ERA R8C

This car took part in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

It's Bruce Spollon's 2-litre supercharged 1936 ERA R8C, one of nine ERAs in the field. You can read about R8C and all the other ERA cars in this British Racing Motors website, and this ERA Club site.

Maserati GranTurismo

Saw this car in the car park of a local supermarket in Hyde recently:

It's a Maserati, but there's no badging on it to show which model it is.

It seems to be a Maserati GranTurismo though.

A very understated colour - you'd expect it to be red.

Ferrari 250 GT TdF

This car competed in the Coys of Kensington Ferrari GT Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's the 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta TdF of Edmond Pery, and is the 1 louvre model. It's chassis #0931GT, although the barchetta.cc website shows it to have been wearing number 48 at this meeting - but number 48 at Silverstone was the Ferrari 250 GTO of Anthony Wang. I've shown photographs of the 250 GT TdF several times previously, which you can see if you type 'TdF' into the search box at the top right of the screen.

Atkinson PD746

I took this photograph in Heaton Park, Manchester at the Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in September 1996.

It's the 1955 Atkinson PD746 of the Greater Manchester Transport Museum collection, formerly operated by the SHMD Joint Board (Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley & Dukinfield). It entered service in 1955 and was withdrawn in 1969, and is apparently the only double-deck bus ever produced by Atkinson for the UK market. When I started work in Manchester in 1960 I probably sometimes travelled on this vehicle, as I caught the bus from Denton on a service jointly operated by SHMD and Manchester Corporation Transport buses.

Alfa Romeo 8C-35

Here are some photographs I took when I visited the Donington Park museum in October 1989.

It's a 1936 Alfa Romeo 8C-35, an ex-Scuderia Ferrari car, chassis #50013, that was owned by the late Dennis Poore from just after the war until he died in 1987. He competed regularly, and successfully, in the car in this green livery until 1955, after which it was put in storage until it was sold after his death. 

The car then spent a few years in the Donington Park museum, but was subsequently sold to Peter Giddings who had the car fully restored in its original Scuderia Ferrari guise - and painted red, of course.

On 27 February 2016 I showed photographs I'd taken at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in 1997 of an Alfa Romeo 8C-35, but I don't know if it's the same car.

Lola-Aston Martin T70

This car took part in the HSCC Atlantic Computers Historic GT Championship race at the HSCC's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1987.

It's a 1967 Lola-Aston Martin T70, one of two cars built to compete in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hour race, although both cars retired very early in that race. The car was entered in the Oulton Park race by Peter Millward and driven by Mike Wilde.

Here's Mike Wilde at Old Hall Corner during the morning practice session, followed by the 1969 McLaren M8C of Ted Williams.

On 6 October 2015 I showed a photograph of a Lola-Aston Martin T70 at the 1996 Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone, but I don't know if it's the same car as this one, or the sister car.

Sentinel Steam Wagon

When I went to the Coys International Historic Festival meetings at Silverstone in the 1990s there was always a sprinkling of vintage commercial vehicles to be seen in the paddock, and here's one that was there in July 1995.

It's a 1934 Sentinel S4 Steam Wagon, no. 9016, made by Sentinel Waggon Works (1920) Ltd of Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Commercial steam vehicles were popular in the Great Britain from the later years of the 19th century until the mid-1930s though a few continued to be used until the 1960s. I remember seeing one in the centre of Liverpool on a couple of occasions in the 1950s when on my way to race meetings at Aintree.

PM Poggi FJ

This car competed in the race for Front-engined Formula Junior Racing Cars at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

It's the 1959 PM Poggi of Michael Waller, and the only information I have on this car is that it's powered by a 1098cc Fiat engine.

TVR Tuscan

This car took part in the Cheshire Cats' Trophy Race, which was for roadgoing production sportscars, at the Jaguar Drivers' Club's Cheshire Cats' Trophy Meeting at Oulton Park in April 1987.

