Tag Archives: Wilson

Sherman’s M12 – McLaren M12 #60-14

Leave a Reply

Following the success of his ’67 and ’68 Can Am unlimited sports car programmes, which would net championship success from 1967 to 1971, Bruce McLaren turned his attention to building a GT Coupé version of his Can Am winning Chevrolet powered M6 roadster.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

According to McLaren designer Gordon Coppuck the initial idea was for the M6GT to become a racer against the likes of the Ford GT40, later Ferrari 512 and Porsche 917 before McLaren realised they could not meet the minimum production requirements for the World Sports Car series.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bruce and Gordon then continued working on the project as a road car project and the Prototype was finished in 1969 and received much adulation as Bruce proceeded to use it as his daily driver.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Unfortunately Bruce was killed testing his new 1970 Can Am Challenger at Goodwood and plans to put the M6GT into production also died with it until Trojan, who built the McLaren customer Can Am racers, had a go at test marketing the M6GT and built two further M6GT cars before abandoning the idea.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Since then any number of replica M6GT’s have been built using everything from Volkswagen Beetle chassis to full race spec McLaren M6 and M12, Trojan production variant of the M6 chassis, with everything from flat four Beetle power to race spec 700hp plus Chevy aluminium big blocks.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The chassis of today’s featured car is Trojan built McLaren M12, chassis 60-14 one of two that appear to have passed through Holman Moody to the Great Western Champagne team for Gary Wilson to use in the 1971 Can Am championship season.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

It is not known for certain that Gary used chassis 60-14 in 1971 but the following year Pete Sherman acquired the car and raced it in the Road America Can Am race where he qualified 22nd and finished 17th.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Pete is known to have raced 60-14 on at least one further occasion in 1972 at Donnybrooke where he started 27th and finished 9th.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Lawrence Crossan is said to have bought 60-14 in 1977 and during his decade of ownership he had the race spec M12 and 8 700 hp 8 litre 488 cui Chevy fitted with an M6GT type body.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Note that the windscreen wiper appears far too small compared to that fitted to Bruce McLaren’s original which also featured a pair of pop up headlights.

McLaren M12, Goodwood Festival of Speed

60-14 now has a Swiss owner and it is registered in France as what must be one of the wilder street legal machines with a genuine 1972 Can Am race history.

Thanks for joining me on this “Sherman’s M12” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Maserati Racers – Silverstone Classic

1 Reply

Last weekends Silverstone Classic included a centenary celebration of the Maserati marque and here are six of the racing cars that were part of the event.

Maserati 250S, Bond, Silverstone Classic

I understand only 3 cars were built by Maserati to 250S specification and that the car seen here driven by Stephen Bond may be the prototype the only one of the three to have started life as a Maserati 200S before being fitted with the larger displacement 2.5 litre / 152 cui motor.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

I’m fairly certain the vehicle above is a Maserati 300S but which one of the 26 built and who is in it I have yet to find out since it appears to have been a late entry, if you happen to know which car this is please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Maserati 250F, Silverstone Classic

One of the most interesting vehicles at Silverstone was the white Maserati 250F chassis 2521, seen above, which is as it appeared in the 1959 German film “Ein Engel auf Erden” An Angel On Earth also known as Highway to Heaven which I have never heard of before but from this youtube clip appears to be a romantic comedy set in the Cote d’Azur with Romy Schneider in the role of an angel.

Cooper Maserati T51, Wilson, Silverstone Classic

Christopher Wilson was driving one of two 1959 Cooper Maserati T51’s entered in the Jack Brabham Memorial Trophy for pre 1966 Grand Prix cars.

Maserati A6GCM, de Baldanza, Silverstone Classic

I looked at Julia de Baldanza’s fabulous Maserati A6GCM last week.

OSCA G4500, Rettenmaier, Silverstone Classic

In 1947 the Maserati brothers founded Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili – Fratelli Maserati SpA better known as O.S.C.A and this is their 1951 G4500 formula one challenger which is known to have raced at least once in the 1951 Italian Grand Prix where Franco Rol was classified 9th 13 laps down after starting 18th, Stephan Rettenmaier is seen at the wheel here.

