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During WWII, U boat raids in the Atlantic were causing heavy losses of shipping, many of which were carrying war supplies to the Allies in 1/15 Hughes H4 Hercules ‘Spruce Goose’ Hughes H4 Hercules ‘Spruce Goose’ During WWII, U boat raids in the Atlantic were causing heavy losses of shipping, many of which were carrying war supplies to the Allies in Europe and beyond. In 1942 the US War Department issued a specification for an aircraft capable of flying the Atlantic with a large payload. No strategic materials were available for the construction of the plane. The design was the brainchild of Howard Hughes and Henry Kaiser (a leading Liberty ship builder and an expert in the use of plywood in construction). Originally described as the HK 1 reflecting the collaboration between the two men, the specification required the building of three aircraft in two years. Because there was no aluminium available the plane was constructed largely of birch ply. It was to be capable of carrying 150,000 lb (68039 kg): 750 fully equipped troops, or two 30 ton Sherman tanks. Development was extremely slow, in part due to Howard Hughes’ obsession with perfection and his attempts to acquire strategic materials. After 16 months Kaiser withdrew from the project. Hughes renegotiated the contract so that only one plane was to be built. Now designated Hughes H 4, progress was slow. The ‘Duramold’ process (a plywood and resin process of cold moulding plywood) was used. The specialised veneer was made by Roddis Manufacturing. Due to the slow rate of progress; Howard Hughes was accused of misusing Government money. During the court hearing Hughes stated that the plane was extremely complex, larger than any other airplane (until 2019), complicated in the use of plywood and the requirement to develop hydraulics for surface controls. the list went on… During a break in the court hearing Hughes returned to California to run the taxiing tests. Initially there were 36 people on board. Four press reporters left after the first two runs to file their reports. During the final run the plane became airborne at 135 mph (217 kph), flew at 70 ft (21 m) for about 1 mile (1.6 km). Thus Hughes exposed his detractors; his masterpiece flew, he had not misused Government funds. Spruce Goose never flew again. It was stored in an air conditioned hanger with a staff of 300 to maintain it in ‘flying’ condition. This was reduced to 50 in 1962 and ceased completely at Hughes’ death in 1976. The Aero Club of Southern California acquired Spruce Goose in 1980. The Walt Disney Company acquired the plane in 1988 parting with it in 1990 when it became part of the Evergreen Aviation Museum. Wikipedia Link

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.  Most famously is the home of the Hughes H4 Hercules; ‘Spruce Goose’ Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum; the Austin outside the Exhibition hall with Spruce Go Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum; the Austin outside the Exhibition hall with Spruce Go 1/20 Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon. Most famously is the home of the Hughes H4 Hercules; ‘Spruce Goose’. The museum was originally the idea of Capt. Michael King Smith, the son of the founder of the Evergreen International Aviation. Originally a small collection of vintage aircraft. In 1990 the Disney Corporation announced the closure of the Long Beach site that housed ‘Spruce Goose’. The Evergreen Museum won the bid to house ‘Spruce Goose’. Between 1993 and 2001 volunteers undertook a detailed restoration. The refurbished plane and Museum opened to the public in June 2001. The Space Museum opened in 2008. Wikipedia Link

Bespk.com is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability. Accessibility Page Bespk.com is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability. We aim to adhere as closely as possible to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0, Level AA), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make Web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user friendly to everyone. Whilst bespk.com strive to adhere to the guidelines and standards for accessibility, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website and we are currently working to achieve this. Be aware that due to the dynamic nature of the website, minor issues may occasionally occur as it is updated regularly. We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility. If you have any comments and or suggestions relating to improving the accessibility of our site, please don't hesitate to contact our accessibility coordinator Guy Butcher by email bespkinfo@gmail.com . Your feedback will help us make improvements.

