Not many cars served as a wartime farm vehicle before
going on the Alpine Rally. Mick Walsh drives a very special AC 16/80
It’s July 1946, and Betty Haig – a deter-mined rally
enthusiast – is already packing her AC 16/80 for a trip to Annecy to compete on
the Alpine Trial. Europe is still rebuilding following WW2 so, as well as
preparing the 10-year-old sports car, which had worked hard during the war
transporting six fruit harvests, Haig had the task at short notice of sorting
European petrol coupons, currency, up-to-date maps and finding a female
navigator to qualify for the Ladies’ Cup. Before arriving at the start, there was
the obstacle of destroyed bridges across France, and long detours en route.
The AC caused
quite a stir at the weigh-in as it was the first British car to compete after
the war
‘The AC caused quite a stir at the weigh-in as it was the
first British car to compete after the war,’ recalled Haig in her diary. ‘As
other competitors arrived we had a great reunion with all our continental
friends after the long war years.’
After the first day of speed trials, in which the AC
suffered with the ‘appallingly bad French petrol’, Haig and navigator Enid
Riddell set out to conquer the six high cols over a non-stop route:
‘Just 19 of the 37 starters clocked in that night. The course was very severe,
and the condition of the roads hard to imagine. All the bridges were down, and
we crawled over deep ravines on nothing more than a few wobbling planks. Many
of the mountain roads had subsided into the valleys below, and most of the
villages were in ruins with the inhabitants living among the rocks in primitive
conditions.’
The AC rallied on through intense summer heat, the coolant
boiling and forcing stops to refill from streams, while Haig worried about the
old retreads she had no option but to use: ‘The final stage over the famous Col
du Galibier was the toughest section with deep snow still covering the high
passes. The road was in a terrible state and everyone was having tire
troubles.’
Slowly, Haig’s key rivals – including a very fast ex-Le Mans
Darl’mat Peugeot – expired. Driving into the low sun towards the Marseille finish
while trying to see through the dust-covered windscreen, Haig sensed victory:
‘Then came the unkind cut. A sudden rally sign directed us up a narrow road
into wild Mediterranean foot-hills. For mile after mile, the rough narrow
tracks seemed to shake the last ounce of life out of the exhausted cars and
drivers.’
Signature March
styling with slab tank and twin spares
Haig made the finish and passed the final test, the tough AC
greatly impressing the organizers and rivals: ‘All the components and electrical
equipment were working100%. The only breakage was a front tie-bar carrying the
number plate and spot lamp.’ Haig collected a trio of trophies, including the
2-litre class victory and the Coupe des Dames. Among the telegrams of
congratulations was one from the Hurlocks, the owners of AC Cars. Soon after
her return that summer, the trusty AC was hill climbed a few times. Haig
removed the chrome radiator slats to improve cooling, but eventually it was
sold and a BMW 328 – acquired before WW2 but which she was previously
embarrassed to drive – was disinterred for competition.
Today, that very 16/80 is in superb fettle and is the pride
of lifelong AC enthusiast David Hescroff, whose passion for the marque started
with his father’s pre-war two-seater drop head. “My brother John and I used to
travel in the dicky seat, which was great fun,” he recalls. “I’ll never forget
one drive across the New Forest when we arrived too fast at a humpback bridge.
Both our school caps came off. When Dad sold the car in 1949 I was only eight
and I remember crying my eyes out.”
As soon as Hescroff passed his driving test, the only car he
wanted was an AC: “I found a four-seat drop head that I ran for six months but
sold it on because it needed too much work.”
AC mascot designed
by Louis Lejeune
After a succession of Triumph TR6s, his interest in ACs was
revived in the early 1970s by rumors of a supercharged 2-seater in the Dorset
area: “I eventually found the owner but he’d just sold it. Then I started to
look into the history of the pre-war cars, and really fancied one of the
slab-tank models. Somehow they looked sportier than the sloping-tail cars. I
went up to the factory at Thames Ditton and, after looking through the ‘bible’
of build records, I discovered just how few were built – only 28 slab tanks and
14 sloping tails, which was nothing compared to main rival Jaguar.”
After joining the AC Owners’ Club, Hescroff read about
Haig’s exploits: “The stories of her adventures on the 1946 Alpine Rally
fascinated me. The car hadn’t been seen for years, and I tracked it down to
‘Bunny’ Burnett in Cheddar. The good news was that he agreed to sell, but it
was in a sad state. As a student in the ’60s, Bunny had been involved in a
head-on accident and the AC, although complete, hadn’t been touched since. At
some point the body had been painted red, and the chassis was bent in the heavy
shunt.”
Hescroff couldn’t resist the daunting project, band
instructed trusted specialist Phil Whitaker with the rebuild. Following a total
strip-down, EPJ 101 started to come together, including a respray in its
original silver paint.
After learning that Haig was still alive but by then in her
70s, Hescroff became extra-motivated to get the car finished for a visit to her
home: “It seemed appropriate that our first trip should be to see Betty, and
she was really happy to see the car. All the memories of her rallying adventure
with friend Enid came back, and we tempted her out for a drive. Even in her
senior years, she’d lost none of her gusto behind the wheel, which was a little
scary.”
The AC rallied on
through intense summer heat, the coolant boiling and forcing stops to refill
from streams
Once sorted after the rebuild, the most famous of the 1930s
AC sports cars began an active life in VSCC hill climbs, rally events, driving
tests and many memorable road miles in England and Europe. Highlights have
included the Mille Miglia retrospective, a car and balloon challenge from
London to Paris and a spirited parade around Spa on an international AC rally.
On all occasions, it was driven to events.
