Classic and Competition Car Issue 52 January 2015

January 2015
Issue 52
VSCC Winter
Driving Tests
Classic and Competition Car is published by
simonwrightphotos.com High View Drive,
Kingswinford, West Midlands DY6 8HT
E-mail simonwright57@hotmail.com
Tel 07905 435973
Contents
Page 3
News.
Page 15
VSCC Winter Driving Tests, Bicester Heritage
Page 21
Bromsgrove Motoring Club December meet.
Page 25
Tasman Revival Series Round 2 Sydney
Motorsport Park
Page 28
H&H Christmas Gala Auction, Chateau Impney
Page 33
1916 Talbot 4 CY 15/20 HP
Page 35
Archive Photo of the month
Page 36
Andrew Armouries Boxing day meet.
© Simon Wright
Front Cover. Tony Lees Vauxhall Viper Special
competing in the VSCC Winter Driving tests at
the Bicester Heritage Centre © Pete Austin
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January 2015
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Our Team.
Simon Wright - Editor.
Simon has been photographing
and reporting on motor races for
many years. Served an
engineering apprenticeship many
years ago. Big fan of the Porsche
917
Pete Austin.
Pete is the man for Historic racing,
with an extensive archive of black
and white images covering the last
few decades of motorsport in
Britain. Very keen on BRM.
Mick Herring
Mick's first love is GT racing,
including Historic, especially the
Lola T70. Has an extensive
knowledge of all things GT.
Janet Wright.
Janet has been taking
photographs for many years, and
is also very skilled in video. She
likes Aston Martins
Page 2
Editorial.
We start a new year full of
excitement for the coming year.
There are several new events on
the calendar for 2015, which
promise to bring motor sport
closer to the people.
First is Coventry Motofest which
will use the new Government
closed road act to hold speed
trials round Coventry ring road
over the last weekend of May.
They hope to develop this in to a
full race meeting in the future.
The second new event is
actually a revival of a former hill
climb meeting held at Chateau
Impney at Droitwich in
Worcestershire. The event was
run from 1957 to 1967 by Hagley
& District Light Car Club in the
grounds of the hotel, located
between the M5 motorway and
Droitwich town centre. The new
event will be staged over the
weekend of the 11th and 12th
July 2015.
©
© Simon
Simon Wright
Wright
News
© Simon Wright
Spyker declared Bankrupt.
Dutch car manufacturer Spyker Automobielen B.V. were declared Bankrupt by the District Court
of Midden-Nederland, on December 2nd, at the request of the administrator after promised
funding did not reach the company in time.
The company was originally formed 15 years ago in 2000 when it set out to create a global super
sports car manufacturing business from scratch. The basic aim had been achieved, but various
daring ventures did not succeed which resulted in the eventual demise of the company.
Founder and current CEO Victor R. Muller plans to resurrect the company as soon as possible
with the aim of merging with a high performance electric aircraft manufacturer and develop
revolutionary electric Spykers with disruptive sustainable technology.
In September 2006 Spyker bought out the Midland F1 team and in 2007 the team competed in
the F1 World Championship using a Ferrari engine with cars driven by Adrian Sutil and Christian
Albers and then Markus Winkelhock. At the end of the season, the team was sold to Force india.
In 2005 the team also entered cars in the GT2 class of the European Le Mans Series with the C8
Spyder and competed with various teams until 2010. They scored an outright victory in the 2008
Omnitel 1000kms in Lithuania.
January 2015
Page 3
Mr Le Mans retires.
Nine times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen has
decided to retire from the Audi team and the Le Mans
series of racing. His place in the Audi Sport Team Joest
Audi for the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship
will be taken by 31 year old Oliver Jarvis from Great
Britain. The Cambridge driver has two 3rd place
finishes already at Le Mans after making his debut at
the Twenty Four Hour race in 2012. He has not yet
contested the full World Endurance Championship
season. Oliver has stated that this is his dream come
true, but admits he has some big shoes to fill in
replacing Tom Kristensen who was the 2013 World
Endurance Champion and record holding nine times Le
Mans winner.
Jarvis has raced for Audi previously in the DTM in 2008,
and will start his campaign for the 2015 World
Oliver Jarvis Endurance
Championship
on home soil at
the 6 Hours of
Silverstone on
the 12th April.
He will drive
along side
Frenchman
Loic Duval and
Brazilian Lucas
di Grassi in the
hybrid diesel
Audi R18 etron Quattro.
January 2015
VW Polo0 GTi
VW Polo GTI available from March 2015.
The new top of the range Volkswagen Polo was launched at the Paris
Motorshow in October and can now be ordered for delivery in March 2015.
Its design is based on the larger Volkswagen Golf and it comes with a 1.8
litre petrol turbocharged 192 PS engine. This is an increase of 12PS over
the current model. The car will be available with either a six speed manual
gearbox, or seven speed DSG automatic gearbox.
The On the Road list price is £18,850 for the 3 door manual version with an
additional premium of £630 for the 5 door version and an additional £1,245
for the DSG automatic gearbox.
The car lives up to its GTi badge by achieving 0-62 mph in just 6.7 seconds
and has a top speed of 146 mph. However, the engine is also efficient and
has a combined fuel consumption figure of 50.4 mpg for the DGS Automatic
and 47.1 mpg for the manual version.
The GTI features new bumpers on the front along with the honeycombe
grille and red radiator strip and LED headlights at the front. The rear tail
light cluster is dark red and the GTI roof spoiler, black grained diffuser and
chrome dual exhaust pipes continue the sporty image along with 17 inch
parabolica alloy wheels and standard sports suspension, lowered by 10mm
on the front and 15mm on the rear. It is also fitted with Electronic Stability
Control, like the Golf.
