1955 Lancia D50

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000 celebrated 50 years of Formula One, the World Drivers' Championship having started in 1950, and the first race of that Championship was run at Silverstone on 13th May of that year. At the July 2000 meeting at Silverstone there was a representative display of cars covering that 50 year period, and the car below was one of those taking part.

It's a re-creation of the Lancia D50 that competed in the Championship in 1954 and 1955. This car was owned by Robin Lodge, and was entered in the Maserati UK Race for Pre 1961 Grand Prix Cars, but Robin Lodge had taken the precaution of also entering his 1959 Ferrari 246 Dino for that race in case the Lancia was not allowed to take part. The programme of the event says:

'The mouth-watering prospect of Robin Lodge's pannier-tanked Lancia D50 - a magnificent reproduction chassis, using original 0ffset V8 engine and transmission salvaged from Enzo Ferrari's 'scrapyard' - joining the fray hangs in the balance. Lodge will bring his V6 Ferrari Dino if the sensational flashback to 1954 is blackballed.'

1954 Leyland Tiger PS2/14

This was one of the vehicles taking part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's annual Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1995.

It's a 1954 Leyland Tiger PS2/14 and the programme of the event said this about the vehicle:

Leyland Tiger PS2/14, East Lancs body, 1954                                                                          CHG541

Entered by R McArdle, Consett, Co. Durham

Built as a rear entrance bus for Burnley, Colne and Nelson J.T.B. Converted to front entrance in 1957 for one man operation. Withdrawn in 1974.

1958 Bocar XP-5

This was one of the competitors in the 1950's Sports Racing Cars race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2005.

It's Dean Butler's 1958 Bocar XP-5. The Bocar was a series of limited-production two-seaters developed by Bob Carnes in Lakewood Colorado starting with an experimental X-1 in 1958 which was followed by X-2 and X-3 examples and about five XP-4s. The first real production cars, begun in mid-1959 were the XP-5s which had a glass-reinforced polyester body surrounding a welded moly-tube space frame and a beefed-up Volkswagen rear suspension. The most common engine was a 283 cu in Corvette V8 unit. Dean Butler’s Bocar XP-5  was built by Bocar expert Doug Karon with Mustang front suspension, Jaguar rear suspension and a 383 cu in Chevrolet  small block engine - but the programme of this event says the car has a 4,735cc engine, which equates to 299 cu in.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Shell Historic Ferrari Maserati Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

Car number 95 is the 1972 Ferrari 312P, serial number #0888, of Englebert Stieger. There's no number 95 in the programme of the event but Christoph Stieger was down to drive number 55, a Ferrari 250 GTO, and appears to have driven the 312P instead. The silver car behind it is Nicolaus Springer’s 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, serial number #4153GT, which was driven in the race by Peter Bradfield and Andrew Hall with the race number 159.

1905 Alldays & Onions

This was one of the participants in the Lancashire Automobile Club's first Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1963. 

It's a 1905 Alldays & Onions, but I have no further information about it as I no longer have the programme of the event. Onions (formed by John Onions in 1650) and William Allday & Co. (formed by William Allday in 1720) joined in 1889 under the ownership of Alldays & Onions Pneumatic Engineering Company Limited and produced its first car in 1898. The company hit commercial success with the 1.6-litre, vertical-twin side-valve 10/12, which was made from 1905 to 1913 and this is presumably one of those cars.

DeLorean DMC-12

I took this photograph at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2018.

It's a DeLorean DMC-12 modified to resemble the car used in the 'Back to the Future' film series. The DeLorean was not a great success and production only lasted for about two years before the company was placed into receivership in February 1982. 

A crowded field

I took this photograph at Foulstons chicane on the first lap of the 'HSCC Classic Racing Cars for Retro Track and Air Trophy' race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2004.

A note about the race in the programme of event says this about the race:

'Background. One of the club's major single-seater categories, which recalls an era before ground-effect and slick racing tyres forever changed the face of single-seater racing. Specifcation. For any single-seater racing car produced and raced before December 1970. Cars must race in period specification, without rear wings and with treaded tyres.'

Jason Williams is leading in his 1964 Lola T55 but I can't make out the numbers of any of the other cars - though the car in the background on the extreme right looks like the Cooper T82 of Paul Busby.

1935 Alfa Romeo 8C-35

This car competed in the HGPCA Pre '52 GP Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It's the 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C-35 of Paul Grist and has an 8-cylinder 3,822cc engine with twin overhead camshafts. It was built to challenge the Mercedes Benz and Auto Union cars but never beat the German cars in a top level Grand Prix, although it did succeed in doing so in a number of smaller races in the hands of the legendary Tazio Nuvolari.

1961 Scammell Scarab

This sorry looking thing is one of the vehicles that turned up at a small motoring meet at the top of Werneth Low in Hyde in July 1991.

It's a 1961 Scammell Scarab, a tractor unit which was designed to facilitate the delivery of goods in busy built-up areas. Because of their manoeuvrability they were used extensively by British Railways and I remember seeing the one used at the local railway station when I was a youngster. I've got  a couple of photographs that I subsequently took of this Scammell at other vehicle rallies looking in much better condition, but the DVLA record shows that it's not been taxed since June 2009.

