1973 March 732B

This car took part in the Single Seater Challenge/Toyota Formula 3 Race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Summer Race Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1995.

It's the 1973 March 732B of Anthony Hansford which the programme of the event says has a 2 litre engine. I can't find out much information about the car, other than it seems to have been built for Formula Atlantic racing but later converted to a Formula 2 car.

1986 McLaren MP4/2

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

It's a 1986 McLaren MP4/2, and with the number 2 it would have been Keke Rosberg's car that season. The MP4/2 was produced for the 1984 season by McLaren with the updated versions, MP4/2B and MP4/2C, being used in the following two seasons. It was designed by a team led by John Barnard and had a 1,499cc V6 TAG-Porsche TTE PO1 in place of the Cosworth engine that powered the MP4/1. Alain Prost and Niki Lauda drove the car in 1984, winning 12 of the 16 races and finishing in first and second places in the World Drivers' Championship. Niki Lauda won five races to Alain Prost's seven, but won the Championship, in part because Alain Prost won the Monaco Grand Prix where only half points were awarded as the race had been stopped due to dangerous conditions. Niki Lauda had retired from that race. McLaren, of course, won the World Constructors' Championship. In 1985 Alain Prost was the World Drivers' Champion, winning five races with Niki Lauda in his last season of racing finishing in tenth position, although he did win the Dutch Grand Prix. McLaren again won the World Constructors' Championship. In 1986 Alain Prost was joined by Keke Rosberg and again won the World Drivers' Championship although he only won five of the races, a string of second and third places helping him to finish ahead of Nigel Mansell in his Williams FW11. Keke Rosberg finished in sixth place with his best result being a second place at Monaco. McLaren were beaten into second place in the Constructors' World Championship by Williams thanks to Nelson Piquet finishing in third place in the Drivers' Championship.

1957 BRM P25

I took this photograph in the paddock at Aintree during practice for the British Grand Prix in July 1957.

It's the 1957 BRM P25 that was driven in the race by Les Leston who qualified in twelfth place on the grid, but retired with an engine failure after 44 laps of the 90 laps race. The BRM P25 was said to be the fastest of the 1954-1960 Formula 1 era, partly due to the oversquare (102.87 mm bore x 74.93 mm stroke) 2,491cc engine allowing for larger valves to be fitted. The car was plagued with reliability problems, however, and the only Grand Prix win was Jo Bonnier's victory in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It’s a 1956 Ferrari 860 Monza which has a Lampredi designed 3,432cc 4-cylinder inline engine and, in conjunction with the 290MM, was victorious in the 1956 World Sportscar Championship, winning three of the five races on the calendar, the 12 hours of Sebring, the Mille Miglia, and the Swedish Grand Prix. This car, #0604M, won the Sebring race that year driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and Eugenio Castellotti. At this Silverstone meeting the car was driven by the then owner Nicolaus Springer. and a later owner of the car was Chris Evans.

Aston Martin DB4

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1993.

It's an Aston Martin DB4, but isn't shown in the programme of the event, the only number 29s being an MGB and an HWM Jaguar. The programme shows the registration number of many of the cars, but 46 EMU isn't one of them. The DVLA record doesn't give any results, and the number has more recently been seen on Aston Martin DB3S/9, which was one of the Aston Martin team cars in 1956.

Supermarine Spitfire

Because of the proximity of East Midlands Airport (the circuit is just across the road from one end of the runway) aircraft taking off or landing are a familiar sight during meetings at Donington Park. Most of the meetings I've attended there have also included a short flying display during the lunch break, and the SeeRed meeting in September 2007 was no exception.

This is a Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk XIX which was a photo reconnaissance version of the aircraft, and this one bears the black and white stripes that were painted on allied aircraft to reduce the chances that they would be fired on by friendly forces during and after the Normandy Landings. It is now registered G-RRGN. A note in the programme of the event says: ‘Thanks to Rolls-Royce and Sir Ralph Robins who have organised not only for their WW2 Spitfire, flown by John Allison, to be demonstrated on Saturday, but also for a fly-by from the Red Arrows at Saturday lunchtime.’ I don’t remember the Red Arrows fly-by and I’ve certainly got no photos of it.

1935 MG PB

One of the featured Marques at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 1996 was MG, and the Abingdon Trophy Race for MG Sports Cars which was contested by almost 50 cars in 5 classes ranging from a 1933 MG J4 to MGB and MGC cars from the 1960s. This is one of the older cars that took part.

It's the 1935 MG PB of Peter Green that was driven by Corinna Stamm from Germany, and has a 4-cylinder inline 847cc engine. A note in the programme of the event says 'Peter Green's 1935 PB is also worth noting; one of the works 'Cream Cracker' team of trials cars, it was driven by Ken Crawford'.