Page 4
Four New Teams for Porsche Carrera Cup GB
Championship.
The new look to the 2015 Championship. which starts at the
beginning of April, has attracted four new teams, taking the total
to eight teams currently committed to the championship, with
each team running multiple entries. One of the new teams is led
by Iain Dockerill - Credit4Cars, which will field a multiple car
lineup. Dockerill has previously raced in both the British GT
championship and GT Cup
5 Million Mitsubishi cars produced at Okazaki
The Mitsubishi Motors Coporation (MMC) produced its 5 millionth vehicle to
roll off the production line since 1977 at the Okazaki plant near Nagoya,
Japan - A Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. This model is the best selling plug-in
hybrid electric vehicle in Europe, with 18,644 sold between January and
November 2014.
Touring Legends to debut at Members meeting 2015.
Rob Huff, World Touring Car Champion 2012, and Touring car legend
Steve Soper will compete against each other in classic Group 1 Ford
Capris at the Goodwood 73rd Members Meeting on the 21st and 22nd of
March 2015. Huff will race in the Richard Meins’ Bastos liveried Ford Capri
III 3.0S in the Gerry Marshall Trophy for Group 1 Touring cars of
1970-1982. He will also
take part in the Graham
Hill Trophy for 1960s GT
cars in a Jaguar E-Type.
Soper who is now 62
years old, will race the
Gordon Spice Racing
liveried Ford Capri III 3.0S
in the Gerry Marshall
Trophy race. There will be
a sprint race on the
Saturday to set the grid for
the two driver feature race
on the Sunday
January 2015
Page 5
Paddon expands
WRC role with
Hyundai.
Prancing perfection Performance Car Show.
The Prancing Horse Ferrari will have two of its iconic road
sports cars on display at the Performance Car Show. Although
a generation apart, the Ferrari F40 and the latest LaFerrari
hypercar will both be in the spot light at the show at the NEC
from the 8th to the 11th of January 2015.
Maranello’s latest model, LaFerrari uses F1 technology and a
hybrid V12 engine with Kinetic Energy Recovery System to
produce 950 bhp. This propels the hypercar from 0 to 124 mph
in less than 7 seconds thanks in part to its carbon fibre chassis
weighing just 1,255 kg. Only 499 will be produced World wide
and it will be priced at over £1 million. By comparison, the
Ferrari F40 was launched to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
Ferrari and is powered by a twin turbo V8 engine which
produces 471 bhp and does 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds and
became the first Production car to break the 200 mph barrier.
Hayden Paddon, the 27
year old New
Zealander will remain
part of the Hyundai
World Rally
Championship (WRC)
lineup for 2015, having
re-signed for at least
nine rallies in this
coming season. He will
once again be codriven by John
Kennard. The pair tool
their best result in 2014
by finishing 6th in Rally
Australia and secured
their first ever stage win
in Rally Spain driving a
Hyundai i20 WRC.
New Ford Mondeo
It will be available in 5
door and estate, petrol
and diesel models plus
a four door petrolelectric Hybrid version.
Refinements include
adaptive LED
headlamps, inflatable
rear seatbelts and
SYNC 2 connectivity
as well as automatic
parking option. Prices
start from £20,795.
January 2015
Page 6
60th Anniversary Limited edition Aston Martin
Vanquish
1955-1965 DB2/4 MK II saloon.
1965-1975 DB5.
1975-1985 V8 Coupe.
1985-1995 V8 Vantage X-Pack.
1995-2005 V8 Vantage supercharged.
2005-2015 Original Vanquish.
Each relevant piston has been sourced from an engine that
has been rebuilt or reworked at some point.
All Anniversary models will be immediately identifiable by
yellow anniversary side strakes and alloy wheels and will also
feature the new Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary logo
which will be etched in to each cars sill plates. They will also
feature white/black duotone seat centre panels. The technical
specification of the vehicle will be as the Vanquish Super GT
with the 6 litre V12 petrol engine mated to a transaxle layout
to the latest generation Touchtronic III eight speed automatic
gearbox. This will give the car a maximum top speed of
200mph and a 0-60mph time of just 3.6 seconds.
Aston Martin Works have announced six limited edition
bespoke models to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the
company. The diamond jubilee celebration models will be
versions of the current Vanquish Super GT in either Coupe or
Volante form. Each model will have slight differences and will
be tailored to reflect one of the six decades being celebrated. A
number of elements will distinguish the Anniversary cars
including trim and paint colour treatments. However, the
interesting part is in the detail, bespoke rotaries around the
major controls in the centre console. Each rotary has been
cast from metal that had previously formed a piston in an Aston
Martin engine of the relevant period. These rotaries will be
laser etched with Works’ Anniversary wording.
The six pistons have been drawn from engines from the
following Newport Pagnell built sports cars:
January 2015
Page 7
Vatanen makes Race
Retro Debut.
Former World Rally Champion Ari
Vatanen will make his debut at this years
Race Retro Show, held at Stoneleigh
Park, Coventry between the 20th and
22nd of February 2015. Vatanen will be
at the show on the Saturday and Sunday, where he will appear live on
stage being interviewed about his career. He will also be re-united with two
of his former rally cars, the Rothmans Ford Escort and an Opel Manta 400,
on the live rally stage, where he will display his driving skills.
Vatanen is one of the best known rally drivers and drove for the local
Peugeot rally team in the 1980s at the wheel of the mighty 205 T16, nearly
winning the 1985 World Championship until a near fatal accident ended his
season.. He later went on to win the Paris-Dakar Rally 4 times in 1987,
1989, 1990 and 1991.
For more information on Race Retro and to book tickets, please see their
web site at www.raceretro.com
Citroen DS celebrates 60th anniversary at
London Classic Car Show.