1974 McLaren M23

This was one of the competitors in the FORCE Classic Grand Prix Cars race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2003.

It's the McLaren M23 chassis M23/4, of Brazilian driver Abba Kogan which was driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and Denny Hulme for the Marlboro Team Texaco in the 1974 season. Emerson Fittipaldi won three of that season's Grand Prix races and scored 55 points to win the World Drivers' Championship, whilst Denny Hulme won just one race and ended the season in seventh place in the Championship with 20 points. McLaren finished in first place in the World Constructors' Championship.

Friday's Ferrari

Two cars leaving the pit lane here during a practice session for the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

Leading is Christian Traber in his 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza, chassis #0554M, which has a 2,999cc 4-cylinder inline engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi. The car was originally owned by Masten Gregory. The car behind is the 1959 Ferrari 250GT LWB Berlinetta TdF of Plinio Haas, chassis #1401GT, which has the 2,952cc Gioacchino Columbo designed V12 engine common to most of the 250 series cars.

1946 ERA E-Type GP2

This is one of the photographs I took on what was to be my last visit to the Donington Park Museum in September 2014.

It's the ERA E-Type GP2, built in 1939 with the supercharged 1,488cc version of the 6-cylinder inline engine, it was not fully developed before the war and it was 1946 before it saw any action, in the hands of Leslie Brooke. It was raced by Leslie Johnson from 1947 to 1950 and took part in the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the first ever Formula One World Championship race, but retired on the second lap.

1954 Maserati 250F

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2002.

It's the 1954 Maserati 250F of Dieter Streve-Mülhens, chassis 2501/2523 (they had a habit of swapping the Maserati 250F chassis numbers about). Behind that car is the number 27 1954 Maserati A6GCM of David Bennett which is chassis 2044, and the number 5 sports car is Mark Clubb's 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco, chassis CM/6/59. The number 61 on the left of the photograph is the 1969 Lotus 61 of Dieter Streve-Mülhens.

1959 Cooper T49 Monaco

This car took part in the Louis Vuitton '50s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's the 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco of John Beasley and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,960cc Coventry Climax engine. The name 'Monaco' was given to the car to mark Maurice Trintignant's win in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix in a Cooper Climax T45. It was the successor to the smaller centre-seat Cooper T39 'Bobtail' that the company had produced since 1954.

1960 AEC Regent V

This is one of a large number of double deck buses that took part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It's a 1960 AEC Regent V that was new to Leeds City Transport in June 1960 and the programme of the event had this note about it:

AEC Regent V, MCCW H70R, 1960                                                                                                3916UB

Leeds City Transport 916

Entered by A.H. & J.E. Foster, Keighley

One of a batch of fourteen buses supplied which were the last Regent V's with exposed radiators.

1930 Morgan Super Aero JAP

This was one of the cars taking part in the  Morgan Three Wheelers race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2002.

It's the 1930 Morgan Super Aero of Barry and Penny Davison with a V-twin 1,098cc JAP 10/40 engine.

1926 Bugatti Type 37

This is one of the cars that took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's annual Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in May 1992 and is seen here just approaching the start line at the exit of the Exchange Station car park in Manchester.

Unlike in the early days of the run in the 1960s when the programme of the Run had detailed notes of most of the cars taking part, by 1992, sadly, the programme just listed the cars and gave the names of the owners. The programme just tells us that this is a 1926 Bugatti T37 entered by Barry H Parkinson of Ribchester, Blackburn. The DVLA record shows that it has a 1,496cc engine, whilst the Bugatti Trust gives us general information about the Type 37, and bugattibuilder.com tells us that it is chassis 37190.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a display of Ferraris in the paddock some of which took part in demonstration runs around the circuit during the meeting. This car wasn’t in the special display and neither did it compete at the meeting, it was just lined up in the paddock alongside various other cars.

It’s the Fantuzzi bodied 1959 Ferrari Dino 246 S prototype, chassis 0794TR, then owned by Steve O’Rourke and has a 2,417cc V6 engine. It competed as a works car in the 1960 Targa Florio and Nürburgring 1000km race then was sold to Luigi Chinetti in the USA.

1934 Lagonda Rapier Special

This car competed in a handicap race and a scratch race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in August 1996.

It's the 1934 Lagonda Rapier Special of Len Thompson which the programme of the event says had a 1,468cc engine, though the car was originally built with a 4-cylinder 1,104cc engine.

1952 Jowett Jupiter

This was one of the exhibits at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1985.

It's a 1952 Jowett Jupiter and has a 1,486cc flat four Jowett engine. The DVLA record says that the car is still being taxed, but recent photographs show that it has been painted green.

1958 Chevrolet Corvette

I took this photograph during the HSCC Historic Road Sports race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Summer Race Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1995.

The 1968 Chevrolet Corvette of Bernie Chodosh is following the 1969 Lancia Fulvia of Paul Howarth, the Lancia having a 1,298cc V4 engine and the programme of the event says that the Corvette has a 5.2 litre engine.

