Tag Archives: Heath

Twin Barrel Carb – Peugeot 304 Cabriolet

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On the 23rd of April 1965 Peugeot launched it small front wheel drive family car the 204 powered by a 53 hp motor that would be fitted to a range of body styles that included a sedan/saloon/berline, convertible/cabriolet, hatchback/coupe, estate/wagon, and a van.

Peugeot 304 Convertible, Bristol and South Gloucestershire Stationary Engine Club Rally

Between 1969 and 1971 the 204 was the best selling car in France and leading up to this success Peugeot spotted a gap in the market for a mid size car that was larger than the 204 but smaller than the large rear wheel drive 504 that had been voted European Car of the Year upon it’s launch in 1968.

Peuget 304 Convertible, Castle Combe,

The mid size 304 shared many features with the 204 including it’s drive train with a by now uprated 65hp engine, mid chassis pan and front doors, all of which saved tremendous costs and increased the viability of the 304 which was styled by Pininfarina to mimic the larger 504 with a larger rear over hang than the 204.

Peugeot 304 Convertible, Bristol and South Gloucestershire Stationary Engine Club Rally

The 304 was launched in 1969 with fully independent suspension, floor mounted gear shift, front disc brakes and head lights that could easily be adjusted for driving on the left or the right according to the local market needs at the point of sale.

Peuget 304 Convertible, Castle Combe,

The cabriolet 304 was introduced in March 1970 alongside a coupé both of which replaced equivalent 204 models in the Peugeot range.

Peuget 304 Convertible, Castle Combe,

In March 1972 the 304 Cabriolet and Coupé were the first to receive a further uprated ‘S’ motor with a a twin choke/twin barrel carburetor that produced 75 hp, however these two models were deleted from the Peugeot range and not replaced in July 1972 and August 1973 respectively, almost certainly as a result of the recession which stalled global economies as an outcome of the oil crisis. The estate / wagon continued in production until 1980 by which time a new 305 series had been introduced to replace it.

Today’s featured 304 Cabriolet seen at Castle Combe with the roof down and at the South Gloucestershire Stationary Engine Club Rally, Coalpit Heath, Gloucestershire was one of the last to be built and not registered in the UK until May 1975 nearly three years after it had been built.

Thanks for joining me on this “Twin Barrel Carb” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be visiting a Golf Mk IV owners camp. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Unique GT Coupé – HWM Jaguar GT Coupé

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After the ’39 – ’45 war Hersham and Walton Motors (HWM) was operate by partners George Abecassis and John Heath. For the 1948 season John, a self taught engineer, built an Alta powered Special called an HW Alta which they both raced with some success.

The following season an open wheel HW Alta was built and encouraged by it’s success they built the first four HWM cars for the 1950 season, three works cars and one for a privateer, which could run in open wheel or closed wheel form.

HWM Jaguar GT Coupé, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone,

20 year old Stirling Moss was given his first break, beyond 500cc Formula 3, by the team and scored two third place finishes at Reims and Bari despite a lack of reliability and power from the Alta motors.

One of the original works cars retains it’s an Alta motor to this day, another became the first HWM Jaguar and the third went to Hollywood and became the Stovebolt Special.

HWM Jaguar GT Coupé, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone,

With the profits from selling their cars at the end of 1950 the team built new open wheel Formula Two cars for the 1951 and ’52 seasons but there competitiveness dwindled against the likes of Ferrari.

In 1953 HWM built another sports car now powered by a Jaguar motor with which George won a race at Snetterton. HWM focused on building and running Jaguar powered cars until 1956 when John Heath died from injuries sustained after an accident in the rain on the Mille Miglia.

HWM Jaguar GT Coupé, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone,

Thereafter George decided to focus on running the trading side of HWM which had become an Aston Martin dealer in 1951 and has remained so to this day to become the oldest Aston Martin dealership in the world.

The final HWM is today’s featured Jaguar powered HWM GT Coupé built, with unique bodywork the design of which is credited to Aston Martin’s Frank Feeley, as a road car which show’s how HWM might have progressed but for the unfortunate turn of events on the Mille Miglia.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unique GT Coupé” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psychoontyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Formula One BRM. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This #3 – The Connew Story

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Two years ago Barry Boor kindly granted me permission to start working on a no budget film about the Connew Grand Prix car which was designed by his cousin Peter Connew and ran 40 years ago today in the Austrian Grand Prix with Francois Migault at the wheel.

Connew PC1 02, Chadwell Heath Library

With many thanks to everyone who has participated in the making of the film I’m pleased to announce that you can now find out how the Connew, designed in a bedroom, built with beer money and run on a wad of French Francs fared on this link.