Citroen have recently established the DS range as a separate
brand and will use the new London Classic Car Show to start a
year of celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of
the original Citroen DS. Their stand at the show will feature two
classic and two modern DS models, while DS5 used at
President Hollande’s inauguration and three more classic DS
models will take part in the ‘Grand Avenue’ motoring catwalk
show.
Originally launched in 1955, the DS range will have a 1972
DS21 Prestige and a rare 1966 DS21 Decapotable with
coachwork by Henri Chapron on display alongside the new DS3
Ultra Prestige and the DS5 Hybrid4 from the current range.
The London Classic Car Show takes place at the ExCel
International Exhibition Centre in London’s Docklands from the
8th to the 11th January 2015. For further information about the
show see their web site at www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk
January 2015
Page 8
Coventry Motofest drifts sideways at 80 mph.
The Coventry Motofest is to have the Falken’s iconic drift team
of Matt Carter, Paul Cheshire, Kirstie Widdrington and Irish Drift
Champion James Deane simultaneously driving all four Falken
shod cars around the Coventry ring road at speeds of over 80
mph sideways!
Former British Drift Champion Matt Carter will be driving his 650
bhp Nissan R32 at the event and is looking forward to the
opportunity to drive at such speeds round city streets which
normally would be illegal. Drifting is the automative equivalent of
ice skating, with points given for style and speed rather than lap
times, but without the chance to test before the event, it will be a
new challenge for the drivers.
Motofest will take place in the city centre at Coventry over the
weekend of the 29th and 30th of May 2015.
Audi Motorsport Audi R8 LMS Tiger Racing Team Jacky Yeung.
Customer success for Audi Sport in 2014.
The Audi R8 LMS had its most successful season ever in 2014,
winning 15 titles in Australia, Asia and Europe in the hands of
customer teams. Three major endurance racing victories saw
wins for the R8 LMS. These included the 24 Hours race at Spa
in Belgium won by Rene Rast/Laurens Vanthoor/Markus
Winkelhock, the Nurburgring 24 Hours in Germany was won by
Christopher Haase/Christian Mamerow/Rene Rast/Markus
Winkelhock and the 10 Hour ‘Petit Le Mans’ at Road Atlanta in
the USA GTD Classification went to Matt Bell/Christopher
Haase/Bryce Miller to completed the track record for this winning
model.
Laurens Vanthoor won the Blancpain Endurance Series and the
Blancpain GT series. Rene Rast and Kelvin Van Der Linde took
the ADAC GT Masters title, probably one of the toughest series
in the World. GT Asia saw GTM victory for Jacky Yeung from
Hong Kong (Pictured above) and in Australia the GT Trophy
went to Rod Salmon.
January 2015
Page 9
Brian Horace Lister
12th July 1926 to 16th December 2014.
One of the true legends of
British motor racing, Brian
Lister joined the family
engineering firm George Lister
and Sons, originally founded by
his Grandfather George in
1890, as an apprentice in
1942. After he completed his
training in 1946, he spent two
years in the RAF on National
Service. He rejoined the family
firm in 1948.
His passion for the motorcar
saw him buy a very tired exPolice MG as soon as he was
able, and that was soon
replaced by a Morgan 4/4
followed by a Cooper-MG.
Motor sport was very popular in
post war Britain and Brian
helped co-found the
Cambridge 50 Car Club, where
he became friends with Archie Scott Brown. He also became friends
with Donald Moore who maintained both drivers engines. Brian then
bought the second Tojeiro ever built to enter in sprint events in 1951.
He was almost beaten by Scott Brown and handed the savage
handling car over to Archie on Moore’s advice, as Brian was
developing more of an interest in the engineering side of motor
racing.
He persuaded his father to fund the development of a Lister racing
car and the project began in 1953, with Brian building the car, Moore
providing the MG engine and Scott Brown was the driver. The car
won its first ever race at Snetterton on 3rd April 1954. The car rapidly
evolved with first a Bristol engine, then a Maserati engine.
In 1957 the Lister Jaguar made an appearance and won 12 of the 14
© Pete Austin
January 2015
races it entered, setting fastest lap and several new course records
along the way. Customers appeared for the next year and Lister
went in to production in 1958. The car was powered by a Jaguar
engine, but for the American market, there was the option of a
Chevrolet engine.
The project nearly ended when Scott Brown was killed in a crash
and Brian thought long and hard about continuing after further
deaths of drivers he knew, but not in Lister cars, he decided to
withdraw from racing. He continued to support the existing
customers until the operation was wound down in the 1960s. His last
foray in to Motor racing was preparing the works Sunbeam Tigers for
the 1964 Le Mans race. He remained actively involved in Lister
Engineering, and continued his passion in music.
He will be remembered for the 1954 Lister ‘Knobbly’, which was the
front engined sports car to beat in period.
To his wife, daughter, family and friends we offer our sincere
condolences.
© Pete Austin
Page 10
Aston Martin
Works
60th Anniversary
Celebrations
Newport Pagnell saw the
launch of Aston Martin
Works 60th Anniversary
celebrations at the
beginning of December
2014. In front of 400 guests and VIPs from the UK and Europe,
the event also saw the launch of the exclusive 60th Anniversary
Limited edition Vanquish sports car (See page 7). Just six of
these Anniversary models will be built, created by the Aston
Martin design team and the brand’s bespoke personalisation
service Q by Aston Martin. The majority have already been
snapped up by keen collectors.
January 2015
Stars of the party were some of the rarest and most sought
after Aston Martin models, with pride of place going to cars
selected to represent the six decades of association with
Page 11
Newport Pagnell. These included the iconic DB5, the DBS
which appeared in the TV series “The Persuaders” which
starred Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, and the original
Vanquish, the last car made at Newport Pagnell before
production was moved to Gaydon in Warwickshire in 2007.
