Monthly Archives: May 2015

Indy Tin Lizzie – Ford T Fronty Ford

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After migrating from Switzerland to France and before migrating to North America Louis Chevrolet had a career as a successful racing cyclist and at one stage built and sold his own cycles under the Frontenac brand.

Later he would move into the French motor industry before migrating to the United States in 1902 where he became a successful mechanic and racing driver.

Ford T / Frontenac, Sanoma Historics

While Louis lead driver for the Buick Racing Team General Motors ousted founder William C Durant founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company with Louis in 1911.

By 1915 Louis and William had fallen out over William’s plan to offer cheaper products with the Chevrolet brand, William bought Louis out and went on to regain control of General Motors in 1916 before being dethroned by shareholders a second time in 1920.

Ford T / Frontenac, Sanoma Historics

Meanwhile in 1915 Louis raced a Cornelian, the first monocoque raced in the Indy 500, before using the name of the 17th century governor of France’s North American colonies for a second time to found the Frontenac Motors Corporation, specialising in competition vehicles with his brothers in 1916.

Frontenac built the cars that won the 1920 and 1921 Indy 500 races for Gaston Chevrolet, who would die at the wheel of a Frontenac on a West Coast board track in November 1920, and Tommy Milton respectively.

Ford T / Frontenac, Sanoma Historics

By 1922 no less than nine Frontenacs started the Indy 500, from a field of 27, with Tom Alley finishing a marque best of 9th from a 12th place start.

Also in the 1922 Indy 500 field were two Fronty Fords which used modified Ford Model T chassis and Frontenac modified Ford motors for Jack Curtner and C Glen Howard which finished 14th and 18th respectively.

Ford T / Frontenac, Sanoma Historics

Barber Warnock Ford entered a single Fronty Ford for LL Corum who finished 5th at Indy in 1923.

In 1924 Barber Warnock Ford entered 3 Fronty Fords for Bill Hunt, future Stirling Moss’s father Alfred E Moss and the #27 Fred Halder who finished the Indy 500 in 14th, 16th and 17th places respectively.

Fronty Fords appeared at Indy in 1925, ’30 and ’31 with MC Jones, Chet Miller and Gene Haustein respectively but none of them finished inside the top ten.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs of the #27 Ford T Fronty Ford seen at last years Sonoma Historic meeting.

Thanks for joining me on this “Indy Tin Lizzie” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Pick Up Monday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Not A de Havilland – Comet JAP

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In 1950 Brian Heyward bought the Rudge powered Aikens 500 Formula 3 car from Wing Commander Frank Aikens, Brian only had the opportunity to drive it twice before he was called up to serve His Majesty King George V in the Royal Air Force for two years in Germany.

During his national service Brian’s father Charles bought a Cooper Mark IV which he already found was far too overweight to be competitive.

Comet, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Upon completion of his National Service Brian and Charles used parts of the Cooper Mk 4 and some, lighter, cast magnesium components off a Cooper Mk VI to build the Cooper Heyward Special more commonly known as the C.H.S..

Brian raced the C.H.S. from 1953 to 1957 and is known to have finished 5th at the wheel of the car in a final at Brands Hatch in December 1954.

Comet, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Brian found employment at de Havilland alongside future Lotus designer Maurice Philipe, future Lotus driver Alan Stacey, the Costin brothers Frank and future Cosworth partner Mike, and Brian Hart who would also make an enviable name for himself in the field of race engine production.

Soon after in 1953 Brian and Charles began construction of their second car, today’s featured Comet, named after the the jet powered de Havilland airliner.

Comet, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

With machining help from fellow 500 F3 racer Don Parker in it’s original form the Comet featured Kieft castings and wishbone suspension at the front, with swing axles and bungee cord springs on the rear.

The Comet was developed up until 1958; receiving a Norton engine in 1955, glass fiber body in 1956 and at some point a rear transverse spring, as had been employed by Cooper since 1946, replaced the bungee cords at the back.

Comet, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Construction of a Comet II was started, but never completed, both Comet’s were sold on in 1964 to Brixham Lifeboat Coxwain Arthur Curnow who entered the Comet for Ivor Churchill to race.

Since then the Comet, seen in these photographs at Race Retro, has been restored twice; by Sandy Skinner who fitted the JAP engine along with a new aluminium body in the early 1980’s and by Neil Hodges for Peter Becker in 2003, today the Comet belongs to and is run by James Gray.

