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The Restoration of the Caswell BNC

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Isn’t that the ex-Caswell/George Lymber BNC? But it looks, well, restored!

Well, yes, it is, and yes, it was. The history of the little BNC with the flathead Ford was well-told in 2012 by the late Eric Davison. Since then, long time owner George Lymber II died in 2013, and the still unrestored BNC passed to vintage racer Peter McLaughlin*. He embarked upon a four year restoration, something that previous caretakers did not want to do, but if the BNC was to continue be driven, it was soon found that a complete restoration was inevitable. Recently, the restoration project manager, Bob Harrington, contacted us with the details of the rebuild. -Ed

By Bob Harrington

Some time ago, VeloceToday did an article on the BNC. A friend of mine bought the car and at first was just going to get it running, but decided it was too far gone to be able to drive it safely so it was decided to do a complete restoration, which I oversaw. [Read more…] about The Restoration of the Caswell BNC

The Vintage Sports Car Magazine

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Two recent issues of the VSCCA magazine.

By Pete Vack

Last week, the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA) and VeloceToday sent a 2020 Italian Car Calendar to VeloceToday’s premium subscribers who responded to our free offer, and also included a complimentary copy of the rare VSCCA quarterly magazine called the Vintage Sports Car. We thought it an opportune time to tell our readers a bit about this rare publication and its editor.

The current editor is Jim Donick, who put out his first issue of the Vintage Sports Car in April of 1985. Though generally available only to VSCCA members, Donick told us that you’ll find the magazine in several of the neatest automobile museums in Europe, but he adds, “Usually on the desk of the director or other members of the staff. They don’t distibute it.” [Read more…] about The Vintage Sports Car Magazine

Ex-Cunningham Stanguellini

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Story by Sean Smith

By his own estimations Bill Gelles has owned and raced in a Stanguellini longer than anyone else in the world (with hats off to Howard Banaszak!) Gelles has steeped himself in the history and lore of all things Stanguellini. When Gelles sat down and spoke to Vittorio’s son Francesco, Francesco told Bill “You know more of the history of these cars than we do.” Well, almost. Bill had learned a lot.

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The VSCCA Mt. Equinox Hillclimb

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Story by Pete Vack and Sean Smith
Photos by Sean Smith

On a mountain in Vermont named Equinox, there is a monastery manned by the ultra-reclusive Carthusian Monks, an order founded in France by St. Bruno in 1084 CE. Visitors are not allowed. On another face of the mountain is a tunnel dug for a now-abandoned cryonics receptacle which would have contained the frozen preserved bodies of several prominent high-IQ individuals for future reawakening. Near the summit is a secret Cold-War NORAD radar site, now in use for local radio stations.

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Driving the Mt. Equinox Hillclimb

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Story and current photos by Sean Smith

During the 60 year anniversary of the Mount Equinox hillclimb, 16 VSCCA members recounted their experiences on the mountain to VeloceToday’s Sean Smith. Ben Bragg, above in Sandy Leith’s Bugatti, exemplifies the spirit of the mountain.

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The Complete Saga of the Caswell/Lymber BNC

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BNC in garage-under-cardboard

French Charm seeing the light of day after forty years. Photo by George Lymber.


Part 1 French Charm

By Eric Davison

In 2012 Eric Davison wrote a three part article about a BNC that had appeared at Watkins Glen in 1948. Below, we have combined all three parts into one for a unique, total account of this rare car. Sadly, the owner of the BNC at the time, George Lymber II. died on Oct 3 2013.

Getting involved in writing about old cars is something like a disease that is incurable. The symptoms keep on recurring. Case in point: Last year I was involved in helping my friend Phillipe Defechereux with the latest edition of his book about Watkins Glen in the period from 1948 to 1952. (Watkins Glen, The Street Years. 1948 – 1952. Dalton Watson)

The intention was to try to locate some of the cars that appeared at the Glen during those years and to tell where they are today. Unfortunately I had only a few months in which to work. To do a comprehensive job would take years and would make a pretty good book all by itself.

