Monthly Archives: September 2010

Was one of these Fraser Nash BMW’s an antecedent of the AC Cobra ?

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At the August VSCC Prescott meeting one of the things that stood out was that the car park was almost as interesting as the Paddock.

For example pictured here in the car park is what I believe to be a Fraser Nash (UK BMW importer and assemblers amongst many other things for those not in the know) BMW 315/1.

Amazingly the car above is also a Fraser Nash BMW 315/1, dating from 1935 according to the VSCC programme, but the bodywork stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the traditional VSCC fare in the paddock at Prescott.

My first thought was that it might be a Tojerio body or AC Ace body, or at least a copy of either of those two vehicles dating back to 1952 and 1953 respectively, I also wondered how this car could possibly qualify to run in a VSCC event which generally caters for pre WW2 vehicles.

Thanks to Tim Murray at the TNF Forum I found out what the story behind the aluminium (English pronunciation please) bodied BMW 315/1 special, though there are many question marks around this vehicle, not least who actually commissioned it in the first place ?

It turns out this vehicle was originally supplied with body work by Abbots of Farnham and then after the War turned up, sans body, in the hands of a chemist who took it to Williams & Pritchard of London, a small sub contracting bodywork shop before WW2, a Spitfire fuselage workshop during WW2 which returned to doing repairs and bodywork after WW2.

The owner of the chassis took with him a pile of motoring magazines and sat down with Williams & Pritchard and pointed out all the features he wanted incorporated into the new bodywork for his old BMW.

When did this happen you may well ask ? 1965 ? 1960 ? 1955 ? after the Tojerio and AC Ace had been around ? 1950 ? none of the above amazingly the aluminium body work dates back to 1948 four years before the Tojerio which famously morphed into the AC Ace !

The Fraser Nash BMW 315/1 is allowed to compete in VSCC events because the body sits on a prewar chassis.

More information on Williams & Pritchard and the story of this car can be found here.

Hope you enjoyed today’s blog and will join me again tomorrow.

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Things to do if you have to get up at an unholy hour to take someone to a Midlands airport on a summers Wednesday morning. Visit Mallory Park !

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A couple of weeks ago I had to take a very good friend to a Midlands airport for a 6 am check in one sunny Wednesday morning.

The upside was I had a lovely little black one year old 3000 mile (!) KIA to whizz around in for a week.

I heard that there was testing most Wednesdays mornings of the summer for mostly historic vehicles at Mallory Park and since my day had been written off I went along to see what all the noise was about.

I have not been to Mallory since the late 1980’s when my mate Sven was racing a Class D 105 production Alfa 33 and this was my first opportunity to see any action at Mallory Park from anywhere but the pits.

I recommend stopping of for a hand made BLT at the Cafe just by the competitors entrance I had one at 10 am and it kept me going ’til i got back to Bristol at 4pm !

Here are a couple of snaps that I took after my Breakfast feast. I am afraid I can’t tell you who all the drivers are if you know any of the answers please drop me a line and put me out of my misery 🙂

Mini Cooper, Mallory Park

Above a Mini Cooper at Shaw’s hairpin,

Lotus 23, Mallory Park

A better than new Lotus 23

Ford Cobra, Mallory Park

Cobra Coupe

Barrie Williams, Ford Zephyr, Mallory Park

Barry (Whizzo) Williams extreme right, Ford Zephyr MK11, 1956/62

Ian Ashley, Elden Mk8, Mallory Park

Former British F 5000 champ, sometime F1 and CART driver Ian Ashley in his immaculate 1972 Elden MK8 FF 1600, which goes like stink round corners with Ian at the wheel who, totally randomly, was born 14 miles from where I was some 11 1/2 years earlier.

Mike Wrigley, Matra Ford MS80, Mallory Park

Mike Wrigley in Jackie Stewart’s 1969 World Drivers Championship winning Matra MS80, JYS signed the bodywork between the shoulder height cockpit air scoop and bottom of the roll hoop at Goodwood last year I believe.