Thanks for joining me on this “Not A de Havilland” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the first of this month’s series of cars that ran in the Indianapolis 500. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Operazione San Gennaro – FIAT 1300 Berlina

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The 60hp FIAT 1300 Berlina replaced the FIAT 1200, the chassis of which was used for the 1200TV, in 1961 offered with a price of Lira 1,190,000 (Italian Lira one million one hundred and ninety thousand with and identical version with a larger 73 hp 1500 cc / 91.5 cui motor offered for Lira 1,250,000.

FIAT 1300, Brooklands Double Twelve

The 1300/1500 range, marketed with an elegant modernity strap line, included estate / station wagon along with 2 door Coupé and Cabriolet versions which were fitted with the 73 hp motors only.

FIAT 1300, Brooklands Double Twelve

FIAT 1300’s, like the example seen here at a Brooklands Double Twelve meeting, were fitted with all synchromesh four speed transmissions and were early adopters in this class of disc brakes all round.

FIAT 1300, Brooklands Double Twelve

The 1300/1500 range was also produced by Zastava in Yugoslavia where the Zastava 1300, also known as the Tristać, production continued until December 1979, twelve years after 1300/1500 production had ceased in Italy.

FIAT 1300, Brooklands Double Twelve

Fans of Italian Comedy might remember a FIAT 1300 being abused in the 1966 film Operazione San Gennaro see from 1:25:30, in which Armandino Girasole detto Dudù the character played by Nino Manfredi terrifies his side kick Sciascillo played by Mario Adorf on a trip to Naples airport.

Thanks for joining me on this “Operazione San Gennaro” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Comet. Don’t forget to come back now.

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Turning You Into Nuvolari – Ford Mustang 2+2

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When Ford announced the Mustang 2+2 in 1965 they claimed, quite rightly that Europe no longer had the monopoly on “four wheeled flair”.

Ford Mustang, Goodwood Revival,

This particular vehicle was advertised as a 1965 ‘Stang at Goodwood Revival a few years ago.

Ford Mustang, Goodwood Revival,

It was described as having had a full restoration in 2002, the same year it was first registered in the UK.

Ford Mustang, Goodwood Revival,

Among the upgrades it received were a 5 litre 302 cui ‘blue printed’ motor only a Mustang option from 1967, replacing the original 4.7 litre 289 cui unit and uprated disc brakes.

Ford Mustang, Goodwood Revival,

This vehicle was described as having been fitted with a ‘Tremec TKO’ 5 speed manual gearbox.

Ford Mustang, Goodwood Revival,

The ride was described by Ford in their contemporary advertising as like “a little cloud” a description which seems at variance with Fords advice to …

Ford Mustang, Goodwood Revival,

“Don’t forget the looks: that’s what turns Main Street into Via Veneto … and you into Nuvolari.

Thanks for joining me on this “Turning You Into Nuvolari” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Modern Elegant Fiat. Don’t forget to come back now.

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Five In The Car Park – Silverstone Classic

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To celebrate Silverstone Classic’s Silver Jubilee I thought it would be fun to select 25 highlights from the last four years that I have been attending the event, today I am looking back at 5 of my favourite classics seen in the Sliverstone Classic car park over the years.

Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk2 Touring Spider,Silverstone Classic

My car of the day on my first visit to Silverstone Classic in 2011 was this 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk2 Touring Spider which Mr Alexander Smith won in a Daily Express competition with his catch phrase “Who Said A Spider Couldn’t Fly ?”.

Ferrari 250 GT Europa, Silverstone Classic

Two years later my car of the day was this 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa #0373GT in which Oliver Gendebien and his co driver Pierre Stasse finished the non stop 1956 2,000 mile Liege Rome Liege Rally 3rd overall.

Lotus Seven Series IV, Silverstone Classic

By no means the rarest, nor necessarily most popular, of cars, but one I used to lust after as a school kid was the chunky Series IV Lotus Seven this 1970 example on Wolfrace Alloy wheels appeared at the 2012 Silverstone Classic.

Lamborghini Jota, Silverstone Classic

Mr Piet Pulford spent 15 years and large sums of money turning a beaten up Lamborghini Muira he found in the States into this copy of the one off racing spec Jota that was destroyed by fire in Italy in 1972.

BMW 3.0 CSL, Silverstone Classic

One of the more lurid colour schemes seen at Silverstone Classic was that on this 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL.

