1959 Maserati Tec-Mec

This car is receiving a lot of attention at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in June 1969 where it was driven by Tony Merrick in the Allcomers Scratch Race.

The Maserati 250F was first raced in 1954, evolving from the earlier A6GCM model, and was used by the Officine Alfieri Maserati team until 1957, Juan Fangio winning the World Championship in that year, after which Maserati pulled out of racing for financial reasons. The 250F continued to race in the hands of private entrants until the end of the 1960 season when the 2½ litres formula ended. In 1958 the Tec-Mec company was founded by former Maserati designer Valerio Colotti who built an updated version of the Maserati 250F, designated the F415, which only competed in one World Championship Grand Prix, the 1959 United States GP, where it retired after only 6 laps. The car has competed since then in historic car race meetings, and for a time it was also part of the Donington Collection in the museum at the Donington Park racecourse.

1959 Stanguellini FJ

This is a photograph I took at the Donington Park Museum in October 1989.

It's a Stanguellini Formula Junior car from the late 1950s. Formula Junior was conceived in 1958 as a class of racing which would form a relatively inexpensive entry level class for drivers to take their first steps to a racing career. The engine, transmission and brakes of the car had to be sourced from production cars with a 1,000cc limit on cars weighing 360kg and 1,100cc for 400kg cars. Italian cars mostly using the Fiat 1,100cc engine were the most successful in the first two years as the British manufacturers still concentrated on the 500cc Formula 3 series. Cooper, Lotus and others soon started to produce mid-engined Formula Junior cars though, and by 1960 British cars were picking up most of the victories. This car was sold by the Museum in 1994 and in 2004 it was offered in auction by Bonhams who gave this information about the car.

1955 Lotus Mk X

This car took part in the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's the 1955 Lotus Mk X of Adrian Hall, which is very similar to the Lotus Mk VIII but modified to take the 1,971cc 6-cylinder Bristol engine that was derived from the pre-war BMW 328. The body of the car was designed by Frank Costin, brother of Mike Costin, who together with Keith Duckworth founded Cosworth Engineering.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took at the British International Motor Show at Earls Court, London in October 1962.

It's a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupé Series 2 Aerodinamica which was unveiled to the public at this Show. It was powered by the Gioacchino Colombo designed Ferrari Tipo 137 3,967cc V12 engine and 32 of these cars were built between 1962 and 1964 - this car is chassis #3931SA.

1965 Elva Mk VIII BMW

I took this photograph in the paddock at Oulton Park at the Tourist Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in 1965.

It was listed in the programme of the event as an Elva BMW entered by Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd and was driven by Chris Amon. The race was run in two heats each of 2 hours duration and the winner would be the car that covered the greatest distance in total. The winner was Denny Hulme in a Brabham BT8, completing 138 laps, but Chris Amon's  Elva BMW dropped out of the first heat with overheating after just over 1½ hours and retired after just a few minutes in the second heat with a broken throttle linkage.

1952 Connaught A-Type

This car competed in the Maserati UK Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

It's the 1952 Connaught A-Type of David Wenman which has a 4-cylinder inline engine based on the 1,767cc Lea Francis unit with the capacity increased to 1,960cc in line with the then current Formula 2 regulations. It is chassis A4 and one of Connaught's works team cars in 1952, when it was usually driven by Dennis Poore, then in 1953 it went to the Écurie Belge team where the drivers were Johnny Claes and André Pilette. It was driven in this race at Silverstone by Barrie Williams.

1984 Ford Capri

This is a car I came across a few weeks ago on one of my regular walks down to the middle of Hyde to do a bit of shopping.

It's a 1984 Ford Capri MkIII, the last version of a car that began production in 1969 - the MkIII was produced between 1978 and 1986.

The Ford Capri MkIII  came with a series of 7 different engines ranging from 1.3  to 3.0 litres and on the back of this car it says 'CAPRI 2.0 S' - though the DVLA record gives the capacity as 1,593cc.

1957 Lister Jaguar

I took this photograph in the paddock at Oulton Park at the 1957 British Empire Trophy meeting.

It's Archie Scott Brown's 1957 Lister Jaguar, the first Jaguar engined Lister, which was built before the FIA's Appendix C regulations required it to have headlights. Unlike the previous years' meetings which were run in 3 heats according to engine size with a handicap final the 1957 event just had three races based on engine size with the winner of the Trophy being the car that won its race in the shortest time. The 'Up to 1,200cc' race was won by Graham Hill in a Lotus Eleven while the '1,200cc to 2,000cc' race was won by Ron Flockhart, also in a Lotus Eleven but with a larger engine. The 'Over 2,000cc' race was won by Archie Scott Brown in this car and (naturally) he did it in the quickest time to win the Trophy. I came across a quote saying that drivers who raced against him were unanimous in saying that “… Archie spends less time travelling with all wheels pointing straight ahead than any other driver”.

