Alfa Romeo 8C-35

These photographs were taken at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2006.

This is the 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C-35 of Peter Greenfield that took part in two of the races at this meeting. The car is chassis 50013 and has a supercharged 3,822cc straight-eight engine. It was raced by the Scuderia Ferrari team, by Tazio Nuvolari amongst others, on behalf of Alfa Romeo in 1936, and by Hans Ruesch as a privateer in the latter part of 1936 and in the 1937 season. Hans Ruesch and his co-driver Richard Seaman won the 1936 Donington Grand Prix in this car.

At this 2004 Donington Park meeting the car competed in the Historic Seaman Trophy Race bearing the number 24 as in the above two photographs taken in the pit garage.

Later in the day the car took part in the Flockhart Trophy Race as a reserve entry bearing the number 20, presumably because a Cooper Bristol in the same race had already been allocated the number 24. In the above photograph Peter Greenfield is leading David Wenman in his 1952 Connaught A4 at McLean's Corner during this race.

50013 was owned by Dennis Poore after WW2 and was raced by him between 1947 and 1955, later ending up in the Donington Park Museum where I took photographs of the car in 1989.

Tecno F2

This car competed in the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy Race at the Silverstone Historic Tribute meeting in June 2004.

It's the 1971 Tecno F2 car of Nicholas Wadham, powered by a 1600cc Cosworth BDA engine. The car is chassis T00716 and was raced in the 1971 European F2 Championship by Patrick Depailler, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, François Cevert and Tino Brambilla.

Wartburg 353

This is a car I photographed at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2018.

It's a 1984 Wartburg 353, a car produced in the former BMW plant in Eisenach in the German Democratic Republic - more commonly known as East Germany. After the partition of Germany in 1945 they continued to make cars in the factory under the BMW name, but after legal action in 1952 the name was changed to EMW - Eisenacher Motoren Werk as opposed to the Bayerische Motoren Werke of BMW. The Wartburg 353, known as the Wartburg Knight in the UK, has a 993cc two-stroke 3 cylinder engine and was produced from 1966 to 1988.

Ginetta G16

I photographed this car at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1987.

It's Roger Fowler's 1968 Ginetta G16 which the programme of the event says has a 2 litre engine. The Ginetta G16 replaced the smaller engined G12 and was intended to compete in the 2 litre class using Cosworth, BMW and BRM engines. Apparently 8 cars were produced (although one source says 10) mostly with BMW engines, and one was built with a 3½ litre Oldsmobile V8 engine. The car passing behind the Ginetta is Tony Steele's 1959/60 Lola MkII Formula Junior car.

Lotus Mk IX

This was one of the entrants in the 1950s Drum-Braked Sports Racing Cars race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005.

It's the 1955 Lotus Mk IX of Richard Ashmead, one of about 30 of these cars that were built between 1954 and 1955. Several different engines could be provided for the Mk IX - 1½ litre MG and Connaught engines and 2 litre Bristol engines were used, but the one most commonly fitted, as in this car, was the 1,098cc Coventry Climax engine.

On 17 January 2018 I showed a photograph of another Coventry Climax engined Lotus Mk IX, at Oulton Park in 1996.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Italian Historic Car Cup race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the 1969 4,993cc V12 Ferrari 512 S of Carlos Monteverde who shared the driving in the hour long race with Gary Pearson. Twenty five examples of the Ferrari 512 were produced, allowing it to be homologated into the FIA's Group 5 Sports Car Category, and this car is chassis 1016.

I've shown photographs of this car previously in the hands of two previous owners, on 16 May 2014 at Silverstone in 1998 when owned by Brandon Wang, and on 12 April 2013 at Donington Park in 2003 when owned by Olivier Cazalieres.

Porsches

These cars are taking part in the 36 lap 100 mile Cheshire Cats' Trophy Race at the Jaguar Drivers' Club's Cheshire Cats' Trophy Meeting at Oulton Park in April 1987 and are pictured at the exit of Lodge Corner at the start of the finishing straight.