Please help us by ordering this inspirational and epic book by using the Contact form below - writing to us or by telephone. All proceeds Contact us Please help our attempts to raise much needed funds for the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust (See www.discoverhannahs.org ). Our epic and inspirational book 'Austin 7 Around the Americas' may be ordered by completing the Contact Form below. Alternatively you can write us a letter or email. Thank you so much for your support! Address Guy Butcher, Unit 17, Moorlands Industrial Estate, Forge Lane, Saltash PL12 6LX Phone +44 (0)7974 024499 Email bespkinfo@gmail.com Social Media Contact Us First Name Last Name Address Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting to bespk The Newton Abbot Orchestra Concert to fundraise the cause with David Yandle. 23-05-2012 At Bob Brandon’s being introduced to the American Austin. 29-07-2012 We’re on our way from Joyce Beelman’s home after our enforced stop over. 12-09-2012 The Newton Abbot Orchestra Concert to fundraise the cause with David Yandle. 23-05-2012 1/3

bespk-Why in heaven's name would anyone in their right mind consider attempting to drive a 85 year old Austin 7 on an adventure in America. Eunice Kratky & Guy Butcher Bespk Austin 7 Around the Americas Book front cover Bespk Austin 7 Around the Americas Book back cover Bespk Austin 7 Around the Americas Book front cover 1/2 Austin 7 Around the Americas The book The amazing story of the design, rebuild and driving of a 1936/28 Austin 7 from Baltimore to Alaska to Punta Arenas in 2012/13. In the footsteps of Aime Tschiffely, John Coleman and many others! now Bespk. All the proceeds of the book are being donated to Dame Hannah Rogers Trust ( www.discoverhannahs.org ). A charity supporting young adults with learning disabilities and their families. The car is to be raffled (essentially as it returned from the adventure) with all the tools and spares to raise further funds for Dame Hannahs.

Here is the story about a dream, a dream that first appeared soon after buying the first of many Austin 7’s in 1966. The Book Here is the story about a dream, a dream that first appeared soon after buying the first of many Austin 7’s in 1966. Inspired by Tschiffely's Ride (Buenos AIres to New York in 1925 with horses and mules), Coleman's Drive (Buenos Aires to New York in a 1925 Austin 7, 1959-60) and Austins over the Andes by Vince Leek. It tells of the designing, building and planning of the journey from Baltimore to Alaska and onto Punta Arenas in a 1936/28 Austin 7 during 2012/13 by the Authors. It takes the form of a diary: Eunice wrote a blog on the website and Guy used Facebook as a daily record. To reflect on the immense generosity of the many people without whom this would never have happened ALL the proceeds of the sales of the book are being donated to Dame Hannah Rogers Trust ( www.discoverhannahs.org ). Book Orders Copies of the book may be ordered from; Guy Butcher, Unit 17, Moorlands Industrial Estate, Forge Lane, Saltash PL12 6LX Email - bespkinfo@gmail.com Tel no - +44 (0)7974 024499 Book Biography How do you build an 80 year old car with the idea of attempting to drive it the equivalent of circumnavigating the world (24,860 miles/40,007 km)? You ask a friend. In this case John Sutton. Having written the specification out you circulate it to knowledgeable friends. After a surprisingly brief time you hear from Vince Leek who’s found just the car. Having bought the car, you take it to bits and rebuild it as (effectively) a new car to optimise the chances of reliability. Remember you’re on your own! Attempts are made to identify any weaknesses before it’s placed in a container to be delivered to the USA. Collecting the car in Baltimore; following a route that appears roughly like a reversed 7 you drive to Alaska, catch the Ferry down the Inner Passage to Bellingham. Urgent repairs are completed before heading south along the Pacific coast of the USA. A race across Central America, to escape very challenging border crossings, with arrival in Panama. With more very generous help the car is placed into another container for transportation to Ecuador. Meanwhile we visit the Galapagos Islands. Unpackaged in Guayaquil, the adventure continues south through; Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, before ending in Punta Arenas. We missed the turning to Tierra del Fuego!

