Parts were shared to keep the cars running, but Finch sold them in 1950.
NPA 217, with wide track and Villiers blower, went to Vic Hern; the Humphreys car continued to compete with new owner George Fisher until offered for sale in 1961.
It would remain with the new owner for the following 58 years.
Looking for something faster than his Alvis 12/50, Bernard Harding spotted an advertisement for the well-known Amilcar C6.
It came complete with a very heavy, crude trailer, and Harding immediately competed in Vintage Sports-Car Club events, beginning with Silverstone on his first weekend of ownership.
The Alvis was enlisted to tow the new acquisition to competitive outings, and early appearances included Goodwood where he lined up with two other C6s against seven ERAs.
The C6 was ready for competition after issues were resolved
Although the handling of Harding’s C6 initially proved a challenge, it was soon much-improved with development.
With oil leaks sorted and running on 80% methanol, the car became competitive.
After two busy circuit racing and hillclimb seasons, he capped 1963 with the Boxing Day meeting at Brands Hatch and braved a snowstorm until the C6’s rear axle failed.
This was to prove Harding’s last race: the plan was just an engine rebuild over the winter, but the strip-down turned into a full restoration.
Various projects distracted Harding from the task (including learning to fly), but by the 1980s retirement allowed his focus to return to the C6.
The decision was made during the meticulous rebuild to prepare it for the road, with work tuning the C6 for pump fuel.
A strip-down of this Amilcar turned into a full restoration
Other practical modifications included a Scintilla starter and dynamo, just as fitted by Balls, while the authentic 19in-tall wheels were reinstated.
Harding logged 6000 hours on the restoration and many aspects of this fabulous machine highlight his attention to detail.
The final touch was securing the YV 91 works registration.
As well as Amilcar Register events, Harding and his immaculate black C6 were a highlight of Brooklands Reunions in the following 20 years, where in 2003 it won the trophy for the ‘car the judges would most like to take home’.
With the original exhaust system made by Owen Finch refitted, including the Brooklands silencer and the fishtail, the C6 sounded as sharp as it looked.
This great little car is a wonderful tribute to Harding, a brilliant old-school engineer who died in 2019.
As with all his machines, Harding’s focus was as much the design and precise fettling as it was the driving experience.
The late Bernard Harding and the Amilcar C6 in 1998, back at Brooklands where the experienced Harry Clayton lapped at 121.5mph in 1937
Born in 1924 in Calcutta, where his father was stationed with the Royal Army Military School, Harding was educated at Charterhouse.
He joined the Royal Engineers as soon as he was old enough at the start of WW2 and ended up back in India where he maintained everything from steamrollers to small power stations.
With peacetime Harding resumed his academic career at the University of Birmingham, where he studied engineering to Masters level and rode a Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle.
Upon joining the National Gas Turbine Establishment his projects included Concorde before he moved to the Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, at Chobham in Surrey, until he retired in 1984.
At Sprockets, his home near Woking, Harding owned and restored an eclectic range of machinery from vintage ‘flat-tank’ Nortons to his 1928 Frazer Nash. His daily transport was a pair of trusty Morris Minors.
The beautiful engineering of the Amilcar C6
His interest in aviation continued with a DH Hornet Moth, which he flew and worked on.
Never a blinkered marque obsessive, Harding was always keen to try different designs but the Amilcar C6 remained a keeper until his passing aged 95.
The Gallic jewel was meticulously maintained and kept cosseted inside a conservatory at his home.
Even after his final trip to Brooklands in the Amilcar he continued to look after it into his 90s, taking the plugs out, lubricating the bores and regularly turning over the engine.
“As well as his excellent theoretical engineering knowledge, Bernard was a competent machinist,” recalls his friend Peter Bignell.
Vernon Balls (third from left) and crew at the 1928 Ards TT, having adopted kittens as mascots
Harding took up painting in his later years, which, as with all his hobbies, he soon mastered.
He never painted a picture of the long-treasured C6 but greatly admired Freeman’s artwork.
For those who discover these French masterpieces, the fascination is lasting.
I’ll never pass one without longing to see and hear that fabulous little twin-cam.
Images: Olgun Kordal
Thanks to Dylan Miles; Peter Bignell; Gilles Fournier
READ MORE
Dream drive in a mighty Alfa Romeo Monza
Dream drives: Taunton to Porlock Hill
Tourer de force: Maserati Tipo 26
Mick Walsh
Mick Walsh is Classic & Sports Car’s International Editor