Alberique, Maserati 250 F, Mallory Park

One of two Maserati 250 F’s I saw this one driven by a gentleman that goes by the name of Alberique I believe

Kevin Musson, Lola, Mk 3, Mallory Park

Finally a Kevin Musson at the wheel of a pretty 1961 Formula Junior Lola MK3

After the lunch break a variety of bikes were due out including side car combinations unfortunately I was called away and missed them.

A couple of weeks ago a well known Indy & CART champ was in attendance so you never who you might bump into, for a fuller flavour check out this thread with over 1000 contributions by race fans.

Well worth a trip Wayne Pearson is the man in charge in the control tower worth popping up to have a look if you ask after him.

Hope you enjoyed today’s post and that you will join me again tomorrow.

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The Tao of being a ‘Happy’ Fan !

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Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet Impala SS, Talladega

Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet Impala SS, Talladega, April 2009.

I missed the first 3rd of the first round of the NASCAR chase at New Hampshire.

When I came in Happy was in ’13th going forward’ which sounded good. Soon after we had a round of pit stops and Happy was not so happy to find himself down in 16th or 17th place.

I usually love it when Happy gets mad with his pit crew but yesterday was different this was the chase where statistically you need a better than 6th place finish to be a contender.

As the expletives flowed like the rivers of Babylon, my mind was cast back to the down powered Jimmie Johnson sat patiently in his car at Texas while his crew rebuilt the car almost from scratch all around him, in the chase last year after the Sam Hornish Jr had all but wrecked Johnsons #48.

The chase is no place to loose ones cool for even the remotest of spectators like myself, I hope the #29 team can hang together this morning and have a laugh and a joke about it because as it happened it was probably just as well Kevin dropped back some after a fumbled pit stop when, I think, 10 or so Chasers were sitting in the top 12 spots at the time.

Thanks to a latter accident which took half a dozen chase competitors right out of the top 10 all together.

As it turned out Kevin in his less than top ten car pulled on through, thanks to a calming word from Mr Childress and wound up finishing behind just two other chase contenders in 5th safely inside the magic top 6 required of a chase contender in the first round !

Not bad for a car that was obviously not in the same league as his team mates and not bad for a guy who lost the plot for a couple of laps back there.

The right result for all the wrong reasons, ain’t that what JJ and the #48 have been good at capitalising on over the last 4 years ?

I hope for the sake of his crew Kevin learned something from yesterdays experience and stays calm when it all goes, Pete Tong, as it surely will at some point over the last nine races and simply hangs in there and brings home the cup Richard & Delana so richly deserve 🙂

On the subject of JJ I’d still say he is the man with a target on his back if anyone can come back from his poor chase start it has to be JJ.

If JJ does win is Dangerous Denny going to feel like he is owed 5 cups ?

ps Great to be back in Rowdy Chat again last night 🙂

Go Happy ! Go Harvick ! Go #29 !

Originally posted on Rowdy.com which seems to be experiencing a few technical difficulties, hence reposting here.

Thanks for joining me on this Tao edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Happy 100th Birthday British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Ltd !

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What better way to celebrate the start of my blogging career, than with a centenary celebration in honour of the company that started my local exclusive vehicle manufacturer, The Bristol Car Company.

Unfortunately I missed the celebrations at Filton this weekend where 200 odd Bristol’s, nearly 5% of all Bristol’s ever made, were on display but have already made arrangements to be at the 101st birthday party.

Bristol 400, Prescott

Above is a photo taken at the Prescott VSCC meeting back in August of what I believe to be one of the 487 Bristol 400’s made between 1947 and 1950.

The Bristol 400 featured a 1971 cc ohv straight 6 which, along with the chassis and bodywork, was based on the pre war BMW 327.

Some great snaps, by my friend Tim Murray, from the centenary celebrations can be seen at The Nostalgia Forum here.

Hope you enjoyed my first blog and as they used to say on one of my favourite TV show’s ‘y’all come back now ! Hear !’

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