I hope you will join me in congratulating everyone who was involved in the Connew Team on their most unlikely achievement and wishing Peter well on his mission to rebuild the car. I am sure this will not be my last blog on this triumph of Peters maxim “there is nothing that cannot be done without common sense, application and half an ounce of common sense”.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sweet dreams are made of this #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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Sweet dreams are made of this #2 – Connew PC1 02

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Continuing the improbable but never the less true story of the Connew Grand Prix team that I started on Boxing day today I am looking at some of the trials and tribulations the team had preparing for the French Grand Prix in 1972.

Connew Ford PC 1, Le Mans

Having built thier car with a dummy engine as seen in the previous Connew blog, Peter managed to secure funding from a French consortium lead by Vincent Mausset to run Francois Migault in 5 races.

Connew Ford PC 1, Le Mans

The funding took the form of a ‘wad’ of French Francs which Peter, his cousin Barry and chief mechanic Roger Doran could only exchange to Pounds Sterling at £30 a time, thanks to foreign currency exchange restrictions in operation at the time.

Connew Ford PC 1, Le Mans

Peter managed to put a deposit down on a second hand Ford Cosworth DFV engine, in need of a rebuild, from Phil Kerr at McLaren, and purchased a brand new gearbox.

Connew Ford PC 1, Le Mans

Francois borrowed a truck from his brother who was in the furniture manufacturing business with a company called SAPAL, in return for the truck which was used as the teams transporter SAPAL stickers appeared on the Connew.

Connew Ford PC 1, Le Mans

While final preparations of the car were made for it’s first Grand Prix and the truck was fitted out for racing car transporter duties, Barry got married, heroically spending just 24 hours with his bride before returning to help the team at it’s lockup in Chadwell Heath. FInally the team was ready to go with a truckie named ‘Mansell’ at the wheel of the SAPAL transporter, in Portsmouth customs officials were reluctant to let the truck leave the country because it was on French registration plates but the driver ‘Mansell’ was English.

Connew Ford PC 1, Le Mans

Once in France just outside Le Mans the trucks engine blew up. The truck was towed to Le Mans, Francois home town and the team used the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit, where these photos were taken, to do some testing while the truck was repaired.

On the first day of testing it became apparent that the cars suspension had been damaged in transit and with that the teams plans to go to the French Grand Prix had to be abandoned while repairs to the car were made.

To be continued….

With thanks to Peters cousin Barry Boor for the photographs if you’d like to read the whole story of how the Connew team came together over a period of two years and it’s trials and tribulations the year after please read Barry’s account of his part in this ‘Boys Own‘ adventure here.

Hope you have enjoyed the second part of the Connew story and that you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don’t for get to come back now !

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Stovebolt Special – HWM Chevrolet #49 ?

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HWM Stovebolt Special, Pebble Beach, Carlyle Blackwell

Photo Carlyle Blackwell, Publised Courtesy Blackwell Archive, for sales enquiry’s please e-mail infoATpsychoontyres.co.uk and your contact details will be forwarded to the Blackwell Archive.

On Wednesday when I started today’s blog I thought lovely black car rare make, probably not too much history. As you’ll see below I could not have been more wrong in my assessment of the task ahead.

Hersham and Walton Motors (HWM) acquired an Aston Martin Dealership in 1951 reputedly making it the oldest such franchise.

Racing drivers & HWM owners George Abecassis and John Heath first built a streamlined body on an Alta sports car chassis in 1948.

The first proper HWM’s were also 4 cylinder Alta powered and built for the second tier European open wheel series called Formula 2 in 1950.

This is one of those 1950 open wheel cars allegedly driven by none other than Sir Stirling Moss at the start of his career.

Thanks to information passed on by David McKinney, it appears that this vehicle still fitted with an Alta engine was purchased in 1953 by 20th Century Fox and used in the film ‘The Racers‘ staring Kirk Douglas and Bella Darvi, this film was also known as ‘Such Men Are Dangerous’ in some countries.

During filming the car was heavily damaged, later Tom Carsten purchased all the vehicles from the film, selling most of them on, but keeping the HWM because it had independent suspension and fitting it with a 302cui /4900 cc Chevrolet V8 which was then bored out to 4994 cc / 305 cui by Edelbrock.

The car was also fitted with a quick change rear axle and experimental disc brakes by Hallibrand.

Bill Pollack, seen in this photograph by Carlyle Blackwell, confirmed as having to be at Pebble Beach by Bill himself, is known to have driven the at least twice in 1956 during which time chassis acquired the nome de course ‘Stovebolt Special’.