January 2015
Page 12
Britain’s Newest
F1 Star at
Autosport
International
Show.
Will Stevens will be
appearing at the
Autosport International
Show at the Birmingham
NEC. He made his Grand
Prix debut for Caterham
at the final round of the
2014 World
Championship in Abu
Dhabi where he got to the
end of the race and
finished in 17th place.
The 23 year old driver
has had a strong season
in Formula Renault 3.5
Series where he won two races and finished 6th in the
championship. This championship has produced several of
todays top F1 drivers
including Sebastian
Vettle, Daniel Ricciardo
and Kevin Magnussen.
After the race, Stevens
stayed on for the 2 day
test session, where he
was able to put more
miles under his belt and
gain more experience of
the car.
January 2015
Newey Honoured at Classic Car Show.
One of the most successful designers in the history of Formula 1, Adrian
Newey is being celebrated at the London Classic Car Show. With no fewer
than ten World titles to his name, there will be a special display of cars that
have played a part in his past, both privately and professionally. Having
won five World Constructors titles with Williams, there will be Nigel
Mansells Williams FW14B on display from 1992, his first World title, plus
cars from McLaren and Red Bull, a March 86C Indy car that won the Indy
500 in 1986 as well as his first ever F1 car, the Leyton House March
881.The presentation will high-light some of the high points in his career.
The display will start with some of the plastic model cars he made when he
was 10 - the first was a 1:12 scale Lotus 49B. When he was 12, he helped
his father build a Lotus Elan Sprint road car.
As well as some of the winning F1 designed cars on display, there will be
other vehicles such as the Mini Cooper S he learned to drive in, a Jaguar
SS100 he has restored, the Ford GT40 he races at Goodwood, his Ferrari
California and a McLaren F1 GTR. He will also show his Ducati 900SS
motorbike. He plans to revisit his youth by building another Lotus 49B from
a kit of bits, a real one, and he will show how far the project has progressed
so far.The London Classic Car Show is being held at ExCeL in London’s
Docklands between the 8th and 11th January 2015.
Page 13
Sir Chris Hoy ready for the start of the race.
The new Ginetta Nissan LM P3 car
Sir Chris Hoy on the road to Le Mans.
Olympic Gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy will compete in this years European Le
Mans series in a Ginetta Nissan LM P3 car as he moves toward his goal of
competing in the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race.
In 2014 he took part in the British GT Championship in a Nissan GT-R Nismo
GT3, making steady progress as he learned the circuits. Highlight of the
season was a 2nd place at Spa, on his first visit to the demanding circuit.
Nissan announced in September that they will be the only engine supplier in
the new LM P3 class. Sir Chris Hoy will race a works Ginetta-Nissan
alongside fellow Scot Charlie Robertson. The 17 year old is current Michelin
GT4 Supercup Champion.
January 2015
Page 14
VSCC Winter Driving Tests, Bicester Heritage Centre.
By Simon & Janet Wright with additional photos by Pete Austin
© Simon Wright
others were held on the grass and gravel tracks, or around the
historic buildings around the large site.
There was a large entry for this last competitive event of the
80th Anniversary year of the VSCC with a good variety of
vehicles taking part, although the most popular type of car
appeared to be the little Austin 7. The entry was split in to
various classes to allow a fair competition between different
Mark Ballard smoked his way to Best Performance overall in his Frazer Nash Falcon TT
A cold crisp winters morning greeted the Vintage Sports Car
Club for their first Winter Driving Test to be held at the
Bicester Heritage Centre. A heavy frost soon cleared in the
© Pete Austin
winter sunshine, but
remained in the
shadows as the
temperature remained
on the cold side.
There were several
tests located all
around the large site
which is still used as
an operational airfield
for the local gliding
club. Some of the
tests were all tarmac,
situated on the airfield
perimeter road, while
January 2015
Left: Andrew Blow and Tom
Thornton shared a 1937 Frazer
Nash BMW 319 sports. Thornton
was 2nd in class and Blow was
3rd in class with 70 points
between them.
© Janet Wright
Neil Thorp 1934 Singer 9 Sports Coupe finished 2nd in class
types of vintage vehicles. After a very competitive performance
by various drivers, it was Mark Ballard in a 1931 Frazer Nash
Falcon TT Rep who took the Best Performance Overall on his
way to winning Class 3 for Standard Sports Cars with just 829
points. Mark was in good form, throwing the Frazer Nash round
on the slippery surfaces, getting the tail out and spinning the
car round the marker cones with great skill. His nearest
challenger was Edmund Burgess driving a Bugatti T13 Brescia
on 847 points to take a class win in Class 3.
Page 15
© Simon Wright
The Edwardian and Veteran class and the Cyclecar, oddities
and LCES classes were combined with Harry Fraser taking the
Class win in his 1910 Overland 38 Speedster. Class 2 was for
Touring cars and saw class wins for Clive Hamilton-Gould in a
Above: Kevin Lee Frazer Nash Interceptor throws up the grass.
Left: Miss Sarah Owen Frazer Nash Semmence Special tackles one of the short tight tests.
Below: Tom Dark 1930 MG M Type clipped the fence and lost his rear mudguard.
© Pete Austin
© Simon Wright
January 2015
Page 16
© Simon Wright
January 2015
The aptly named Angus Frost finished 3rd in class in a 1932 Austin 7 saloon
Page 17
© Janet Wright
© Pete Austin
Russell Mills Austin 7 Ulster Sports Rep.
