An Augusta at the National Motor Museum?

[DavidLaver]

Saw this postcard on ebay.  Is it a photo from the museum itself?  Anyone know if the car is still on display?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190304329897

David

[JohnMillham]

This is David Mead's car now. it's good to see the progress being made on Augustas. I'm now working on my second supercharger, having blown the first one up!
The second one is better built, being a bit later, so should last a bit longer than 470 miles!
Regards, John

[stuwilson128]

This picture was used in the Beaulieu guide book last time I was there in about 2004.  Unfortunately at that time, there were no Lancias in the museum.

[johnturner]

A Major Bruce bought this car in Bond Street in 1936 and continued to run it into the 1970s, casuing some consternation at Alperton by turning up and demanding that they service it.  When he eventually had to give up driving Christine was involved in arranging for the car to be given to Beaulieu where, in recent years, it featured in this curious display.  Beaulieu's decision to simply sell it seemed crass to me.

[Running Board]

If I'm right and the registration is BLP 999, then that's David Mead's car.  It is the ex-Major Bruce car, very original and one of those things where it is hard to say whether or not it should be best left alone or fully restored!  I have a feeling that he did buy it from the National Motor Museum, come to think of it. 

David drove it to Turin for the Centenary and we had a good look at it there.  Seem to remember that it was the only other Augusta (other than ours) at the event. 

[Dilambdaman]

And here are David, Morris and David's friend having that good look!

Robin.

[DavidLaver]

Is there a "right" or "wrong" answer to what colour the rad shell should be with a two tone?   

The postcard made me wonder and this photo confirms its all the same colour.   I'd have expected it to be two tone to match the bonnet. With Mr M.Parry's car the blue is so dark it didn't jump out as being all a single colour but looking back at the photos from the 100th I realised it was. 

As for "leave alone" or "fully restore" I'm in the "leave alone" camp.

David

[Running Board]

There seem to have been many variations on two-toning when it came to Augustas.  Many Italian market cars seemed to have the entire body shell one colour with the wings/running boards another.  Cars that came through Alperton however, may have been finished to customer's requirements and it was common practice in that era to two-tone by painting "over" the base colour of the car.  Thus many cars were finished say all black and two-toned by overpainting say the bonnet sides and doors to waist level in blue.  This was in mind for the repaint James did on my car. 

My own Augusta incidentally, seems to have been a mid grey originally - similar to the one on the Alperton press release photo, versions of which can be seen in Frostick and La Lancia.  James is currently busy emulating this idea for his car (YS). 

[johnturner]

Alperton certainly adapted cars to match what they thought were the tastes of the UK market.  Apart from different paint schemes, rubber mats were taken out and carpets fitted, and cloth upholstery removed and the cars shipped round the corner to be retrimmed in leather.  Boxes of cloth upholstery carefully removed from Appias and Aurelias was kept at Alperton for years and I remember going with John Maltby to deliver a box containing an entire B20 interior to someone in  Woodford so that the fabric could be restored.  I assume, peering through the windows of Aurelias recently, that the original fabric is still available?  Returning to David's question about the colour of the radiator frame; the frame on the Lambda seems to have been always black, whatever the colour of the car.