Tag Archives: Birmingham

First Ferrari Road Car – Ferrari 166 Inter Coupé Touring Superleggera #017S

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At the Turin Motor Show in 1948 Ferrari presented two new models to the world, the 166 Barchetta sports racer and the 166 Inter Coupé which sits on a longer wheelbase. Both vehicles are powered by Gioacchino Colombo designed two litre / 122 cui all aluminium V12’s.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The car seen here carries the chassis number 017S, like all Ferrari’s at the time even numbers were saved for the works team racing cars while odd numbers were designated to cars intended for customers to buy.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

This Right Hand Drive car appears to have been sold new to the Cerana brothers of Milan in 1949 where it remained until 1958 before finding new owners in Switzerland where the car remained until the turn of the Millenium when the car moved to the Nehterlands before finding an owner in the UK in 2009.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The most popular coachwork supplier for the 166 Inter Coupé appears to have been Touring who built the aluminium body panels for the car seen here with their usual Superleggera structure of tubes in support.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

With 110 hp the 166 Inter Coupé could reach a top speed of 105 mph.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The 166 Inter Coupé represented Ferrari’s first series road cars and in all 37 were built between 1948 and 1951.

Thanks for joining me on this “First Ferrari Road Car” 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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Excel Protoype – Lotus Eclat/Excel Type 84/89 #1144

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The Lotus Eclat, Type 76 but not to be confused with the Lotus Ford 76 Grand Prix car, was a fastback version of the Lotus Elite, Type 75 shooting brake, first seen in 1975 sharing the same back bone chassis and motor and running gear as the Type 75 Lotus Elite.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Eclat was updated in 1980 known as the Eclat S2 the updated car was given the Type 84 designation. 1757 original sepcification Eclats were built between 1975 and 1982 and a further 223 Eclat S2’s were built between 1980 and 1982.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In 1982 Lotus renamed the Eclat as the Excel with further upgrades and designated the Excel as Type 89. The car seen here is registered in the log book as a Lotus Eclat, a Type 84, but has all the signs of being the prototype Excel, a type 89 which was also known by the M55 code name at the Lotus factory.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Amongst the prototype clues are a cut and shut gearbox with the then new Toyota sourced gearbox welded onto the older original type bell housing, M55 marks on the body panels indicating the car was the first off the jig, not to mention the Excel badging on the sides and Eclat badging on the rear of the car. The car was probably registered as an Eclat prior to the necessary type approval being received for the later Excel.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

354 Excel’s were manufactured between 1982 and 1984 when production was discontinued. The current owner of this prototype Excel, Brian Swankie, bought the car at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham several years ago and has been restoring it ever since.

Thanks for joining me on this “Excel Prototype” 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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Next Generation – MG6 GT

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The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) dates back to 1958 when Jack Sears won the first contest, then known as the British Saloon Car Championship in an unlikely Austin A105 Westminster. Last year 2 time champion Jason Plato brought his MG6 GT featured here home in third place in the now Chinese owned MG Marque’s return to the Championship.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Plato’s team Triple 8 Motorsport which runs under the MG KX Momentum team banner was one of just two teams running with works support the other was the Championship winning Honda Yuasa Racing Team which clinched the top two championship spots with Gordon Shedden snatching the 2012 title from 2011 champion Matt Neal running Civic bodies.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

All of the runners in the 2012 BTCC were running with the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) motor, a turbocharged crate motor that produces around 300 hp, depending on the performance of a particular team this can be increased or decreased by the series organisers TOCA to even out the playing field.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The cars all run with standard spec 6 speed sequential gearboxes, racing clutches, front subframe incorporating the the suspension, transmission and motor, rear suspension, turbo inter cooler and aerodynamic aids front and rear.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Jason Plato started racing in karts and progressed through Formula Ford, Formula Renault and Formula Three open wheelers before winning the 1996 Renault Spider championship, he then manged to land a drive in the works Renault Touring Car team which was run by Frank Williams, he moved to Vauxhall, run by Triple 8 Motorsport, in 2000 an won his first BTCC title in 2001. Since then he has won more BTCC races than any other driver with stints at SEAT 2004 – 2008 and Chevrolet 2009 to 2011 winning the BTCC title for a second time in 2010.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The BTCC series comprises ten weekends racing at different tracks starting at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit and finishing at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, each meeting comprises three races, qualifying for the first is by timed practice while the top ten finishers are reversed on the grid for the second race and pole for the third is determined from from between 6th and 10th place finishers in the second race by lucky dip with 1st to 5th finishers from the second race going to the back of the grid ! Jason won 6 of the thirty qualifying races last season on his way to third in the championship.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

To celebrate their successful return to the BTCC MG recently launched a fully loaded with go faster equipment and graphics MG6 BTCC Special Edition.

For 2013 MG and Honda will be joined by privateers running Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Avensis, BMW 125i, Ford Focus ST, Audi A4, Vauxhall Insignia VXR-R, Volkswagen Passat CC, and Proton Persona bodies. 1st meeting of the season will be at Brands Hatch on the 31st of March.

