Tag Archives: PB

More Like A Six Cylinder – Plymouth PD

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In 1932 sales of the Plymouth PB helped Plymouth become the only brand to show an increase in it’s sales volumes over 1931 and edged Chrysler closer to displacing Ford in second place in the corporate sales league, despite this Chrysler was still loosing money.

Plymouth PD, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

For 1933 Walter P Chrysler boldly invested US$9 million in new plant and machinery to make a new six cylinder engine “for the price of a four” which would be fitted to the 107″ wheelbase PC model that was to replace the PB.

Plymouth PD, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

To launch the new Six Cylinder PC which sat on a 109″ wheel base chassis in October 1932 Chrysler booked 90 mins of the ABC radio networks airtime just to talk to it’s dealers and employees across the nation.

Plymouth PD, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Despite all this investment in a brand that was just five years old the PC was not a great success because it sat on a 107″ wheel base it looked like a 4 cylinder car.

Plymouth PD, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

A revised deluxe PD with the same 189.8 cui / 3.1 litre straight six but now on a 112″ chassis was rushed into production in time for the spring sales and the manufacture of the PC was discontinued in March 1933.

Plymouth PD, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The Silver Dome 70 hp and 76hp Red Head variations of the PD remained in production until December 1933, the ’33 PD example seen in these photographs, at last years Summer Classics meeting in Easter Compton, was first registered in the UK on January 1st 1935.

Thanks for this “More Like A Six Cylinder” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l more psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Four Cylinder Zenith – Plymouth PB Sports Roadster

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Six months before production of the Plymouth PA came to an end production of the PB commenced on February 4th 1932.

Plymouth PB, California,

The PB would be the last 4 cylinder model using the same 196 cui / 3.2 litre 4 cylinder motor inherited from both the PA and earlier U series Plymouths, though now with oil filters fitted as standard equipment.

Plymouth PB, California,

The 109″ chassis was the same wheel base as the PA and U series to but with X pattern cross bars for additional chassis rigidity.

Plymouth PB, California,

The hydraulic brakes were also upgraded to a centrifuse type featuring steel drums with fused cast iron friction surfaces.

It is believed that 2,163 PB Convertible Coupés were built like the example seen here in a California car park, though they were only available new from the factory painted; Black with either Black or Casino Red mouldings, Limousine Blue No. 4, Uhlan Gray, Merrimac Beige, or Biscay Sand, bodies, the 4 cylinder PB’s would be replaced by 6 cylinder PC’s and PD’s in 1933.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

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

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Single Year Production – MG PB

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Introduced in 1935 the MG PB was an upgrade of the MG PA featuring a larger 939 cc / 57 cui over head cam motor that produced 43 hp and drove the wheels through a non synchromesh gearbox.

Externally the PA and PB are differentiated only by the radiator grill which features a honeycomb pattern on the PA and vertical slats on the PB, the latter pattern would remain an MG feature right the way through until the early 1960’s.

MG PB’s were entered in the Le Mans 24 hours in 1935, ’37 and ’38 scoring a best 12th place finish in 1938 with Claude Bonneau from Belgium and Mme Anne Itier from France at the wheel of the formers car. Ernest Harewood won handicap events at Goodwood with his PB chassis #PB0528 in 1952 and 1953.

526 MG PB’s were manufactured from 1935 to 1936 when the model was replaced by the easier to drive and maintain MG TA.

Thanks for joining me on this “Single Year Production” 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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Goodwood Revival 2012 – #2 MGs

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Given that I have been blogging about MG’s most Tuesdays since at least January I don’t suppose it is that surprising that I noticed so many MG’s at Goodwood at the weekend. Here is a cross section of what I saw in the classic car park and a couple from the race track.

MG K3, Goodwood Revival

Oldest of the MG’s I saw was probably this 1933 MG K3 driven by Howard Maguire, it was in fact one one of two that appeared during practice for the Brookland’s Trophy on Friday.

MG PA, Goodwood Revival

What looks like an MG J2, above, with its cycle type mudguards, turns out to be a 1934 MG PA which is still used in competition.

MG PB, Goodwood Revival

The easiest way to externally differentiate an MG PA from an MG PB are the vertical slats of the PB’s grill which can be clearly seen on the 1936 PB seen above. The PB also has a 950 cc motor against the 847cc of the PA.

MG VA, Goodwood Revival

Like the MG PB the MG VA has not appeared in a GALPOT blog before, but will appear in the coming weeks so I’ll spare any further details until then.

MG TC, Goodwood Revival

I don’t have a year for the MG TC above but it was built somewhere between 1945 and 1950 being the first MG model to go into production after World War II.

MG TD, Goodwood Revival

From 1950 to 1953 the MG TC was replaced by the MG TD, like the 1950 example above, which used much of the running gear of the TC but the chassis and suspension from the MG Y-Type Saloon / Sedan.

MG ZA Magnette, Goodwood Revival

Rupert Keegan and Julian Thurgood shared this MG ZA Magnette for the St Mary’s trophy races. For some reason it is incorrectly described in the programme as a Mk 3 Magnette Farina with a 1840 cc motor.

