Tag Archives: Morris

Another Alternative C-Type – Sulprizio Hagemann GMC

Like Walt Hansgen a few years earlier when United Engineering & Machine co owner Babe Sulprizio found he was too many dollars short to own a C-Type Jaguar he set to building his own special in 1955.

Sulprizio Hagemann GMC, Rolex Reunion, Laguna Seca,

Babe started by building a steel tube ladder frame to which he fitted Jaguar Mk VII independent front suspension and rear axle , a Morris Minor steering rack and a 5 litre / 302 cui GMC six cylinder ‘Jimmy’ motor mated to a 4 speed Moss gearbox.

It is said the ‘Jimmy’ GMC motor was chosen after the local Oakland Chevrolet assembly plant refused to supply a 265 cui V8.

For the bodywork Babe took his chassis with some sketched bodywork idea’s to expert english wheelman Jack Hagemann. Babe insisted the completed body be painted bright red which led to the car often being mistaken for a Ferrari.

I have not been able to establish any competition results for the car which appears to have been known as the Hagemann GMC or Sulprizio Hagemann GMC, if you know of any please do not hesitate to chime in below.

In 1976 the current owner bought the car and appears to have installed a Jaguar XK 120 motor, XK 150 disc brakes and tired of telling the inquisitive his car was not a Ferrari had it repainted in metallic British Racing Green.

Note this car is not to be confused with the 1957 Cozzi Jaguar Special which was also painted red and fitted with a Jack Hagemann body.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photo of the Sulprizio Hagemann GMC taken at last years Rolex Reunion at Laguna Seca.

Thanks for joining me on this “Another Alternative C-type” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a Shadow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Coffee Croissant & Cars 11/14 – Avenue Drivers Club

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Around 8am on a sunny Sunday morning I rolled down the hill for the monthly, second Sunday of the month, Avenue Drivers Club meeting at Queen Square in Bristol.

Talbot, Avenue Drivers Club,

Among the hundreds of details I captured this horn from a 1921 Talbot.

Sunbeam, Avenue Drivers Club,

I’m not entirely sure what the story, behind this Lands End mascot sitting atop the radiator of a 1925 Sunbeam, is but he seemed to be enjoying the sun.

Ford, Avenue Drivers Club,

Ford branding circa 1953 on a Ford Anglia.

Jaguar XK120, Avenue Drivers Club,

This superb upgraded 1953 Jaguar was restored by Bristol Classic and Sports Cars Ltd is for sale or they will build you one like it from their stock, usual disclaimers apply.

Land Rover SWB, Avenue Drivers Club,

Another vehicle from 1953 was this 88″ short wheel base (SWB) Land Rover with a Station Wagon body.

Reliant Scimitar GT Coupé, Avenue Drivers Club,

Fast forwarding 13 years this is the fuel cap on a 1968 Reliant Scimitar GT Coupé of which just 118 were built.

MG B GT, Avenue Drivers Club,

Above a teddy bears picnic was being held in the back of a 1970 MG B GT.

Morris Mini Cooper S, Avenue Drivers Club,

Rarest of the Mini Cooper S models are the Mark III, internal door hinges, versions, like the the 1971 example above of which 1,570 were built between 1969 and 1976.

Austin Maxi, Avenue Drivers Club,

The humble Austin Maxi hatchback was the first all new product launched by the newly created British Leyland in 1969. John Lennon was probably the most famous owner of a Maxi, which he subsequently crashed into a tree. The power transverse Maxi power train was used to build a prototype AC and a prototype Ginetta.

Triumph TR6, Avenue Drivers Club,

Another car for sale was this attractive TR6, if you are interested in buying one message me and I’ll put you in touch with the owner, usual disclaimers apply.

Hillman Avenger, Avenue Drivers Club,

In 1976 the Hillman name was dropped in favour of Chrysler and the Avenger model was given a minor face lift while production was moved from Ryton on Dunsmore near Coventry to the former Imp / Chamoise manufacturing plant at Linwood Scotland. All of which must make this Hillman badged face lifted Avenger a bit of a rarity.

