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Title: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 01:09:47 PM Tazet & I were in Wales last week. Not in a Biblical, Jonah & the Whale kinda way, but the Land of the leek where Max Boyce is king.
We were in Cardigan -the town, not the comfy knitwear, to collect a panel for my Ford Pop project. Thought we'd take time out for a little sight-seeing on the way back, so called in at Pendine Sands, on the shores of Carmarthen Bay. Tazzie had been here before, albeit many years ago, but it was a new one on me. These days it's a very nice family beach -7 miles of unbroken flat sand. One of the longest beaches in the U.K, but back in the 20s & 30s it was Britain's answer to the U.S's Bonneville salt flats. In 1924 Malcolm Campbell set the World land speed record here in his V12 Sunbeam Bluebird. 146.163 mph. That must've been stunning in a time when horses were still regular transport for much of the population. Campbell returned several times to re-set the record, but 3 years later in 1927, local man Parry Thomas was killed on the sands in his car, "Babs". Built around a hee-uge 27 litre V12 Liberty areo engine hooked up to a Mercedes gearbox with chain drive to the rear wheels, he'd already set a record of 171.09mph when Campbell pipped him at 174mph. Parry Thomas modified his car, taking it up to nearly 600bhp & tried again. On 3rd March, 1927, he was killed instantly when he lost control on the sands at around 120mph. "Babs" flipped end over end several times before sliding for a quarter of a mile along the beach. Bizarrely, the mangled aluminium bodied car was buried in the nearby dunes & stayed interred for 42 years, before enthusiasts unearthed it & restored it to full running order again. It now takes pride of place in the small beach front museum of speed at Pendine, alongside several Broughs that had raced along the same sands. If like me you're a fan of history, love tales of derring-do by stout chaps who raced cars the size of lorries in nothing more than tweed jackets & flat caps -or just fancy a bag of chips & a paddle, Pendine sands are worth a visit. To the East of Tenby, on the shores of Carmarthen Bay. Free parking & free entry to the speed museum. Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 01:28:15 PM .
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 01:29:53 PM .
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 01:30:53 PM .
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 01:31:47 PM .
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: BikerGran on July 14, 2007, 03:11:03 PM Saw a TV prog the other day about Babs and her current owner who takes her out for a run on the sands now and then to keep her happy!
Nice pics. Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 03:37:37 PM Forum member Mr Giant was telling me at the Alton bike meet on Wednesday that he'd tried to take his little black Triumph, "The Pendine Flyer", (soon to be featured in BSH), onto the sands. He wasn't allowed without 10,000 pounds of public liability insurance.
Lovely "oil painting" sky the day we were there. Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 14, 2007, 03:38:10 PM .
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: BikerGran on July 15, 2007, 09:52:28 PM That exhaust is a work of art!
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 15, 2007, 10:05:07 PM I know. Beootiful ain't it.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Chevy Rick on July 21, 2007, 05:56:14 PM http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LAND-SPEED-RECORD-CAR-1927-BABS-PARRY-THOMAS_W0QQitemZ270145308550QQihZ017QQcategoryZ19066QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Babs is up for auction??? Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 21, 2007, 06:06:09 PM Doh! thought it was the real one for a minute. I was going to bid on it.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: BikerGran on July 21, 2007, 06:46:14 PM Of course you were.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: panthershaun on July 22, 2007, 08:10:24 AM just cause you've sold the flat, ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on July 22, 2007, 08:15:08 PM Saw a very nice scruffy black Lincoln at the Victory Wheelers show today for 4 grand.
