OEDavid and Laurie Vinall Estate OE-238, Engine number and body Number OE-238, Older Restoration
Provenance
On the 26th of May 1925 Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas L.F. Rutledge registered his new 30/98 Vauxhall OE238 with the Bedfordshire County Council prior to taking delivery of it from Vauxhall Motors Ltd. in Luton, England. It was fitted with the company's standard Velox 4 seat tourer body and had a polished aluminium finish. It is not known how much the Vauxhall was used in England before it was shipped to Australia but its home on arrival was at the Rutledge property "Gidleigh" Bungendore, New South Wales. The Vauxhall Iron Works in London had produced its first car in 1904, a single cylinder runabout then the company moved to Luton in 1905 and produced many successful models there before this 30/98 was built. The production of the 30/98 began in 1913 and after the war earned a name for its high performance and reliability, their success in competition is legendary. The early cars had 4-cylinder side valve engines but in 1922 the design was changed to over-head valves, designated by the prefix OE. The 4-cylinder engine in OE238 has a capacity of 4.25 litres and is rated at 23.8hp and coupled to a 4-speed gearbox. 30/98 Vauxhalls were often fitted with more comfortable enclosed bodies, depending on individual customer requirements. Thomas Rutledge sold the Vauxhall in the early 1940s to John Crouch and it then went on to Jack Jeffrey, Frank Dent and Harry Thompsett in Sydney from whom Laurie purchased the car in 1965. These owners since Thomas Rutledge used the car in competition and records exist of it doing so. When Laurie purchased the Vauxhall, it had done a lot of work yet was still in remarkable good condition and after driving it back to Adelaide from Sydney, accompanied by son John, Laurie did some detailing on the car in preparation for its first rally to Albury in 1967. After a time, an engine overhaul and chassis repaint was undertaken. To increase the cars agility the original 70 lb flywheel had been reduced dramatically in weight and the 23" wheels had been cut down to 21". These things were rectified in time for a rally to Brisbane and back in 1970. The family took part in many rallies over the years and since Laurie's death in 1985 it has been maintained by son David.
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