Harry Manning

[Richard Fridd]

Here is a Scuderia Manning letter heading/bill from the Michael Clarke collection.Michael writes-This must be from around 1971/2 because that is when I purchased my first RHD Flaminia Touring FHC (2500 3c) with water coming out of the exhausts.Do the liners still lift or has this been overcome?We rebuilt the engine,Harry had someone that machined the piston -lands away to take a 4 or 5 mmtop ring,which saved buying pistons,but until run in the rings made a distinct clicking/tapping against the top ridge worn in the cylinder liners by the old rings.We went over to Lancia at Alperton in the 4th series B20 and I paid an absolute fortune for genuine valve guides.they must have been delighted to have moved the old stock at top price!!Harry could have unfortunately supplied used valve guides or new pattern parts,so I must have returned these.  On the Harry Manning chapter from 'Lancia in England' Michael writes-What a great picture complete with string round his waist,just as I remember him.It was Lancia Alperton that told us about Harry.First time we arrived,we went in and hung around for about an hour.Then someone who knew more went upstairs and got Harry to come down.He had a stripped Flaminia Zagato up on a ramp which I thought was just fantastic and inspired me to buy my 'Silver Machine'(more of the Silver Machine  to come in a  Flaminia thread)Pictures in the entrance showed maybe Harry's father(sitting on a chair?)With a young Harry one side and presumably a brother on the other side.several 'racey' pics showing a night time romp by the light of some Lancia headlights.Not pornographic but titillating. Letterheading/bill is from the Michael Clarke collection.                                          

[Richard Fridd]

More memories from Michael-I seem to remember Harry was a tea-totaller and didn't smoke.my father always said it was the fumes from the stove that killed Harry,who was nobody's fool,appeared disorganised,and often put his palm to his forehead to remember where things were.Great days at Scuderia Manning.My father was probably the first Riley specialist post-war with premises on the A20 in South London.I understand Harry knew Mike and Leslie Hawthorn.Mike started his 4-wheel competition with his fathers Rileys and my father met Mike once or twice.I think Harry took to us because of this connection.We went over once in the 1936 Riley Sprite which I still own,and I have a clear mental picture of Harry in the driving seat with dad alongside-I think Harry took it round the block.Harry told me he was in Winchester a while for black-market juice either during or just post WW2,but I have not heard that from any other source.When you walked into his building entrance,he had some interesting personal pictures on the wall-I hope someone has kept them.I imagine that the pump-station above Harry's on the corner owned the whole site? Or maybe Harry's family owned or had owned the site and Harry got his excellent premises as part of the deal?Harry used to get his grub from the pub up the hill/slope on his right hand side of the road.Hope this is of interest.

[davidwheeler]

Harry was inordinately proud of his appearance on the "Nudes of the World" (just read it phonetically) as a seducer of young ladies.  considering his unprepossessing appearance and that of his premises this was indeed an achievement!  He had the article posted on the wall.

[Justin McArdle]

Some more memories - I was down at Harry's place one Sunday Evening (approx. 1985?) with a friend to collect their Fulvia Coupe. We collected the Fulvia and were making our way back to London via the M3. I was in a Transit van and the Fulvia was two cars behind me with a VW Golf immediately behind me. As we approached the slip road onto the M3 I saw a familiar Fulvia wheel bounce over the following VW Golf and fly past me! The wheel had come off the rear of the Fulvia. It appeared that the wheel bolts were loose/missing and the wheel had wrenched the hub out at an angle. We retrieved the wheel and gave Harry a call and fortunately, one of the guys at Harry's came out to our rescue. Years later I was recounting the story to Chris Payne and he was sure he was at Harry's that very night. Small world!

[smallralph]

 I have wonderful memories dating back to the sixties and early seventies of the Great Harry Manning . i will share some as he was an exceptional and generous character as well as an incredibly gifted  Spanner Man.
I had a 4th series B20 as my Lancia from about 67 and fairly regularly visited Heath End. i learnt from Harry that a spanner fits and that a hammer is no no ! After big brother Anthony finished off the crown wheel and pinion at a Silverstone track day ! I went down and`stayed with Harry for ten days! A lifetime experience and vast learning curve for a medical student about Life and mechanics , particularly Lancias ! I learned how to set up the crown wheel and pinion using engineers blue and gearbox rebuilding . So having also rebuilt a B20 engine and clutch I have never forgotten his lessons. As fellow Lancisti came and went over the two weeks I also helped with others who came to gain from his wisdom. We went to the pub on the corner for dinner each evening where I had a beer and Harry did not drink ! 
I heard a few yarns ! He went off one evening on a "date!" and used a Flaminia that a customer had left for some fettling a test run to London . where apparently a Policeman asked whose car it was even though Harry when dressed up looked very smart. A customer car says Harry. some disbelief ! and a walk along the straight line as we used to in the old days before alcotests .Harry told the constable he did not drink!
Another gem was while i was there Harry rented the unit where I was staying to a Naughty film maker for an afternoon shoot! The actors and ladies arrived and disappeared upstairs . A couple of visiting Lancisti offered their services but found that acting caused the apparatus to fail !! Much to their horror . Great amusement from Harry. I declined my inadequate sevices!
Later when I had purchased a B24 convertible rebuilt by the great Tim Burrett which we had gone to Belfort to pick up as Tim was working on the great cyclotron , it had no front bumperso when down at Harrys I casually asked if he knew of anyone with a bumper! OOH says Harry . hang on we will go into the roof and check!! Into the roof we climb and a treasure trove of ex Lancia UK parts are lying around on the rafters. Well how wonderful is that says Harry picking up a brand new B24 Convertible bumper still in the Lancia wrapping !!Downstairs after this adventure I ask "How Much"   Harry looking  apologetic says "Twenty quid "  I picked myself off the floor and said Thankyou and gave him Twenty five ! a minor fortune for a Medical student
He was indeed a special man. His father had to before WW2 told him the best vehicles were Lancias.
He ran an Aprilia through the war and as another gem i remember he was an Aircraft mechanic and often refuel aircraft. Being Harry he discovered that during refueling he pipe was open  at the tank end valve  and closed after the plane was full at the plane end. Thus the pipe was full of fuel and an enterprising techie , for safety reasons, could empty the pipe into a forty gallon drum! two forty gallon drums conveniently fit in an Aprilia rear seat if seat removed
This enterprise enable Officers to fuel their cars and they loved Harry as we all did !! 

[Tony Stephens]

In my early days of Aprilia ownership, before the car had been worked up into a reliable daily driver, and I was just chasing endless deep-seated problems, I took the differential unit down to Harry's one evening so that he could help me to change the pinion thrust bearing and reset the meshing. After the usual preamble of washing cups and cleaning just the amount of the kitchen I felt consistent with keeping bacteria under control, we set to on the diff. unit, and after some hours' joint effort (and every minute of watching Harry was a lesson learned), I was ready to return to North London with a fully-overhauled unit.
Now for the difficulty of paying.  "Well, the bearing was a rare early type, can't get them any more, so that's a fiver. What about £8 ?" I was glad someone had beaten some principles into me. "Harry, you cannot charge that little!" "Well, none of you young chaps have money"
I gave him £15 in spite of poverty and against protestations.