Bill was a regular winner at events such as Pebble Beach (two times), Golden Gate Park, Reno, Torrey Pines, Stockton, Madera, Willow Springs, Palm Springs, and the Santa Barbara road races, the most famous of which was in an Allard J2 at Pebble Beach from which his book ‘Red Wheels and White Sidewalls‘ takes it’s title.

JB Miltonian informs me that a version of this photo with the driver in an obviously retouched red shirt appeared on the cover of Sports Car Illustrated in September 1956 with the caption “Rounding the last turn at Pebble Beach is Bill Pollack in the latest Carstens bomb, the HWM-Chev V8. A complete breakdown of the car starts on p12. Ektachrome is by Carlyle Blackwell.”

The Stovebolt Special is known to have been raced until at least 1963.

In 1980 John Matherson restored the car which appeared in the Pebble Beach Concours in 2003.

HWM Stovebolt Special, Alan Raine

As seen in this photo by Alan Raine most recently the Stovebolt Special has reappeared in the UK driven by Simon Taylor.

According to one source Simon’s car is now listed as having a 5737 cc / 347 cui motor.

There is some disagreement as to the chassis number of the Stovebolt Special with options including #49 – 001 ,49/02 and even FB 102, should Simon Taylor get in touch I’ll ask him and add a post script.

My thanks to Carlyle Blackwell for the photo, Ed and Steve Arnaudin who kindly sent it on to me and TNFers David McKinney, Alan Raine, fnqvmuch, Tim Murray, Roger Lund, Mark Godfrey, JB Miltonian, and Vince H, who helped reveal the story behind the ‘Stovebolt Special’.

Please keep the Arnaudin family in your thoughts and prayers at this time.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s Stovebolt Special edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you’ll join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

28 07 12 PS My thanks to Pamela Blackwell who has kindly retrospectively given me permission to post the photo’s her father took.

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Sweet dreams are made of this – Connew PC1 02

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Imagine a recently graduated 24 year old industrial designer, who knows nothing about motor sport, but with a passing interest in large American chromed land yachts sitting in an office designing record players in East London, i pods if your not sure of what a record player is, and the phone rings. His friends are calling to see if he would like to join them on holiday with the intention of taking in the 1969 Italian Grand Prix.

When his boss tells our hero that it is not okay to take the time of work to go on holiday our hero offers his resignation, and joins his friends anyway.

At the Italian GP our hero falls in love with the sound of V12 engines as they accelerate between the corners of the Monza track.

Upon returning to England he finds out about a vacancy in the drawing office of a newly established Grand Prix team owned by a former multiple World Motor Cycle champion and one time World Grand Prix champion.

Our hero’s attitude ‘that there was no problem in this world that common sense and application with half an ounce of intelligence can not overcome’ wins him the job, starting out knowing absolutely zero about the design of racing cars within months he is working on the design of a Grand Prix car.

When our hero sees the red car his new design is going to replace wheeled out into the sunshine for the first time, in that very instant he decides he is going to build a Grand Prix vehicle of his very own.

Our hero starts working from home, his parents home that is, on his own Grand Prix challenger, a friend tells our hero he may use a spare bedroom and lock up to start building his car, other friends chip in with time, suppliers ‘lend’ him various bits and pieces to be getting on with. As the design our hero is paid for near completion he then takes a job with an engineering company where he uses his and colleagues lunch hours to fabricate parts he cannot otherwise afford for his own Grand Prix challenger.

12 months after deciding to build his very own Grand Prix car our hero completes his chassis and he shows it to his cousin, a wood work teacher, who agrees to to join the team to make the bodywork using materials he has never used before.

Using only our heros own wages, friends time, goodwill and what can be scrounged including a dummy engine, once used by Jochen Rindt to win the 1969 US Grand Prix, gearbox and wheels our heros team push their improbably completed Grand Prix car one Sunday night out of it’s lock up, down the London Rd in Chadwell Heath to the only place with enough light to take a photo of their pride and joy, the forecourt of their local petrol station.

If this story sounds incredible then I’d like to welcome you to the incredible story of Peter Connew who in 36 months made the transition from record player designer to Formula One designer and constructor of the Connew PC1 02 Grand Prix car seen here in late 1971. To be continued….

With thanks to Peters cousin Barry Boor for the photographs if you’d like to read the whole story of how the Connew team came together over a period of two years and it’s trials and tribulations the year after please read Barry’s account of his part in this ‘Boys Own‘ adventure here.

Hope you enjoyed part one of my all time favourate Formula One story which will be continued at some future date, and that you’ll join me tomorrow for a look at some teutonic efficiency at ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’. Don’t forget to come back now !

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