This is a story of discovery and aventure. The life lesson that the ability to achieve almost anything in this life depends on the ..... About Us Finding Inspiration in Every Turn Guy Butcher : ‘silly Sussex born and bred’, attended schools in Sussex before becoming an undergraduate at Guy’s Hospital, London (1966). The first Austin 7 made its appearance in 1966 and there have been numerous different old cars (mostly Austins) since then. Progress through the ranks of the Hospital Dental Services ended with a consultant appointment in Plymouth (1989). As retirement approached he met and fell in love with Eunice Kratky who encouraged him to fulfill the dream of a long distance adventure in an Austin 7. Little did she know what she was letting herself in for ……… Eunice Kratky ; born and raised in Kenya of the 50’s and 60’s; educated in Kenya and the UK chose to study nursing at Great Ormond Street Hospital. A remarkable career in children's nursing, Social Services, education and the Child Development Centre, Plymouth also drew to a close about the same time as Guy’s career. The idea and practice of travel is a feature of their lives together. The possibilities for a shared big adventure seemed to hold great potential. Our Story This is a story of discovery. The life lesson that the ability to achieve almost anything in this life depends on the kindness of family and friends. But more importantly it depends on the amazing kindness of strangers. The often-awesome generosity of the people who we met on the road. The people who owed us nothing but showed a kindness that was/is breathtaking and inspiring. Intriguingly, it often felt that those with the least gave the most. All proceeds go to; Dame Hannah Rogers Trust Our Clients

Rebuilding and modifying a car for any long distance trip is challenging, especially if you choose to travel without support...... The Car I travelled to London to meet up with John Sutton (he of the Maclachlan Special) at his ‘works’; Camco Solutions in Greenwich during August of 2009. John’s original notes are in italic. Acknowledging that John Coleman’s 1925 Chummy had broken its chassis during his epic adventure in 1959/60 the obvious choice was to either use a modified (strengthened) early chassis or a shortened later chassis. Having received John’s document by email within a few days I sent it to a number of my Austin 7 Friends for their thoughts and comments. Within a few weeks all had replied with their interpretation of the ideal specification. Vince Leek went further and suggested he’d found a very suitable car. Following negotiations VJ 9212 arrived in the workshop during October, so the story begins. Chassis:- A short chassis will be modified by boxing in the front forging, adding a plate at the rear of the chassis to tie in the rear spring mountings and an additional flange on the fore and aft chassis member. It will also be modified to take a Ruby brake cross shaft. VJ 9212 arrived as a 1936 ‘short chassis’; (6’9” modified in the 1980’s to 6’3”); probably following a very serious accident. (See below). The chassis member supporting the brake cross shaft has a fabricated additional fixing at the front to minimise distortion during braking. The stub axles, steering arms and the drop arm of the steering box were crack tested and the steering arms were shot peened. Instruments:- Switch panel for coil engine (ammeter not connected) A speedometer calibrated to suit the axle and tyre configuration. An oil pressure gauge. A water temperature gauge A voltmeter. An additional switch panel was fitted to the steering column. The wiring used ‘switched earth’ to reduce the load on the switches. This included direction indicators/hazard warning lights, magneto on/off, fuel pump, alternator on/off, spare, electric fan, high intensity rear lamps. Fuel tank pressure gauge/air pump and taps for front/rear distribution. Taps for front/rear tank selection. Wheels and tyres: The wheels will be 17 inch Austin 7 rebuilt and not powder coated and the tyres will be 400 x 17 Armstrong. A set of 17” wheels were rebuilt and (?) powder coated 4.00/4.25 17” Excelsior tyres were used. (11 covers used over 20,000 miles). After fitting the new tyres in Tulare; the ride was very lumpy and on the advice of Nate Jones (Long Beach, CA) he removed all the covers, balanced the wheels which made a vast difference to the amount of ‘faceting’. He also advised using talcum powder as a lubricant between the tube and cover. (The two front tyres were too worn to pass an MOT on our return). Radiator:- An early Chummy type steel cowl painted black. The radiator to be re-cored. A four bladed fan (mag type) for cooling. The radiator core was replaced during the rebuild. During the testing of the spare top fan pulley, before departure, it collapsed and the four bladed fan damaged the core, destroying itself. This required another replacement core. I decided to use a thermostatically controlled electric fan with a switched override. Using this was found to be necessary only when climbing long hills and when moving slowly in traffic. VJ 9212 had an overflow tank (?from Morris 1100) this was refitted during the rebuild. Click to see the full Specifications The Build Rebuilding and modifying a car for any long distance trip is challenging, especially if you choose to travel without support or back-up. Undertaking a 25,000-mile trip through the Americas would stretch the ability of any car, especially one that was built nearly a century ago. 1936/28 Austin 7 Car Draw We raffled our 1936/28 Austin 7 for Dame Hannah Rogers Trust on 14th December 2022 having raised more than £26k. The lucky winner is: Matt Fowles of Dursley, Gloucestershire. Whilst you can no longer win the car you can continue to contribute to our fundraising efforts on the Just Giving page (click the Just Giving Logo to the right or Here ). You can Gift Aid as you are solely making a donation. Raffle for the Car

