Monthly Archives: November 2015

Out Of Aladdin’s Cave – Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A

Friedrich Geiger was charged with the design of the straight 8 5 litre / 302 cui W29 500K launched in 1934 and then 5.4 litre / 329 cui Typ W24 540K in 1935.

540K Cabriolet A, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

The supercharged 180hp W24 540 K motor was fitted to chassis of either 117″, 130″ or 153″ which differed from the 500K predecessor by using oval tubes as used by the Mercedes Benz Silver Arrows racing cars of the period.

540K Cabriolet A, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

The 540K Cabriolet A seen here sits on the shorter 117″ chassis and would have been capable of 110 mph, production ended in 1944 by which time variants were being built with armored bodies for Gemran Government officials.

The 1937 example seen here at Dana Point Concours d’Elgance belongs to collector Anthony ‘Tony Vincent’ Zehenni who founded the Aladdin Developers Inc property development empire.

My thanks once again to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Out Of Alladin’s Cave edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an off road Matra, don’t forget to come back now !

RIP – Hill Cosworth GH2

After serving an apprenticeship with Smiths Instruments and rising to the rank of Petty Officer in the Royal Navy Norman Graham Hill passed his driving test aged 24 in 1953.

The following year he got the motor racing bug driving a 500 Formula 3 Cooper and joined Team Lotus as a mechanic where he eventually talked his way into the cockpit, in 1956 Graham, as he is better known, made his Grand Prix debut at the wheel of a Lotus 12.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

By 1962 Graham Hill was leading BRM to their one and only Formula One World Constructors Championship and became World Drivers Champion for the first time.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

After winning the Indy 500 driving a Lola in 1966 Graham Hill rejoined Lotus in 1967 to partner Jim Clark and the following year he won his second world championship in the Lotus 49B.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

A year after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours sharing a Matra MS670 with Henri Pescarolo, Graham decided to go it alone and set up his own team in 1973 running a Shadow in 1973 and Lola’s and a derivation thereof in 1974 and 1975.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

Having retired from driving in 1975 Graham put all of his efforts into supporting a rising British star Tony Brise who scored the teams first constructors championship point at the 1975 Swedish Grand Prix at the wheel of the Lola derivative Hill GH1.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

For 1976 Graham was to run fellow Londoner Tony in a one car team for which Andy Smallman designed the all new Hill GH2 powered by a Cosworth DFV, the development of which Graham had been an instrumental part of in 1967 while at Lotus.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

On the 29th of November 1975 the team tested the new car, seen in these photographs at The Donington Grand Prix Collection, at Paul Ricard in Southern France and at the end of the test the core members of the team; manager Ray Brimble , mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards, designer Andy Smallman and Tony Brise boarded the Graham’s Piper PA 23-250 Turbo-Aztec which he then piloted back to England.

Hill Cosworth GH2, The Donington Grand Prix Collection

At 10pm in heavy fog while attempting to land at Elstree Airfield the plane crashed with the loss of all on board.

Thanks for joining me on this “RIP” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Mercedes Monday tomorrow. Don’t for get to come back now !

“03” – Chevron Cosworth B19 #CH-DBE-03

On the 6th of September 1970 Chevron Cars turned up at the Nurburgring for the 500km race with an open cockpit Spyder version of their B16 Coupe, known as the B16S, for Brian Redman to drive. Brian qualified on pole but retired from the race after a fuel line broke causing a minor fire, two weeks later Brian qualified the same Escuderia Montjuich sponsored car on pole again at Spa and this time came home first.

For 1971 Chevron’s production version of the B16S became the B19 and indeed the original B16S after a phenomenally successful career in Southern Africa where at least five victories were recorded, running in Team Gunston colours and a one off appearance for Jo Siffert’s team at Paul Ricard the B16S was stripped down, the frame refurbished by Arch Motors and the car resold as a B19 for Peter Humble to race.

Chevron Cosworth B19, Ross Maxwell, Oulton Park,

B19’s hit the decks running at all levels in 1971 with John Bridges scoring an early class victory for the model in a club event at Oulton Park in March with John Miles and Gerry Birrell scoring a class victory driving another B19 in the BOAC 1000 Kilometres World Championship Sports Car Race at Brands Hatch two weeks later.

The history of today’s featured car #CH-DBE-03 according to the Chevron Heritage website is complicated because another B19 chassis #B19-71-3 claims exactly the same early history on the RM Auctions Sotherby’s website.

Chevron Cosworth B19, Ross Maxwell, Oulton Park,

For clarity on the subject one must turn to Allen Brown’s OldRacingCar.com website where the owner of #B19-71-3 in 1972 Jörg Zaborowski advises that the car was “totally destroyed” in an accident on the at ADAC Bergrennen Detmold in April 1973 and twenty years later the chassis number B19-71-3 was reassigned to the new chassis built by Vin Malkie in 1993 that is seen in the RM Auctions Southerby’s website.

