Monthly Archives: March 2016

Hi Wing Body Kit – Chevrolet Camaro Z28

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Most of the news around the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro centered on the white 30 Anniversary edition, 108 of which were fitted with 330hp LS4 engines, of which today’s featured car is not an example.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

Neither does it have the tri coloured rear lights introduced to some markets, nor the new for ’97 five spoke polished alloy wheels, but it probably does have the new for 1997 interior.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

This ’97 Z28 is powered by a pushrod 5.7 litre / 350 cui LT1 which with the introduction of OBD II compliant engine controls and twin catalytic converters in 1996 produced 285hp, up from 275hp in 1993.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

This particular car appears to have been fitted with a non original equipment or even option body kit that includes new front spoiler, side sill panels, wild rear wing and wider alloy 5 spoke wheels, if you know who made this kit please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

This Camaro, seen in these photographs in Redland Bristol some years ago, was first registered in the UK on the 1st of April 2007.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

At the time of writing it’s MOT, certificate of road worthyness, had expired and Road Tax was about to run out suggesting it might be up for sale somewhere if it is not sitting unloved in it’s garage.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hi Wing Body Kit” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for FIAT Friday, don’t forget to come back now !

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Testing Testing – Castle Combe

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On my day off yesterday I headed over to the Atwell Wilson Museum in Calne, and taking the scenic route I happened by Castle Combe where pre season testing was under way, I couldn’t resist the allure of the sight of racing cars in action so stopped off to see what was going on.

Vauxhall Tigra, Oliver Bull, Castle Combe,

About to leave the paddock above is 2015 Castle Combe Sports & GT Champion Oliver Bull in his Fleuertation Flowers of Bristol Vauxhall Tigra in preparation of his campaign to defend his title which starts at the Howard’s Day meeting on Easter Monday March the 28th.

Haggispeed Mk9b, Tony Harman, Castle Combe,

Bob Haggis Le Seur is believed to have built around seventeen cars which included a couple of Hillman Imps and most notably Haggispeed Clubmans cars the series of which went up to Mk 10, I believe the Mk9b above has been owned and driven by Tony Harman since 2001 in the HSCC Classic Clubmans series, the HSCC will be holding a two day meeting at Castle Combe on April 16/17.

Ferrari 360, TBC, Castle Combe,

Just as I started making my way round the track it started to rain and so many of the cars immediately headed for the pits including the unmarked Ferrari 360 above, the driver of which is unknown to me as is the series in which the car might run, if you know please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Ginetta G16, George Douglas, Castle Combe,

In his time Mobile Windscreens proprietor and HSCC Guards Trophy competitor George Douglas has run a variety of special saloons and GT’s with exotic chassis including a Hillman Imp, Skoda and Ginetta G12, above he is seen diving into the pits in his slick shod Ginetta G16 as the heavens open.

Van Diemen RF00, Roger Orgee, Castle Combe,

I’ll try not to snigger at all the shenanigans going on in Formula One at the moment with the drivers unanimously requesting some one take control, as I have been saying for along time Formula One could do worse than come up with a 600hp version of Formula Ford 1600 on similarly skinny all weather tyres, if it was really interested in entertaining spectators, above 2015 Castle Combe FF1600 Roger Orgee spray’s the cobwebs out of his championship winning Van Diemen RF00.

Peugeot 106 GTi, Geoffrey Ryall, Castle Combe,

Geoffrey Ryall appeared to be having great fun in his #29 Peugeot 106 GTi with which he competes in Class C of the Castle Combe Saloon Car Championship.

Neil Harris, Nemesis Prototype, Castle Combe,

Seen setting sail for The Esses above is Castle Combe Sports Racing Series competitor Neil Harris in his #15 Nemesis Prototype.

Mini Miglia, Shayne Deegan, Castle Combe,

At the end of last year 2014 and 2015 Demon Tweeks 720 Stockhatch Championship winner Shayne Deegan switched from his Citroën Saxo to a Mini Miglia run by Peter Baldwin for the three race 50 Plate Triple Shoutout at Snetterton which he also won, Shayne who I believe is seen exploring the outer limits of Quarry above, won the #50 for 2016 the 50th Anniversary year of the Mini 7 club which runs the Mini Miglia Championship.