George Stanton 1928 Lafitte Type D
© Janet Wright
1930 Morris Minor Tourer and Matthew Bell in an Austin 7 4
seater tourer. Class 4 was for modified sports cars and saw
class wins for George Diffey in a 1930 Austin 7, Luke Roberts
in a 1938 Frazer Nash Sports, George Bradshaw in a
1930/32 Austin Ulster and Robert Moore in a 1929 Austin 7.
Mark Garfitt 1937 Frazer Nash BMW 319/55 Sports finished 3rd in class
January 2015
© Simon Wright
Harry Morten Bentley 3/4 1/2 litre
Page 18
© Pete Austin
© Simon Wright
Tim Kneller 1935 Riley Kestrel in festive mood
Miss Madeleine Rose Austin 7 Chummy
Paul Milner and Olly Sanders in a 1929 Austin 7 Ulster
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
Charlie Martin Frazer Nash Interceptor finished 2nd in class
© Pete Austin
© Janet Wright
Guy Lachlan 1930 Singer Junior was 3rd in class
January 2015
1943 Piper J3C-65 Cub
Page 19
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
Paul and Harry Hoskins shared the 1929 Morris Cowley with Paul 3rd in class
Ben Charles 1929 Ford Phaeton
© Janet Wright
Gary Caroline in a Morgan Super Sports 3 wheeler
January 2015
Edmund Burgess 1924 Bugatti T13 Brescia won his class
Page 20
Bromsgrove Motoring Club
December meeting.
© Simon Wright
21st December 2014. By Simon Wright.
Typical of many local motoring club meetings held all around
the country, the Bromsgrove Motoring Club still hold their
regular monthly meeting even during the winter. The cold
weather doesn’t deter the avid classic car enthusiast, who just
wraps up warm and still brings out their treasured pride and joy
to show the World that motoring didn’t stop for cold weather in
the past and won’t stop for it in the future.
The turn out for this local gathering was compact, but an
interesting line up of classic cars made the trip to the Bowling
Green pub, out in the countryside, near Bromsgrove in
Worcestershire. The majority of cars were from the 1960s, with
an older Austin 10 representing the 1930s and 40s and a
© Simon Wright
January 2015
Reliant
SS1
represent
ing the
1980s.
The
Austin 10
was built
in nearby
Longbrid
ge and
© Simon Wright
Austin 10
was the
best selling Austin of the 1930s. In total around 290,000 were
built between 1932 and 1947. Its conservative design of a
steel body fitted to a cross braced chassis, was powered by a
1125cc four cylinder side valve engine which produced 21 bhp,
front engine, rear wheel drive configuration. Half elliptic spring
suspension and cable and rod operated brakes completed the
specification. The saloon had a top speed of 55mph and did 34
mpg.
By contrast, the most modern car on display was a Reliant
Scimitar SS1 sports car, also built in the Midlands, at
Tamworth in Staffordshire. The Michelotti designed 2 seater
sports car
© Simon Wright
consisted of a
polyurethane or
glass reinforced
polyester body
fitted to a semi
space frame
chassis. It was
powered by either
a 1.3, 1.4 or 1.6
litre Ford engine
and 5 speed
Reliant Scimitar SS1
Page 21
Ford Zephyr Convertible
© Simon Wright
gearbox, front engine rear wheel drive configuration. Fitted
with four wheel independant suspension, coil spring with semi
trailing arms on the rear. The 1600cc model had a power
output of 96 bhp and could reach 110 mph with a 0-60 mph
time of 9.6
seconds.
The major
British
manufactur
ers were all
represented
with Ford
symbolized
by an
unusual
1962
2553cc
Ford
© Simon Wright
January 2015
Vauxhall Victor Deluxe
Zephyr Mk II convertible in white. The Ford Zephyr range was
built between 1950 and 1972, with the Mark II produced from
1956 to 1962. Around 6900 convertibles were built in period and
fitted with a power assisted hood. It had a top speed of 88 mph
and could do 0-60mph in 17 seconds. Fuel consumption was
around 24 mpg. In 1961 the convertible cost £1193 including
taxes. Due to the inherent structural weakness of the convertible
design, very few have survived, which makes this a very special
vehicle.
Parked up next to it was a strong rival from the period a 1961
1507cc Vauxhall Victor Deluxe. This was one of the last of the F
series which were built from 1957 to 1961 during which over
390,000 were built. It was powered by a 1.5 litre 4 cylinder OHV
engine fitted with
© Simon Wright
single zenith
carburettor mated to
a 3 speed manual
gearbox. The car
had independant coil
spring suspension
on the front and a
live axle and semi
elliptic leaf springs
on the rear. The car
had a top speed of
around 74 mph and
a fuel consumption
of around 31 mpg.
The other two British
manufacturers were
both originally based
in Coventry. The
1961 Singer Gazelle
was built by the
Rootes Group and
Dellow sports car
Page 22
© Simon Wright
Singer Gazelle
betweeen 1958 and 1963 over 15,000 were built of the
Gazelle IIA to IIIC models. Powered by a 1494cc straight 4
OHV engine and a single solex carburettor mated to a 4 speed
manual gearbox. It had a top speed of around 83 mph and fuel
consumption of just over 32 mpg. The most luxurious saloon
on display was a 1963 3.8 Jaguar Mk 2. Built between 1959
and 1967 during which almost 84,000 were built. The six
cylinder 3.8 engine was fitted with twin SU carburettors and
produced around 220 bhp to reach a top speed of 125 mph
and achieve a 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds.