Thanks for joining me on this “Maserati Racers” 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 French Cars at Silverstone Classic. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Hydraulics & Pre Selectors – Maserati 8CM #3011

2 Replies

Entering his third and final season of motor racing American born Whitney Willard Straight decided to pull out all the stops and create his own Grand Prix team with Reid Railton and the Earl of Brecknock for 1934 called Whitney Straight Ltd.

The team ordered no less than three Maserati 8CM’s of which chassis #3011 was the first, featuring a narrow 1933 specification 20″ inch wide chassis and a 3 litre / 183 cui straight 8 motor designed by Alfieri Maserati who died early in 1932 just before the first 8CM was completed.

Maserati 8CM, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

Unusually the 8CM was fitted with hydraulic brakes, a feature that had first been seen in the early 1920’s but an idea that had not been taken up by the likes of Bugatti on their Type 35’s for example.

Former Alfa Romeo mechanic Giulio Ramponi was employed to prepare the Straight cars and he was responsible for fitting a Wilson pre selector gearbox to #3011 and the remaining team cars.

Maserati 8CM, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

To the best of my knowledge Whitney drove the white and blue painted #3011 exclusively in 1934 and after recording a speed of 135.49 mph over a flying mile at Brooklands he won four events 2 at Brooklands one at Donington and another in East London, South Africa.

At the end of the year Whitney retired from the sport as he had promised his wife and #3011 passed onto Harry Rose who recorded a class win on the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb in 1935.

Maserati 8CM, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

Richard Seaman, who had introduced Whitney Straight to motor racing while at Cambridge, drove #3011 to a victory at Donington Park in 1936 shortly before it was acquired by White Mouse Racing for the Siamese Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhjanubandh Bira.

Bira had the car painted blue and kept #3011 until 1947 winning events at Brooklands in 1937 and 1939 and following the end of hostilities recorded two second place finishes in the Brighton Speed Trials in 1946 and 1947.

Maserati 8CM, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

Kenneth McAlpine of the construction empire bearing the same name became the next owner of #3011 and raced the now black car through 1948 wining the Weston Super Mare sprint on what appears to have been his final drive in the car.

In 1951 Leslie W. Boyce drove #3011, painted red, for a final appearance at the Brighton Speed Trials where he finished with 8th fastest time.

Maserati 8CM, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

#3011 remained in the UK, spending some time on display in the Doune Motor Museum.

In the 1980’s #3011 went to San Francisco where it was reunited with it’s original motor that had been swapped out by Harry Rose in 1935.

Maserati 8CM, Robert Newall, Goodwood Revival

Today #3011 is one of the 10, from the original 17, 8CM’s built known to remain.

#3011 is owned by Christopher Jaques and is seen with Robert Newall at the wheel during the 2012 Goodwood Revival where it was demonstrated with the Silver Arrow’s some of which it was designed to, unequally, compete against in 1934.

Share

Automotive Treasure – Blackhawk Museum

Leave a Reply

While showing his Jaguar at the Danville Concours d’Elegance last month Geoffrey took a wonder around the automotive treasures at the Blackhawk Museum and kindly sent today’s photographs.

Mercedes Benz S Tourer, Blackhawk Museum

In 1927 Mercedes Benz replaced it’s Model K with the Model S which among it’s innovations introduced a chassis that was lowered between the front and rear axles, which dramatically lowered the cars wind resistance and lowered it’s center of gravity which improved the handling. 146 Model S vehicles were built, this 1928 example was bought new by the entertainer Al Jolson.

Minerva Type AM, Blackhawk Museum

Minerva was a Belgian manufacturer started by Dutchman Sylvain de Jong, like many motor manufacturers de Jong started building bicycles and by 1928 when he died had graduated to manufacture high end automobiles. The 1929 Minerva Type AM seen above was supplied as a chassis to which coach builbers Walter M Murphy of Pasadena, CA fitted a “Clear Vision” Convertible Sedan body. The six cylinder car would have been a little cheaper than a contemporary Rolls Royce.

Packard 120 Darrin Convertible Victoria, Blackhawk Museum

After a career working for European coach builders Howard “Dutch” Darrin set up a showroom and bodyshop in Hollywood California called Darrins of Paris to restyle automobiles for Hollywoods rich and famous. Among the cars he restyled was Preston Fosters 1939 Packard 120 seen above with Darrin Convertible Victoria bodywork. This car was later updated with 1941 Packard Super Eight grill, bumpers and headlights.