Bentley Brooklands R Mulliner, Avenue Drivers Club,

Before the introduction of the Bentley Arnage Bentley built a series of 100 long wheel base Brooklands R Mulliner models in 1998. All of them were RHD and all numbered. Not sure which won was in Queen Square on Sunday but it was a most impressive motor car.

Caterham Roadsport, Avenue Drivers Club,

Looking timeless above a Caterham Super Seven.

TVR Tuscan, Avenue Drivers Club,

Finally from 2001 this TVR Tuscan was one of numerous examples of the marque to turn up on Sunday.

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee Croissants & Cars 11/14” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a homage to Richard Petty’s 1959 rookie season. Don’t forget to come back now !

Magna Detailing – Maki F101

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When the Maki F101 was announced in 1974 my first reactions were similar to the announcement of the Eifelland two years earlier, such unfettered enthusiasm for something so different from anything else of course does not always pay dividends as Lotus were two find out with their ultra thin Lotus 76 in the same year.

Maki F101, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Maki project was founded by Kenji Mimura who is credited with designing the Ford Cosworth DFV powered car with Masao Ono. The details of some of the features are at once both like something out of a Magna Comic and extremely futuristic, bearing in mind that this was a time when the biggest selling road cars like the Ford Cortina and Morris Marina were little more than 3 boxes with wheels on.

Maki F101, Goodwood Festival of Speed

By the time the F101 now in B Spec made it’s dedut with Howden Ganley driving at the 1974 British Grand Prix it had already shed it’s unique body work for something rather more conservative.

Maki F101, Howden Ganley, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Howden, seen at the wheel above during at the Gooodwood Festival of Speed, while not driving the slowest car in practice failed to qualify for the British Grand Prix.

Maki F101, Goodwood Festival of Speed

At the German Grand Prix disaster struck when the during the first day of practice the rear suspension failed sending Howden into the crash barriers which ripped the front of the car off.

Maki F101, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Amazingly Howden stepped out of the wreckage unaided but his ankles were seriously damaged and this was to be the end of his Formula One career.

Maki F101, Howden Ganley, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Maki F101 did not appear again in 1974 but a C variant did appear with a new chassis in 1975, the story of which will have to wait for a future edition.

Howden Ganley recovered from his injuries and went on to found a successful racing car manufacturer with fellow F1 refugee Tim Schenken called Tiga.

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

Classics @ Autumn Classic – Castle Combe

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Today’s post looks at some of the non combatants seen at Castle Combe’s Autumn Classic meeting a couple of weeks ago.

Wolseley Hornet, Crayford, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe,

The story behind the 57 1966 Wolseley Hornet Crayford convertibles has all the makings of a great movie seeing as it involves a global baked bean brand, an exclusive deal with a company operating out of two private garages in London and a nudist colony, the rest of the details will have to wait for a future blog.

FIAT 850 Coupé, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

At my very first race meeting out in Zambia one of the more unlikely competitors drove a FIAT 850 Coupé like the 1969 example above on the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club stand.

Aston Martin DB Mk III FHC, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

The 1959 Aston Martin Fixed Head Coupé with a Tickford notch body is an extremely rare vehicle, only five were ever built.

Daimler Dart SP 250, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

If I had any spare cash I’d be seriously tempted to buy this 1963 Daimler SP250 which has just 38,000 miles on the clock, if you would like to become it’s fifth owner I have the contact details of the vendor.

Humber Sceptre Estate, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

Slightly out of period was this 1976 Humber Sceptre based on a design first seen in 1967. The Sceptre Estate first seen in 1974 was one of the earliest UK station wagons to feature a light in the loading area and a rear screen wiper, the Humber name disappeared under Chrysler UK’s post 1976 branding strategy.

Bristol 450, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

One car I have been waiting see first hand for some time is the sole remaining Bristol 450 belonging to Simon Draper, I believe this car finished 7th over all and first in the 2 litre class at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours. The prize money from the teams success was donated to victims of the 1955 Le Mans disaster after the team withdrew from the sport having scored two consecutive Le Mans class victories.