MG A, Goodwood Revival

Identifying the the vehicle above I have noticed a major error in my MG A 1600 Mk II blog, the photo’s I used were all of an MG A 1600 without the distinctive lower grill seen on the MG 1600 Mk II above. This error has now been corrected. The car seen above comes from The Netherlands and I have been unable to identify the year of manufacture which will have been between 1960 and 1962.

MG Midget, Goodwood Revival

Surprisingly this is the first non fedral spec Midget I have come across since I started collecting photo’s for ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ the example above was built in 1965.

MG B V8 Roadster, Goodwood Revival

Rounding out this review of MG’s at Goodwood is this 1967 MG B Roadster which has been retrospectively fitted with a Rover V8 motor that was only made available from the factory with the MG B GT Coupé body between 1973 and 1976.

Thanks for joining me on this “Goodwood Revival 2012 – #2 MGs” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some of the Continental Curiosities at Goodwood over the weekend. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Bump Start Only – Kayne Special

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Following yesterdays blog about Colin Cooper here is the first of 4 blogs on MG powered specials that Colin has built, raced and or owned.

Kayne Special 1, Loton Park

The Kayne name is derived from Kay, and Neil his children. Colin’s first special was built in the ’72 – ’73 off season on an MG J2 chassis thought to be chassis number J4326. The Colin is seen driving the car above on it’s first outing at Loton Park in 1973.

Kayne Special 1, MG L, MG PB, RAF Topcliffe

For 1973 Colin ran the Kayne Speacial 1 with a 939 cc / 57 cui 4 cylinder MG PB motor. To save weight car built the car without a starter motor, so it always had to be bump started ! The Kayne Special is seen above at RAF Topcliffe alongside the #28 MG L Type of Maurice Gleeson and the #30 an ex Nigel Musselwhite MG PB belonging to Colin’s friend Trevor Goodwin.

Kayne Special 1, Oulton Park

For the 1974 season Colin fitted a Shorrock S/C directly driven off the nose of the crank, the car is seen Curborough Sprint driven by current owner Mike Painter in the early 1980’s with the super charger fitted, you can tell by the single carburetor popping out of the bodywork ahead of the front wheels.

Kayne Special 1, Loton Park

Colin secured many class victories with the Kayne Special before selling it on 1976.

Kayne Special 1, Loton Park

Mike Painter bought the Kayne Special, seen more recently at Loton Park above, soon after Colin sold it.

I’ll be looking at Colin’s second special the Kayne Special II next Tuesday.

My thanks to JMH for the chassis number and Allan Lupton for his comments on The Nostalgia Forum.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Bump Start Only’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

24/04/12 Added chassis number.

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Two Seat Grand Prix Car – Ferrari 312 P #0890

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Last week on Ferrari Friday we looked at the catastrophe that befell the Ferrari teams Grand Prix effort as a result of Enzo’s illness sabbatical in 1972.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

The story of the Ferrari teams fortunes in sports car racing during this period were not quite so catastrophic but having red washed the World Sportscar Championship of 1972 winning all races except the Le Mans 24 hours, which the team did not enter allegedly because they did not believe their engine would prove sufficiently reliable, 1973 proved to be a disappointment.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

Matra who had only entered, and won, the Le Mans 24 hours in 1972 made a successful bid for the World Sports Car Championship in 1973. While this was by no means as comprehensive a blue wash as Ferrari had achieved the year before.

The absence of ‘Fury’ Forghieri who had been exiled to the Fiorano test track by FIAT management during Enzo Ferrari’s sabatical was tangible in terms of Ferrari’s flagging sports car results.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

This 1973 spec Ferrari 312 PB chassis #0890 was built for the 1972 season during which Art Mezario and Brian Redman drove the car to victory in the Spa 1000 kms.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

Mezario also drove to a solo non championship victory at Imola in a 500 km race in this chassis, #0890 only disgraced it’s self once from six starts in 1972 with an engine failure at Kyalami.

During 1973 #0890 was raced a further five times with 2nd place finishes it’s best results at Dijon for Ickx / Redman and at the Nurburgring for Carlos Pace / Merzario a partnership which brought the car a 3rd place in it’s final front line race in the 6 hours at The Glen.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

Chassis #0890 seen here at Goodwood Festival of Speed is easily recognisable being the only one of the six 312 P chassis that had the air intake modification to the drivers side chassis skin which appeared at the ADAC 1000 kms at the Nurburgring in 1973.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

In 1972 Ferrari built six 312 P chassis so that there could be a team of three freshly prepared cars at each of the World Championship races. The PB initials were used by the press to distinguish the car from the previous 312 P model of 1971.

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

The 1972 Ferrari sports car team managed by Peter Schetty with Ermanno Cuoghi looking after the preparation of the cars was without doubt the class of the field,

Ferrari 312 P, Goodwood FoS

their cars powered by a water cooled 3 litre /183 cui 48 valve flat 12 motor that was in essence a Grand Prix engine detuned for reliability. Five of the six 312 P chassis originally built in 1972 are known to exist today.

Thanks for joining me on today’s PB edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and I hope that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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