Lotus 7
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
January 2015
3.8 Jaguar Mk II
Austin Healey Frog-eyed Sprite
Page 23
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
1960s saloon line up. Ford Zephyr convertible and Vauxhall Victor Deluxe
© Simon Wright
Off duty ‘Santa’ arrives by Ferguson Tractor rather than flying sledge
© Simon Wright
January 2015
Singer Gazell bonnet ornament
Lotus 7 sports car
Page 24
HSRCA 2014 Tasman Trophy Historic Race Meeting Sydney Motorsport Park, Sydney, Australia 28-30 November 2014
2014/15 MSC New Zealand F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series Round 2
© Fast Company/John Morris
Kiwi Clark Proctor (March 731/A) qualified quickest and won the first race which he is seen
leading here in to Turn 1
PROCTOR WINS ON SATURDAY, TWEEDIE ON
SUNDAY
The second Australian round of this season's MSC New Zealand
F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series at Sydney Motorsport Park over
the weekend had a real 'game-of-two-halves' feel to it. On Saturday
it was Kiwi Clark Proctor (March 731/A) who qualified quickest and
ran away with the first race after top local and round one winner
Tom Tweedie (Chevron B24/28) broke a suspension arm going into
turn one on his first qualifying lap and was out for the day.
January 2015
In Saturday's race, Proctor led all the way to cross the finish line in
front of Ross with Melbourne ace Paul Zazryn third in the Lola T332
hastily - but obviously effectively - repaired between rounds after a
high speed shunt at Sandown.
Behind Zazryn Auckland ace David Banks (Talon MR1) led home a
tight mid-field bunch consisting of Russell Greer (Lola T332), David
Arrowsmith (Lotus 70B), Ian Clements (Lola T332) and Australian
Peter Brennan (Lola T330)
After replacing the arm overnight, 26-year-old single seater ace
Page 25
Tweedie was back with a vengeance on Sunday, however, winning
both races very much as he liked. Though he had to start the first race
from the back of the grid, the Sydneysider was fifth after the first lap
then picked off a car a lap to hit the front on lap six and ease away
© Fast Company/John Morris
Impressing with his pace at the meeting was Aucklander David Banks (Talon MR1 #78) seen here
leading Peter Brennan (Lola T330) and Ian Clements (Lola T332).
from Proctor and Dunedin man - and round one race winner - Steve
Ross (McRae GM1).
After Tweedie won the morning race on Sunday from Proctor, Ross,
Zazryn, Banks and Clements rain just after lunch prompted the
organisers of the meeting to delay the start of the afternoon one in the
hope of a dry track, which they got, until the rain came back. Not that
it bothered Tom Tweedie who was again the fastest man on track,
from Proctor and - this time - Paul Zazryn (despite a spin) with Russell
Greer (Lola T332) back after a late morning race dnf to finish a
weekend-best fourth with Steve Ross fifth and Aussies Peter Brennan
January 2015
in his newly finished ex Lella Lombardi Lola T330, and Elfin
aficionado Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8), sixth and seventh respectively.
The MSC F5000 series now returns to New Zealand for consecutive
weekend meetings at the Gulf Oil Howden
Ganley F5000 Festival meetings at Hampton
Downs in late January, and at the Skope Classic
(Christchurch) and New Zealand Grand Prix
(Feilding) meetings in February.
The MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series is
organised and run with the support of sponsors
MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney's
Specialized Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants,
Pacifica, Avon Tyres, Webdesign and Exide.
Qualifying
1. Clark Proctor (March 73A/1) 1:28.7779
2. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) 1:31.0434
3. Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) 1:31.4454
4. David Banks (Talon MR1) 1:33.1888
5. Russell Greer (Lola T332) 1:33.5286
6. Gregory Thornton (March 75A)
1:34.4055
7. Ian Clements (Lola T332) 1:34.7548
8. David Arrowsmith (Lotus 70B) 1:36.0539
9. Philip Lewis (Matich A50) 1:36.2740
10. Jay Bondini (Lola T332) 1:39.3070
11. Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8) 1:39.3613
12. Philip Jewell (McKee Mk8) 1:43.6542
13. Peter Brennan (Lola T330) 2:02.8900
14. Tom Tweedie (Chevron B24/28) 2:12.2912
Page 26
Race 1 (Saturday)
1. Clark Proctor (March 73A/1) 13:39.9368 4 1:30.1787*
2. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) 13:43.0047
3. Paul Zazryn (Lola T332)14:05.8116 1:32.8477
4. David Banks (Talon MR1) 14:11.9132 7 1:33.5863
5. Russell Greer (Lola T332) 14:12.4221 7 1:32.9195
6. David Arrowsmith (Lotus 70B) 14:25.9368 6 1:33.9147
7. Ian Clements (Lola T332) 14:27.7855 1:35.1638
8. Peter Brennan (Lola T330) 14:31.4574 6 1:34.6973
9. Gregory Thornton (March 75A) 14:32.4639 9 1:33.5435
10. Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8) 14:51.4186 5 1:38.0199
11. Jay Bondini (Lola T332) 13:41.9595 4 1:40.5454
12. Philip Jewell (McKee Mk8) 13:52.3102 5 1:42.2256
13. Philip Lewis (Matich A50) 14:32.0080 7 1:35.0119
Race 2 (Sunday)
1. Tom Tweedie (Chevron B24/28) 13:39.4510 1:28.6004*
2. Clark Proctor (March 73A/1) 13:51.6309 1:30.6919
3. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) 13:57.5705 1:31.2936
4. Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) 14:07.9251 1:33.1831
5. David Banks (Talon MR1) 14:14.8472 1:33.6949
6. Ian Clements (Lola T332) 14:31.0271 1:34.7504
7. Philip Lewis (Matich A50) 14:35.3930 1:35.0388
8. Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8) 14:50.9212 1:36.7550
9. David Arrowsmith (Lotus 70B) 15:12.4241 1:36.1346
10. Philip Jewell (McKee Mk8) 13:54.7310 1:42.4088
11. Peter Brennan (Lola T330) 14:11.3847 1:34.3777
DNF. Gregory Thornton (March 75A) DNF. Russell Greer
(Lola T332) DNF. Jay Bondini (Lola T332)
© Fast Company/John Morris
Race 3 (Sunday)
1. Tom Tweedie (Chevron B24/28) 16:43.8022
1:34.9355*
2. Clark Proctor (March 73A/1) 18:00.1085
1:38.8252
3. Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) 18:16.6520 1:42.0551
4. Russell Greer (Lola T332) 18:24.3373 1:45.8288
5. Steve Ross (McRae GM1) 16:49.1103 1:45.7336
6. Peter Brennan (Lola T330) 17:05.6333 1:47.8319
7. Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8) 17:41.3368
1:51.8989
DNF. Ian Clements (Lola T332), David Banks
(Talon MR1)
Prepared by FAST COMPANY of behalf of the New
Zealand Formula 5000 Association www.F5000.co.nz
January 2015
After repairing his car local Tom Tweedie (Chevron B24/28 #2) was back in front on Sunday.