It's Paul Weldon's 1967 TVR Tuscan. The Tuscan, first produced in 1967, was based on the Grantura and the early cars were powered by a 289 cu in (4.7 litre) Ford V8 engine. Later cars had a 4.9 litre Ford V8 engine, but few vehicles were sold with the V8 engines and in 1969 the Tuscan was given a 3 litre V6 Ford engine. Paul Weldon's car has the early 4.7 litre engine.

Friday's Ferrari

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

Driving the leading car is Paul Alexander in Brandon Wang's 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, chassis #0470MD. Behind it is the Jaguar D-Type of David Pennell and two Lotus Elevens, and on the far side of the circuit an Aston Martin DB3S leading two Jaguar C-Types.

Cooper Bristol

A line-up of cars in the paddock at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007.

They're four cars that took part in the Ron Flockhart Memorial Trophy race, and from the nearest car they are:

No. 5 David White 1953 Cooper Bristol Mk2 T23
No. 39 Patrick Walker 1953 Cooper Bristol - converted in 1973 from T25 Sports Car
No. 47 Nigel Bancroft 1953 Cooper Bristol Mk2 T23
No. 8 Geoffrey O'Connell 1953 Cooper Bristol Mk2 T23

Five other Cooper Bristols took part in this race.

On 8 September 2016 I showed a photograph of several cars in the paddock with this line of Cooper Bristols in the background.

BMW 507

This car was amongst the BMWs in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1993.

It's a BMW 507, a car with a 3168cc V8 engine and one of only 252 such cars produced by BMW between 1956 and 1959. When John Surtees won the 1956 500cc World Championship on one of Count Agusta's MV Agusta machines the Count gave him (or, according to some reports, contributed towards) one of these cars. John Surtees turned up in the paddock at Aintree with it on practice day for, I think, the 1959 British Grand Prix, and that was the first time I'd seen a BMW 507.

Aston Martin Le Mans

This is one of the competitors in the Pre-1959 Aston Martin Race at the Aston Martin Owners' Club's meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986.

It's the 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans of Tony Armstrong and it was competing in the Pre-War 1½ litre class. The Aston Martin Le Mans was a successor to the International model and had a 1493cc 4-cylinder single overhead camshaft engine. It had either a short or long wheelbase (102 or 120 in) and a two-seater (as here) or 4-seater body. I've shown photographs of the Aston Martin Le Mans previously, on 4 September 2016, 15 November 2016 and 28 January 2017.

BRM P48/57

Here's a photograph taken in the paddock at Aintree during practice for the 1961 British Grand Prix.

It's Graham Hill's BRM P48/57, the interim car, based on the 1960 P48 and fitted with a 4-cylinder 1½ litre Climax FPF engine that the team used until the P57 with the BRM V8 engine was ready. Graham Hill qualified in eleventh place on the grid but retired after 43 laps with an engine failure.

Cooper Monaco

I photographed this car in the pit lane during a practice session at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park on June 2008.

It's the 1959 Cooper T49 Monaco that was driven in the one hour long BRDC Historic Sportscars race by Mark Clubb and Martin Stretton. I've seen the name 'Monaco' for this car ascribed to both Maurice Trintignant's win in the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix in a Cooper Climax T45 and Jack Brabham's victory in the same race the following year in a Cooper Climax T51, but since the Cooper Monaco was announced in November 1958 the Maurice Trintignant win seems to be the most likely source. It was the successor to the smaller centre-seat Cooper T39 'Bobtail' that the company had produced since 1954. A variety of engines were used in the Monaco, mainly Climax and Maserati, ranging from 1½ litres up to 2½ litres, and this particular car has a 2 litre unit. It's probably the car detailed in this racecarsdirect.com feature.

March 701

Here's a car that I photographed in the pit garage at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010 where it took part in the Grand Prix Masters F1 Cars 1966-1985 race.