Fraser Nash 328 Sports, Blackhawk Museum

Fraser Nash were the British importers of BMW cars into Britain prior to the 1939-45 war. Of the 464 BMW 328’s the 1939 example seen above is one of six known to survived the war, it was fitted with a custom Sports 2 seater body by Fraser Nash and driven by Dickie Stoop and Peter Wilson in the 1949 24 hour race at Spa in Belgium where it came home 12th overall sixth in class.

Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk 1 Bertone Coupé, Blackhawk Museum

The body of the red gem above is by Bertone of Italy while the chassis and engine is 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4. The Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Coupé is a one off prototype, no more were built because Aston Martin refused to supply any more DB2/4 chassis though it is by no means the only DB2/4 to feature unique Italian bodywork.

ALFA Romeo 1500 SSZ, Blackhawk Museum

When ALFA Romeo wanted a 4 cylinder 2 litre 122 cui motor in 1950 they redesigned their twin cam 6 cylinder 6C 2500 with two fewer cylinders and called it the 1900. The 1955 1900 Sprint Speciale SSZ seen above is one of around 40 thought to have been built with coachwork by Zagato featuring a double bubble roof.

Maserati 3500GT Vignale Spider, Blackhawk Museum

The 140 mph 1960 Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spider, above, is one of 243 built between 1957 and 1963. Fitted with drum brakes and a four speed gearbox it was more luxuriously appointed than the Ferrari 250 GT’s against which it competed in the market.

Jaguar XK-E Lightweight, Blackhawk Museum

In 1963 Briggs Cunningham entered 3 factory built Jaguar XK-E’s with hard top alloy bodies in the Le Mans 24 hours. One, 5115 WK qualified 20th and finished 9th, 5116 WK qualified 18th and was destroyed by fire after an accident on lap 40 while the car above driven by Augie Pabst and Walt Hangsen qualified 13th and retired in lap 8 with a broken gearbox.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs, more of which from the Blackhawk Museum will be seen on Friday.

Thanks for joining me on this “Automotive Treasure” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Americana Thursday when I’ll be looking at a Ford Thunderbird. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Where Do We Go Now ? – Silverstone Classic

1 Reply

Last Saturday it was back to Silverstone for the third time in a month, but this time for the Silverstone Classic a three day event.

Silverstone Classic

Silverstone Classic is billed as the largest participant motorsports event in the United Kingdom.

Silverstone Classic

Sponsors of the event BMW brought a long a big wheel, unfortunately I get vertigo on a step ladder so I was not able to sample the, by all accounts, spectacular view from the top.

BMW 3.0 CSL, Silverstone Classic

I’m not too sure when the fad for lurid paint scheme’s started on road cars in Germany, but I do remember it quite vividly when I visited the country in 1974, above this particularly cool post July 1973 ‘Batmobile’ BMW 3.0 CSL was on display outside the BMW hospitality unit.

Wilson, Lotus 20/22, Hibberd, Lotus 22, Silverstone Classic

Racing got underway promptly at 9 am with the Formula Juniors who were racing for the Peter Arundell Trophy. The race was hotly contested between the #53 Lotus 20/22 of Sam Wilson and #79 of Andrew Hibberd, after trading places many times, Andy won the 9 lap race by just over half a second.

Formula Ford, Silverstone Classic

Callum Macleod won the Balvenie Trophy for Historic Formula Fords by nearly five seconds, above a gaggle of Formula Fords exits Maggotts Corner and heads for Beckett’s corner in a scrap more typical of the class.

Smith, Ward, Costin, Lister, Silverstone Classic

Gary Pearson led the opening laps of the Stirling Moss Trophy for Pre ’61 sports cars in his knobbly Lister Jaguar, but Oliver Bryant in a Lotus 15 soon chased him down for the lead and an eventual victory shared with Grahame Bryant. Meanwhile Chris Ward and Andrew Smith came through the field from 11th to finish second 2 seconds adrift in the lush Costin bodied Jaguar powered Lister seen above.

Ford Ranchero, Silverstone Classic

Out on the old Hanger Straight UK Street Machines were holding a shootout in which this ’64 Ford Ranchero was taking part.

