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Lot #50 - 1924 VAUXHALL 30/98 TOURER OE86/100

  • Auction House:
    Mossgreen
  • Sale Name:
    The Motorclassica Auction
  • Sale Date:
    14 Oct 2017 ~ 6pm
  • Lot #:
    50
  • Lot Description:
    1924 VAUXHALL 30/98 TOURER OE86/100
    The Trans-Continental and Round Australia record car (July 1936 & November 1938). Chassis No: OE86; Engine No: OE100
  • Notes:
    Today, as part of the General Motors group the Vauxhall marque’s illustrious early history is at times forgotten. Vauxhall Motors was founded in 1903 and its name is derived from the location of its works premises in Vauxhall Gardens in South London. The Griffin was chosen as the company’s crest because it was the crest of a 13th century knight Fulk le Breant, the Vauxhall name being derived from Fulk’s Hall. In the pioneering days of motoring, Vauxhall’s two most illustrious models were the Prince Henry and the 30/98 which were the brain child of Laurence Pomeroy who joined Vauxhall, by now situated in Luton, in 1905 aged 22. Pomeroy quickly was made Works Manager and in 1913 became the youngest person ever elected as a full member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Pomeroy was also the father of his namesake, the author of ‘The Grand Prix Car, 1906 -1939’. In 1919 Pomeroy left Vauxhall for pastures new in the USA. In 1922 the OE version of the 30/98 was launched. It sported a 4224cc engine with ohvs developing 112 bhp with a rear axle ratio of 3.3:1. Front wheel brakes were available from 1923. Production of the OE ceased in 1927 but after 1924 numbers were limited. The total production of the Vauxhall 30/98 was just 596 which included 13 built before the first world war, 270 E-types and 313 OE-types. Such was the build quality and craftsmanship of the 30/98 that the survival rate is high with relatively high numbers in Australia where the Vauxhall was very popular in its heyday. In the 1920s the 30/98 was very much a fast tourer as opposed to a sports car such as the Bentleys which were so prominent at this time at Le Mans. Although the 30/98 was not raced by the Works, Vauxhall guaranteed 100 mph (161km/h) for any example which was stripped down. This particular example, which in the 1930s would become the Trans-Continental and Round Australia record holder, was amalgamated into a single car from two Velox bodied 30/98 fast tourers shipped to Australia in 1924, chassis numbers OE86 and OE100. In 1937 OE86 was purchased by R.S Robinson as a wedding present for his wife to be, Janet. It did many miles between Melbourne and Deniliquin 300kms away in New South Wales where he had opened a dental practice. OE100 was purchased in 1934, also as a gift, for John Balmer by his mother. Balmer was an adventurous competitor in speed events such as the Mt Tarrengower Hillclimb near Maldon where his family had a property. With his co-driver Eddie Scott, Balmer set the transcontinental Darwin to Adelaide, Fremantle to Adelaide, and Adelaide to Melbourne records during 1936 in OE100. In 1938, sponsored by Shell, Dunlop and Repco, Balmer, along with Richard Kent, established a new 9,326 mile circumnavigation record of the Australian continent in 24 days, 11 hours and 58 minutes. Balmer and Robinson had become friends at the University of Melbourne. In 1942 as pilots for the Citizen Air Force stationed at the Melbourne Showgrounds before being sent overseas they decided to combine their two cars into one good car under shared ownership. Having taken the heaviest battering on the rough Australian terrain as a record breaker, the body of OE100 was discarded and its engine (still bearing three record breaking commemorative plates), front axle and gearbox incorporated into OE86. Unused components were stored at the Showgrounds. Balmer was killed in action in May 1944 during a bombing raid over Berlin but had willed his share of the car to Robinson’s wife Janet. This Vauxhall 30/98 was used by the Robinson family in Warnambool until a piston failure led to its storage in 1955. During the 1960s the car was passed on but came back into the ownership of the Robinsons in 1978 and made an appearance at Philip Island for the 50th commemoration of the inaugural Australian GP. Little used except for Vintage Sports Car Club events and a cameo feature in the opening shots of ‘Phar Lap’, the 1983 film of the legendary Depression era Melbourne Cup winning racehorse, the car was carefully stored until purchased in 2016 by John Whiting. Whiting, in ailing health, re-commissioned this remarkable and historic motor car utilising Paul Chaleyer of Vintage & Historic Restorations of Blackburn, Vic. Completed just prior to Whiting’s death the work is comprehensively documented and its history and provenance supported by period photographs and paperwork. Vauxhall 30/98 OE86/100 is now offered for sale by auction from the estate of the late John Whiting. This vehicle will be sold unregistered
  • Estimate:
    A$290,000 - 330,000
  • Realised Price:
    *****

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  • Category:
    Automobiles & Accessories

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.



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