Good job the money won't be available for about 6 weeks -assuming the sale doesn't fall through. Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: mrgiant on July 24, 2007, 03:26:26 PM Here is a piccie of the "flyer" on Pendine - NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE IT ON THEBEACH THOUGH
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: TwistedPatience on September 06, 2007, 09:49:20 PM Going on Hols there next month for a week.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: tazet on September 06, 2007, 10:19:30 PM I'm going to Wales with my Mum in November. Don't think we will be too many miles from it.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Tony oily bike on August 12, 2010, 06:12:53 PM Here's a bit of 'unusual' info:
Parry Thomas, the driver who lost his life in Babs, is buried in Byfleet, near to Brooklands (Weybridge), in Surrey. If you 'd like to see Babs, when not in the small museum at Pendine, she can sometimes be found in the Brooklands Museum, and the owner frequently takes her to the big events at Goodwood where she can be seen and heard runing... that V12 liberty engine .... glorious ! Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on August 12, 2010, 10:22:20 PM Babs was on show at Beaulieu when we were there for the recent Victory Wheelers show.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: bitzman5 on August 12, 2010, 11:00:16 PM HI IN FACT MALCOLM CAMBELL BROKE THE LAND SPEED RECORD THE YEAR BEFOR IN 1923 ON THE BEACH 10 MILES FROM ME AT SALTBURN BY THE SEA BUT WAS NEVER RECORDED AS SUCH
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Tony oily bike on August 13, 2010, 09:28:54 PM Went to Saltburn beach about 4 years ago, nice n windy (the beach, not me) and spent an hour or so flying kites. Must admit I didn't know about its motoring heritage.
I visited Pendine around ‘93, its amazing how open and flat the place is, and its incredible just how far the sand stretches. If walls could only talk, the once vibrant little hotels would tell a tale or two!! If anyone wants to see Parry Thomas & Babs, try the Pathe News website http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=15194 Some other info on Babs http://www.racingcampbells.com/content/campbell.archives/babs.parry.thomas.asp Slight subject meander: More cubes? In 1924 when Pendine was seeing its Land Speed Record heyday, a chap called Ernest Eldridge thought the 18 litre lump in his car “ Mephistopheles” wasn’t up to the task, so he stretched the chassis and fitted a 21.7 litre six cylinder Fiat form an airship (as ya do!). I been lucky enough to see this incredible car running (just, it was spewing water everywhere!) a handful of years ago, peak power around 1,800rpm and its overall size make Babs seem almost tiny. www.landracing.com/index. http://www.landracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=20 To see some info on “ Mephistopheles” try this link www.carkeys.co.uk/features/classichistoric/969.asp Oops! I’ve rabbited again………….. Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on August 13, 2010, 10:33:15 PM Incredible machines. It must've taken some guts to wrestle them down the track at all, let alone at record breaking speeds.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: panthershaun on September 27, 2010, 08:43:57 AM might be opening again soon for a few events ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on September 27, 2010, 10:48:01 PM Cool!
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: blair on October 07, 2010, 10:06:03 AM Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: minimutly on June 28, 2014, 10:09:58 PM Went down to pending today (I live no more than 20 miles away). Guess what was there?
(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg1_zpsb5e52c56.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg1_zpsb5e52c56.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg3_zpsbf3e245e.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg3_zpsbf3e245e.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg6_zps3ded11ad.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg6_zps3ded11ad.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg7_zpsca765ae4.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg7_zpsca765ae4.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg8_zpsbe6d5700.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg8_zpsbe6d5700.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg5_zps31f64867.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg5_zps31f64867.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg4_zpsfb134025.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg4_zpsfb134025.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg2_zps28aee6e1.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg2_zps28aee6e1.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg9_zps020556f9.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg9_zps020556f9.jpg.html) (http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg7_zpsca765ae4.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg7_zpsca765ae4.jpg.html) [img [URL=http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg10_zps646bfcdb.jpg.html]http://(http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/carreglasinimutly/imagejpg10_zps646bfcdb.jpg) (http://s65.photobucket.com/user/carreglasinimutly/media/imagejpg8_zpsbe6d5700.jpg.html) Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on June 28, 2014, 10:27:17 PM Nice photos. Looks like you've got better racing weather than us here in the South -been pouring down here all day. I trust you'll be back tomorrow to get us some more driving shots? ;D
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: kapri on June 29, 2014, 10:13:24 AM I've been sorting my mates A banger engine to get it to this event, I'm still waiting to hear what his speed was but he only got the one run as the water pump and fan decided to call it a day . Apparently he has a hole in his hood where the fan tried to exit!!
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Manky Monkey on June 29, 2014, 10:37:15 AM Ouch!
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: minimutly on July 20, 2015, 09:22:31 PM 4.00 tomorrow, bluebird makes a return to Pendine. I'll be there, hopefully get some pics.
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: hunter on July 21, 2015, 09:42:39 AM The weather is not very good in the valley's this morning,
Title: Re: Pendine Sands, South Wales. Post by: Tony oily bike on July 21, 2015, 11:33:38 AM http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14841.0
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