Priaulx, Solomons, BMW1800Ti, Silverstone Classic

Former British Hillclimb Champion and three time World Touring Champion Andy Priaulx led the opening stages of the Sir John Whitmore Trophy for Under 2 Litre Touring Cars in this BMW 1800Ti, but it was Leo Voyazides aided by former Merzario engineer Simon Hadfield that came through to win in a Lotus Cortina. Priaulx sharing with Richard Solomons came home fifth.

Lyons, Surtees, TS9, Silverstone Classic

Judy Lyons in her Surtees TS9 gives us a wave as she prepares to take part in the FIA Masters Historic Formula One race for which she qualified 3rd from last and finished last three laps down. Judy’s husband Frank finished 16th driving a Hesketh 308E while her son Michael won the race driving a former Longhorn Indycar chassis now in Williams FW07 spec as raced by Rupert Keegan in 1980.

Wills, Panayiotou, Mercury, Comet, Cyclone, Silverstone Classic

Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield won the Trans-Atlantic Touring Car Trophy, by over 16 seconds, sharing a Ford Falcon. The Mercury Comet Cyclone above was shared by Roger Wills and Chris Panayiotou who finished 6th.

Wood, Tec Mec, Bronson, Scarab, Silverstone Classic

Tony Wood qualified the #27 Tec Mec Maserati on pole for the Froilan Gonzalez Trophy for HGPCA Pre’61 Grand Prix Cars, but Julian Bronson sitting alongside Wood on the grid in the #30 Offy powered Scarab made a great race of it and came through to score the open wheel Scarabs second ever victory, having won a similar race at Pau in France a couple of weeks ago.

Voyazides, Hadfield, Lola T70, Mk IIIb, Silverstone Classic

The #6 Lola T70 Mk IIIb chassis #SL76/153 won the FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars race giving Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield their third victory of the day. The car appears in the colours used by Carlos Avallone in South America.

Lola T400, Silverstone Classic

Michael Lyons second victory of the day came when he drove this ex Vels Parnelli Lola T400 chassis #HU7 a to dominant victory in the Peter Gethin Trophy for Formula 5000 and Formula 2 cars.

Wood, Cologne, Ford, Capri, Silverstone Classic

Neil Smith driving an ALFA Romeo 156 won the Super Touring Car Trophy by just over 2/10ths of a second from Frank Wrathall driving a Vauxhall Cavalier, above is the circa 1974 Ford RS3100 of Ric Wood which came in 13th overall winning class G and setting fastest lap in class.

Minshaw, Brabham, BT4, Hughes, Cooper, T53, Silverstone Classic

The skies turned dark as the pre 1966 1.5 litre / 91 cui Grand Prix cars came out to play for the Jim Clark Trophy. Jason Minshaw is seen above driving his Branham BT4 being chased by Jonathon Hughes in his Cooper T53. Jason crossed the line first on lap 4 after which the race had to be abandoned as a summer storm dropped huge quantities of water on the track.

Heidsieck, Trophy, Silverstone, Classic

After nearly an hour the storm had passed and the marshalls had swept most of the excess water away. However as the Piper Heidsieck International Trophy for pre’66 GT Cars came out rain started again, but we got a start after the grid had followed the pace car around for a couple of laps. The TVR’s of Mike Whittaker and Owen O’Neil lead the field through Farm, above as the race gets underway. Conditions got progressively worse and the race was called after 45 mins of the scheduled 60 mins had run. John and Gary Pearson were declared the winners in their E-type Jaguar from Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield who missed a fourth victory of the day by 13 seconds in their AC Cobra.

Unfortunately, but completely understandably, the one race for Group C Sportscars I had got up for at 5 am specifically to see scheduled to run at sundown, had to be scratched as the rain in Spain continued to teem down mainly on Northamptonshire, England.

Exhausted by a day full of close racing, as I headed back to the car, I heard the familiar Guns ‘n’ Roses lyric “Where do we go now” wafting across from the stage where The Guns and Roses Experience were playing, to which my answer was unequivocal, “A warm and safe place”.

Thanks for joining me on this “Where Do We Go Now ?” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Don’t Try This At Home – MG Metro 6R4

Leave a Reply

In 1980 and 1981 the Leyland Commercial Vehicles sponsored Williams Grand Prix team won the World Drivers Championship (1980) with Alan Jones and two consecutive World Constructors championships with their Patrick Head designed FW07’s. During 1981 one of Austin Rover who were part of the British Leyland Group approached Patrick to help them design a new rally car to conform to the forthcoming Group B regulations that mandated 200 identical cars to be built and a further 20 evolutionary competition versions.