Triumph Dolomite, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

A nice quiz question what is the connection between all of the vehicles in this photograph ? Answer Donald Healey who was responsible for the Austin Healey’s in the back ground and the Hudson Terraplane inspired 1937 Triumph Dolomite Saloon in the foreground.

Lotus IX, Mike Marsden, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

Former Concorde wind tunnel engineer and Historic Lotus Register Lotus Mk IX registrar Mike Marsden is seen above in his 1955 Lotus Mk IX which he has owned since 1967.

Morris Mini Cooper S, Dave Foster, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

Dave Foster is seen coming into the pits above in his immaculate 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S which he has driven in competition for the last decade clocking up 10,000 competition miles.

Horstman 4 Seater, Trevor Turpin, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

Until the Autumn Classic I’d never heard of a Horstman, it turns out they made nearly 3,000 vehicles just down the road in Bath between 1915 and 1929. These days Horstman, which patented a torsion bar suspension system for tracked military vehicles in 1922, continues to specialise in suspensions for military vehicles. The 1923 Horstman above is believed to have belonged to the companies founder Sidney Horstmann OBE.

FIAT Isotta Fraschini, Mike Vardy, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

In 1905 FIAT drew up plans for a world land speed record car which was to have two in line four cylinder motors producing upto 200 hp. The car never got built but nearly 20 years ago Graham Rankin undertook to build the car anyway. 13 years later he sold the unfinished project complete with a WW1 surplus 250hp Isotta Fraschini 16.5 litre / 1014 cui 6 cylinder aero motor to Mike Vardy who spent another seven years completing the FIAT Isotta Fraschini. Mike appeared to have great fun hanging the tail out on some parts of the circuit during his demonstration.

White Whistling Billy, Robert Dyke, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

Finally last year I saw this recreation White Sprint Car at Race Retro, this year I finally got to see Dr Robert R. Dyke driving it at speed, only 60% of the boilers potential pressure was used but it still moved at an impressive speed given that it only has 2 x twelve inch brake drums on the rear axle.

Thanks for joining me on this “Classics @ Autumn Classic” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a limited edition Hemi Challenger. Don’t forget to come back now !

Powered By Holbay – Ginetta G21S

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When it was launched the Ginetta G21 was well received in the British press albeit as the ‘poor mans Porsche’, while one esteemed journalist described it as the best car at the 1970 British Motor Show.

Ginetta 21S, Silverstone Classic

Refined and practical the well finished fibre glass body sits on a steel back bone chassis as pioneered by the Renault Alpine and Lotus Elan models of the early 1960’s.

Ginetta 21S, Silverstone Classic

The double wishbone and coil front suspension is based on items from the Triumph parts bin while the rear suspension is a five link Ginetta design that locates a Hillman Hunter rear axle.

Ginetta 21S, Silverstone Classic

The handling has been compared to the Lotus Elan although the sturdiness and build quality of the Ginetta is said to be far superior. Regular readers might recognise the increasingly famous vertically hinged door handles as coming from the Morris Marina parts bin.

Ginetta 21S, Silverstone Classic

Three engine options were available for the G21 the Ford Kent 1600 cc / 97 cui 4 cylinder, Ford Essex 3 litre / 183 cui V6 and the G21S, as seen here with the Ginetta Owners Club at Silverstone Classic, came with a Hillman based 1750 cc / 106 cui 4 cylinder with Holbay modified alloy cylinder head, Holbay camshaft, twin Weber carburetors lightened and balanced fly wheel to produce 120 hp good enough to go from rest to 60 mph in under 8 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph.

Ginetta 21S, Silverstone Classic

Just short of 70 G21s were produced at in Witham Essex though at least as many again appear to have been produced by later incarnations of the Ginetta marque.

Thanks for joining me on this “Powered By Holbay” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an Allard. Don’t forget to come back now !

VSCC Spring Start – Silverstone

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I awoke at 3:40am on Sunday full of anticipation, the weather forecast was good, the dawn chorus was getting underway as I prepared my sandwiches and daylight was lighting up the day as I headed towards Silverstone with my friend and regular GALPOT contributor Tim.