Page 27
© Janeet Wright
H&H Christmas Gala Chateau Impney.
The Auction took place in the Regent Centre. The 1962 Mini Pickup sold for £9,856
3rd December 2014. By Simon & Janet Wright.
The end of year auction by H&H at the Chateau Impney Hotel
was preceded by the annual Gala dinner. Sir Greg Knight MP,
newly elected non-executive director on the board of H&H, told
the guests of his passion for British Classic cars and the work
that Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group are doing to protect
and promote the industry and the hobby as a whole.
The next day, the auction attracted a lot of interest in the varied
collection of vehicles including motorcycles and a Formula 1
Sauber as well as various items of memorabilia. The two
© Simon Wright
Line up of more modern cars outside. The Ford
Consul 3.0 GT sold for £5,311
January 2015
highest selling vehicles
both achieved the same
amount of money
£212,800. These were
a 1972 Ferrari 365
GTC/4, one of only 31
cars in the UK, and a
1927 Bentley 3 litre
Speed Model Tourer
which attracted a lot of
attention from both the
floor and telephone bids
before changing hands
for the first time in 46
1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 sold for £212,800
© Simon Wright
years.
Quite a few
other vehicles
sold for
significant
amounts,
including a
1995 season
Ferrari F355
Challenge car
which sold for
£89,600 and a
1931 Lagonda
© Janet Wright
2 litre low
1927 Bentley 3 litre Speed Model Tourer sold for £212,800
chassis speed model tourer which once belonged to Lord
Berkley which sold for £78,400.
The range of vehicles on sale was impressive, with something
for everyone. A 1959 Fiat 126 BIS sold for £2,464 while a 1968
Jaguar 240 sold for £6,916.
There were several vintage cars on sale, with varying success.
Page 28
© Simon Wright
was powered by the V10 Illmor engine, built in
Northamptonshire and was driven by Karl Wendlinger and JJ
Lehto. The car on sale was one of five show cars built, and the
engine lacks certain components and was never built to be
driven. It was sold for £21,280.
There was an extremely attractive red 1997 TVR Taimer Turbo
© Simon Wright
1995 Ferrari F355 Challenge sold for £89,600
A 1924 Austin 12/4 Clifton Tourer went for £15,916, a 1936
Alvis Crested Eagle TF 19.82 saloon went for £26,880 while
the unusual 1916 Talbot 4CY 15/20 HP (See separate feature
on this car on page 33) was not sold. It was the same with
some of the slightly more modern classic cars, with an unusual
1972 Honda N600 failing to sell along with a 1956
© Janet Wright
Messerschmitt LR200, while
a 1961 BMW Isetta 300
bubble car sold for £14,560.
The 1993 Sauber C12A
Formula 1 car was placed
right in front of the stage in
the main hall. During the
1993 Grand Prix season,
Mercedes Benz provided
behind the scenes support
for the Swiss Sauber team in
Grand Prix racing. The car
1972 Honda N600 failed to sell
January 2015
1923 Rolls Royce 20hp Landaulette sold for £54,880
SE which sold for £14,112, while a 1965 Jaguar E-Type 4.2
Coupe was not sold. One of the cheapest cars sold was a blue
1999 Audi 80 Cabriolet which sold for £750. A 1975 Volkswagen
Type 2 Microbus, in two tone blue and white paint finish, sold for
£13,560.
Yellow seemed to have been a popular car colour in the past. A
Page 29
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
1924 Citroen Type C 5CV
“Trefle” Tourer in yellow
fetched £6,720, while a very
grand yellow Rolls Royce
20hp Landaulette which was
on the main stage fetched a
total of £54,880.
The biggest restoration
project sale was a 1959
Jaguar MkII 3.4 litre saloon,
which had definitely seen
better days as the body was
1924 Citroen Type C 5CV “Trefle’ Tourer £6,720 very rusty, especially across
the bottom of the doors. It sold for £1,456
1952 Bentley Mk VI Saloon sold for £16,800, 1971 Mercedes Benz 280 SE 3.5 Saloon
sold for £5,424 while the 1935 Armstrong Siddeley 20 hp saloon failed to sell.
