Tag Archives: Johnson

King Of Brighton & The Hills – ERA R4D

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For reasons that are not yet entirely clear to me today’s featured car ERA R4D began life with the out of sequence identifier R4B apparently a year before R3B had been built.

R4B was a works apple green race car completed for Raymond Mays use in 1935. It is said to have used all three ERA engine sizes, 1.1, 1.5 and 2 litre, according to the demands of the regulations of the event’s it competed in.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

This chassis was shared by Raymond Mays and E Von Delius in the 1935 German Grand Prix, it started 9th but retired at half distance with low oil pressure.

R4B was predominantly used by Raymond for sprints and hill climbing and in 1936, mid way through the season R4B and the other works cars were all painted black.

ERA R4D, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone,

No definitive reason is known for the change of colour, which coincidentally or not first appeared after the death of Marcel Lehoux at Deauville while driving R3B, the only pre war ERA not to have survived.

It is known that Raymond Mays had a Riley and Bentley painted black with silver / chrome wheels and that he detested green the British National racing colour in any shade.

ERA R4D, Mac Hulbert, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

It has also been pointed out that Dick Seaman’s successful R1B was painted black in 1935 and maybe after a run of bad luck the decision was taken to use Seaman’s preferred colour.

In 1937 R4B was upgraded to C specification with independent front suspension using torsion bars designed at great expense to ERA by Dr Ferdinand Porsche.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

R8B and R12B were also to receive this upgrade but R12C was converted back to B Spec after an accident in 1939.

Raymond Mays drove R4C to victory in the 1937 Picardy Grand Prix and in 1937 repeated the feat in 1938 when R4C was upgraded to R4D spec with a lighter fully box framed chassis.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

Arthur Johnson drove R4D in 1939 prior to Raymond Mays buying the car from the works to continue it’s development privately.

Raymond Mays continued to drive R4D winning the two British Hillclimb Championships in 1947 and ’48 and four Brighton Speed Trials, before selling her to Ron Flockhart in 1953.

Flockhart continued where May’s had left off by setting a record at the Bo’ness hillclimb.

In 1954 Ken Wharton bought R4D and won the RAC British Hill Climb Championship, he nearly repeated the feat in 1955, using R4D and a Cooper 500 Formula 3 car, but the title was awarded to new comer Tony Marsh after he and Wharton finished the championship on level points.

Wharton added three more wins at the Brighton Speed Trials to bring R4D’s total to seven, R4D is still the single most successful vehicle to compete in the event.

Today R4D is owned by Mac Hulbert and is seen with Julian Bronson at the wheel during the VSCC Spring Start Meeting earlier this year.

My thanks to Adam Wragg at facebook, Fuzzi and Vitesse2 at The Nostalgia Forum for informing why the works ERA were painted black in 1936.

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

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Gathering African Dust – Maserati 300S #3057

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Today’s featured car the Maserati 300S chassis number #3059 was sold to Benoit Musy of Fribourg Switzerland midway through 1955.

Benoit is known to have raced #3057 in at least 16 events which including a pair of maiden wins Spa and Chimay in 1955 and three more in 1956.

Maserati 300S, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

In October 1956 Benoit was killed driving a Maserati 200S at Monthlery and two years later the car was acquired by Automovel e Touring Clube de Angola, Africa where it is known to have been entered in at least five events up until 1962.

Before it’s last known in period event the motor was damaged and replaced with a Ford V8. After the 1975 Communist Revolution in Angola the car was turned into a street car but was soon left to gather dust for over a decade until it was discovered by Norwegian Stein Johnson who imported the car to Oslo in 1991.

Between 1992 and 1994 #3059 was restored in the UK with a fresh motor, what remained of the original motor was repaired and fitted into chassis #3069.

#3059 seen above at a HGPCA test day at Silverstone last year currently belongs to German Stefan Rettenmaier.

Thanks for joining me on this “Gathering African Dust” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Smaller, Lighter, RHD – Cunningham C6R

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After experiencing less than outright success at Le Mans with the Cadillac Le Monstre Cunningham in 1950, Chrysler powered Cunningham C2R in 1951, similarly powered C4R in 1952 and C5R in 1953 Briggs Cunningham decided that three short comings of the previous designs had to be addressed.