Talbot Lago T26C

These two cars competed in the HGPCA Pre-1952 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

Car number 4 is the 1948 Talbot Lago T26C of Tony Bianchi which has a 6-cylinder inline 4,482cc unsupercharged engine. The Talbot Lagos took part in the 1948 (pre-World Championship) Grand Prix races but were generally outnumbered and outclassed by the Ferraris and Maseratis, although Louis Rosier won the Belgian Grand Prix and Louis Chiron the French Grand Prix in one of these cars. Tony Bianchi’s Talbot-Lago T26C is chassis #110 008 which was Philippe Etancelin's car in 1949 and then passed to Jean Achard in November 1950. Achard moved to Brazil, taking the car, and sold it there to Pinheiro Pires who raced it in Brazil from 1951 to 1954. The car came to the UK via Colin Crabbe in the 1980s and then via other UK owners to Tony Bianchi in the 1990s. On the left, car number 1 is Richard Pilkington's 1950 Talbot T26 GS, one that had been adapted to also run in sports car events. It's chassis #110057, the car with which Louis Rosier and Juan Manuel Fangio competed in the 1951 Le Mans 24 Hour race, but retired in the 9th hour after completing 92 laps. It was then given an all-enveloping sports car body and ended up in the hands of Georges Grignard in 1953, but after an accident at Montlhéry in 1954 in which his co-driver Guy Mairesse was killed, Grignard locked the wrecked car away in his garage. Richard Pilkington bought the wreckage in 1958 and after racing the car in its sports car form for some years he eventually restored it to its original cycle-wing body form, racing it at historic race meetings in both sports car and vintage GP races.

1947 Bedford OB

This was one of the vehicles taking part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1988.

It's a 1947 Bedford OB and the programme of the event had the following note about the vehicle:

 

HTF 586 BEDFORD OB, SMT B29F, 1947, WARBURTONS OF BURY. Entered by Greater Manchester Transport Society. Warburtons first postwar coach, HTF 586 was used by them until sold in 1950 to R.W. Rouse of Oxhill. Rouse used the coach until retirement in 1973 when the vehicle passed to preservation.

Friday's Ferrari

This was one of the competitors in the GT Challenge race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2018.

It's the Ferrari F430 Challenge of Wayne Marrs being prepared for the early morning qualifying session for the race. This is a track version of the Ferrari F430 intended for the Corse Clienti Challenge series of races, and has a 4,308cc V8 Ferrari F136 E engine.

1950s Grand Prix Cars

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

These cars are waiting to go out onto the circuit for a qualifying session for the HGPCA Pre-1960 Grand Prix Cars Race. At the front, from left to right, are the 1956 Maserati 250F of Burkhard von Schenk, the 1959 Ferrari 246 Dino of Robin Lodge, the 1954 Maserati 250F of Christian Glaesel, the 1954 Maserati 250F of Dieter Streve-Mülhens and the 1952 Fraser Nash of Peter Mann. Behind the first two cars are the 1960 Ferrari 246 Dinos of Tony Merrick and Nigel Corner, and you can also see a Cooper Bristol T23 and a Connaught A-Type.

1955 AC Ace

I took this photograph at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1985.

It's a 1955 AC Ace and should have the 6-cylinder inline 1,971cc Bristol engine derived from the M328 engine that powered the pre-war BMW 328, though the DVLA record says that its engine capacity is 1,991cc and it is now blue.

1955 Austin Healey 100S

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the British Empire Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in April 1956.

It's the 1955 Austin Healey 100S of John Dalton, a version of the Austin Healey 100 intended primarily for racing which gained the 'S' suffix after one of the cars won its class in the 1954 Sebring 12 Hour race. It has a tuned version of the Austin Healey 4-cylinder inline 2,660cc engine and only 50 examples of this car were produced, the majority of which were the same two-tone white and dark blue as John Dalton's car. The cars raced in three heats based on the engine size and there was a final in which the cars were handicapped according to the engine size. John Dalton failed to qualify from his heat and the race was won by Stirling Moss in a 1½ litre Cooper T39 Bobtail - the twisty Oulton Park circuit favouring the smaller engined cars.

1955 Maserati 300S

This is a car that I photographed at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 1996 at Silverstone in what I think was its first outing since an extensive restoration in the early 1990s.

It's the ex-Benoit Musy 1955 Maserati 300S, chassis number 3057, entered in the Louis Vuitton 1950s Sports Car Race by Peter Scott and driven in the race by Martin Stretton.  It has a 2,991cc 6-cylinder engine that was based on the 2½ litre unit of the 250F Grand Prix car with a longer stroke. This car was originally owned by Swiss driver Benoit Musy and I remember seeing it being driven by him at Oulton Park and Aintree in 1956.