The “chassis number” #CH-DBE-03 is believed to actually be a “frame number” designated by Chevron contractor Arch Motors and as Allen points out in his introduction to the B19 “the number on the frame (stamped by chassis manufacturer Arch Motors) is being mistaken for a chassis number” assigned by Chevron Cars, leading to some cars inadvertently claiming an incorrect provenance.

Chevron Cosworth B19, Ross Maxwell, Oulton Park,

Allen has found that the provenance of today’s featured car, seen being driven in these photographs by Ross Maxwell at Oulton Park, can be traced back to 1981, but it is possible the frame has an older provenance that has yet to reveal itself, Chris Chiles drove this car to International Supersports Championship victories in 1991 and 1994.

In all 35 B19’s were built, including the recycled B16S, and B19 victories were recorded in the 1971 European 2 litre Sports Car Championship by Niki Lauda, Toine Hezemans, and John Hine, but consistent Lola driver Helmut Marko won the drivers championship and Lola the constructors championship.

Thanks for joining me on this “03” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Formula One Car that tragically never got the opportunity to be raced in period. Don’t forget to come back now !

Parisian Show Car – Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé #0295EU

Visitors to the 1953 Paris Motor Show will have no doubt been impressed by the sight of today’s featured Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé #0295EU.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

#0295EU has the lowest chassis number of any 250 Europa and is one of only two such chassis with a Vignale Coupé body the other being #0313EU which I looked at a couple of years ago.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

After the 1953 Paris show #0295EU was shipped to the USA where at some as yet unspecified date in the 1950’s race car driver George Reed from Midlothian, Illinois who ran RRR Motors, Reed’s Race Rats, which dealt in Ferrari’s and later Shelby Cobra’s acquired the car.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

By 1971 Gilbert Walton in Danville California acquired the #0295 and to date became it’s longest custodian, in 1986 Crockett Auto Restoration commenced a four year restoration.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

More recently Kentucky property developer Kevin D Cogan became the custodian of the car and he appears to have been the first owner to take #0295EU to a Concours D’Elegance event entering it a Pebble Beach in the Ferrari Grand Touring Class earlier this year.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

#0295 is seen in these photographs back in it’s spiritual home town Danville where the car won the Award of Excellence at the 2015 Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs taken at Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “Parisian Show Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the last in the current series on Chevron’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

IV Carrera Panamericana Winner – Lancia D24 #0004

Lining up alongside a Talbot Lago 26GS, a fleet of Ferrari’s that included five 375’s, with open Barchetta and closed Coupé Berlinetta bodies, a 340 and a 250MM that were in with a shout for the overall honours in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana were five Lancia’s two D23’s and three D24 models.

Lancia’s programme with the D series race cars was kick started after the 2 litre 122 cui V6 powered B20 GT Coupé driven by Giovanni Bracco and Umberto Maglioli finished second to a 4.1 litre / 250 cui Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta Vignale driven by Luigi Villoresi and Piero Cassani in the 1951 Mille Miglia.

Lancia D24, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In order to go for overall honours built a series of D20 Coupé’s with supercharged 2 litre / 122 cui motors and in 1953 one of these cars driven by Umberto Maglioli won the tight and twisted roads of the Targa Florio.

However the 2 litre supercharged V6 D20’s were not powerful enough to keep up with the competition running larger normally aspirated motors on the comparatively wide open roads used for the Le Mans 24 hours, such as the winning C-Type Jaguar.

Lancia D24, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In response to this Lancia modified it’s D20’s by replacing the super charged 2 litre V6 with a normally aspirated 3 litre 183 cui V6 while Pininfarina fitted the cars, renamed D23’s, with new open bodywork.

Simultaneously Lancia also built some all new Pininfarina bodied open top sports racers designed by Vittorio Jano fitted with even larger 3.3 litre / 201 cui V6 motors which became the D24 model. Two D24’s and one D23 were entered for the 1953 Nurburgring 1000kms where Robert Manzon and Piero Taruffi put there D24 on pole, but all three retired.

Lancia D24, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Lancia like Ferrari skipped the RAC TT at Dundrod and next lined up for the 1953 Carrera Panamericana road race where the D24 shared by Juan Manuel Fangio and Gino Bronzoni led home D24 mounted team mates Piero Taruffi and Luigi Maggio with the D23 driven by Eugenio Castellotti and Carlo Luoni coming home third ahead of the Ferrari 375MM driven by Guido Mancini and Fabrizio Serena and the Talbot – Lagp driven by Louis Rosier.

In April 1954 Piero Taruffi and Carlo Luoni drove a D24 to victory on the Giro di Sicilia, in May Alberto Ascari won the 1954 Mille Miglia with a fine solo drive in a Lancia D24, breaking a dominance by Ferrari on the event going back to 1948, and four weeks later Piero Taruffi followed up by driving a D24 to Lancia’s second consecutive win on the Targa Florio.