His next new project the C6R, had to be smaller, lighter and right hand drive to optimise weight distribution on a circuit with predominantly right hand corners.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The C6R was also originally intended to be powered by a race bred 340 hp 4.5 litre / 274 cui Ferrari V12 motor of the type more commonly found in a Ferrari 375MM of the type he had run at Le Mans in 1954 for Phil Walters and John Fitch.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Responsibility of the design for the body of the C6R was handed over Herbert “Bud” Unger who had worked on the bodies of the Cunningham C4R and C5R Cunningham’s as a metal worker.

In correspondence with me, about the design, Mr Unger said; “The engineers wanted maximum air flow to the brakes front and rear…” These were 13 inch air cooled drum brakes, prone to fading when hot. “I made the front air intake as large as possible and also extra air intakes on both sides beside the main grille air intake.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Next, I tapered the side of the body in from the front fenders all the way back to the rear fenders and by large air scoops to get maximum ram air into both rear brakes.”

By the time the car appeared at Sebring in 1956 with it’s unpainted aluminium body, crafted by “a man form Europe that was an expert with the (English) wheel.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Briggs, for reasons unknown, compromised the original design criteria by fitting a modified 3 litre Indy 500 engine running on petrol instead of the usual alcohol brew.

Le Patron shared the driving at Sebring with John Gordon Bennett and they retired from the race on the 54th lap after the clutch disintegrated.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

When the C6R appeared at Le Mans the body had some alterations including a single smaller front intake and a D-Type Jaguar like headrest and rear fin and the car ran over the weekend with the rear brake cooling intakes in open and blanked off configurations.

During the course of it’s second race Briggs and Sherwood Johnson found the C6R started loosing gears and it retired from 13th place after 18 hours after the engine had enough of pushing the car round in forth, top, gear only.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Briggs Cunningham raced the car one more time in 1955 at Road America where the Offy motor again expired for good.

The car did not run again until 1957 by which time a 3.8 litre 6 cylinder Jaguar six cylinder motor had been fitted.

Cunningham C6R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Briggs raced the car on four occasions with a best known result of 9th at Lime Rock in June 1957.

The car was permanently retired to Briggs Cunningham’s collection thereafter which has since become part of the Collier Collection. It is seen here at recent Goodwood Festival of Speed meetings.

My thanks to Mr Unger, Cunningham Motorsport Historian Lawrence W. Berman, Paul Kierstein from the photo archive and Sondre Kvipt in Norway who facilitated my correspondence with Mr Unger. Thanks also to Herbert at The Nostalgia Forum who brought up the subject of the C6R’s blanked off rear air intakes.

Thanks for joining me on this “Smaller, Lighter, RHD” edition of “Gettin’ A L’il Psycho On Tyres” I hope you will join me for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Giant Killer – Chevron Chevrolet B24 #B24-73-02

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Having developed a passion for engineering through his interest in model aeroplanes Lancastrian Derek Bennett took an apprenticeship in mechanical and electrical engineering to become a mechanic, during this time he was exposed to (British) Stock Car racing.

It was not long before Derek graduated into building, maintaining and racing vehicles in the British Clubmans series for small Ford powered vehicles and into Formula Junior.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

In 1965 demand for copies of his Clubmans racer led Derek to establish Chevron cars assisted by mechanic Paul Owen based in a former mill in Bolton, well away from the regular stomping ground for racing car manufactured that with few excetions could be found in the arc from Southwest London, round Brooklands and Heathrow Airport to the East and Silverstone to the North.

In 1966 Chevron branched out into building a successful series of up to 2 litre / 122 cui sports cars and in 1967 the company expanded to build it’s first 2nd and 3rd tier open wheelers for Formula 2 and Formula 3.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

In 1972 Chevron built it’s first over 2 litre 122 cui open wheeler the 5 litre / 302 cui stock block Chevrolet V8 powered Formula 5000 Chevron B24 which Lancastrian Brian Redman drove in four races, claiming one victory at Oulton Park driving the B24 having won the previous race at Mondello Park a month earlier in a McLaren M10.

