Tag Archives: International

HSCC International Trophy – Silverstone

Leave a Reply

Now celebrating it’s 50th anniversary the Historic Sports Car Club organised a two day International Trophy meeting at Silverstone last weekend of which I popped along to the second.

Jaguar E-type_7278sc

The first race of the day was led by the #91 Jaguar E-Type shared by Julian Thomas an Calum Lockie for opening 13 laps of the Turnkey GT and Sports Car Cup, but they lost ground on the driver change which happened as the course was under a full course caution that became a red flag after three further laps leaving the #75 AC Cobra 289 shared by Leo Voyazides and Andy Wolfe that had been running in the top six to inherit the win.

Formula Junior_7318sc

Sam Wilson in his #53 Lotus 20/22 led the 2nd Formula Junior race of the weekend from start to finish five cars held second place over the 9 lap race with Andrew Hibberd’s red #79 Lotus 22, seen in fourth above securing the spot with two laps to go, a late charge from James Murray secured third in his Lola.

Michael Lyons, McLaren M26, HSCC International Trophy, Silverstone

James Hunt won the International Championship twice when the British Racing Drivers Club organised the event with Hesketh in 1974 and McLaren in his 1976 championship winning year, last weekend Michael Lyons, seen above, drove a 1977 spec McLaren M26 to an easy victory in International Trophy ahead of Andrew Smith’s Gunston liveried March 79B.

Lola T282, Voyazides-Wolfe, HSCC International Trophy, Silverstone

Leo Voyazides and James Wolfe had to work a little harder, than Micheal, in their 1973 Jean-Louis Lafosse / Reine Wisell Gitanes liveried Lola T282 to get the better of the #19 Simon Watson and Andrew Kirkaldy Chevron B19 and the third place #60 Chevron B26 driven by John Burton in the 50 minute Pre 80 Endurance race.

Historic Formula 3, HSCC International Trophy, Silverstone

After several successful seasons running a Cooper in Formula Junior Jon Milicevic has switched to driving the #14 Brabham BT21B in Formula 3 and looks to continue his winning ways, having passed the Micheal Hibberd’s #25 Brabham on the opening lap he retained the lead to the end to finish ahead of Simon Archer’s #22 March 703 which worked it’s way up from 5th at the end of the opening lap.

Guards Trophy, HSCC International Trophy, Silverstone

George Tizzard’s persistence chasing down, the out of shot, #4 pole sitting Chevron B8 shared by Sandy Watson and Martin O’Connell was rewarded when he took the lead in the HSCC Guards Trophy 2 laps from home driving the #2 Gulf liveried Lenham Spyder.

Ford Falcon, Leo Voyazides, HSCC International Trophy, Silverstone

Leo Voyazides took a fairly easy victory third victory of the day with a solo drive in his Ford Falcon in the HSCC ByBox Historic Touring Car Championship beating the Ford Mustang driven by Warren Biggs by 14 seconds from pole position.

HSCC Historic Formula Ford 2000, HSCC International Trophy, Silverstone

In the final race of the day Ian Pearson won the HSCC Formula 2000 race from pole in his #9 Van Diemen RF83 while Andrew Park had to battle back to second in his white #27 Reynard SF81 after giving the place up to the #87 Reynard SF79 driven by Nelson Rowe and #33 Van Diemen RF82 of Marc Mercer on the opening lap.

Thanks for joining me on this International Trophy edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me for the next Packard edition soon. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Unique Information Entrepreneur – Haynes International Motor Museum

Leave a Reply

Last week I popped down to the Haynes International Motor Museum in Sparkford, Somerset to look at some of the over 400 cars collected by John H Haynes, OBE.

Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

John’s interest in cars started with a Morris on his parent’s tea plantation in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, and by the time he was 15 at school in England he had built himself an Austin Seven Special like the one seen below.

Austin 7 Special, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

When he came to sell the car, with a two line advert in MotorSport magazine, he was overwhelmed by the 150 responses he got, after selling the car John wrote a 48 page booklet about building specials with his own illustrations then printed off 250 copies which sold in ten day’s.

Austin Healey Sprite, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

Having learned his first lesson in selling unique information John was sent to Aden while serving in the Royal Air Force and there he helped a friend maintain an Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite, like the one seen in the Red Room, above and decided that the British Motor Corporation Manual could be improved upon and ended up photographing all the parts on his kitchen table for his first Haynes Workshop Manual selling all 3,000 copies in just 3 months.

AC Cobra, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

Since then Haynes Publishing have published over one thousand different Workshop Manuals which have sold over 7 million copies world wide, among the favorite of the many cars John has owned since then is the 1965 AC Cobra above.

TVR Tuscan, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

John had this 1968 TVR Tuscan fitted with a 350hp Holman Moody V8 and competed in it in Sprint events with John Blundell, he recorded a win with it in the last Yeovilton Sprint and a Fastest Time Of The Day (FTD) at the much missed Weston – Super – Mare Speed Trials.

Bentley Continental, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

In 1987 John took delivery of his specially ordered Bentely Continental with a Mulliner Park Ward convertible body painted in Royal Blue and Regal Red Connolly leather interior, note the registration number is appropriate for a man who made his fortune in publishing Workshop Manuals.