ERAs

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

John Ure is leading in Peter Mann's 1936 ERA R9B closely followed by Duncan Ricketts in Sally Marsh's 1935 ERA R1B. Both cars have the 6-cylinder inline supercharged 1,488cc engine.

1933 Rover 10 Special

This car was one of the exhibits on the stand of the Rover Sports Register at the Northern Classic Car Show at the G-Mex Exhibition Centre in Manchester in August 1994.

It's a 1933 Rover 10 Special with a 4-cylinder inline 1,185cc ohv engine, and a note in the brochure of the event by the owner of the car reads as follows:

'ALK 292 is a Rover 10 Special which was registered August 21st 1933. The body was built by Carbodies, Coventry and in their sales brochure was described as a Sports Two Seater with a single Dicky Seat. The rear of the body is boat shaped.

It was purchased by my father in July 1963 in Elstead, Surrey. My father was only the second owner of the car which was used regularly until 1968 when it was taken off the road and subsequently stored for 21 years. The car was professionally restored from 1990-92.

According to the Vintage Rover Register, no other survivor of this special bodied Rover is known, and the car is more probably unique.'

The DVLA record shows that the car has not been taxed since January 2000.

1959 Scarab F1

I took this photograph at the Donington Park Museum in March 1996.

It's the 1959 Scarab F1 car built by American Lance Reventlow and has a 4-cylinder 2,441cc engine designed for Scarab by Leo Goossen, formerly of Offenhauser. The 1974 book 'Great Racing Cars of the Donington Collection' by Doug Nye and Geoffrey Goddard says this about the car:

'The Formula 1 Scarab

Reventlow’s American Dream

In the late 1950s European-style road racing held a special fascination for a small but growing band of enthusiasts in Speedway-orientated America. Lance Reventlow – son of Barbara Hutton and heir to the Woolworth millions – was one such enthusiast, and he financed the building of some very successful Chevrolet V8-engined sports cars, which he christened ‘Scarab’, after the mystical beetle of ancient Egypt.

This was in 1957, and a front-engined Formula 1 project was also initiated, using an advanced 2½ litre four-cylinder engine developed from the Offenhauser unit which had dominated Indianapolis-type racing for many years. This was to use desmodromic (mechanically-closed) valve gear and Hilborn-Travers fuel injection, and was to be laid on its side in the new chassis to provide a low bonnet line, and place the drive-line on one side of the cockpit, so allowing the driver to be low-seated.

Delays with the engine and with a daring water-cooled an bladder-type braking system robbed Scarab of a chance to race before the rear-engined revolution took a hold. Reventlow had wanted his car to  be an all-American GP challenger, but as 1959 passed so only one season of 2½ litre racing remained and a ‘now or never’ spirit pervaded the works at Culver City, California.

So, with normal Girling disc brakes installed, the beautifully-finished Scarabs appeared at Monaco, Zandvoort, Reims and Riverside in 1960, driven by Reventlow himself and by Scarab engineer/driver Chuck Daigh. The cars made a lovely noise but made no other impression, and when the spares were all used up their season came to an end. In 1961 Daigh drove one car in British Inter-continental Formula events – a class intended to keep the old 2½ litre machinery in harness despite the unpopular change to 1½ litres for Formula 1, but after hurting himself in an accident Daigh withdrew.

Scarab did build a rear-engined car, and had further plans for Intercontinental racing, but in March 1962 Reventlow regretfully announced his company’s closure. The American tax system allowed an unprofitable business to be written off for five years, and after that time the proprietor had to close down or cover losses himself. This Reventlow was no longer prepared to do, and so one American dream came to its end.'

Just a few weeks after taking this photograph I went to the Coys International Festival meeting at Silverstone where what appears to be this Scarab took part in one of the races, and I posted photographs of it in my Blog on 23 May 2015.

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

According to the programme of the event car number 1 is Engelbert Stieger's 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, which was due to be driven in the race by Christoph Stieger, but the number 1 above is Engelbert Stieger's 3 litre 1972 Ferrari 312P, chassis #0888. The 312P was introduced in 1971 and has a 2,991cc flat-12 engine, and is sometimes referred to as a 312PB to differentiate it from the 1969 312P which had a 2,990cc V12 engine - the 'B' being a reference to the boxer engine of the later car. The number 38 car at the side of the 312P is Ernst Schuster's 2 litre 1956 Ferrari 500 TRC, chassis #0660MDTR, which also took part in the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race. The 500 TRC has a 4-cylinder inline 1,985cc engine.

1959 Maserati T61

This car took part in a Classic Car Invitation Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1992.

It's the 1959 Maserati T61 'Birdcage' of Jeffrey Pattinson and is chassis 2453 which was totally wrecked in an accident at Daytona in late 1959 but the remains were used to re-create the car in the early 1990s.