Today’s featured car #B24-73-02 was the second built in 1973, third overall from 8 built according to factory records, though as usual this does not tell the whole story, but I’ll be spare you that particular diversion here.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

#B24-73-02 appears to have been entered on three occasions carrying the #32 in British races as a factory entered car for Peter Gethin. The first two races held on consecutive days were at Brands Hatch where Peter won the Rothmans Formula 5000 championship round on the cars debut.

The next day the weekends feature event, The Race Of Champions, was a race for contemporary Formula 5000 cars and Formula One cars including entries from Lotus, BRM and McLaren all of whom had won championship Formula One events in the previous 12 months.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

Starting 8th on the grid Peter managed to steer his Formula 5000 stock block Chevron to an unlikely victory as his faster Formula One rivals fell by the way side to hold off Denny Hulme in the latest McLaren Cosworth M23 and formula one debutant James Hunt in an ancient Surtees TS9.

There is a myth that this was the only occasion in which a Formula 5000 car beat a Formula One car in such a non championship challenge race, this is not quite true there was a long forgotten event called the 1969 the Madrid Grand Prix at Jarama in which Tony Dean driving BRM #P2615 powered by a V12 BRM was beaten by Keith Holland driving an F5000 Lola T142 and Peter Gethin driving an F5000 MacLaren M10A, but the field at Brands in 1973 was certainly more contemporary and competitive.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

Chevron then entered Peter for one more British F5000 race at Mallory Park where Peter finished forth before the car was sold to Douglas Shierson Racing who entered the car carrying the same Marathon sponsorship for Peter in the US L&M series now running the #8 race number.

The B24 did not prove quite so competitive in the 1973 US series where only championship protagonists Brian Redman driving a Lola T330 and Jody Scheckter a Trojan T101 found victory lane. Peters best result came at Lagunna Seca where finished second.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

After 1973 #B24-73-02 remained in the USA where, Roger Bighouse 1974 /1975, Pat McGonegle 1976 continued to enter the car in open wheel F5000 events. For 1977 Pat McGonegle converted the car to closed wheel CAN Am 2 spec, scoring a best 6th place finish at Road America in ’77 driving #B24-73-02 which Pat raced until the end of 1978.

Danny Johnson was the next owner and he raced #B24-73-02 sporadically between 1978 and 1982 scoring a best 5th place at Edmonton in 1981.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

Similarly intermittently Mike Engstrand drove #B24-73-02 from 1985 to 1987 scoring a best 4th place finish in the cars last in period appearance in the 1987 Canadian American Thundercars Pueblo event.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

#B24-73-02 now belongs to Greg Thornton. In 2012 the car caught fire and was badly damaged and it is seen here at Oulton Park after it’s rebuild from the fire damaged remains.

Chevron Chevrolet B24, Oulton Park

Thanks for joining me on this “Giant Killer” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l more psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a another Italian vehicle once owned by John Lennon. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Split Screen Forward Control Pick Up – Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up

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This month’s monday blog sees a return to the pick up theme, today’s featured pick up is a 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) seen at last years Classic Motor Show held at the NEC in Birmingham.

01 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

The pick up version of the Volkswagen Type 2 was not introduced until 1952 three years after Type 2 production commenced. The pick up variant had the fewest changes of all the Type 2 (T1)’s until the introduction of the bigger Type 2 (T2) in 1968.

02 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

1963 saw the introduction of the 51 hp 1500 cc / 91.5 cui flat 4 cylinder air cooled motor which replaced the 40hp 1200 cc / 72 cui unit first seen in 1959.

03 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

Sales of Type 2 (T1)’s are often incorrectly thought to have been adversely affected in 1964 by the so called Chicken Tax introduced by the United States on imported panel vans and pick ups, a response to the on going trade tariff war between the US and Europe after West Germany had introduced trade restriction on imported US Chicken. In fact President Johnson appears to have applied a 25% tax on imported panel vans and pick ups in order to avert a strike by the United Auto Workers before the 1964 Presidential election and it was the UAW’s President Walter Reuthner who wanted the reduction on such imports.