Thanks for joining me on this “Five In The Car Park” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking a pony. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Bean Radiator – Th Schneider Hall Scott Special

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Théodore Schneider, also known as Théophile, became involved in the manufacture of Rochet-Schneider motor cars, sold with the strap line “strength, simplicity and silence”, with Edouard Rochet in Lyon, France in 1894.

Th Schneider Hall Scott Special, Nicolas Hildyard, VSCC Prescott,

By 1907 Rochet Schneider was liquidated though Rochet Schneider production appears to have restarted after World War 1 and continued until the company was bought by Berliet in 1932, meanwhile in 1910 Schneider founded Société anonyme des automobiles Th Schneider.

Th Schneider Hall Scott Special, Nicolas Hildyard, VSCC Prescott,

Th Schneider produced a range of vehicles, including racing cars that participated in the 1913 Grand Prix de l’A.C.F. at Amiens and French Grand Prix at Le Mans the same year, at their Besançon, France facilities until 1930 by which time the company had been declared bankrupt twice in 1921 and 1929.

Th Schneider Hall Scott Special, Nicolas Hildyard, VSCC Prescott,

William Hildyard’s 1910 example, seen driven by Nicolas Hildyard at Prescott in these photographs, appears to have been fitted with a 1913 100hp 10 litre / 610 cui 4 cylinder Hall Scott A7 Aero engine in the early 1980’s, note this car is fitted with a Bean radiator which has replaced the Schneider unit which was typically mounted behind the engine and in front of the drivers dash originally.

Th Schneider Hall Scott Special, Nicolas Hildyard, VSCC Prescott,

Built in Berkley, California the Hall Scott A7 had a reputation for catching fire when in use, whether this alone was responsible for; the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company to swap over from manufacturing Scott Dayton A7 powered Aeromarine 39A’s to Curtiss OX5 powered Aeromarine 39B, for the manufacture of just two Scott Dayton powered Dayton Wright FS trainers, or for many grounded Scott Dayton powered Standard J1 trainers to be converted to Curtiss OX5 V8 power, is not recorded.

Thanks for joining me on this “Bean Radiator” edition of “Gettin’ A Little Psycho On Tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking back at some highlights from recent Silverstone Classic meetings. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Shortened, Channeled and Tubbed – Studebaker Champ

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This month I’m taking a break from Maserati Monday’s to return to a short run of pick up Monday’s featuring some interesting highly modified pick up’s.

A couple of weeks ago Johnny “Wicked in Suede” Martinez posted today’s first photo taken by his wife Linda, of himself and his friend Barry Buchanan standing next to Barry’s ’62 Studebaker Champ Pro Street Rod, my first excited reaction was to find out more about it and to see if I could get some more photo’s for today’s blog.

Studebaker, Champ, California,

The Studebaker Champ was a pickup built between 1960 and 1964 with a cab based on the Lark compact and is probably most notable for having a novel, for the time, sliding window at the back of the cab.

Studebaker, Champ, Dodge 383, California,

Early champs had a choice of motors including; a 170 cui flathead 6 the design of which dated back to 1939, 259 cui V8 or 289 V8, sitting in front of the recessed firewall of Barry’s ’62 Champ is a ’67 Dodge Coronet big block 383 good for an easy 335hp in unmodified form when it was manufactured.

Studebaker, Champ, California,

Modifications to this Champ include lowering the body on the chassis by 4″ a process known as “channeling”, it has also been “tubbed” meaning that large interior wheel arches have been welded in to accommodate the 295/50/15 rear BF Goodrich tyres which are fitted to American Racing 5 spoke rims.

Studebaker, Champ, California,

The Coronet 383 is fitted a an A727 transmission which I believe is better known as Chrysler TorqueFlite the original push button variations of which were first seen in 1956, the custom interior easily accommodates Barry’s 6′ 4″ frame.

Studebaker, Champ, California,

Barry has shortened the pick up bed, which houses the 12 gallon fuel tank, by 18 inches, mounted on the back of the bed is a spoiler sourced from a Pontiac Fiero .

Studebaker, Champ, California,

The rear axle is a Ford 9″ which would orginally have been used in; Fairlane, Mustang, Falcon, Torino, F100 and F150 applications.

Studebaker, Champ, California,

Linked here is a youtube clip of Barry talking about his Champ and some wonderful footage of him driving it on a California cruise.

My thanks to Barry and his girlfriend Kathy Junge who also worked on the Champ and took all but the first of today’s photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Shortened, Channeled and Tubbed” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a vehicle with an aero engine that had a reputation for catching fire when in operation. Don’t forget to come back now !

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