THE latest community news from Cardigan

Classic Car Club

CARDIGAN Classic Car Club’s annual show will be taking place on Sunday, 26 May, at the secondary school fields (use Teifi Leisure Centre entrance) just outside the town centre.

Entry is free.

As well as having a wonderful display of cars, they plan to have various stands, stalls and car boot sales.

The photograph (right) shows a 1927 Austin 12/4, which was designed and developed just after the First World War.

In many ways it is similar to a modern car, engine driving the rear wheels through a fourspeed gearbox, four wheel brakes, conventional foot pedals and controls, etc. However if you had occasion to drive it you would realise that things have really moved on over the last 100 years or so.

The engine only develops about 24 horsepower, whereas even small modern cars develop about 100 horsepower. As you can imagine, it doesn’t go that fast! Similarly with the brakes, even though they operate on all four wheels, they are simply cables and rods joining the foot pedal to the wheels. None of this modern power assisted hydraulics.

Needless to say, it’s just as well that the car doesn’t go too fast, as it is very difficult to stop. The suspension is by leaf springs, commonly known as cart springs, because this is where they came from. The front and rear axles are essentially solid bars, with none of the coil sprung independent systems that we see on moderns. Hence the ride and road holding leave a lot to be desired.

On the day of the show it will be possible to follow the development of cars over the last 100 years. 1930s cars where some had coil springs and some hydraulic brakes. Post Second World War cars, where even Morris 1000s were developing circa 40 horsepower. Cars all now had synchromesh to help change gears.

There will be cars on the field from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, some of the later ones even demonstrating some electronics, heaven forbid!

Go along, talk to the carowners, and see how cars have developed.

If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]