MG Metro 6R4, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

The car Austin Rover wanted to promote was the recently launched Metro and because this was a competition vehicle the MG brand was the natural version to promote. Patrick head and his team built a space frame chassis that housed the motor behind the driver and equipped the car with four wheel drive. Apart from the roof panel, windscreen, doors, front grill and lights which were MG Metro sourced every other part of the car was competition spec.

MG Metro 6R4, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

The first prototypes were seen in 1984 powered by an interim V6 version of the aluminium Rover V8 engine which produced around 250 hp. The car was subsequently tested in numerous national rally events and proved to be quick while it last.

MG Metro 6R4, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

In March 1985 Tony Pond and Rod Arthur won for the first time in a 6R4 on the Gwynedd Rally in Wales.

MG Metro 6R4, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

By now the car had grown wings at the front and rear and had a lengthened wheel base. The car was also now fitted with what is probably the only motor designed specifically from scratch for a rallying application namely the V64V a 3 litre / 183 cui normally aspirated V6 with four valves per cylinder and double overhead cam shafts that could be tuned to give over 400 hp.

MG Metro 6R4, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

When fitted to the Metro the car could accelerate from rest to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds an achievement compatible with contemporaneous Formula One cars. The V64V would later achieve success in Group C2 racing where it was used by Ecurie Ecosse to win the 1986 Group C2 championship and later still the V64V was fitted twin turbo chargers and fitted to the Jaguar XJ220.

MG Metro 6R4, RAC Rally

The Metro 6R4’s debut in the World Championship Rally was in the 1985 RAC Rally, which happened to start about two miles from where I was living in Nottingham that year. The #10 of Tony Pond and Rob Arthur, which is seen blasting through a forest on the opening day above, would record an excellent third place behind two Lancia Delta S4, which were also on their debut appearance.

MG Metro 6R4, RAC Rally

Malcom Wilson and Nigel Harris seen on the same stage above retired with engine failure after completing 23 of the 63 stages. I took these photographs in a non approved area and was pelted with stones from the gravel track as the cars passed by. With the benefit of hindsight this is not recommended at home, the following year 1985 RAC winner Henri Toivonen and co driver Sergio Cresto were killed when their Lancia Delta S4 plunged into a Corsican ravine and caught fire on impact earlier in the season a Group B car slid into a crowd on a special stage injuring 30 spectators and killing 3 more.

These two fatal events led the sports governing body the FIA to ban Group B from the end of 1986 with several teams withdrawing from the sport immediately.

My thanks to Sterling49 and Tim Murray at the Nostalgia Forum for helping to identify the drivers and co-drivers of the two cars seen on the RAC Rally.

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

Share

Built In Jacking – Daimler Consort

Leave a Reply

The ancestry of today’s featured 1950 Daimler Consort can be traced back to Daimler New Fifteen first seen in 1937 which was powered by a 2166 cc / 132 cui six cylinder pushrod motor with overhead valves.

Daimler Consort, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

In 1939 the engine was enlarged to 2,522 cc / 153 cui and the model was renamed Daimler Eighteen, also known as the DB/18. The ’39/’45 war interrupted production but the 2.5 litre motor along Daimler Fluid Flywheel and Wilson pre selector box were used as part of the drive train for the Daimler “Dingo” Scout Car built during the hostilities.

Daimler Consort, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

With the cessation of hostilities production of the Daimler Eighteen resumed and in 1948 an upgraded version with wing integrated head lights and hydraulic front brakes was introduced as the Daimler Consort which was aimed primarily at the US market.

Daimler Consort, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

A further upgrade in 1950 saw improved ground clearance thanks to the replacement of the hitherto worm drive to the rear axle with a more conventional hypoid bevel drive to the rear wheels. In keeping with a car of this weight the car has built in jacking to facilitate the replacement of the wheels in the event of a puncture.

Daimler Consort, Classics at the Castle, Sherbourne

The car seen here at last years Classic at the Castle in Sherbourne has only clocked up 46,000 miles, and is absolutely standard apart from additional repeating indicator lights which were not available in 1950. 4250 Consorts were built from 1948 to 1953.

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

Share