04 Volkswagen Type 2 (T1) Pick Up,

Volkswagen pick ups were ready made for transporting racing cars without the need for a trailer, perhaps the single most famous example of such a transporter was run by Fife, WA Volkswagen dealer Pete Lovely who was frequently seen pulling into the Formula One paddock in his VW Type 2 (T1) pickup with his Lotus 49 on the back.

Split screen forward control VW Pick Ups today are highly collectible, I have seen examples in good condition being offered for €22,000, GBP £18,000, US$ 30,000 which is probably a bargain when one takes into account the amount of time and effort it requires to keep one in good condition.

Thanks for joining me on this “Split Screen Forward Control Pick Up” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me tomorrow for the first in a series of two stroke Tuesday’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ferrari For Hire – Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti Spider S1 #0504M

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Today’s featured Ferrari 750 Monza chassis #0504M was purchased new in 1955 by S.A.I.P.A. Srl in Modena Italy in February 1955 and nine days latter it was rented out to Frenchman Michel Poberejsky who entered and won the Agadir Grand Prix for sport cars entered under the pseudonym “Mike Sparken”.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Goodwood Revival

After retiring, having started from pole, from the 1955 British Empire Trophy and then coming second, from pole again in the Easter meeting at Goodwood, Sparken was joined by Marsten Gregory at Le Mans where the pair retired with engine problems. Marsten Gregory then drove #0504M in two races in Portugal and one in Brazil scoring 2 2nd plce finished and a win at the Portuguese Monsanto track.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Goodwood Revival

The last known races for the car were in the United States with Donald Johnson driving to a 3rd and 2nd place finishes at Lawrenceville and Greenwood in 1963, Donaldson is credited with a final race appearance in 1964 at Mid America Raceway where he is believed to have started but his finishing result is unknown. Dudley Cunningham drove the car in the 1969 Mt Equinox Vintage hillclimb where he set a record time.

Ferrari 750 Monza, Goodwood Revival

In 1970’s the car returned to Europe and has been with its current owner Richard Frankel since 2000, #0504M is seen in these photographs competing in the Freddie March Memorial Trophy at the Goodwood Revival meeting last year where it’s owner retired with less than half an hour to go.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ferrari For Hire” 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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The Worlds Oldest Bristol ? – Bristol 16/20 Type T Tourer

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Every once in a while I stumble across something that leaves me speechless as I struggle to ditch old assumptions and or beliefs. Until I visited the M-Shed Museum on the sight of Bristols Docks last week I was absolutely convinced that the oldest car bearing the “Bristol” name dated back to no earlier than 1947 in the shape of a Bristol 400 not unlike the 1948 example that featured in very first post 2 years ago.

Bristol 16/20 Type T Tourer, M Shed, Bristol

So you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the placard for this 1906 Bristol 16/20 Type T Tourer that was manufactured in 1906 by the Bristol Motor Company !

Bristol 16/20 Type T Tourer, M Shed, Bristol

It turns out that the Bristol Motor Company was founded by a cycle maker William Appleby and his assistant Arthur Johnson and that the company built at least four different models between 1902 and 1908 when they focused on distributing motor vehicles for other manufacturers including Morris from whom Johnson was to order their first model having only seen the blueprints.

Bristol 16/20 Type T Tourer, M Shed, Bristol

Only 18 hand built 16/20 models are thought to have been built, this 1906 example is fitted with coachwork by Perry & Co who used to operate in Stokes Croft from a site that has long been an eyesore in the area thanks to a fire that destroyed an abandoned office block that stands behind the coach works frontage.

Bristol 16/20 Type T Tourer, M Shed, Bristol

Colonel William Rolleston is thought to have replaced his horse drawn carriage with this car which was chauffeur driven by a Mr Harold King. 14 years after it was first purchased the Colonels car was converted into a pick up for an engineering company in Bedminster called Keetch & Turner.

The car eventually found its way on to blocks on a farm and one of the rear wheels was attached to a drive belt which powered a sawbench. The Bristol Motor Company which had long since stopped manufacturing motor vehicles acquired the car again and in 1937 presented it to Bristol Museum.

Fred Lester and Bob Lewis are responsible for restoring the car to it’s former glory.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Worlds Oldest Bristol ?” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a 1949 MG. Don’t forget to come back now !

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