Coppice Corner, Donington Park

I took this photograph from McLean's Corner looking toward Coppice Corner during an 'Equipe' GTS Series race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

Just about to round Coppice Corner is the 1964 MGB of Peter Bolderson and the red car at the bottom of the rise is the 1965 TVR 1800S of Mark Ashworth. The number 33 car is the 1961 Sunbeam Alpine of Keith Hampson with the 1954 Austin Healey 100M of James Wilmot-Smith slightly behind and to his right. Bringing up the rear is the 1965 MGB of Graeme Forrester.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a Ferrari display in the paddock which included the car pictured below.

It's a 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico which at that time was owned by Carlos Monteverde and is chassis #0226AT. The car is powered by a 4,102cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi and the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Carrozzeria Vignale. Only four of these cars were produced, three Berlinattas and one Spyder, and they were built specifically to take part in the Carrera Panamericana race from the south of Mexico near the border with Guatemala to the north of the country near the border with Texas. In the end the Spyder which was entered for the American Bill Spear did not start in the race but the three Berlinettas did. The car above was driven by Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Scotuzzi and retired after an accident in the early stages of the race. One of the other cars, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cornacchia, also failed to  finish, but the third Berlinetta, driven by Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, finished the race in third place.

1928 Austin Seven

This was one of the entrants in the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1986.

It's the 1928 Austin Seven of L N Gabbott and is pictured just after the start of the run turning from Victoria Street onto Chapel Street, the A56, to start its journey. The car is listed on the Austin Seven Club's Register and this tells me that it was first registered on 13 June 1928, the chassis number is 63103, the engine number is 50997 and it is an AD Tourer. The programme of the event said this about it:

1928  Austin Seven                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Reg: YW 6916  4 cylinder  747 cc                                                                                                                                                                                    (L.N.Gabbott, Sale, Cheshire)

Rebuilt from bits 15 years ago, has covered 15,000 miles since then, and won the Cheshire Vintage Enthusiasts' Club mileage award for completing 7,500 trouble-free miles in six months. This is its second Manchester to Blackpool Run. Since last year it has also joined the ranks of television car-stars, having appeared in the recent BBC series on the life of Miss Bluebell.

1926 Bugatti Type 37

This car competed in the Richard Seaman Memorial Vintage Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It's the 1926 Bugatti Type 37 of Wolf Zeuner, one of 290 cars built between 1926 and 1930. The Type 37 has a 4-cylinder inline 1,496cc engine and Wolf Zeuner's car has the unsupercharged version of that engine, as do about about three-quarters of the Type 37s built. The photograph was taken at Foster's corner, just before Knickerbrook on the Oulton Park short circuit.

Northern Wheatear?

During the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 I trekked round from the paddock to watch some of the racing on the furthermost part of the circuit at McLean's Corner. During a break in the racing I took this photograph of a little bird that landed on the wall behind me which separates the Donington Park circuit from East Midlands airport, the end of the runway being about ½ mile away.

I couldn't identify it at the time, but it seems to me to be a Northern Wheatear. No doubt someone with better ornithological knowledge than me could verify that or correct me.

1971 Porsche 917/10

This was one of the entrants in the Pre 1974 Le Mans Cars race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's the 1971 Porsche 917 of Ottokar von Jacobs with the 4,999cc version of the Porsche Type 912 Flat-12 engine. It's described in the programme of the event as a Porsche 917PA, but it is in fact a Porsche 917/10 that was derived from the 917PA, and which competed in the 1971 Can-Am Series driven by Jo Siffert. Ottokar von Jacobs' car is chassis 917/10-016.

1950 Frazer Nash Mille Miglia

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

It's a 1950 Frazer Nash Mille Miglia, one of eleven cars that were built, all with the 6-cylinder inline 1,971cc Bristol engine - although the DVLA record says that the engine of OPL 2 is 1,998cc. The car is chassis 421/100/118 and an article in Frazer Nash's Chain Gang Gazette in August 2004 says this about the car:

'The third MM (chassis 118) was completed for the Earls Court Show in October 1950 and the following month sold via Tony Crook to a Philip Strutton. Painted maroon (a popular colour for MMs) it changed hands each year but was used in only a few minor competitive events until purchased by Gerry Burgess in 1954 for use in rallies including the Alpine and Tulip, when it was painted white. It was then raced in different colours by various owners up to the 1970s and is now owned and kept in beautiful condition by Frank Sytner.'

The Frazer Nash chassis record says that the colour of the car in 2009 was 'now metallic Jaguar grey' which is the colour the car was when I photographed it at Donington Park in 2003 and is the same colour I've seen it in more recent photographs, although the DVLA seems to consider it to be silver.