Reynard SF78, Graham Ridgeway, Castle Combe,

HSCC Formula 2000 competitor Graham Ridgeway is seen splashing towards Avon rise in his 1978 Reynard SF78, which he shares with Jennifer Ridgeway, above.

Nike Mk6, Peter Hannam, Castle Combe,

Back in the paddock Peter Hannam consults before adjust his shock absorbers on his 1970 Nike Mk 6 HSCC Formula Ford challenger for which he needed no tools beyond his fingers.

Wishing all GALPOT readers all the best for the 2016 Racing Season ahead, looks like my work schedule might allow me to kick my season off at the 24 Endurance race for Touring cars at Silverstone on April 2nd / 3rd.

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

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Electric Sprinter – Peugeot EX1 Concept

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As part of Peugeot’s 200th Anniversary Celebrations their design center at Vélizy in the South Western suburbs of Paris created the electrically powered EX1 Concept in time for a public debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The water droplet shaped carbon composite monococque chassis is optimised for weight and rigidity, the whole vehicle weighs less than 1,000 kgs / 2205 lbs.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Two electric motors, one for each axle, combine to produce 340hp, enough to turn the EX1 into a record breaker for vehicles weighing less than 1000 kgs.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The complete car measures 0.99 meters / 3′ 4″ high by 1.7 meters / 5′ 8″ wide.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In September 2010 the EX1 was taken to Linas-Montlhery autodrome just south of Paris where Nicolas Vanier set six records in one afternoon.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

They were 0-60mph in 3.55sec, 1/8 mile 8.89sec, 1/4 mile in 14.4sec, standing kilometre in 28.16sec, standing mile in 41.09sec and overall top speed of 161mph.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Chinese blogger and competition driver Han Han drove the EX1 at Taipingsi military airport in Chengdu, China three months later where he lowered the 1/8 and 1/4 mile records to 7.08.62sec and 12.67.54sec respectively.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Nicolas Vanier also drove the EX1 in China and lowered his 0-62 mph time to 3.49sec and recorded a longitudinal acceleration of 1G over a total sprint of 39 meters.

Peugeot EX1 Concept, Goodwood Festival of Speed

These electric record breaking achievements indicate Peugeot is well on the way to offering it’s electric vehicle customers of the future with incomparable driving experiences.

Thanks for joining me on this “Electric Sprinter” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be visiting Castle Combe for a spot of preseason testing. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Gelände Sportwagen – Mercedes Benz W153 230S

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Alongside Mercedes Benz Land Speed Record, Grand Prix and Sports Car programmes during the 1930’s the company also built a small number of Gelände Sportwagen of three types to compete in Rallies such as the Brandenburg Rally and Deutsche Alpenfahrt for the 1938 and 1939 seasons.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The most numerous was the 170VS with a 60hp 4 cylinder motor fitted to a modified W136 tubular cross braced frame of which 30 examples were built between 1938 and 1939.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The 230S was powered by a 58hp six cylinder motor which offered more torque than the 170VS that was fitted to a pressed-steel ladder-structure W153 frame of which 19 examples were built in the same time frame as the 170VS.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The Gelände Sportwagen programme concluded in 1939 with the 230SV which was an improved version of the 230S but with a short stroke engine that still only produced 58hp, but was more reliable than the 1938 model.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The spartan light weight bodies were of elektron with aluminium wings / fenders, the boot / trunk of these cars carried the fuel tank, a spare front tyre with normal tread pattern and rear knobbly treaded tyre plus a selection of spares and tools that might be required on route by competitors who were required to carry out any repairs without any outside assistance.

Mercedes Benz W153 230S, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance,

The frame on today’s featured W153 230S, was found after a two year search by the Mercedes Benz Classic Centre in 2002 and restored with many new fabricated parts in time for Mercedes Benz 125th anniversary in 2011.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took these photographs at Dana Point Concours d’Elegance in 2014.

Thanks for joining me on this “Gelände Sportwagen” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another French Concept car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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The Gearless Green Car – Mini 9X ADO20

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Today’s featured British Leyland Motor Corporation Mini 9X test car was built to trial the replacement overhead cam engine intended to replace the BMC ‘A’ series push rod that had been introduced in 1951 along with the Austin A30, and a new gearless transmission.

