CARDIGAN Classic Car Club’s annual show will be taking place on Sunday, May 26 at Cardigan Secondary School fields.

Entry is free, and as well as a wonderful display of cars, there will be various stands, stalls and car boot sales.

The attached photograph shows a 1927 Austin 12/4, which was designed and developed just after the World War One. In many ways it is similar to a modern car—engine driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox, four wheel brakes, conventional foot pedals and controls, etc.

However if you had occasion to drive it you would realise that things have really moved on over the last 100 years or so. The engine only develops about 24 horsepower, whereas even small modern cars develop about 100 horsepower.

Similarly with the brakes, even though they operate on all four wheels, they are simply cables and rods joining the foot pedal to the wheels. None of this modern power assisted hydraulics. Needless to say, it’s just as well that the car doesn’t go too fast, as it is very difficult to stop.

The suspension is by leaf springs, commonly known as cart springs, because that is where they came from. The front and rear axles are essentially solid bars, with none of the coil sprung independent systems that we see on moderns. Hence, the ride and roadholding leave a lot to be desired.

On the day of the show it will be possible to follow the development of cars over the last 100 years - 1930s cars where some had coil springs and some hydraulic brakes; post World War Two cars, where even Morris 1000s were developing around 40 horsepower. Cars all now had synchromesh to help change gears.

There will be cars on the field from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, some of the later ones even demonstrating some electronics, heaven forbid!

Go along and talk to the car owners and see how cars have developed over a period longer than most of us have been alive.