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
January 2015
1959 Jaguar Mk II 3.4 litre £1,456
1956 Messerschmitt KR200 - Not sold
Page 30
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
January 2015
1993 Sauber C12A Formula 1 single seater show car sold for £21,280
Page 31
© Simon Wright
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
On display but not in the sale
- 1920 Vauxhall 30/98E
Ducati Pantah did not sell
© Simon Wright
1936 Alvis Crested Eagle TF 19.82 saloon sold for £26,880
© Simon Wright
© Janet Wright
Various Austin 7 and Ford Model Y saloons. The
blue Austin 7 RP Box saloon (left) sold for £5,936
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
1977 TVR Taimar Turbo SE sold for £14,112
1960 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite £10,833
© Janet Wright
Austin illuminated showroom lightbox sold for £246
January 2015
1952 MG YB sold for £14,000
1975 Volkswagen Type 2 sold for £13,560
Page 32
© Simon Wright
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
1916 Talbot 4CY 15/20HP
The Invincible Talbot 4CY 15/20 bhp on sale was built in May
1916, chassis number 8529 and registration number SV 9179.
It is powered by a 2610cc four cylinder engine which develops
38 bhp. It was sent to the Canada Motor & Cycle Agency of
Brisbane, Australia where it is believed it was sold to the
fledgling Qantas airways as their first car. It was used on trips in
to the outback as a service and rescue vehicle for downed
aircraft. Its rear flatbed loading deck enabled it to be used to
carry spares and collect crew. It is thought that the vehicle was
used until at least 1927 before being stored on land next to one
January 2015
of the original airline sites, where it was rediscovered in the early
1990s. Lack of funds prevented a local restoration project being
undertaken, so the car was sold to a Scottish collector in 2001.
After careful consideration it was decided
© Simon Wright
to restore the car and re-body the Talbot
as a balloon car complete with a simple
rear deck that echoed it possible Qantas
heritage.
The restoration
© Simon Wright
was completed in
2002 and the car
took part in the
Liege-Rome-Liege Retrospective Rally
which it easily handled, and has
competed in other European events since.
The car has been timed at 80 mph and
can cruise at 55 mph thanks to its 4 speed
transmission system. It has an instant
Page 33
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
start system, which a spark is sent to all four cylinders which will
then burst in to action if filled with a sufficient air/fuel mixture
and if the car has been running recently.
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
January 2015
Page 34
© Pete Austin
Archive Photo of the month. By Pete Austin
This months archive image is much more recent than those previously published but it was prompted by the lengthy saga prior to Jenson
Button finally signing up with McLaren Honda. His previous association with Honda engines resulted in his first Grand Prix win in the 2006
Hungarian round of the World Championship. He is shown here driving the BAR Honda during a test that same year at Silverstone.
January 2015
Page 35
Andrew’s Armouries Boxing Day meet. December 26th 2014. Stratford Armouries. By Simon & Janet Wright.
© Simon Wright
Boxing day is the day to get out and work off the calories from
Christmas lunch and what better way to spend the day than to
bring out your classic car to one of the many meets that take
place all around the country. This particular meet has moved
venues a few times over the last few years to the south of
Birmingham, having formerly been held at Brittanic Insurance
January 2015
Salmson at Stratford Armouries
and then Becketts Farm near Wythall, then moved down to
Alcester and it has now settled at the Stratford Armouries
Museum, near Stratford upon Avon.
Although it was a cold and grey morning, there was still a
great turn out of interesting cars and motorcycles and a good
crowd of interested spectators. Outside the museum there are
Page 36
many canons and field
guns on display, and
these made an
interesting backdrop
for some of the vintage
and classic cars on
display. There were
quite a few vintage
cars on show including
models from Bentley,
Rolls Royce, Chrysler,
MG, Sunbeam and
Hotchkiss. Coming
forward in time saw
sports cars from
Triumph, MG and
Daimler and there were
even a couple of
Ferrari supercars.
There were quite a few
motorcycles had made
the trip out, and the
line up of modern
© Simon Wright
superbikes was
Vintage MG
impressive with
Ducatti, Kawasaki, Harley Davidson, Yamaha and Triumph all
making an appearance.
American muscle cars are always popular in the UK and the
Blue 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C2 convertible drew a
lot of admiring spectators when it arrived. The C2 was the
second generation of Corvette Stingray to be produced by
Chevrolet, and was built between 1963 and 1967. Nearly
118,000 were built during the 5 year production cycle. The
5350cc V8 engine produces around 375 bhp. Ford of America
January 2015
was represented by a nice pair of classic Ford Thunderbirds,
a saloon and an earlier model sports car.
© Simon Wright
Renault 5 Turbo and Austin Mini Cooper S. Road versions of two Rallying Greats
There were a pair of road going cars based on rally car
development, though at least one generation apart. The Austin
Mini Cooper S was at the top of the Rally World in the early
1960s, while the Renault 5 Turbo was part of the Group B rally
© Janet Wright
revolution in the early
1980s. The road cars
show the pace of
development during that
20 year period.
There were one or two
unusual cars on show
including a Lloyd Special
602 3 wheeler kit based
on Citroen air cooled
engine and parts.
Lloyd Special 602 based on Citroen running gear
Page 37
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
MG Saloon
© Simon Wright
Ford Thunderbird
© Simon Wright
British Sportscar line up with Reliant SS100 in front
Triumph TR and Daimler Dart rears are similar
© Janet Wright
© Janet Wright
Hot Rod sit up and Beg Ford Popular
January 2015
Vintage Bentley
Page 38
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
An unusual MDH
Rolls Royce
Super Bikes were everywhere
© Janet Wright
© Janet Wright
A Model T Ford that’s not black!
© Simon Wright
Organiser Andrew directs a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in to position
January 2015
Hotchkiss
Page 39
© Simon Wright
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
Vintage Chrysler
Ferrari 550
Triumph TR4
© Simon Wright
© Simon Wright
© Janet Wright
Citroen Truck
Ford Anglia
© Janet Wright
© Simon Wright
Bentley 3 Litre
© Simon Wright
Ford Pickup Hot Rod
© Simon Wright
Sunbeam
January 2015
Morris Oxford 1500
Ford Thunderbird
Page 40