Lancia D24, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Luigi Villoresi then scored the first of three non championhship victories for the D24 at Circuito do Porto where Eugenio Castellotti came second, Eugenio won at Aosta-Gran San Bernardo before the D24’s final 1954 World Championship appearance at the RAC Tourist Trophy where Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi finished 2nd ahead of team mates Robert Manzon and Eugenio.

The D24’s final victory was recorded by Eugenio at Firenze-Siena in October 1954 while the models final appearance was in the 1960 Buenos Aires 1000kms where Argentinians Camilo Gay and César Rivero qualified their by now well out dated D24 11th before retiring from the race with a transmission problem after competing 4 laps of the 106 lap race.

To the best of my knowledge the car seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed in these photographs belonging to the Museo Nacionale del’ Automobile is chassis #0004 which Fangio and Gino Bronzoni drove to victory in the 1953 Carrera Pan Americana and was subsequently used as a training car for by the Lancia team drivers at the Sebring 12 hours in 1954 and is also believed to have been used in some capacity for the 1954 Mille Miglia, note there are some subtle differences to the osf wing/fender to when Fangio and Bronzoni drove the car on the Carrera Panamericana. Also note #0004 is showing the #612 which was the number carried by the Meyer / O’Hara Moore Aston Martin DB3 on the MM in ’54 for no reason I or anyone else has been able to fathom.

Thanks for joining me on this “IV Carrera Panamericana Winner” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psychoontyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !

Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club Autumn Sprint- Debden Airfield

At the beginning of October I received an e-mail asking for volunteers to marshal at the Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint being run at Debden Airfield in Essex, a couple of days later I received a request to attend an interview in Scunthorpe and proposed to the Clerk of the course Pete Walters that if he could find me somewhere to stay on the night after the event I would be delighted to go up from Bristol to help out.

Ford Escort RS1600_6187sc

Lionel Reeves kindly stepped forward to offer me accommodation and so off I trekked to Debden the day after the Autumn Classic at Castle Combe. Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club established in 1903, the year the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight, is one of the oldest in the county, the Aero refers to the sport of ballooning. Among the random selection of cars I photographed is the immaculate 1974 #62 Ford Escort which finished 3rd in class B10 driven by Howard Lester.

Leyland Mini Clubman, Julian Kirwan, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Julian Kirwan finished second in Class A3 driving the 1970 #16 Mini Clubman with a 1400 cc / 85.4 cui engine.

Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo Hatchback, Tim Morrison, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Flying the flag for Estates / Wagons was Tim Morrison driving his 2003 #38 Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo Hatchback, who was classified 3rd in class A6.

Ford Escort 1300 GL Auto, Charlie French, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Kicking up the dust above in his #63 Ford Escort Mk2, which I believe has been modified from it’s original 1980 1300 GL Auto spec, is Charlie French who finished 4th in class.

Davrian Imp Saloon, John Webster,Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

I’m looking forward to finding out about the history of John Websters #71 Davrian Imp Saloon in the fullness of time, on this occasion he finished second in Class C12.

Merlyn Mk 30, Colin Glass, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Finally Colin Glass won class D16 in his Merlyn Formula Ford with what I believe is 1977 Mk 30 bodywork, fastest time of the day was set by Tony Beesley in his 1 litre / 61 cui Jedi Mk 4.

My thanks to everyone at the Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club who made me feel most welcome and especially Lionel and Margret Reeves for their hospitality.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club Autumn Sprint” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Talbot Matra. Don’t forget to come back now !

Galvanised Chassis Frame – Talbot Matra Murena

Arguably the most attractive of the sports cars to emerge from Matra’s Romorantin plant was the Murena which replaced the Bagheera, both designed by Antonis Volanis, in 1980.

Talbot Matra Murena, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

The Murena used the same chassis as the Bagheera but it differed crucially in now being made from galvanized steel so that it did not rot as the chassis of the Bagheera was renowned for.

Talbot Matra Murena, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Inside the new fibreglass-polyester body there was a row of three seats for the driver and two passengers and the engine was mid mounted both features as per Bagheera.

Talbot Matra Murena, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Two engine sizes were available 70hp 1.6 litre / 97 cui from the Talbot Solara saloon and 115 hp 2.2 litre / 134 cui with a heavy cast iron block from the Talbot Togara saloon the later being available with single or twin carburetors which boosted the power to 142hp.

Talbot Matra Murena, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Production of the Murena only lasted from 1980 to 1983 by which time Renault, to whom Matra were about switch allegiance from Talbot part of the Peugeot Société Anonyme group, asked Matra to desist from building any more Murena’s.

Talbot Matra Murena, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

In all 10,680 Murena’s were built before Matra’s Romorantin plant switched to building Renault Espace mini vans.

Thanks for joining me on this “Galvanised Chassis Frame” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !