Time Machine

[mikeyr]

The time is 1978 and I am at the Santa Barbara Concours d'Elegance, I have owned my Singer for 4 years and have never seen another Singer yet and what do I see ? a 1934 Singer Le Mans, I am in love.

Fast forward a year, it is now 1979 and I am at Pebble Beach Concours and what do I see ? that same Singer Le Mans and this time it wins a trophy, best of class. I found my 35mm slides of it and many have aged poorly, this is the best 2 of this award winning Le Mans, what ever happened to it ? Its hard to believe that a 34 Singer Le Mans was restored to this quality and disappeared.

[Peter McKercher]

Absolutely beautiful. Too bad it was done in the MG Cream Crackers Team colours though. I saw a picture of this car in Car Collector magazine in an article covering the Pebble Beach Concourse. Without a doubt, the car is still around and will turn up at an estate auction of someone's life time car collection in the near future .

[mikeyr]

Ok, so this belongs in the 4AD section but I did not want to start another time machine thread.

About 22 years I purchased a 2 tone Tan 4AD, I purchased it on a Wednesday and on Thursday I did things like flush the fuel system on the car that had not been run in about a decade, clean the plugs things like that at the owners house, I drove it home that Thursday night. Next morning was a beautiful Friday morning and Corey Welty called and asked if I could drive up and help him get his LM motor in this weekend, since he lived rather close to me, only 380 miles away I took off in my new 4AD and went up there. Almost a miserable drive, getting to his house meant going inland away from the cooling breezes of the ocean and into the deserts of Calif. I was cooking in 100+ degree temps with no top on the car but my new 4AD never missed a beat, got there sun burnt and tired and got to putting the motor in the LM the next day. Sunday, Jonas came to Corey's house to see the new 4AD and well...my wife had to drive up and pick me up because Jonas liked the car so much he made me a offer I could not refuse. Called my wife and told her and up she came to get me, it cost me a night in Monterey as she was not about to drive 800 miles in one day.

Fast forward to TODAY, my 4AD is sitting in the driveway waiting for the truck to pick her up and take her to her new home (I was SAD to see that car go) and my next door neighbor 2 doors down walks up and says "Is that a Singer?" I said yes and congratulations for knowing what a Singer is and he tells me his Dad used to own one, I asked Blue, Green or Tan ? he said Tan and I said "yup, the one at the cul-de-sac at Santa Barbara Shores", I think he broke his jaw when it hit the concrete as I told him I had purchased it, he immediately called his Dad and they came and looked at the car and we talked, yup, I bought their car all right, I have purchased 3 4AD's over 30 years here in Santa Barbara.

What are the odds that 3 months ago this guys son would have moved in 2 doors down and of course why has he not seen my 4AD before ? His dad now 74 years young missed his old Singer, unfortunately the truck was here and I did not have time to take him for a ride and away my trusty 4AD went.

[ringtrev]

Well Mike fast forward 30 years and I think you will see a post soon from the NEW owner of the Pebble Beach Le Mans! I won`t pre empt it by giving more details I will let the owner speak.Trev

[RobM]

Hi Mikey, My name is Rob Martin from South Australia and I am the very very proud owner of the 1934 LeMans featured in the article. The car was owned by Robert Holmes a Court, a West Australian businessman, who had a significant car collection which was housed at Robert's Heytesbury Museum. The LeMans was exhibited alongside a J2 or P2 MG and the cars were painted the same. ( refer P McKercher post) The collection was sold after RHaC passed away and the LM was sold to a Dr Richards of Perth. Approx six years later the car was sold to Murray Bean, a member of our Club here in SA. Murray was nearing eighty at the time and did not participate in a lot of club events, therefore the LM was not seen often. Murray passed away approximately 2 years ago and I purchased the car from the beneficiary of his estate in October last year. (very perceptive Peter McK ).

The car had only travelled 1050 miles since the 1970's restoration and I have added 300 miles since. I have had a lot of reliability issues with electrics and engine and I attribute this to the long periods that the car has been sitting around, I haven't yet returned from a club event without breaking down, but the reliability is improving and I really enjoy driving the LM as often as I can. The car hasn't been touched since you last saw it and whilst there is the odd paint chip, the car has been well preserved as you can see in the attached photo.

1934 LeMans prior to buying it.

I have no info on the car from before Pebble Beach and I am looking for anybody who can help me further. The chassis number is 62618 and the engine no. is LC7466, The dashboard has a "Pike and Dare" plate on it, has anybody any info on what this represents. regards for now, Rob

[mikeyr]

WOW !!! that is all I can say is WOW !!!

Super impressive !

And welcome to the site.

[Peter McKercher]

Hey Rob,
Welcome to the board and the pre war set. Truly an impressive looking car. Good to see it on the road again. No idea what Pike and Dare refers to. If it is a dash plaque I assume it was a competition or event of some sort - perhaps a hill climb

[Peter McKercher]

Rob
I see we have a badge collection in common

[Peter McKercher]

Rob
A little of the pre Australian history of your car for you.

Your car apparently had a 'modest' trialling history. In 1951 was owned by Don Arlott (lived in Dulwich, S. London) and was at the inaugural meeting of the SOC. It was then sold to C.A. Marsh, Bayswater, London. In 1969 it was exported to the USA to Oregon by Robert Ames (pic in May '71 Singer Owner) then on to California. It then moved on to W.
Australia in 1994 and owned by someone called Reynolds.

Peter