Each week the RAC in Pall Mall London have a different car on display in The Rotunda and this week Elaine Moore's Dilambda is featured.
The change over is effected at 5am each Monday morning which necessitated me leaving Sussex at 3.30am for the drive to central London. I can't ever remember travelling across the city and having to be constantly on the alert not to exceed the speed limit. Most of the time I was in splendid isolation!
Arriving at 4.50am the task of getting the car into position proceeds with military precision. The RAC team remove the revolving doors, erect a ramp to negotiate the stairway up to the Rotunda, remove the Alfa TZ Prototype and direct me in driving the Dilambda into position. We made the climb OK although the clutch did slip a tad, the smell of which still lingered in the gallery above some time later!
Attached are some pics I took after the car was in position and in due course Elaine will let me post a video she shot of the exercise.
This You Tube video of an AC Cobra being winched in (no such luxury for me!) will give you an idea of what's involved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YatC9-GOkT8&feature=youtu.beA lovely additional touch is that in a way the Dilambda is reunited with Elaine's late husband Professor Peter Moore who brought the car from India in 1968. The mural in the gallery consists of paintings taken from various past RAC events and one of them is of one such event in Scotland which includes Peter with his Bentley. I've included a poor photo of it - Peter is slightly right of centre in front of the rear of his black Bentley and immediately to the rear of YR 8063.
A unique and very enjoyable experience. Just left to return at 5am next Monday for the return trip.
Robin.