Bentley Arnage Red Label, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset,

John and I have at least one thing in common we both own cars built in 2000, I maintain mine with the help of one of his excellent manuals his is this Bentley Arange Red Label fitted with a 400hp Cosworth tuned 6.75 litre Rolls Royce V8.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unique Information Entrepreneur” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at another Packard, don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Stabled In The UK – Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A #4008429408386

Leave a Reply

Currently taking pride of place in the entrance to the Haynes International Motor Museum in today’s featured Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

The 540K is often incorrectly believed to have made it’s public debut at the Paris Motor show in 1936, but in fact the it was first seen in October 1935, i.e 1936 model year.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Between 1935 and 1944 Mercedes Benz dedicated 1,500 staff to building just 419 540K’s.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Of these just 89 are believed to have been fitted with factory Cabriolet A bodies like the one seen here.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

When Motor tested a 540K they found it was capable of reaching 85 mph over a quarter mile without the supercharger engaged and 102 mph over the same distance with the full 115 supercharged horsepower engaged, the journalists also found that the car returned 11 miles to the imperial gallon.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Autocar took a 540K to Brooklands for it’s test in 1938 and recorded a top speed of 104mph, with three passengers aboard.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Later in 1938 the 540K was given an updated chassis with oval sectioned chassis tubes as per the Silver Arrows Grand Prix cars.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Today’s featured 1935 540K is one of at least two formerly owned by King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan, his other was the Erdmann & Rossi bodied car built for show in Barcelona that was commandeered by Adolf Hitler to give as a gift to King Ghazi of Iraq.

Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Today’s featured car was stabled in England in is on loan to the Haynes Museum from His Majesties family.

Thanks for joining me on this “Stabled In The UK” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Delage Coupé. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Down The Hatch – Healey Silverstone #D 6

Leave a Reply

In 1948 the British Government, desperately short of funds in the wake of the Second World War decided to increase the purchase tax on luxury vehicles costing more than £1,000 from 33.33% to 66.66% a move that was disastrous for small luxury vehicle manufactures like Healey.

However just as necessity is the mother of invention, Donald Healey saw the new tax as an opportunity to build a vehicle for less than £1,000 using the latest version of the chassis seen and Riley engines as used to built the Westland, Elliot, Sportsmobile and Duncan models.

Healey Silverstone, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Len Hodges was responsible for the paired down body with head lights mounted behind the radiator grill and for which the spare tyre, mounted horizontally at the back of the car acted as a rear bumper.

Weighing only 2,100 pounds / 952 kgs the 104hp Silverstone’s power to weight ratio gave a rest to 60 mph time of 11 seconds and top speed of 110 mph.

Healey Silverstone, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Notable early successes for the Silverstone in competition included Donald Healey with Ian Appleyard navigating, winning the 1949 Alpine Rally in a Silverstone as did Edgar Wadsworth and Cyril Corbishley in 1951 in the same year Peter Riley and Bill Lamb drove another Silverstone to victory in Liège-Rome-Liège Rally.

51 D Type Silverstones were built between 1949 and 1950 when an updated “E Type” Silverstone with a wider body was introduced.

Healey Silverstone, Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Somerset

Today’s featured Healey Silverstone #D6 was owned by Carlo Castelbarco in 1950, Carlo with F Mosters at the wheel finished the 1950 Mille Miglia in 38th place.

In 1952 R Nabun drove #D6 on the Scottish Rally and according to the Healey Silverstone Register #D6 was the first car to be raced by Tony Lanfranchi, at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day 1957, who after narrowly avoiding becoming a full time Formula One driver in the 1960’s became a very well known championship winning club driver in the 1970’s and 1980’s who raced a diverse range of vehicles from a Muskovich to the famous National Organs Plymouth Barracuda.

Some of Tony’s exploits on the track and in the bar afterwards can be read in his eminently collectible biography “Down The Hatch”, written with Mark Kahn.

Before being acquired by the Haynes International Motor Museum, where the car is seen in these photographs, #D 6 belonged to Danish music producer Flemming Rasmussen, who collaborated with Rainbow, Metallica, Morbid Angel and Blind Guardian among many others, and the car still carries the same paint and decals as when Flemming drove the car on the 1987 retrospective Mille Miglia.

Thanks for joining me on this “Down The Hatch” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for another visit to the Haynes International Motor Museum for Mercedes Monday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

2016 Bucket List – Autosport International

Leave a Reply

Every year for the past couple of seasons I have come away from the Autosport International with a few new additions to my bucket list of new things to try before the season is out, if I make it to one or two I am usually happy here are six things I’ll be looking out for in the season ahead.

Ford Fusion, Autosport International, Birmingham NEC,

In 2003/4 my passion for motorsport was reignited after a decades abstinence when I started reading articles by veteran NASCAR writer Jerry Bonkowski.

By 2009 when I visited Talladega Superspeedway I was as hooked as I had been back in the 1970’s when I first discovered it.