1985 Lotus 97T

This car formed part of the display by Classic Team Lotus at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It's a Lotus 97T, a car that was driven by Ayrton Senna in the 1985 season. The car was a development of the previous season's Lotus 95T, designed by Gérard Ducarouge and powered by a turbocharged 1,492cc V6 Renault Gordini EF15B engine. Ayrton Senna won two races, the Portugese Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, and with two second and two third place finishes ended the season in fourth place in the World Drivers' Championship. His team mate Elio de Angelis won the San Marino Grand Prix, and with two third places and a series of minor points-scoring finishes he was one place behind Ayrton Senna in the Championship at the end of the season. Lotus finished in fourth place in the World Constructors' Championship.

Relics 'n' Rust and Chevrolets

Not far from where I live, but in a part of Hyde that I don't get to very often, there's a building with the names 'Bike Shack', 'Relics 'n' Rust' and 'El Pedro's Barber Shop' above the windows and doorway. As well as the barber shop there's a tattoo studio and a store dealing with clothing and motor cycle parts - the Relics 'n' Rust website gives all the details. There's usually an interesting car or two on the forecourt and when I drove past recently I stopped to take photos of these two 1951 Chevrolets that were there.

Formula Junior

Two Formula Junior cars at Redgate Corner during the Front-engined Formula Junior Racing Cars race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

Leading is Peter St Barbe in his 1959 1,086cc Elva 100 closely followed by Gordon Russell in Pat Barford's 1959 1,098cc Gemini Mk II.

1913 Métallurgique

This was one of the competitors in the 4 Lap Handicap Race for Edwardian Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton park in August 1992.

It's the 1913 Métallurgique of Barry Clarke which the programme of the event says has a 4,905cc engine. A note in the programme says this about the car:

Barry Clarke drives a 1913 26hp Métallurgique. This Belgian firm favoured inter-over-exhaust engines with side valves for touring models, and the 26hp model gained the accolade of being 'the finest Belgian chassis made'.

1925 Armstrong Siddeley

This was one of the participants in the Lancashire Automobile Club's annual Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in May 1987.

It's a 1925 Armstrong Siddeley which has a 4-cylinder inline 1,852cc engine, and is just moving to the start line in the Exchange Station car park in Manchester. The programme of the event gives the following information about the car:

1925 Armstrong Siddeley

Reg: RM 3827  4 cylinder  14 hp

(E.B. Moores, Denton, Manchester)

This car was used exclusively on a Scottish

estate until sold on the owner's death in 1978.

It had only covered 45,000 miles but its

bodywork was incomplete. It  has been 

rebuilt over the past year.

Friday's Ferrari

This was one of the cars on view at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a 2016 Ferrari F12Berlinetta, a car that was produced by Ferrari from 2012 to 2017 and is powered by the 6,262cc V12 Ferrari F140 FC engine.

1967 Brabham BT21

This car competed in Class C for cars under 1600cc in the HSCC Historic Formula Racing Car Championship race at the HSCC Summer Race Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1992.

It's the 1967 Brabham BT21 of Chris Holland. The Brabham BT21 was based on the BT18 and was used in several classes of racing including Formula 2 and Formula 3 racing in Europe and Formula B in the USA. Chris Holland's is a Formula 2 car with a 1,599cc 4-cylinder Ford Kent engine.

1973 BRM P160E

I photographed this BRM 160E at the Donington Park Museum in September 2014.

BRM had introduced the P160 in 1971 and it had a relatively successful season, winning two Grands Prix and finishing in second place in the World Constructors' Championship. The car struggled the following season, however, and despite several updates couldn't match the Lotus 72 and when its successor the BRM P180 proved to be uncompetitive the P160 was updated yet again to produce the 160E. The P160E made its debut in the Spanish Grand Prix in April 1972, and despite Jean-Pierre Beltoise winning the Monaco Grand Prix BRM only finished in seventh place in the World Constructors' Championship. The team fared no better in 1973, again finishing in seventh place in the World Constructors' Championship with a solitary fourth place finish by Jean-Pierre Beltoise being its best points-scoring finish. In 1974 Jean-Pierre Beltoise finished in fifth place in the first Grand Prix, in Argentina, but after the Brazilian Grand Prix he completed the season in the P201, though the team used the P160E in several more races that year. The Donington Museum's car was BRM P160/10 and when the museum closed it was bought by Australian John Gale who set about a comprehensive restoration of the car which he has detailed in a very informative Blog.