To our subscribers: Ignore the ‘comments are closed’ notice below as it is a software glitch; put your comments at the bottom of each article as before.
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The Saga of the Caswell BNC Part 3

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BNC Ford

The Caswell BNC Ford as it appears today, cleaned up but unrestored 'as last raced,' to quote Fred Simeone. Photo courtesy George Lymber.

Preserving History

By Eric Davison

It is hard to determine the ownership succession of a car like the BNC. We do know that Caswell bought it as a used car, after which he modified it and competed with it before it changed hands. To whom it went next is a mystery.

It was reportedly in the hands of Eric “Sonny” Grainger for a time. Grainger was the track announcer at the Islip, Long Island race track for a period and in 1955 was one of the founders of the Bridgehampton circuit.

The Brooklands windscreen with the Bridgehampton Paddock pass.

[Read more…] about The Saga of the Caswell BNC Part 3

The Saga of the Caswell BNC Part 2

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At left, Tony Lymber with John Gianella, who had so carefully and thankfully preserved the Caswell BNC. George Lymber photo.

A Franco-American Hybrid

By Eric Davison

No one knows how George Lymber’s BNC reached America. We do know that a legendary figure of the early days of sports car racing, Otto Linton, (who was of great help in writing these articles) was a close friend and business associate of George Caswell, who purchased the car from motorcycle dealer George Taylor sometime in the early 1940s. Since both Taylor and George Caswell have both passed along to the great racetrack in the sky, there are no details to be had about the arrival of the BNC to these shores.
[Read more…] about The Saga of the Caswell BNC Part 2

Chapter from “They Started in MGs”: Otto Linton

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otto linton oscaAbove: Otto Linton in the rare 2000S OSCA serial number 2006.

Special Notice:Otto Linton will be the guest speaker at a VSCCA Luncheon, December 4th, in Somers NY. Contact frankrighetti33@aol.com for details.

“I raced an MG in 1948 at Watkins Glen,” says driver Otto Linton. “It was a J4, the only one in the United States and it’s now back in the UK. “ As described in the book The Story of the MG Sports Car, the 1933 J4 was “too fast for most drivers.” The car had essentially the same body that would cover MG frames until 1955, except no doors. Mechanically, it had a 4-cylinder OHC engine of 750cc displacement, supercharged, with one large SU carburetor and a four speed transmission with a remote shift lever and lock-out reverse. It was built in 1933 in a special production of only 9 cars, at the same time as the more famous K3 Magnette with the same design engine but of 6 cylinder configuration – 30 of these were built and only sold to customer competition drivers.

MG-J4

Linton's MG J4 in 1945.

Like many other drivers in that first race of the new sports car era – Bill Milliken, race organizer Cam Argetsinger, Denver Cornett and George Weaver, Otto posted a DNF in the event, with Haig Ksayian going on to take the win in the MG class. “I just had that one race in ’48,” says Otto, “plus a couple of hill climbs in 1949.” [Read more…] about Chapter from “They Started in MGs”: Otto Linton

MUG 412 and the story of an Alfa Romeo RLSS

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The fascinating history of the Alfa Romeo RLSS MUG 412. Upper left, letter from Tom Goodman; upper right, the Hull and Slater book; original registration from 1927; MUG 412 plate and the RLSS at the Simeone.

By Pete Vack

Fred Simeone became the owner of this rare Alfa Romeo RLSS, chassis number 69013, because he rarely forgets a mug. “I was at Goodwood in 2002 and noticed the Bonhams’ catalog had an RLSS for sale with a British license plate which read ‘MUG 412‘. It struck me as being very familiar, and I then remembered I had read about this car in the Alfa history by Peter Hull and Roy Slater some forty years earlier.” And sure enough on page 63 of the first edition, was a description of this particular Alfa and how it was built for a relative of actor Michael Rennie. Simeone didn’t need to know too much more to bid successfully on the RLSS. (Read Driving the RLSS) It wasn’t the first time the unusual tag was the object of attention.
[Read more…] about MUG 412 and the story of an Alfa Romeo RLSS

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