I’m under no illusions that having the privilege to drive a non emergency ambulance up to 450 miles in a ten hour day is any kind of training to drive a 500 hp Cup car but top of my bucket list for 2016 is to shell out £150 for a couple of laps in the Ford Fusion above at a Rockingham Performance Driving Day.

Chevrolet Camaro, Autosport International, Birmingham NEC,

Sadly to date the only drag track I have visited is Shakespeare County Raceway which is due to close this year, so as well as making a final visit to Shakey I also hope to make it to Santa Pod where I have been informed the big boys like Andy Robinson go to play.

Andy drives the Pro Mod Chevrolet Camaro above which will reach 239.05 mph from rest in less than six seconds !

Winnebago Tour, Autosport International, Birmingham NEC,

I do not have a licence to drive anything as big as the £249,999 Winnebago Tour® nor the financial credentials to drive one to the end of my street, but I am planing on visiting the 2017 Rolex 24 Hours with a school friend and I have been informed the best way to spectate is to park an RV in the infield.

So if anyone reading this has room for two well bred and groomed Europeans in their RV at the 2017 Rolex 24 Hours please chime in below ?

March Chevrolet 717, Autosport International, Birmingham NEC,

One of the new features of this years Silverstone Classic will be a race for Can Am cars like the March Chevrolet 717 seen above, at the end of the 1980’s these cars were a regular site in historic events and it will be great to see a full field of them for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Sin R1 GT Cup, Autosport International, Birmingham NEC,

A couple of years ago Sin launched their R1 model at the Autosport International this year I hope to so one racing in either the British GT Championship, GT Cup, or if it is legible in the Britcar series.

Ford Focus WRC, Autosport International, Birmingham NEC,

Finally I have been wanting to go and see a rally cross event ever since Ford took a four wheel drive Ford Capri to Croft for Roger Clark to drive in 1969, it has always looked like great sport on TV so maybe this year I’ll finally get to a Rally Cross event, one I will be looking out for is Guy Martin’s debut in the Ford Focus WRC owned by Ollie O’Donovan and prepared by Tony Brady Motorsport seen above which will be at a date towards the end of the British Rally Cross Championship.

Watch this space to see if I achieve any of the above and chime in with your bucket list for 2016 below.

Thanks for joining me on this “2016 Bucket List” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another Daytona 24 Hour challenger. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Unique Factory Rear Seats – Ferrari 500 Superfast #6659SF

Leave a Reply

Today’s featured 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast chassis s/n 6659SF was invoiced to Maranello Concessionaires, GB on the 21st September 1965.

Ferrari 500 Superfast, Goodwood Festival of Speed

It was the 22nd of the 25 Series I Superfasts built and finished in the Argento exterior and Rosso interior colours still worn by the car today.

Ferrari 500 Superfast, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#6659SF appears to have been the very first Superfast to have been fitted with a five speed gearbox as were all 12 Series 2 Superfasts.

Ferrari 500 Superfast, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Uniquely amongst all 37 Superfasts this was the only one supplied with factory fitted rear seats, it was also supplied with the factory fit air conditioning option

Ferrari 500 Superfast, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Peachy Property Corp. tycoon, Fulham Football Club director and later treasurer of Socialist International Sir Eric Merton Miller bought #6659SF on the 9th of February 1966.

Ferrari 500 Superfast, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Even as he was being Knighted in 1976 rumours of financial impropriety at the Peachey Property Corp. were circulating and after being issued with four writs for the restitution of funds Sir Miller shot himself on the Jewish Day of Attonement 22nd of September 1977.

Since then #6659SF has had a succession of Australian and British owners and is seen in these photographs at Goodwood Festival of Speed where it was entered by John Collins of the classic Ferrari Specialists Talacrest.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unique Factory Rear Seats” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the very first Chevron built by Derek Bennett. Don’t forget to come back now.

Share

Floride – Renault Caravelle

Leave a Reply

After the run away success of the Volkswagen, Beetle based, Typ 14 Karmann Ghia launched in 1955, particularly in the United States, Renault thought they might be able pull off a similar feat by building Coupé and Convertible versions of the humble rear engined Renault Dauphine that succeeded the 4CV.

Allegedly the idea for the new Coupé and Cabriolet Dauphine variants was suggested at a convention of North American distributors that took place in Florida where Renault Chairman Pierre Dreyfus picked up the ball for the idea which instantly became known as the “Renault Floride”.

Renault Caravelle, Haynes International Motor Museum

The design was the work of Pietro Frua working for Ghia in Italy and the production of the bodies for the Dauphine chassis was by Société des usines Chausson in Paris while final assembly was completed by Brissonneau and Lotz at Creil in Picardy.

Not wishing to offend the other 49 states in the US of A Renault called the new model the Caravelle in all English speaking markets a year after the Floride was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1958.

Initially powered by a standard 37 hp motor or Gordini tuned 40hp version the Floride / Caravelle remained in production until 1968 by which time only 117,000 units had been built compared to the 445,000 Karmann Ghia’s Volkswagen built between 1955 and 1974.

The example seen above at the Haynes International Motor Museum was registered in the UK on the 25th of January 1968.

Thanks for joining me on this “Floride” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be competing in my first Auto Solo. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share