1958 Lister Jaguar

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's a 1958 Lister Jaguar with no race number and didn't take part in the HGPCA Sports Car Race at this meeting - in fact there are no Lister Jaguars listed in the race at this meeting. I have photos of the car I took at Oulton Park in 1987 where it was entered by Aidan Mills-Thomas and is shown in the programme of that event as a Lister Jaguar with a 3,781cc engine. WTM446 has a chequered history. The car was apparently severely damaged at one point, to the extent that it's registration number (WTM 446) and chassis number (BHL126) were transferred to another Lister Jaguar. This change of identity was subsequently disputed, and the result was an extremely expensive court case in which the judge finally decided that it was not his place to decide such a matter. The court case is referred to in this description of the other car involved, a 1963 Lister Jaguar GT Prototype. The DVLA record currently shows no result for WTM446.

1905 De Dion Bouton

This car took part in  a classic car run from Stockport to Matlock in July 1985 organised by car dealers Gordon Ford of Stockport.

It's a 1905 De Dion Bouton which the DVLA say was taxed as recently as February 2023. I don't think there was a programme or a list of entrants for this run in 1985, but it took part in the Manchester to Blackpool run in 1987 when the programme of that event gave the entrant as R M Pickard of Heaton Moor Stockport and described the vehicle as having a one cylinder 8hp engine.

1968 Lotus Elan

This was one of the competitors in the Richardson Hosken Classic Sports Car Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Summer Race Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1995.

It's Paul Dobson's 1968 Lotus Elan and has a 1,558cc 4-cylinder inline Lotus Ford twin cam engine.

Friday's Ferrari

This car was in the paddock at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010, but it didn't take part in any of the races at the meeting.

It appears to be a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, but started off life as a 1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2, chassis #2349 with the same Gioacchino Colombo designed 2,953cc V12 engine. It spent its early years in Sweden where it was badly damaged by a fire and was rebuilt in its current form by Neil Twyman. I've seen more recent photographs of the car with a hardtop.

1960 Leyland Tiger Cub

This was one of the vehicles taking part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park in September 1990.

It's a 1960 Leyland Tiger Cub, and the programme of the event contained this note about the vehicle:

Leyland Tiger Cub, Harrington C41F, 1960                                                 6692 KH

East Yorkshire 692

Entered by N C Birch, Hull

When it operated for East Yorkshire this coach was named Pocklington Star. It was acquired for preservation in 1982.

1938 Auto Union D-Type

In March 1996 I made a visit to the Donington Park Museum to see a special car. It was one of a group of Auto Union racing cars that disappeared after the Second World War when the part of Germany where they had been produced and were stored was occupied by Soviet Russia when the war ended, and all the remaining cars were transported to Russia. It was generally assumed that after the Russians had gleaned what information they could from the cars they had all been destroyed. With the breakdown of the USSR, however, several of these cars came to light and one by one the remains were resuscitated by the engineers at Crosthwaite and Gardiner in Buxted, East Sussex.

This is one of those cars and was on display at the Donington Park Museum for a period after its restoration. It's a 1938 Auto Union D-type which had a supercharged 3 litre V12 engine. The D-type was driven in 1938 by Hermann Müller, Rudolf Hasse, Christian Kautz, Hans Stuck, Tazio Nuvolari and Ulrich Bigalke and in the curtailed 1939 season by Herman Müller, Tazio Nuvolari. Rudolf Hasse, Georg Meier and Hans Stuck.

1960 Aston Martin DB4

This is one of the competitors in the MG Car Club/AMOC Thoroughbred & Classic Sports Car Championship Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1993.

It's the 1960 Aston Martin DB4 of Tony Smith and is pictured at Lodge Corner during the race. The DB4 was produced from 1958 to 1963 and had a 6-cylinder inline 3,670cc engine - though the programme of the event says this car has a 4.2 litre engine.

1971 Surtees TS9B

This car took part in the Silverstone International Trophy Race for Pre 1978 Grand Prix Cars at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

It's John Bladon's 1971 Surtees TS9B that was raced by the Surtees team in the 1971 and 1972 seasons, being uprated from a TS9 to a TS9B before the start of the 1972 season. The Surtees TS9 was powered by the 2,993cc Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine and was not particularly successful, the best result being Mike Hailwood's second place in the 1972 Italian Grand Prix in this car, chassis TS9B-5.

1924 Austin Heavy 12 Clifton Tourer

This was one of the participants in the Lancashire Automobile Club's annual Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1990, starting from the Exchange Station car park in Manchester.

It's a 1924 Austin Heavy 12 Clifton Tourer with what the DVLA record says is a 1,479cc engine, though the cars were originally built with a 4-cylinder inline 1,660cc engine. The programme of the event just gives these brief details about the car:

1924 Austin Tourer

Reg: FM 3140  4 cylinder  12 hp

(Jon Wilson, Colne)

1938 Alta and 1936 ERA

I took this photograph at Foulstons chicane during the Richard Seaman Historic Memorial Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

Leading is Paul Jaye in David Baldock's 2 litre Alta followed by what I think is Bruce Spollon's 1936 2 litre ERA R8C. The car in the distance seems to be the ERA R12C of Bill Morris, driven that day by Tony Stephens.