Bentley

I took this photograph at the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1984.

The Bentley has just left the start point on the Exchange Station car park and gone down Cathedral Approach, which you can see behind those buses, then turned left to go up Victoria Street and across the front of Manchester Cathedral. It then took a sharp left turn into Chapel Street and is passing the Old Ship Hotel on its way to Pendleton and thence to Blackpool.

1989 TVR Tuscan Challenge

This car didn't take part in any of the races, but was in one of the public car parks at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2019.

It's a 1989 TVR Tuscan Challenge and this note telling the history of the car was on the windscreen:

Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It is either a Ferrari GTC4Lusso which has the Ferrari F140ED 6,262cc V12 engine and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, or it's a Ferrari GTC4Lusso T and has the 3,855cc twin-turbo V8 Ferrari 154 engine. The GTC4Lusso has four-wheel drive whilst the GTC4Lusso T has rear wheel drive only and both cars have a four-wheel steering system. The GTC4Lusso was introduced in 2016 and the GTC4Lusso T a year later, and both ceased production in 2020. F5 GPN now shows on the DVLA record as a white 6,496cc 2024 Ferrari.

1982 Williams FW08

This is one of several Williams F1 cars that were in the Donington Park Museum in September 2014.

It's a 1982 Williams FW08 which was designed by Patrick Head and Frank Dernie, and was a development of the previous season's FW07. It was powered by the 2,993cc V8 Ford Cosworth DFV engine. Keke Rosberg drove the Williams FW07C for the first three races of the 1982 season, his team mates being Carlos Reutemann and then Mario Andretti, but when the FW08 was available from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards he drove that car with Derek Daly as his team mate. There were eleven different winners in the sixteen races that season, and although Keke Rosberg only won one of those races - the Swiss Grand Prix at Dijon-Prenois in France - he had enough high place finishes to win the World Drivers' Championship. Derek Daly didn't fare so well finishing in thirteenth place, so Williams only finished in fourth place in the World Constructors' Championship, which was won by Ferrari. I don't know why the car in the museum has a number 7 as Keke Rosberg's number in 1982 was 6 and Derek Daly's was 5.

1938 Alvis 12/70 Drophead Coupe

 This photograph was taken at a classic car show organised by car dealers Gordon Ford of Stockport in July 1987.

It's a 1938 Alvis 12/70 Drophead Coupe which has a 4-cylinder inline 1,842cc engine and 776 of these vehicles are though to have been built between 1937 and 1940.

2004 Alfa Romeo 156

I took this photograph at Lodge Corner during the Saturday qualifying session for the HSCC/TCRE Super Touring Car Challenge race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2018.

It's Jonathan White in his 4-cylinder inline 1,998cc 2004 Alfa Romeo 156, which appears to be the car that Fabrizio Giovanardi drove in the 2004 European Touring Car Championship series.

1950s Sports Car Racing

This is a photograph I took at Luffield corner during the Classic Car Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

Robin Lodge is leading in his 1957 Maserati 250S followed by the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1 of Simon Draper. The red car on the outside is Tony Merrick in Richard Utley's 1957 Lotus Eleven Le Mans. Behind the Aston Martin is Chris Drake's 1958 Lister Chevrolet in front of what looks like another Lotus Eleven.

1955 Dennis F8

This was one of the vehicles that took part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1988.

It isn't listed in the programme of the event, but it's a 1955 Dennis F8 fire engine. I've found that it was sold at auction by Bonhams in September 2005 and their description of the vehicle was as follows:

'1955 DENNIS F8 4.5-LITRE FIRE ENGINE

REGISTRATION NO. JTY 551

CHASSIS NO. 4158F8

The name of Dennis Bros is inextricably linked with the manufacture of public service vehicles and more especially with the Fire Service. This petrol-engined tender was supplied new to the Northumberland County Fire Brigade and served at Rothbury during its operational life, later moving to Bellingham where it served as a backup water bowser for the Kielder Forest. The coachwork is by Alfred Miles Ltd, constructed to a special order when it was remodelled circa 1958 to provide an enclosed rear body. This body houses two Godiva FWMP pumps by Coventry Climax and is remarkably comprehensively equipped with all the essential nozzles and hoses, ladders, flashing blue lamps and searchlights. The crew cab seats six including the driver. Regularly rallied both in Yorkshire and further afield while in the hands of its preceding owner from 1991 until 1998, the vehicle was purchased by the current owner at Bonhams & Brooks’ Harrogate Sale on 15th November 2001 (Lot 451). Restored in September 2002, it is offered with Swansea V5 registration document and is both licence exempt under the historic rules and MoT exempt as an operational fire tender. Fire appliances are an ever-popular attraction at classic transport shows and other events, and this wonderful Dennis has been the lead vehicle at the Morpeth Fair for the past three years.'