Thanks for joining me on this “Next Generation” 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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Fully Loaded Rare Breed – Zastava Type 102 / Yugo 65AGLX

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Reading through the Zastava history on the zastava-yugo.co.uk website I was surprised to learn that just 83 of all Zastava/Yugo types remain registered on British roads,

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

which makes today’s featured 1989 Yugo 65AGLX branded Zastava Type 102 a rare breed in Britain, if not it’s homeland and the area surrounding Serbia where it was built.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Today’s featured 1989 model, is the top of the UK range GLX fitted with a 1298 cc / 79 cui motor which could be ordered with either a 5 speed manual or Renault derived 3 speed automatic gearbox.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In the USA where the 65AGLX was known as the GVX (GV = Great Value) along with the spoilers front and rear, side body kit and alloy wheels it was possible to order a GVX with a automatic electro-hydraulic folding/raising cabrio roof. US destined Yugo’s were apparently built on a separate production line manned by an elite staff who were paid a premium wage.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Despite modest acceleration times of 0-60 mph in 13.5 seconds and a top speed of 85 mph, US spec, production of the Zastava Type 102 survived the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia, the factory at Kragujevac in Serbia survived a bombing, and did not end until 2008 with 794,428 examples built.

Thanks for joining me on this “Fully Loaded Rare Breed” 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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Wheels & Ears – Lotus Esprit S2 Type 79

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The pace of innovation and development at Lotus was far too high for organised record keeping to be a strong point and some how the Lotus Type 79 number ended up being given to both the 1978 World Championship winning Formula One car and the otherwise unrelated Lotus Esprit S1 & S2 variations.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The second iteration of the Giugiaro designed Esprit, launched in 1978, featured a wrap around bumper which brought down the aerodynamic measure to Cd 0.355 and improved the handling in cross winds.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Gotti alloy wheels of the original Elite were replaced by Lotus designed alloy wheels manufactured by Speedline. Inside wider seats were fitted along side new instrumentation and switch gear illuminated by fibre optics, the external rear view mirrors became remotely operated too.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Ears behind the rear 3/4 window were used to feed air into the carburetor on the left and into the engine bay on the right.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Rover SD1 sourced rear lights now incorporated high intensity fog lamps. 1061 Esprit S2’s were built with the original Type 907 2 litre / 122 cui motor that gave the car a top speed of 124 mph. A further 88 S2.2’s were built with the an identical body, galvanised chassis and Type 912 motors of 2.2 litre / 134 cui with the same 160 hp but much improved torque which made the Esprit much easier to drive around town.

Thanks for joining me on this “Wheels & Ears” 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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Stojadin – Zastava Type 101 / Yugo 511

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Zastava, Serbian for flag according to Google Translator, was a Yugoslavian, now Serbian manufacturer that was born out of a Army Technical Institute founded in 1851 that in turn became a firearms manufacturer in the 1880’s. From 1939 to 1941 the vehicle arm of Vojno-Tehnicki Zavod assembled 400, Chevrolet according to some sources and Ford according to others, trucks before the ’39/’45 war closed operations down. In 1953 the renamed Zavodi Crvena Zastava, Red Flag Institutes 96% of the employees voted to resume vehicle manufacture and 162 Willy’s Jeeps were built. If you know have information pertaining to the first Zastava trucks being Ford or Chevrolet please chime in below.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In 1954 Zavodi Crvena Zastava entered an agreement to assemble FIAT’s under license which led to the production of FIAT 128’s called Zastava 128’s in 1971. In 1972 a hatchback version of the 128 was introduced and it is a 1986 version of the hatch back known as the Type 101 that is featured today.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The front end is indistinguishable from the revamped 1976 FIAT 128, voted 1970 European Car of the Year, minor differences to the bumper and manufacturers badges not withstanding.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Power for todays featured car comes from a 1116 cc / 68 cui with an aluminium cylinder head and overhead cam, originally designed by the legendary Aurelio Lampredi, which produces 55 hp.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Zastava 101, known colloquially in Serbia as the “Stojadin”, was sold under a variety of names in different markets, these include Yugo 311/313/511/513 and Skala 55 in its most recent 2008 incarnation when production ceased after 1,045,258 of the hatchbacks had been built. Production of the hatch backs was also licensed by the Polish FSO company and sold as the Zastava 1100p.

Zastava Yugo 511, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Like just about every other passenger vehicle built under the communist regieme in the 1970’s and 1980’s some Zastava 101’s were used for competition with a class win on the 1973 Tour d’Europe probably counting as it’s most significant achievement.

Thanks for joining me on this “Stojadin” 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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Hot Rover #3 – MG ZT-T

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Like the MG ZR and MG ZS models the MG ZT was based on a Rover model in this case the Rover 75 and like the smaller ZR and ZS it was launched in 2001 and face lifted in 2004.

MG ZT-T, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The ZT-T is the estate / station wagon version of the ZT and today’s face lifted car is said to have been completed on the 20th of January at 13:19 making it the 11th ZT to be built in 2004.

MG ZT-T, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The cars chassis plate shows this car to have been intended to be biomorphic green however it was finished in shot silk chromescent, like only two other ZT-T models, one of which also has a chassis plate showing the intended colour was biomorphic green.

MG ZT-T, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

On 5th April 2004 the car was registered to MG Rovers Press Fleet and was subsequently used by MG Director Dr Chris Millard who had many updates and extras retro fitted to keep the car up to date with all the latest developments barring an electric sunroof.

MG ZT-T, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Shot Silk Chromescent paintwork was part of MG Rovers Monogram Personalisation Programme which offered customers an exclusive opportunity for MG and Rover customers to realise their personality through automotive style.

MG ZT-T, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Power for this car comes from a 129hp Turbo Diesel motor which is connected to a 5 speed automatic transmission which gives a rest to 60 mph time of 11.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 117 mph.

MG ZT-T, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Just over a month after MG Rover called in the receivers in April 2005 ownership of this ZT-T transferred to the Royal Bank of Scotland before being sold on to a salesman.

My thanks to The Rover 75 and MG ZT Owners Club for the details about today’s car which is seen at the The Classic Motor Show held at the NEC, Birmingham a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks for joining me on this Hot Rover #3 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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