The single overhead cam eight valve four cylinder engine has a capacity of 1500 cc / 91.5 cui with a rubber belt driving the cam, when tested it produced 50hp at 4000 rpm.

BLMC Mini 9X ADO20, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum

Despite achieving only 20 hours running time over 4 and half weeks on a test bed in 1975 due to leaks and other faults this car was regularly driven up until 1987 with only a cam belt failure on the M5 in 1982 during high speed testing.

The transmission consists of a torque converter and a mechanical final drive sourced from an Austin Allegro, the only gear options being forwards or reverse.

BLMC Mini 9X ADO20, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum

Other novel features on the 9X test cars were a redesigned nose, vertical strut suspension, this car was also fitted with competition aluminium doors, with sliding windows and original ADO15 type exterior hinges and boot lid, the unique bonnet and wings were also in weight saving aluminium, the original doors and boot lid corroded and have been replaced by steel items.

Four ADO20 Minis were converted to house the 9X transmission three of which also had the 9X single overhead cam engine also fitted, today’s example seen at the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne, was the second to be converted and the first to be fitted with the 9X engine, known at the factory as The Green Car, originally painted Connaught Green, resprayed in 1985 to the current Tundra Green, it was purchased in 1975 by the father of the Mini Sir Alec Issigonis who used it as his preferred transport for many years until he sold it back to Austin Rover as BLMC had become.

One prototype to an all new 9X design featuring the overhead cam engine, gearless transmission, front strut suspension and hatchback tailgate was built before the project was cancelled leaving the Mini in production until 2000 having out lived it’s eventual successor the Austin miniMetro that was in production from 1980 to 1997.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Gearless Green Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Mercedes Monday, don’t forget to come back now !

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Aeronautical Heritage – Mackson 500 F3

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The Mackson 500 F3 came about through a short lived collaboration that started in 1951 between constructor “Mac” McGee and aeronautical engineer Gordon Bedson who’s curriculum vitae included working for Vickers Armstrong on the ultra modern Valiant jet bomber.

The Mackson was built in Guildford Surrey with a tubular frame, independent front wishbone suspension and swing axle rear and fitted with the latest Dunlop alloy wheels.

Mackson 500 F3, Gordon Russell, Castle Combe,

A Norton double knocker engine was specified, although an example has also been fitted with a JAP engine in the United States, the Norton gearbox transmitted power to the rear wheels through chain drive and the solid rear axle.

The 18 gauge aluminium body is noticeably lower than it’s contemporaries like the Kieft CK52 and Cooper Mk VI.

Mackson 500 F3, Gordon Russell, Castle Combe,

Designer Gordon tested the original Mackson, but Arthur Gill ran two cars for himself and Alan Scoble while a third car was bought and raced by Peter Braid, with no wins during the 1952 season Gordon Bedson left the team to become a director at Kieft.

No more Mackson’s were built, but they continued to be raced, one being converted into first the Saxon Formula 3 car which was upgraded to Formula Junior spec, Gordon Russell is seen at the wheel of today’s example at Castle Combe.

Thanks for joining me on this “Aeronautical Experience” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at another Mini variation that never made it into production. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Portello Caldo – FIAT Strada 105TC

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Three years after the launch of the rebodied FIAT 128 based Ritmo / Strada range FIAT introduced it’s first “hot hatch” version the 105TC in 1981.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

The most important performance improving feature of the 105TC was the 104hp 1,585cc / 96.7 cui twin overhead cam engine that was derived from FIAT’s 124, 131 and 132 models.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

Available only with a 3-door body 105TC’s were also equipped with front fog lights integrated into the front bumper and integrated front spoiler combined with wheel arch extensions.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

Other distinguishing features included thick black sill line and black mesh air intake,
UK Strada 105TC’s were supplied with Speedline alloy wheels as seen on this example at Auto Italia Brooklands.

FIAT Strada 105TC, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

From the rear 105TC’s were distinguished by the rear spoiler mounted below the rear window, this magnificently preserved example was first registered in the UK on the 14th of August 1982.

Thanks for joining me on this Portello Caldo edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a motorcycle powered racing car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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