Car number 35 is the 3.3 litre flat-6 Porsche 930 Turbo of Nick Wenham and Chris Millard and the driver is indicating that he is preparing to pull into the pits just a short distance ahead. The overtaking car number 24 is the 3 litre flat-6 Porsche 911 RS of Martin Quick and Bryan Eccles.

Chevrolet Master 85 Coupe

I took this photograph of one of the cars displayed in the paddock at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

It's a 1940 Chevrolet Master 85 Coupe bearing a plate on the front bumper that says 'Great Silk Road Rally to Australia 2001' and on the front of the roof 'The Custard Tart'. I didn't make a note of what it says on the board resting against the bumper and don't now recall what it said. However, there are two names on the door of the car and I can make out that one of them is Richard Curtis who presumably drove the car on this Great Silk Road Rally. There is a record of him competing with the car in a similar rally in 2007. Former 5 times World Drivers Champion Juan Manuel Fangio started his career driving one of these Chevrolets in long distance endurance events in South America in 1939 and he is known to have referred to it as 'The Custard Tart', though that car is in the Museo Fangio in Balcarce, Argentina.

Cisitalia D46

I took this photograph at McLeans Corner during the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at the HGPCA's Donington Historic Grand Prix meeting in May 2004.

It's Richard Pilkington's 1946 Cisitalia D46 with a 1,089cc Fiat engine which took part in Voiturette racing in the middle and late 1940s. The car following it is the 1956 Gordini T16 of Marc Valvekens.

On 5 January 2018 I showed a photograph of the Cisitalia in the pit garage at this meeting.

Aston Martin V8

These cars both competed in two races at the Aston Martin Owners' Club's Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986.

This car is the 1973 Aston Martin V8 of David Ellis.....

.....and this is the 1972 Aston Martin V8 of Mike Cousins.

This car was produced from 1969 to 1972 as the Aston Martin DBS V8, and from 1972 to 1989 it was known simply as the Aston Martin V8. It was powered by the 5,340cc Aston Martin V8 engine designed by Tadek Marek and a total of 4,021 examples of the car were built. The two photographs above were taken on the approach to Old Hall Corner.

On 31 May 2015 I showed photographs of Davis Ellis's car at the Aston Martin Owners' Club's meeting at Oulton Park in 1993, and on 7 April 2018 I showed photographs of Mike Cousins' car at the Jaguar Drivers ' Club's Oulton Park meeting in 1987.

Cadillac Sedan de Ville

I took this photograph in Heaton Park, Manchester at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in September 1993.

It's a 1960 Cadillac Sedan de Ville which apparently was originally only produced with a 390 cu in, or 6.4 litre, V8 engine but which the DVLA says now has a 7.2 litre engine - which corresponds to about 440 cu in. The programme of the event says:

'G.M. Cadillac Sedan de Ville, 1960

Entered by J.B. Clark, Middleton Junction

Purchased in Florida and imported 1990. Originally from Chicago.'

HWM Jaguar

This was one of the competitors in the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's Julian Bronson's 1954 3,442cc 6-cylinder inline Jaguar-engined HWM which the programme of the event says is an ex-Tony Gaze and Lex Davison car.

On 2 January 2018 I showed a photograph of this car at Donington Park in 2001.

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in a round of the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge series of races at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2004.

It's the 1959 Ferrari 250GT LWB Berlinetta TdF of Plinio Haas, which has the 2,952cc Gioacchino Columbo designed V12 engine common to most of the 250 series cars. Four series of the TdF, a total of 77 cars, were produced between 1956 and 1959 which were defined by the number of louvres in the sail panel between the side and the rear windows. The first series had no louvres, the second 14 louvres, next 3 louvres and finally a single louvre. Plinio Haas's car is chassis #1401GT, one of the last series with only one louvre.

