Monthly Archives: December 2015

Simulated Walnut Grain – Chrysler Town & Country

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Twenty five years after the original Chrysler Town & Country Barrel Back Estate / Wagon was first seen the forth post war generation Town & Country Estate / Wagon was launched in 1965.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Elwood Engel was responsible for the design which featured a unitary body with a 121 inch wheelbase.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

The 220 inch body of the fourth generation Town & Country used a combination of torsion bar front suspension and leaf sprung rear suspension and was initially available with either a 270 hp or high compression 305 hp motor, the latter requiring premium fuel.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Push button activated automatic transmission was deleted in favour of a near ubiquitous PRNDL selector that could be either floor or steering column mounted for the standard Torqueflite automatic transmission.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Despite the Chrysler Imperial Crown having standard disc brakes since 1950, they were still optional on the fourth generation Town & Country.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

By 1968 the lower powered Town Country produced 290 hp from it’s two barrel carburetor 383 cui V8.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

’68 model Town & Country models, the last of the fourth generation, are also distinguished by their mandatory side running lights and the introduction of simulated wood panels, reprising the genuine wood panels last seen on the Town & Country models in 1950.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Today’s featured ’68 Town & Country was first registered in the UK on 17th September 2012.

Chrysler Town & Country, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

The car seen at an Avenue Drivers Club meeting in Bristol earlier this year is shown as running a 7.2 litre / 440 cui motor of a type not seen until 1971 on the fifth generation post war Town & Country.

Thanks for joining me on this “Simulated Walnut Grain” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for a Festive Ferrari Friday. Wishing all GALPOT readers a Merry Christmas, don’t forget to come back now !

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Archbishop – Ford Consul Cortina Super Estate

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In the early 1960’s Ford of Britain’s Project Archbishop the code name given to the family car designed by Roy Brown Jr that was to be launched on the 20th of September 1962 as the Ford Consul Cortina range.

Ford Cortina Estate, Sherborne Castle

Initially the car was offered only with a 1.2 litre / 73.2 cui 3 bearing Kent engine until January 1963 when the 60hp 1498 cc / 91.5 cui 5 bearing Kent engine became available for the Cortina Super models like the 1963 Estate / Wagon seen in these photographs at Sherborne Castle last year.

Ford Cortina Estate, Sherborne Castle

The Ford Consul Cortina Estate was launched in March 1963 and like the Anglia 105E Estate first seen in 1961 it was built in house at Dagenham rather than contracted out to Abbott’s of Farnham, as had been all other post war Ford Estates.

Ford Cortina Estate, Sherborne Castle

Today’s featured Consul Cortina Super Estate, complete with original imitation wood panels, was registered for the road in the UK on the 16th of May 1963.

Ford Cortina Estate, Sherborne Castle

The Consul Cortina was mildly face lifted in October 1964 and fitted with superior “Aeroflow” through-flow ventilation.

Thanks for joining me on this “Archbishop” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a couple of acres of Town ‘n’ Country. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Not A Mopar – Renault Magnum

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Since 1956 the commercial and military vehicle of arm has undergone many transformations from nationalised industry to stand alone privatised business in 1996 to most recently in 2001 an arm of the Volvo Group.

Renault Magnum, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Renault launched it’s stylish Magnum range of rigid and semi rigid trucks in 1990, they were availble with either 6 x 4, 6 x 2 or 4 x 2 axle / drive configurations.

Renault Magnum, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Power for the European version of the Magnum was derived from a 12 litre / 732 cui straight 6 cylinder Volvo motor fitted with fuel injection and engine management system co developed with Delphi, note Australian versions of the Magnum used the European Magnum cab and chassis equipped with a Mack Trucks motor, Roadranger 18 speed transmission and Rockwell or Dana drive axles.

Renault Magnum, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The European Magnum could be ordered with either 440hp, 480hp or 500hp and either a ZF servoshift air-assisted 16-speed manual, or Optidrive II 12 speed automated, with 4 reverse gears, transmissions.

Renault Magnum, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The keys to the last Magnum were presented to hauliers Robert Chabbert on Wednesday 26 June 2013.

Renault Magnum, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Renault Sport F1 4 x 2 Magnum in these photographs was seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed a couple of years ago.

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Pillarless Millennium Benz – Mercedes Benz C140 CL500

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The first generation Mercedes Benz pillarless SEC / S-Coupé / CL Class Coupé, based on the SWB W140 SE floor pan was designed under the direction of Bruno Sacco and went into production in 1992 with either 389 hp 6.0 litre / 366 cui 48 valve V12, 322hp, 5 litre / 302 cui V8 or in a few markets with 275hp 4.2 litre / 256 cui V8 engine options.

Mercedes Benz CL500, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

From 1992 – 93 the model was known as the SEC, in 1994 it became the S-Coupé and from 1996 to the end of production the model was known as the CL CLass.

Mercedes Benz CL500, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

These exclusive Coupés along with the larger SE and SEC saloon / sedan variants were incredibly well appointed with double glazed window’s being a particular novelty when the model was first seen in public.

