Jordan 191

The Formula One World Championship started in 1950, and the first race in that Championship was the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in May 1950. The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000 celebrated 50 years of the World Championship with a representative display of cars from each of those five decades and several of them took to the track during the weekend on demonstration runs. Here's one of the cars that took part:

It's a 1991 Jordan 191, the first Jordan Formula One car, and it was driven on the demonstration run by John Watson. John Watson had never driven for the Jordan team but he was the first driver ever to test drive a Jordan Formula One car, in 1990.

Here's John Watson in the pit lane at the start of his run.

Guernsey, July 2015

Our Granddaughter Eliza was a year old on 28th July, so we paid another short visit to Guernsey to wish her a Happy Birthday. We started off by looking after Grandson Edward for the day on the Thursday and took him first to Saumarez Park where the Guernsey Royal Agricultural Show was being held.

We later walked from the Park to the beach at Cobo where Edward and Grandma went to collect shells and Edward had a paddle in the sea.

The next day involved a shopping trip to St Peter Port where they were holding the two week long Town Carnival.

There were musicians and other entertainers at various spots around the town centre and the Tropikal Vizions Steel Band seemed to be a popular attraction outside Boots on Le Pollet when we walked past.

On the Saturday I went with Paul and Edward into St Peter Port again and Edward wanted to see the big cruise ships anchored outside the harbour.

There were two ships there that day.....

.....Magellan, operated by Cruise & Maritime Voyages.....

.....and Silhouette, operated by Celebrity Cruises.

On the Sunday we spent the morning with Paul & Anna and the children, and Eliza opened some early birthday presents before we all went out to lunch and then to Grandpa's house in the afternoon for a birthday party.

The weather improved as the day went on and the children were able to go into the garden and play, or sit with Grandpa.

Monday came all too soon and Edward and Eliza came with Daddy to the airport to say goodbye to Grandma (and Grandad of course).

Friday's Ferrari

When the new Formula One regulations stipulated a limit of 2½ litres Ferrari found that the 553 Squalo in 1954 and 555 Supersqualo in 1955 were not fast or reliable enough to beat the Mercedes Benz W196 and Maserati 250Fs. They reverted in some races to the older Ferrari 625 which was basically the 2 litre Formula Two 500 of 1952/53 with a lengthened chassis and fitted with a 2½ litre engine. One of these cars took part in the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007.

It's Alexander Boswell's car and was apparently fitted with a 3 litre engine at this time.

At the end of the 1955 season the Lancia team withdrew from racing due to financial difficulties and Ferrari took over their D50 F1 cars, racing them for the next two seasons with various degrees of modification. They took Fangio to the World Championship title in 1956 but weren't very successful the following season.

Lister Knobbly

Brian Lister started producing sports cars in 1954 first with an MG engine and later with a Bristol engine, but he had the most success with the 1957 car which used the Jaguar D-type engine. The first version of this car was known at the time as a Lister-Jaguar, but after the 1959 car was given a smoother aerodynamic body designed by Frank Costin (and designed to use the Chevrolet Corvette powerplant) the more bulbous earlier car became known as the Lister Knobbly. the photograph below shows one of these cars at the Hawthorn Memorial Trophies Race Meeting organised by the VSCC at Oulton Park in June 2008.

It's a 1959 car owned by Barry Wood

Here's Barry Wood at Britten's chicane during the Hawthorn International Trophy race followed by Kerry Horan in a Kurtis SX500.

Last year Lister Cars announced plans to start a new production run of the Lister Knobbly.

Bentley Speed Six 6½ Litre

This is a car I spotted in the paddock at the SeeRed meeting organised by the VSCC at Donington Park in September 2006.

It's a 1929 Bentley Speed Six 6½ litre Grafton Coupe with coachwork by Freestone & Webb, and you can read about it on this Vintage Bentleys website. The Speed Six was a high performance version of the 6½ litre car and this Wikipedia article tells you about the model. Two of Bentley's five pre-war victories at the Le Mans 24 Hour race, in 1929 and 1930, were achieved by the Speed Six.

Maserati 450S

This car took part in the Champagne Charles Heidsieck Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1993.

It's a 1957 Maserati 450S and was raced at this meeting by the owner, Thomas Bscher of Germany. The 450S had a 4½ litre V8 engine and was produced by Maserati to challenge for the 1957 World Sportscar Championship as the 3 litre 300S was considered to be too underpowered to have a chance of winning that series. Maserati finished in second place in the Championship winning 2 of the 7 races, the Sebring 12 Hour race and the 1000km Swedish Grand Prix at Kristianstad. Thomas Bscher's car was is variously described as being serial number 4505 and 4506 and was originally built for John Edgar of the USA, being fitted with a Pontiac engine at one point when the original engine was blown and returned to the works for repair.

Daimler 45hp

This car is in the Exchange Station car park in Manchester awaiting the start of the Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1990.

It's not listed in the programme of the event, but it's a 1914 Daimler 45hp Special Limousine with body by Windover. The only information I can find about this car is that it was entered in a Bonhams & Brooks auction in September 2001 with a guide price of £50,000-£65,000 but was not sold. The notice at the bottom of the windscreen in the centre appears to read 'Christians of Southport' with a phone number, and Christians of Southport are a company on Station Road dealing in vintage cars and motorcycles.