I've shown photographs of this car at this meeting twice previously, on 17 July 2015 and 21 October 2017.

McLaren M8D

This car competed in the HSCC Atlantic Computers Historic G.T. Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1986.

It's the Haslemere Sports Cars Ltd's 5-litre 1970 McLaren M8D, driven in the race by John Foulston. The car was designed for the Canadian-American Challenge Cup Series (or Can-Am) that was contested from 1966 till 1987.

On 22 June 2016 I showed a photograph of this car, and also of other McLarens, at the HSCC meeting at Oulton Park in 1987.

Aston Martin T-type

This car is pictured coming up to the start line in the Exchange Station car park in Manchester for the start of the LAC's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1990.

It's the 4-cylinder inline 1,495cc 1928 Aston Martin T-type of David Hawkins, about which the programme of the event had this to say:

1928 Aston Martin T-type

          Reg: CC 8433   4 cylinder   11.9 hp

          (David Hawkins, Nelson)

Only 15 of these lovely Aston Martins were built, and only four are now believed to survive, of which this is the only runner. The 1.5 litre engine is fitted with a single overhead camshaft and produces 50 bhp at 4250 rpm. This example is maintained in original condition and is a successful rally car. But it is also used for family holidays, the four-seater Bertelli body being very comfortable. Cruising at 50 mph, it lives up to the manufacturers' motto: "Built For Its Owner's Pleasure".

Invicta S-Type

This car took part in the MicroPose Spirit of Speed Pre-War Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

It's the 1931 Invicta S-Type of Stefan Schollwöck, who shared the driving with Martin Kölnberger as the race necessitated a change of driver. Noel Macklin founded the Invicta company, production starting in 1925 with a car powered by a 2½ litre Meadows engine. The car progressed through 3 and 4½ litre engines and in 1930 the first S-Type was introduced with a 4½ litre engine, and with the rear axle mounted above the main chassis rails instead of below so that the car sits lower compared with the previous models. In all 76 examples of the Invicta S-Type were built.

On 12 March 2015 I showed a photograph of an Invicta S-Type at Silverstone in June 2004.

ERA R6B

This car competed in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1984.

It's the 1935 ERA R6B of Cedric Brierley, driven in the race by Richard Thwaites, and powered by the 6-cylinder inline 1,488cc supercharged engine based on the Riley 9 unit. The car was owned in the late 1940s and early 1950s by Bob Gerard.

Cooper T43

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

The car would have competed in the Flockhart Trophy Race, but there's no number 223 listed in the programme of the event in that race, nor in any of the races at that meeting. It looks like the 2 litre 1957 Cooper T43 of Tania Pilkington, which did take part in that race but was supposed to be number 117. If it is Tania Pilkington's car it's chassis #F2-24-57. Car number 6 behind the Cooper is the 1,071cc 1960 BMC MkI of Grant Wilson that was entered in the Front-Engined Formula Junior Cars race.

Supermarine Spitfire

The Silverstone motor racing circuit is on the site of a WW2 RAF bomber station and, apart from the first few meetings which used stretches of the original runways, in its early years the circuit followed the line of the perimeter track. This meant that the runways were able to be used by aircraft and part is still in use, mainly as a heliport, for the British Grand Prix and other meetings. I've seen a variety of aircraft there when I've attended meetings, and this is one I photographed at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting in July 1998.

It's a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIc and was built in 1944, but didn't see any wartime service. Its engine is a Rolls-Royce Merlin built under license in the USA by the Packard Motor Car Company. The aircraft was shipped to Australia in 1944 where it remained till 1979 when it was acquired by Robs Lamplough who brought it to this meeting at Silverstone where he was competing in his Lotus 33. The programme of the event has an article which refers to the various reminders around the circuit of Silverstone's wartime history and says:

'But this weekend there could be rather more reminders than usual because, once again, there will be an outstanding display of vintage and classic aircraft assembled by Simon Ames and the Air Squadron. This group of aircraft enthusiasts number about 100 and includes former RAF Cranwell graduate, Robs Lamplough. BRDC member Robs, a very successful racing driver in the late 1960s, will be racing his Lotus 33 this weekend but is also expected to arrive in his magnificent Spitfire Mk VIII. This 1944 aircraft is believed to be one of only four airworthy Mk VIIIs and it took a team of engineers at Filton some 14 years to painstakingly restore.'