According to the DVLA record it's not been taxed since that auction.

2012 Aston Martin GT4

I took this photograph at Druids Corner during qualifying for the GT Challenge race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2018.

It's a 2012 Aston Martin GT4 which is an updated version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24 and has a 4,735cc V8 engine. It was driven into fourth place in the 50 minute long race by Warren McKinlay and James Hill.

Friday's Ferrari

The Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992 featured a special display of Ferraris in the paddock and demonstration runs of various Ferraris during the meeting and this is one of the photographs  that I took of the display.

The car on the left of the picture with the display number 10 is the 1950 Ferrari 166/195 MM Touring Barchetta that the factory brought up to 195, and later to 212 specifications. Owned by Dudley Mason-Styrron it is chassis #0040M. The note about the car in the programme of the event says this:

 

'166/195 Barchetta

Front engined V12; 2.3 litres; 160-180 bhp at 7000rpm; ifs/double wishbones/transverse leaf springs. Rigid rear axle/semi-elliptic leaf springs. The dual model designation reflects the fact that it started out as a 2-litre car in the 166 series and finished up with a 2.4 litre engine from the 195 series. The 'Barchetta' - literally 'little boat' body is by Touring. It ran in the 1950 Mille Miglia, 4th overall (G.Bracco/U.Maglioli) and finished 12th overall. 5th in class (Luigi Villoresi) in the Targa Florio that year.'

 

The only information in the programme about the car in the centre with the display number 30 is that it's a Ferrari F1 Dino. It was the last front engined car to win a Grand Prix race, Phil Hill driving it to victory in the Italian Grand Prix in the next to last race of the 1960 season. At the end of the that season the car was fitted with a 3 litre 250 TR V12 engine and sold to New Zealander Pat Hoare who campaigned the car there for two years before it was sold and drastically altered with a body resembling that of the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO. In 1978 the car was acquired by Neil Corner who had it restored to its original specifications. Here at Silverstone it was driven by Phil Hill in demonstration runs during this meeting. 

 

The car on the right with the display number 11 is a 1967 Ferrari 246 FL which was driven in the demonstration runs by John Surtees and the note in the programme says this about it:

 

'Ferrari 246 FL

Mid-engined V6; 2.4 litres, 300 bhp at 8900 rpm; twin ohc per bank. Lucas fuel injection. All round independent suspension. This car started life with a 2-litre engine as one of the Dino 166 F2's built to meet the 1967 F2 regulations which required engines based on production units. It was used by such by the works until it became one of two cars which fitted with a 2.4-litre engine were prepared by Ferrari to run in the 1969 Tasman series of races in New Zealand/Australia. Its principal driver in the series was Derek Bell.'

1954 MG TD

I took this photograph at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1984.

It's a 1950 MG TD and has the 4-cylinder inline 1,250cc XPAG engine. The MG T-Type started with the TA in 1936 and ended with the TF which was produced from 1953 to 1955. The T-Type was superseded by the MGA.

1937 Cord 812 Sedan

I took this photograph during a parade of the entrants in the Cheshire Concours d'Esprit at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2017.

It's a 1937 Cord 812 Westchester Sedan which has a  289 cu in (4739cc) V8 Lycoming engine and front-wheel drive.

1981 Williams FW07C

This was one of the competitors in the Grand Prix Masters F1 Cars 1966-85 race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the 1981 Williams FW07C of Michael Fitzgerald and has the 2,993cc V8 Ford Cosworth DFV engine. The FW07 was designed by Patrick Head, Frank Dernie and Neil Oatley and first appeared in the 1979 season. Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni drove the car that season and finished in third and fifth places respectively in the World Drivers' Championship with the team ending up in second place in the World Constructors' Championship. Improvements were made to the car for 1980 creating the FW07B with which Alan Jones won the Drivers' Championship with Carlos Reutemann in third place and Williams winning the Constructors Championship. Changes were made again for the 1981 season and the FW07C was driven by the same two drivers, Carlos Reutemann finishing in second place in the Drivers' Championship and Alan Jones in third place with the winner being Nelson Piquet in his Brabham, though Williams again won the Constructors' title.

1912 Fiat Zero

This is one of the cars that took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and vintage Car Run in June 1983.

It's a 1912 Fiat Zero and the programme of the event had this note about the car:

1912 Fiat Zero,

Reg: LU 4369 4 cylinder 15/20 hp 2107cc

(Vic Lupton, Colne, Lancs)

Recently acquired by Mr Lupton, to replace his smaller Stellite, which was a regular entrant on this Run over the years. He is hoping this distinctive five-seater open tourer will perform with equal success and enjoyment.