This will be the twelfth of the marque in the family since Grumps's 1935 tourer, which he smashed up after a heavy night at The Café Royal in 1938.
The only model I have never wanted to own is this thing, the Franay Bentley, built for the Paris show in 1947. Isn't it hideous? I'm told it's now worth $2½ million.
4 comments:
sounds like sour grapes to me.I smiled all the way to the bank.
gary wales
I've spent many happy miles in the back seat of 'that hideous car'. Very comfy. You sat sideways looking at the wine cabinet. No wine, unfortunately. But Alec, the guy who owned it, did keep some cold Coke in there. He also removed the engraved crystal wineglasses as they would get broken, instead using some stainless mugs.
Yes, he did have problems with the width, he had a lovely hand-wrought 17th century front gate, and refused to rip it out and put in a wider one. There were slight dings in the wings because of this, he often stopping and having a quick look to see how much room he had. Despite captaining a frigate during the war he had trouble inching out, the road outside was narrow too, and he could only literally inch out, to back half an inch, to turn a bit, to drive an inch forward.... you get the idea? He still swiped out his neighbors flowerbed with regularity, keeping some potted flowers behind the fence to rapidly fill the gaps left by his tires!
He tried to remove the extended wings, but the boltholes looked awful and there was still the humps on the doors. "A puncture means no more driving that day." He was also experiencing trouble with the lack of rear lights and direction indicators. He loved to cruise Scotland and often was heart in mouth meeting lorries on narrow roads.
But all problems aside he loved the car. He could, and did, drive 5-800 miles a day in one go. And not feel tired at all. No motorways in those days, remember. He'd never had a car so easy and fun to drive, "You never want to stop, I get annoyed every time I realise I need to find a hotel for the night." Ex-Navy as he was he always drove with the top down, only raising the rear bit if it got really bad, but still choosing to drive with the roof open.
He had put his name down for a car to find there was a 5 year waiting list. That suited him, he needed the time to find the money, having recently bought a business, but was offered the Franay after nobody else wanted it. Gudol had traded in the car with Bentley and they were selling it for him. Alec raised the money by living on bread and water, he was not sure he liked the styling but the price was half what he would have to pay for a new car! The Franey was barely run in, Gudol, a munitions manufacturor, was a 'poser' not a driver.
Oh yes, there were wing-mirrors, and you could see little in them, as out the rear window when that bit was raised. Seems Mr. Gudol removed the original mirrors for something worse. The car was a gold colour too. Alec hit a grouse up in Scotland and damaged the radiator grill and one of the spotlights, and was too strapped for cash to fix it, he had a company to run. He ran a woollen goods company for the top stores in London, visiting all his wool suppliers in the car, even the ones up on the Scottish islands. He could tell you where the wool come from just by feel. The actual croft.
He was also a hellava sailor. He met a 'rather large' German ship in the artic and didn't back down. He damaged the ship enough to slow it a bit, but most importantly he got off a signal to the fleet, who later sank said ship. His ship took hard hits, barely afloat and half his crew dead. He was badly wounded but lay on deck telling his ratings how to sail a boat that shouldn't still be floating. They got home.
Lovely man.
I was moonlighting at a London theatre in '62 and thus Alec and his little lady were frequent visitors, and this is where they met and fell in love with Sergio Franchi. Lisa became best friends with Sergio's young sister, they were near the same age. The Franchi's became regular visitors in their home up in Elstree, where the TV studio's were, the shows he performed in were sent from there, a mere 15 minute walk away.
Alec Clifford's old house was bulldozed in 1970, for a new complex, he had often talked of building a new house nearer his company. The old house was at the point where renovations were needed, which would cost a lot of money. A new house was cheaper. Sometime around this time Sergio must have bought the car. Alec loved it, as said, but for practical and economic reasons he had been thinking of buying a Mercedes SL convertable (the pagoda-roof one).
I was no longer in the loop, so can only go on rumours heard.
It is said he and Lisa emigrated to South Africa to photograph wildlife (he was indeed a keen photographer, many a model-shoot was conducted in his huge garden, you've definately seen a few of the girls, June Palmer etc) he hiring a manager to run the company, he only coming back to check the wool and renew contracts, and he died out there.
I can't find Lisa. She would have some good photos of the car and their lovely old house, plus all the celebs who sat in the car. And those wineglasses....
She could still be alive, she was only a year or so older than me, a model. I introduced her to Alec. He was 50. They got on great.
I'm certain Alec would be over the moon to see the car today. And mad at the silly money it is fetching! He never got that much for it, that's for sure.
I say, Anonymous, you've had some interesting friends. Thank you for sharing these reminiscences with me. Have we ever met?
I once had a friend who owned a Facel Vega; that was an even more ridiculous car than the Franay and I bet there are none left around today.
hi again hugh (assuming you're still reading this...). i'm not "quite" in your league, but am now the proud owner of a beautifully ugly beautifully beautiful classic myself.
ther carrrr
ok, not quite as classic as yours...
but a lot of people grin and wave back when i signal to turn :)
(hadn't read Anonymous's comment all the way through before. it's superb.)
Post a Comment