Friday's Ferrari

This car in the paddock at Oulton Park was one of the competitors in the Cheshire Building Society Allcomers race at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting in July 1987.

It's Neil Corner's 1960 Ferrari Dino 246 F1 car which escaped Ferrari's annual demolition of obsolete Grand Prix cars at the end of that season and was sold to New Zealander Pat Hoare. It's the car with which Phil Hill won the 1960 Italian Grand Prix but was modified for Tasman Series racing with the 2½ litre F1 engine replaced by a 3 litre engine as used in the Ferrari 250 TR sports cars. The chassis number was changed from #0007 to #0788.

Auto Union

On 2 December 2012 and 10 August 2016 I showed photographs of the Auto Union C-Type and D-Type that appeared at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in May 2001. Here's another photograph I took that day.

Taken at Coppice Corner, it's the 3 litre V12 supercharged 1938 Auto Union D-type leading the 6 litre supercharged V16 1937 Auto Union C-type.

Bentley 3/8

This was one of the competitors in the Richard Seaman Memorial Vintage Trophy Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1982.

It's Tim Llewellyn approaching Lodge Corner in his Bentley 3/8, a 1926 Bentley 3 litre, chassis LM1338, with a 1930 8.3 litre engine.  This was 36 years ago, and as far as I'm aware he's still racing the car today.

Cooper T40 Bristol Bobtail

This car competed in the Louis Vuitton 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997, although it's first appearance was as a Formula One car in the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree.

Listed in the programme as Katharina Schmidt's 1955 Cooper Bobtail, it's the 2 litre Cooper T40 Bristol that Jack Brabham drove in his first World Championship Formula 1 race in 1955.

On 20 May 2014 I showed a photograph of Katharina Schmidt sitting in this car in the paddock at Silverstone in 1993.

The car behind the Cooper is Paul Pappalardo's 3 litre 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis #5111GT.

Tony Brooks

I took this photograph on practice day for the British Grand Prix at Aintree in July 1957.

On the left is Tony Brooks who shared the winning drive in the Grand Prix with Stirling Moss in a Vanwall. Tony Brooks, who was barely fit enough to take part in the race having injured himself in a crash at Le Mans only 4 weeks previously, took third place on the grid with team mate Stirling Moss in pole position. Moss led the race from the start with Behra's Maserati 250F second and Brooks third, but Moss's car suffered a misfire and Brooks was called into the pits to swap cars with Moss. Stirling Moss went on to win the race, due in no small part to the clutch on Behra's car exploding when he looked certain to win, and Mike Hawthorn, then in second place, suffered a puncture when he ran over bits of the debris. Tony Brooks in Moss's car eventually suffered an engine failure and he didn't finish the race.

The person to whom Tony Brooks is talking in this photograph is Alf Francis, who was mechanic to Stirling Moss in the early 1950s, and in 1957 was with Rob Walker's team whose Cooper Climax T43 was driven in this race by Jack Brabham. Tony Brooks also drove for Rob Walker in some F2 races and non-championship F1 races that season.

Maserati 250F

I took this photograph at Lodge Corner during the Cheshire Building Society's Allcomers' Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It's Willie Green driving what the programme of the event says is A P Bamford's 1957 Maserati 250F, and it appears to be chassis #2534, a car that was supplied new to the American Temple Buell team in September 1958. This car was acquired by Anthony Bamford in 1972, and after restoration was raced in historic events by Willie Green. The car has the usual 6-cylinder inline 2½ litre Maserati 250F engine.