Fundraising at Treburley Garage , To date we have raised £24.5k in book and raffle ticket sales for Dame Hannahs. Treburley Garage Last Saturday, Rosamund and Richard Rowe opened their garage; Treburley Garage, to enable us to continue with our fundraising efforts. With the help of publicity (BBC Radio Devon; Pippa Quelsh 02-12-2022 14.00-18.00, the Cornish Times, Scarlett Hill-Brooks 03-12-2022), and various social media postings, there was a very good turnout. Indeed with the help of Rosamund's earlier book and raffle ticket sales, £1.1k was raised. Incredible! Thank you; everyone, for your great generosity. Our current total stands at £26.5k. Remember that the last day for buying raffle tickets will be Monday 12-12-2022.

With all the latest news and updates on fundraising and events.... 19th - 24th July 2022 Austin 7 Centenary Rally BESPK team received a huge boost Report with photos 9th December 2022 To Date we have Raised £26.5k Treburley Garage Book & Raffle sales Report with photos

Fundraising at the Austin 7 Centenary Rally, selling nearly £10,000 of books and raffle tickets. All of the money raised will go directly to Dame Hannahs BESPK fundraising takes off at Austin 7 Centenary Rally Last week the BESPK team received a huge boost for their fundraising at the Austin 7 Centenary Rally, selling nearly £10,000 of books and raffle tickets. All of the money raised will go directly to Dame Hannahs, (see www.discoverhannahs.org ) a Plymouth based charity that supports children and young adults living with special needs and their families. Both Guy and Eunice had careers that involved supporting young people with special educational needs, and so the pair are passionate about raising as much money as possible for Dame Hannah’s. Someone said “We’re delighted to have raised so much already, but we’re hoping to be able to raise another £25,000 (making a target of £35,000), which will make a real difference to the young people and families who use Dame Hannahs. The money was raised by selling copies of “Austin 7 Around the Americas”, the recently published story of Guy Butcher and Eunice Kratky’s epic 20,000 mile journey from Baltimore to Alaska and then onto Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina in a 1920’s Austin 7, The book has just been given a 5 star review by Auto Express. If you would like to buy a book, you can do this by sending an email from the www.bespk.com website. The rally was held at Moreton in Marsh from 19-24th July 2022. The BESPK team was made up of Guy Butcher, Eunice Kratky, Hugh and Eve Gregg, Ruth and Charlie Murray. Guy drove the BESPK car on the 200 mile drive from his home in Cornwall, and Hugh drove Alice - one of Guy’s first Austin 7’s - 150 miles from Budleigh Salterton. The only drama on the drive up was a blocked carburettor jet on Alice which was quickly remedied. Guy said “I found driving the BESPK Austin really enjoyable - it still amazes me at how this car does anything and everything that I ask of it”. The BESPK team were also selling tickets for a raffle to win the Austin 7 that carried them on this incredible journey. The car - which is valued at about £18000 - was fully rebuilt before the trip and is in full running order and will be fully serviced and MOTed for the new owner. The winner will also receive all of the tools and spares carried on the Adventure to be able to maintain the car with minimal expenditure. If you would like to buy a raffle ticket, you can do this by visiting www.bespk.com and using the Just Giving page During the rally Guy was also able to meet up with many friends from his youth, including Chris Gould and Mike Hodgson. Guy learnt how to fettle Austin 7’s with them in various friends and family garages when he lived in Worthing, beginning to learn the skills that he would later use to keep the Austin going in the Americas.

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