Monthly Archives: January 2014

Caught In A Cat Fight – Ferrari 500TR/625LM Touring Spyder #0642MDTR

On the 24th of June 1956 Ferrari entered three 2 litre 122 cui Ferrari 500TR’s with bodies by Touring into a sports car race at Monza. Today’s featured car chassis #0642MDTR driven by Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn started 3rd and won the race by 26 seconds from the Maserati 200S driven by Cesrae Perdisa and Stirling Moss with the two remaining factory Touring bodied cars #0632MTDR and #0652MTDR coming home 3rd and 4th respectively.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

After the fatal tragedy at Le Mans in 1955 and due to low build volumes Ferrari were barred from entering there larger engined 860 Monza or 290MM models which were considered prototypes, a class now restricted to 2.5 litre motors.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

So in late July 1956 #0642, #0632 and #0644 took part in the Le Mans 24 hours in 500TR/625LM spec fitted with 2.5 litre / 252.5 cui 4 cylinder motors. Olivier Gendebien and Maurice Trintignant drove #0644 to a third place finish behind a Jaguar and Aston Martin both considered to be production cars and consequently allowed to run with larger motors.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

Phil Hill and André Simon retired #0632 with a rear axle problem while #0642 carrying the #11 and scheduled to be driven by Alfonso de Portago and Duncan Hamilton was involved in an incident between two works Jaguar D-Types that saw all three retire in the opening laps. #0642 was repaired at the factory and returned to 500TR spec with a 2 litre motor re-fitted before being shipped to US agent Luigi Chinetti in New York.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

From December 1956 to 1963 the car was raced by privateers amongst whom David Ash scored a victory at Thompson when he was driving the car for Robert Publicker in 1957. Lloyd “Lucky” Crasner won at Opa Locka when he was owner of #0642 in 1958, two years later owner William Kimberely also recorded an overall victory in the car at Lime Rock.

Ferrari 625LM Touring, Blackhawk Museum

In 1963 Arthur ‘Art’ Burmeister recorded a class win at Frayling in the cars final year of competition. Up until 1994 #0642 remained in the USA whence it returned after a ten year spell in Japanese ownership.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs of #0642 which were taken at the Blackhawk Museum.

Thanks for joining me on this “Caught In A Cat Fight” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a self build vehicle has a tenuous link to NBA super star Wilt Chamberlain. Don’t for get to come back now !

Top Of The Class – Dodge Charger Police Package Hemi LX

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In 1964 Dodge built a concept roadster called the Charger based on the Dodge Polara, the first production car to carry the Charger name was the 1966 personal luxury Coupé of which four generations appeared up until 1977 when the model was dropped.

A fith genration sub compact hatchback coupé Charger with front wheel drive was built from 1982 to 1987 after which the model disappeared until a four door rear wheel drive Charger like today’s featured vehicle appeared in 2006 to replace the full size Dodge Intrepid.

Dodge Charger, Talladega, Superspeedway, AL

The sixth generation Charger, also known as Charger LX, shares it’s LX platform with the Chrysler 300, discontinued third generation, ’04 – ’08, Magnum and the personal luxury third generation Challenger coupé which reappeared after a 25 year break in 2008.

The design credited to Ralph Gilles and Freeman Thomas was originally made available with two V6 and two V8 Hemi motor options ranging from 190 to 425 hp and from All wheel drive was also put on the options list.

Law Enforcement versions of the Charger were also made available with V6 and V8 Hemi motors. In Michigan State Police tests the police package 250 hp V6 was found to be equal in performance to the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor while the Hemi V8 kicking out over 340 hp, like the Mobile County Sheriff’s example seen above at Talladega Superspeedway, was top of the interceptor performance class.

Car & Driver reported in August 2006 that NYPD were to test 10 of the police package Chargers, suggesting they had a 150 mph capability.

Thanks for joining me on this “Top Of The Class” edition of “gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !

Failing To Build Momentum – Williams Renault FW35

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The 2013 season was an “annus horribilis” for the Williams Grand Prix Engineering after a promising win at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix for Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, seen below at Silverstone.

Maldonado, Williams Renault FW35, British Grand Prix P1, Silverstone

The team simply failed to build any momentum on that success and after finishing eighth in the 2012 Constructors Championship it was not until the tenth round of the 2013 season that Pastor managed to score a single point.

Wolff, Williams Renault FW35, Young Driver Test, Silverstone

Bruno Senna left the teams driving strength at the end of 2012 and was replaced by the teams Finish test driver Valtteri Bottas seen below, with the Williams Teams Executive Directors wife and former German Touring Car Driver Suzy Wolff, nee Stodartt, seen above, taking over the test drivers position.

Bottas Williams Renault FW35, British Grand Prix P1, Silverstone

Mike Coughlan, brought in from Micheal Waltrip Racing as the teams technical director in May 2011, oversaw the development of the teams Renault powered Williams FW35 challenger for the 2013 season.

Maldonado, Williams Renault FW35, British Grand Prix P1, Silverstone

Over 80 percent of the FW35 was new including the gearbox, rear suspension, radiators, floor, exhausts and bodywork.