Cosworth 4WD F1 Prototype

From 1961 to 1965 the capacity limit for Formula 1 engines had been limited to 1½ litres, but in 1966 that limit was increased to 3 litres giving the potential for a massive increase in power. This was realised in the 1967 season with the introduction of the Cosworth DFV engine but the downside was that cars were finding it increasingly difficult to transfer this power to the road, particularly in wet conditions. Several teams tried their hand at building four-wheel drive cars to improve the grip, and they were joined by Frank Costin and Keith Duckworth, the men behind the Cosworth engine.

This car, photographed in the Donington Park museum in September 2014, is the Cosworth 4WD F1 prototype which was hampered by a variety of teething problems. In the meantime the F1 teams also had problems with their 4WD cars, and Colin Chapman's experiments with wings on his Lotus cars, soon taken up by other teams, and also advances in tyre technology solved the grip problem to a large extent and the 4WD revolution never took hold. Keith Duckworth shelved the Cosworth 4WD project without the car having turned a wheel in anger.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a model I don't think I've featured before, photographed at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a 1994 Ferrari 456 GT, with a 5,474cc V12 engine at the front which has twin overhead camshafts on each bank, and two valves per cylinder. This car followed the Ferrari 412 and was in production from 1992 to 2003, being replaced by the 612 Scaglietti.

Aston Martin Ulster

This is a photograph that I took at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1975.

If memory serves me right the photograph was taken on the inside of the circuit near to Knickerbrook where there was an access road to the circuit. The car is Derrick Edwards' 4-cylinder inline 1,495cc 1935 Aston Martin Ulster which he raced in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race that day. I know that one of the people in the car is A C (Bert) Bertelli who was Technical Director of Aston Martin from 1926 to 1937 and who designed the Ulster and other Aston Martins during that time. According to the programme of the event Italy's Count Giovanni Lurani (known as 'Johnny'), who was a prolific racing driver in the pre-war years, was due to be at Oulton Park that day and the programme says:

'....we are hoping he may do a demonstration lap in the actual 1½ litre Ulster Aston Martin which, 40 years ago, he drove to a class win and third place overall with his co-driver Gildo Strazza in the Targa Abruzzo 24 hour race over the historic Pescara circuit. This car is the well known one raced in VSCC events today by Derrick Edwards and Judy Hogg.'

I don't recall if Johnny Lurani was driving it that day - the only note I've made is that A C Bertelli was in the car.

McDowell Ford Track Racer

This car competed in the Seaman Trophy Race for Vintage Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

It's Graham Paddick's McDowell Ford Track Racer, which the programme of the event says is a 1930 car with a 3,400cc engine, but apart from that I can't find any information about the car.

Volvo P1800

This car was one of the exhibits at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2017.

It was said to be the car that was used in the TV series 'The Saint' where it was driven by the star of the series, Simon Templar, in real life the actor Roger Moore. Several of these cars were apparently used in the filming of the series, each of which displayed the registration number ST1 - the legal number of this particular one is 71 DXC. It's a 1962 Volvo P1800 with a 4-cylinder inline 1,778cc engine.

The underside of the boot lid has the signatures of various people connected with 'The Saint' and the Volvo P1800.

Lotus 24

This car took part in the Pre '68 GP and Tasman Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 1996.

It's the 1962 Lotus 24 of Hall & Fowler and was driven in the race by Rick Hall. The Lotus 24 had a then standard spaceframe chassis and was intended as a customer car, while Team Lotus used the new monocoque Lotus 25. In effect, although Lotus team leader Jim Clark drove the Lotus 25 throughout the season his team mate Trevor Taylor mostly drove the Lotus 24. Both the 24 and 25 used the Coventry Climax FWMV 1,495cc V8 engine.

On 11 September 2016 I showed a couple of photographs of the Lotus 24, including one of Trevor Taylor's car in the paddock at the 1962 British Grand Prix at Aintree.