M4, Eastbound

We took the fast route in order to get to the circuit early, meeting up with friends for breakfast in the canteen we were saddened to learn of the death of Lotus Elan driver Alan Fleming in Hockenheim the day before and that Garry White had been seriously injured driving a GN Gnome the same day at Silverstone.

Lotus 49 R8, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

Tim and I took a wonder round the paddock in the morning where we were astonished to find the late 1968 Lotus 49 R8 as raced by Graham Hill, Richard Atwood, Jo Bonnier and most successfully by Dave Carlton in South Africa to two local F1 championships, form the center of a Bonhams display. The car is expected to fetch between £700,000 and a million at Goodwood in June.

Standard, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

While we were working our way through the paddock the vehicle above wafted through the crowd, I was surprised to learn it appears to be powered by a Standard Vanguard motor, if you know anything else about the car please chime in below.

ERA 80th Anniversary Trophy, Gillies, Morris, Topliss, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The racing got underway with the ERA 80th Anniversary Trophy which was one by Mark Gilles aboard the green wheel lifting 1934 ERA seen leading the ERA 11B of David Morris which retired leaving Nicholas Topliss in the #5 blue ERA R4A to finish second.

FJHRA , Goodliff Woodhouse, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The battle for honours in the front engined Formula Junior race lasted the whole race with Simon Goodliff in his red 1960 Lola Mk2 managing to hold off the green 1959 Elva 100 driven by Mark Woodhouse.

Riley, Super Rat, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

Pete Candy driving the 1936 Riley Super Rat seen in the paddock above won the 8 minute Short Scratch Race for pre war cars.

HGPCA Pre 66, Griffin, Moreton, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The action continued with the second race for pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars which was won by John Romano who clocked up his second win of the weekend in his 1964 Brabham BT11. Above Alex Moreton in his 1961 Lotus 21 is about to lap Paul Griffin in his 1959 Cooper T51 on his way to a seventh place finish.

Maserati 6CM, Lockie, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

It’s always great to see one of my former race instructors, from 1989/90, take part in an event above one such was Calum Lockie who is seen driving a 1938 Maserati 6CM to victory in the pre 1941 Continental Trophy race.

50's Sports Racing, Horsman, Wood, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

Regular readers will have heard me make many references to The Nostalgia Forum who’s knowledgeable members include Peter Horsman seen above driving the #248 Lotus 15 above to victory over the #256 Lister Jaguar of Dr Barry Wood in the 1950’s sports racing cars event.

Tec Mec, Wood, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

Tony Wood lifts a wheel at Becketts above on his way to his second win of the weekend in the Pre ’61 Racing Car event driving the 1959 Tec Mec F415 which readers may remember I looked at in some detail recently.

Pre War Handicap, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

By comparison the 5 lap pre war Handicap race felt like a race in slow motion, above a couple of Rileys lead a gaggle of cars in the event which was won by Richard Hudson driving a Bentley.

F3 500, Bishop Miller, Kingsland, Turner VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

The penultimate event of the day was for the 500 cc / 30.5 cui Formula 3 cars this was declared, with Ian Philips the winner, after the; #57 Revis driven by Richard Bishop Miller, #59 Staride Mk 3 of Xavier Kingsland and #86 Cooper Mk 9 of John Turner came to grief at Becketts one lap after the photo above was taken. I am not entirely sure what happened but the out come was that John Turner was thrown out of his Cooper and Richard Bishop Miller had to be cut out of the Revis and both were taken to hospital.

Andrew Mitchel won the final Pre War race of the day driving an HRG but by then Tim and I were negotiating a few diversions on the way home, seeing John Turner falling out of his Cooper having left me feeling considerably the worst for wear.

My thanks to Alan Cox at the Nostalgia Forum for pointing me in the direction of the results pdf.

I hope you will join me in offering sincerest condolences to the the family and friends of Alan Fleming and best wishes for speedy recoveries to Garry White, Richard Bishop Miller and John Turner.

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

Lightweight – Buckler Daimler DD2

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In 1957 Buckler started manufacturing frames for it’s DD2 model like the 1958 example seen here at the Bristol Motor Club’s Family Club Day at Castle Combe.