It's Gunther Alth's 1970 March 701, and is chassis #9, the car that was bought by German touring car driver Hubert Hahne and entered for the 1970 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim where he failed to qualify for the race, recording a time over 7½ seconds slower than the pole position man Jackie Ickx in his Ferrari. Hahne later sued March, claiming that they had sold him a defective car, and when the March team passed through Germany after the Austrian Grand Prix its cars and equipment were impounded by the German police. Max Mosley, co-owner of March Engineering negotiated the release of cars and equipment by offering an observed test of this car against another March 701 customer car. In that test at Silverstone Ronnie Peterson drove both cars and set a time 2 seconds faster in Hahne's car. Hahne dropped his action and retired from competitive racing. In the 1971 season the car was driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but started in last position on the grid and was not classified as a finisher..

Friday's Ferrari

I photographed this car in the paddock at the VSCC's Hawthorn Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in July 2015.

It's a 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona and is chassis #13607. It has a V12 4.4 litre engine, and you can read about the car in the official Ferrari website.

Cadillac Model B

This car is pictured in the Exchange Station car park before the start of the Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in May 1992.

It's a 1904 Cadillac Model B, and the only information about it in the programme of the event is that it was entered by Derek J Casson of Slyne, Lancaster.

Here's the car approaching the start line for the run. The car behind is the 1901 De Dion Bouton Tonneau of W A Pownall of Hazel Grove, Cheshire.

Polaris Slingshot

Once again my youngest son David in New Jersey has sent me photographs of a car that he's seen in a parking lot in his neighbourhood (neighborhood?) recently.

I've not heard of this vehicle before, but it's a Polaris Slingshot, a vehicle that the makers, Polaris Industries, claim is a three-wheeled motorcycle. Apparently it has a steering wheel and gear stick, and the brake, clutch and throttle pedal have a conventional automobile layout, which seems to make it most closely resemble the Morgan three-wheeled car.

McLaren M23

This car competed in the Grand Prix Masters race at the Silverstone Historic Tribute race in June 2004.

It's the 1976 McLaren M23/6 that James Hunt drove to win the World Championship in that year. The M23 in its effective 4-years of racing won the Drivers' World Championship for Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and for James Hunt in 1976, and the Constructors' World Championship in 1974. It was driven in this race at Silverstone by Lorina McLaughlin.

Here's Lorina McLaughlin at Luffield corner during the race leading the 1971 Surtees TS9B of Peter Austin.

British Fords

Here are photographs that I took of some of the British Fords at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2016.

1962 Ford Consul MkII

1999 Ford Focus RS WRC - the board in front of the car reads:

Ford Focus WRC Promo Car

S12 FMC built in 1999 by M-Sport for Colin McRae to

promote his joining the Ford world rally team

1975 Ford Escort Mexico MkI

1974 Ford Escort Mexico MkI

(BWP 317M)

1965 Ford Corsair

1965 Ford Anglia 105E

1982 Ford Capri MkIII 1.6 GL

1965 Ford Corsair V4 GT

Ultima GTR

This car was in the paddock at Oulton Park at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2015.

I didn't know what it was when I saw it there, but it's an Ultima GTR, a car produced by Ultima Sports Ltd from 1995 to 2015, and superseded by the Ultima Evolution Coupe.

Ford GT40

I photographed this car in the paddock at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2006, but there's no record in the programme of the car having taken part in any of the races at that meeting.

FAV 216C is a 1965 Ford GT40, and although two GT40s were entered in the Sports Racing Masters race, neither of them was this car and there was no number 25 due to take part in that race. It's apparently chassis P/1005, but I can't find much information about the car or who owned it in 2006, only that it was apparently destroyed in a fire in 1974 when owned by Salt Walther. I've seen another website that says the P/1005 identity has been passed to P/1127, a GT40 replica built by Safir Engineering Ltd, so that is presumably what this car is.