Mercedes Benz CL500, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Today’s featured CL with the smaller and lighter 5 litre V8 engine, that improved the handling over the more powerful V12 was purchased in 1996 by Kenny Baker, the diminutive actor had a length of rope fitted to the boot so that he could pull it shut.

Mercedes Benz CL500, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol,

Kenny sold the car to his friend the giant former bodybuilder, weightlifter, face of road safety and actor David Prowse, hence the car, seen in these photographs taken at the Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol a few years ago, that has been passed on from the Star Wars R2D2 actor to the Darth Vader actor has become known as the Millennium Benz.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pillarless Millennium Benz” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. May the Force be with you.

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Unit Beat Policing Panda – Morris Minor 1000

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In 1968 the City of Bristol Constabulary bought a fleet of Morris Minor 1000s to implement a new Unit Beat Policing Policy that was being rolled out by Constabularies across the country, where by a single officer in a Panda car was to cover an area previously covered by several “bobbies” on the beat.

Morris Minor, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

The withdrawal of foot patrols, to save man power, marked the end of Community Policing in Bristol until it was reintroduced by the renamed and merged Avon and Somerset Police decades later.

Morris Minor, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

Today’s featured “Moggie Thou”, registered on the 1st of February, served in Bristol for three years and is believed by the The Police Vehicle Enthusiasts Club, to be the only survivor of the batch bought in 1968.

Morris Minor, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham,

In 1971 a second batch of Minor 1000s was bought by the City of Bristol Constabulary to replace the first and it is believed only one of that batch also still exists, note cheaper two door Minor 1000s were used for the new unitary beat policing, presumably in the event of an arrest a Black Maria had to be called to haul arrested suspects away.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unit Beat Policing Panda” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a Star Wars edition of Mercedes Monday. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Baby Bertha – Vauxhall Holden Repco Firenza

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After disposing of “Old Nail” at the end of 1974 Bill Blydenstein received funding from Dealer Team Vauxhall to create a new Super Saloon based on a 4 door Vauxhall Ventora saloon shell and fitted with a 476 hp 5 litre / 302 cui Repco tuned Holden V8, Borg Warner T10 gearbox, Salisbury Power Lock differential, AP racing disc drakes, double wishbone suspension on the front with 12″ x 15″ slicks and de Dion rear suspension with 15″ x 15″ slicks.

Vauxhall Holden Repco Firenza, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Driver Gerry Marshall soon dubbed the car Big Bertha and won three of the six races he started in the beast before it shed some brake pads and ended up in the Silverstone crash barriers, it’s meticulously built shell beyond repair.

Vauxhall Holden Repco Firenza, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

Vauxhall had second thoughts about offering a V8 Ventora to the public in light of the fuel crises, so Bill and DTV decided to build today’s featured Droop Snoot Firenza out of all the bits salvaged from the wrecked shell of Big Bertha.

Vauxhall Holden Repco Firenza, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

It was not long before the car became known as Baby Bertha and over the next three years Gerry raced the car in 40 events and won 37 of them, retired from 2 and was beaten only once by a cheeky little 270 hp Hillman Imp driven by Jonathon Buncombe that was built on a 1971 Chevron B19 sports car chassis and known as The Chimp, soon after it’s win The Chimp was effectively banned from Super Saloon events because of protests regarding it’s wheel base which was longer than the mandated standard Imp length.

Vauxhall Holden Repco Firenza, Piers Ward, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Paul Haywood-Halfpenny bought Baby Bertha in 1978 and had a disastrous season with it that he reckoned cost him £1,000 per lap, at a time when the average wage was only £5000.

Vauxhall Holden Repco Firenza, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

In the 1980’s current owner Joe Ward bought Baby Bertha after Gerry Marshall, among others, had owned it and raced it one more time to a second place finish at Thruxton. Joe’s son Piers is seen at the wheel in the photo above at Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Thanks for joining me on this “Baby Bertha” 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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Look A Like TRC – Ferrari 250 GT/E #4873

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Today’s featured car started life as a right hand drive 1963 Series 3 Ferrari 250 GT/E chassis #4873 delivered to Maranello Concessionaires who sold it to a Mr H. R. V. Walkup DFC. of Highfields Motors in Derby.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Silverstone Classic

Mr Walkup loaned the car to John Dalton in the 1960’s for him to race at Mallory Park with it’s original 2+2 body.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Silverstone Classic

Mr Derek Welford of York appears to have commissioned R M Wilson Engineering of Leicester to fit the current vaguely TRC styled body in the 1980’s, the car is shown to have first been registered with it’s current licence plate on the 26th of January 1981.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Silverstone Classic

Stuart Anderson bought the car in 1997 with 450 miles showing on the clock and kept it for 17 years before selling it to Darren Hills.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Silverstone Classic

Stuart raced #4873, seen in these photographs at Silverstone Classic, primarily in the Pirelli Ferrari Formula Classic series where along with many wins the car holds five Group 1 lap records.

Ferrari 250 GT/E, Silverstone Classic

Prior to selling the car, to race a Morgan, Stuart shared his passion for his 250 GT/E TRC by setting up the ferrari250.com website where full details of the cars history and it’s modifications can be found.

Thanks for joining me on this “Look A Like TRC” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at “Baby Bertha”. Don’t forget to come back now !

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