Issue 217 (July 2024)

Description

Heading up the July 2024 edition of Irish Vintage Scene is an Austin A40 Devon that has lived all over Ireland at various times over its life, but has recently returned to the family that owned it in the early 1970s. Bought new in Cork in 1952, in 2022 it was tracked down in Armagh by the sons of its owner in the seventies, and now it’s a treasured part of the family once again. Our second feature car is another design of the late forties, but one that lasted in production far longer – this Rover P4 80 was picked up in the UK on something of a whim, with plenty of bodywork rot discovered on its return to Ireland. However it developed into a very satisfying restoration project for its owner, and is now back on the road with reliability and style.

This month’s featured tractor is a very rare sight in Ireland – the Valmet Model 15 A was the first tractor model that was produced by the Finnish giant, and paved the way for the huge success of the company up to the present day, now known as Valtra. This 1953 example was bought in its native Finland in the late nineties by the Buckley family, who operate a Valmet/Valtra dealership in Co. Cork. Our featured motorcycle is one of the all-time legendary small two-strokes, a Kawasaki KE 100 trail bike that was recently restored after over twenty years sitting in a shed, and our commercial feature tells the tale of a 1955 Albion Claymore that’s been in the same ownership since the late 1970s.

Lots of the usual favourites are in there too, so don’t miss out!