Friday's Ferrari

This is one of the cars displayed at the 'Ferrari Feature' at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's a Ferrari 330 P2, and this is what the programme of the event said about it:

22    330 P2

Mid-engined V12; 4 litres; 410bhp at 8200rpm; twin ohc

per bank; all round independent suspension by double

wishbones/coil springs. intended for use by the works

team, their first appearance in racing was at Daytona

Continental, February 1965. In line with what had

happened in 1964 a 3.3 litre 275P2 version was also

available. Both models were used to gain the prototype

championships for Ferrari that year.

These Ferraris of David Piper are frequently difficult to identify, but this one seems to be chassis #0824.

The car behind is another of David Piper's cars, a Ferrari 250 LM, which is presumably #8165. 
NB: The Ferrari factory called it the '250 LM', though it should strictly speaking be a '275 LM', having a V12 engine of 3.3 litres. It got the 250 LM label because the first to be produced had a 3 litre engine.

DeSoto Fireflite

This car lined up in the American Car class at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1995.

It's a 1960 DeSoto Fireflite Sedan, and the programme of the event had this information about it:

DeSoto Fireflite Saloon, 1960

Entered by     B. Wellock, Moston, Manchester                   WYJ 430

One owner vehicle, imported from Colorado in 1994.

Porsche 356A

This car took part in the HSCC Pre '60 Historic Sports Car Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1986.

It's the Porsche 356A of Tony Childs, and is a 1957 car with a 1582cc engine. Behind it is the 1957 Lister Jaguar of Tim Cairns. On 9 March 2016 I showed photographs of a 1958 Porsche 356A at a 2012 meeting at Oulton Park.

Surtees TS9B

This was one of the cars that lined up in the Silverstone International Trophy Race for Pre 1978 Grand Prix Cars at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

It's Peter Austin's 1972 Surtees TS9B in the Brooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees livery in which it raced in the 1972 season. On 12 May 2015 I showed a photograph of the late John Surtees driving one of the other Surtees TS9B cars at Silverstone in July 2000.

Jaguar XJR-12D

This car competed in the race for Group C/GTP Cars at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005.

It's Nick Rini's 7½ litre 1990 Jaguar XJR-12D. The XJR-12D ran in the IMSA series in the USA from 1990 to 1993, taking in the Daytona 24 Hour and the Sebring 12 Hour races. The car is pictured here during the race at Redgate corner.

Talbot Lago T26C

This car took part in the Cheshire Building Society Allcomers race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1982.

It's Chris Mann's 1950 4½ litre Talbot Lago T26C. These cars competed in the World Championship for Drivers in its first two years, 1950 and 1951, but the cars were generally outclassed by the 1½ litre supercharged Alfa Romeos. The blue car behind the Talbot is Hamish Moffatt's 1926 Bugatti T35B.

Here's Chris Mann during the race at Knickerbrook corner.

Lancia Stratos

I photographed this car in the main paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's apparently a Lancia Stratos, although there are plenty of replicas around, notably the ListerBell and Hawk, and the 'F' on the number plate indicates a car that was first registered in 1988/89 whereas the Stratos was only produced between 1973 and 1978. On the other hand an older foreign registered Stratos could have been imported into the UK at a later date and been given an 'F' registration. The names shown at the top of the door are Björn Waldegård and Hans Thorszelius and underneath that and above the number 11 it says 'Rallye Monte-Carlo'. Those two drivers finished second in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1976 in a Lancia Stratos, but the car was number 6 and the livery was different. They were, however, the winning team in the 1975 San Remo Rally in a Lancia Stratos number 11 and with that livery. Björn Waldegård was present at this Silverstone meeting and drove a Lancia Stratos in the Historic Rally Sprint competition, so it could be that car, although the Rally Sprint paddock was on the far side of the circuit alongside the Hangar Straight.

Footnote 9 April 2019: Now I'm able to access the DVLA car number registration details I find that this car is a 1989 Hawk Stratos with a 3 litre engine.