry always features a strong group from across the Channel, and Bristol was this year’s nominated marque, with 30 entered. To keep JEL company, Ian Dilmot-smith came from Kent in his 2½-litre Sports.
Always keen to make the most of a rally trip, John works in other local diversions. Taking the Caen crossing, he called in at Bayeux to see the famous tapestry and the D-day museum. The rally is a relaxed run on deserted minor French roads, with regular stops at local châteaux. The finish at Fougères is in the grounds of the castle before a parade through the town. It’s a very social event with some fun enthusiasts, including Mark Elder from The Motor Shed at Bicester Heritage with his Alvis 12/50, while Sandy Doggart’s Aston DB2/4 was a favourite car. The Leaf ran faultlessly on the French trip and seemed to enjoy the smooth back-roads.
A more demanding navigational event was the Lea-francis Owners’ Club’s annual scatter rally based at Aynho Wharf near Banbury, and 10 Leafs turned out for the challenge of plotting a route visiting 10 local churches for clues to questions devised by Colin and Sarah Poyter. With John’s brother-in-law Charles Teal on the maps, the task proved harder than expected, but after a frantic 70mph blast back to the Holt Hotel, we ended up winning a box of chocolates.
The longest trip of the summer was a first visit to the Beamish Run in June. Held since 1971, the event is open to pre-1956 cars and motorcycles, with 150 entries enjoying a 150-mile route through County Durham and Cumbria. Highlights included impressive runs up Askrigg Bank and Tan Hill, and, despite the grey weather, hundreds turned out to cheer the rally on. After a wet final day, the Leaf dropped onto three cylinders on the dark run to the hotel. Thankfully, however, the following morning it was back onto all four for the 270-mile trek home.
Our early start convoying down to the Goodwood Revival on the Friday with ‘Julio Balmez’ and his rumbling Lincoln was blessed with sunshine, but we were surprised by how few classics we saw en route.
The climax of the summer was the LFOC’S Autumn Tour of Wiltshire. Among the 20 cars were four other 14hp Sports, headed by organiser Nigel Fowler’s car, which he recently bought from Germany and restored. With fine weather and a lovely group of cars, the event was the perfect end to a great season in which JEL has covered 2500 miles with total maintenance costs of just £217. Classic motoring doesn’t get better value than that.