Bottas Williams Renault FW35, British Grand Prix P2, Silverstone

After the poor performances in the opening few races of the 2013 season there was talk of the team grafting the back end of the previous years car on to the new one in an attempt to improve the handling.

Wolff, Williams Renault FW35, Young Driver Test, Silverstone

The teams 2013 highlights were an eighth place for rookie Bottas at the US Grand Prix and a tenth place finish for Maldonado in Hungary, Bottas also caught the paddocks attention by qualifying 3rd in fickle conditions for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Bottas Williams Renault FW35, British Grand Prix P2, Silverstone

By the end of the season Toto Wolff had left his Executive Directors position at Williams to join Mercedes Benz, Mike Coughlan had been replaced by Pat Symonds and Pastor Maldonado took his Venezuelan sponsorship to join the financially struggling Lotus team.

Wolff, Williams Renault FW35, Young Driver Test, Silverstone

For 2014 Williams have engaged Ferrari refugee Felipe Massa as their senior driver to join the incumbent Valtteri Bottas. Williams have also completed a deal for a supply of Mercedes Benz power trains and Frank Williams daughter Clare set to take on the responsibilities of her father as deputy Team principle. If any team can move on and bounce back from an “annus horribilis” then it is, the racers race team, Williams who have known the all the highs and lows the sport has to offer and know that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

You can follow developments at Williams on their website linked here and twitter feed linked here.

Thanks for joining me on this “Failing To Build Momentum Edition” of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be giving an overview of The Mobile County Sheriff’s Challenger. Don’t forget to come back now !

Brighton Speed Trials Under Threat of Permanent Cancellation !

In their infinite wisdom, Brighton & Hove City Council are seeking to ban the Brighton Speed Trials from 2014 tomorrow January 23rd.

If you care about speed and or motorsport history, please sign this linked petition to save Brighton Speed Trials in 2014 and beyond.

It’s a faf to Register before signing, but relatively painless compared to loosing the event which has been run with few interruptions since 1905.

You do not need to be resident in Brighton or even the UK to sign.

Ever Living Boneshaker – Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus

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Ferdinand Porsche was born to German speaking parents in Maffersdorf now in the Czech Republic in 1875 and showed a strong interest in and aptitude for technology at an early age. Before he left home for Vienna at 18 Ferdinand had installed his parents house with the first electric light system in Maffersdorf.

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

In Vienna Porsche worked for Bella Egger & Co., a company specialising in electrical products which is better known to day as Brown Boveri. After only a couple years Porsche had been promoted to a management position before joining the newly created Electric Car Department at Hofwagenfabrik Jacob Lohner & Co., a Vienna-based company part of the Austro-Hungarian military industrial complex.

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

While at Lohner Porsche took up a ten year old idea by American inventor Wellington Adams to develop electric hub motor’s for a prototype all wheel drive electric Lohner buses.

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

His Lohner Porsche System was received with great acclaim in 1898 and a modified vehicle was ordered by British coach builder EW Hart which was to incorporate a petrol motor to act as a generator for the electric motors to extend the vehicles range.

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

The completed vehicle weighing in at some 4 tons was delivered on time in 1900 and was used to compete in an electric vehicle endurance trial from which the driver Ferdinand Porsche had to retire with a severe cold brought on by the extreme wet weather.

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

The 1900 Lohner-Porsche “Semper Vivus” (Ever Living) model employed two front electric hub motors each giving over 25 hp that are powered by batteries and two de Dion Boulton petrol motors each connected to generators which can be used to power the electric hub motors direct and charge the batteries, making the three ton “Semper Vivus” one of the earliest examples of a duel fuel vehicle.

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

Sitting 6 feet off the ground the driver has an excellent view off the road, however steering a Semper Vivus, with those heavy hub motors, will not impress anybody on a school run,

Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Goodwood Revival

neither will the unsprung rear axle and so the Semper Vivus never went into production and so did not quite live up to it’s “Ever Living” moniker.

The recreation seen here at Goodwood Festival of Speed was built 111 years after the original in a collaboration between The Porsche Museum and Hubert Drescher it took four years to complete and is said to have the same performance as the original.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ever Living Boneshaker” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at Williams 2013 Formula One challenger.

Brighton Speed Trials Under Threat of Permanent Cancellation !

In their infinite wisdom, Brighton & Hove City Council are seeking to ban the Brighton Speed Trials from 2014.

If you care about speed and or motorsport history, please sign this linked petition to save Brighton Speed Trials in 2014 and beyond.

It’s a faf to Register before signing, but relatively painless compared to loosing the event which has been run with few interruptions since 1905.

You do not need to be resident in Brighton or even the UK to sign.

Slightly Reduced Boost – Ford F-150 Supercharged Harley Davidson

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Those watching the 1996 Super Bowl on TV will have been among the first to be introduced to the 1997 Ford F-150 in a catchy commercial featuring Jack Palance in which his F-150 is depicted as being strong enough to pull the two sides of the Grand Canyon together.