1957 Aston Martin DBR1

This car formed part of a display in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's a 1957 Aston Martin DBR1 and is chassis DBR1/2. The DBR1 replaced the DB3S and was designed by Ted Cutting to compete in the World Sportscar Championship and specifically the Le Mans 24 Hour Race. In 1957 DBR1/2 won the Nürburgring 1000km race driven by Tony Brooks and Noel Cunningham-Reid, and in 1958 won the RAC Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks. In 1959 Aston Martin finally managed to win the World Sportscar Championship, this car winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race driven by Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby whilst Carroll Shelby, Jack Fairman and Stirling Moss took it to victory in the RAC Tourist Trophy race. The Nürburgring 1000km race was won by DBR1/1 driven by Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman.

Roy Salvadori in DBR1/2 at Luffield Corner during a track demonstration.

On 6 March 2017 I showed a photograph of Simon Draper at this meeting in DBR1/4, the car that finished in second place in that 1959 Le Mans 24 Hour race. 

1952 Connaught A-Type

This is a photograph I took at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

It's a 1952 Connaught A-Type which was designed and built by Connaught Engineering's Rodney Clarke and Mike Oliver with a 1,960cc engine based on the Lea Francis 4-cylinder 1,767cc unit. There's no race number on the car and there are three Connaught listed for the the Cheshire Building Society Allcomers Race and a later Allcomers Scratch Race in the programme of the event, but two of them are B-Type Connaughts the only A-Type being the number 36 of Gerry Porter. It was shown a a reserve for the second of those races, but I don't remember it taking part in either of them. Only eight A-Type cars were produced in the 1950s, a further car being built from Connaught parts in the early 1960s, but this is the only occasion I can recall seeing one painted red - and I can't find any photographs or any mention of such a car. The Italian driver Piero Scotti bought a Connaught B-Type in 1956 with which he took part in the Belgian Grand Prix and several minor races, but I don't know if he had it painted red and he doesn't seem to have raced one of the A-Types.

1936 Alvis Speed 20 SD

I took this photograph on 9 May 2014 during a parade at the annual Liberation Day festivities in Guernsey marking the liberation of the Channel Islands from Nazi German occupation in 1945.

It's a 1936 Alvis Speed 20, one of 1165 that were produced between 1932 and 1936. The SA and SB models had a 2,511cc 6-cylinder inline engine which was increased to 2,762cc for the SC and SD models. BYK 196 is one of the SD models.

1930 Lea Francis Hyper Sports

This car took part in two races, including the 2 hours long VSCC Team Relay Race for Pre-war Sports Cars, at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

It's the 1930 Lea Francis Hyper Sports of Charles Cook, which is also known as the S-Type and has a 1,496cc supercharged 4-cylinder Meadows engine. There's a Lea Francis Owners Club for enthusiasts and owners of these cars.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the HGPCA Race for Pre-66 Grand Prix Cars at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's Jan Biekens' re-creation of the 1961 Ferrari 156 'sharknose' that won the World Drivers' Championship for Phil Hill in 1961. It's painted in the yellow racing colours of Belgium to represent the car that Jan Biekens' compatriot Olivier Gendebien drove to fourth place in the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix. The car was driven in the race at Silverstone by Iain Rowley.

1965 Lola T70 Spyder

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

It's the 1965 Lola T70 Spyder of Colin Parry-Williams which the programme of the event says has a 5 litre engine. It's the former John Mecom Racing Zerex Special, chassis SL70/13 and you can read William I'Anson's history of the car here.

Here's Colin Parry-Williams at Old Hall Corner during the race.

Maserati 300S

The Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 featured the Maserati marque and many of the Maseratis that took part in that meeting, and others that didn't, were at various times displayed in a large marquee in the paddock during the meeting. This is one of those cars.

It's a Maserati 300S, and appears to be one of the early short nose cars, but didn't take part in the meeting and I've not been able to identify it. The 300S was produced by Maserati from 1955 to 1959 to contend the World Sportcar Championship and had a straight-6 engine based on the 250F Grand Prix car's 2½ litre unit, but with a longer stroke to bring the capacity up to 2,992cc.

1969 Leyland Atlantean PDR1A/1

This was one on the entrants in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1996.

It's a 1969 Leyland Atlantean PDR1A/1 formerly number 255 on the Hull Corporation Transport fleet list which was later transferred to the separate Citylink fleet with the number C10. I understand that it has since been preserved in the Hull City Transport livery. A note about the vehicle in the Rally's programme reads as follows:

Leyland Atlantean PDR1A/1, Roe H75F Body, 1969                                                    PRH 255G

Hull Corporation 255

Entered by    Hull 245 Group, Holderness Road, Hull

Former Operator Hull City Transport. Withdrawn from service in 1993 completing 25 years service with its sole owner. Transferred to the 'Citylink' fleet, it has been restored into the Citylink colour scheme and renumbered C10.

1970 Tyrrell 001

This car was on display in the paddock at the Silverstone Historic Tribute meeting in June 2004.

It's the 1970 Tyrrell 001, not a successful car itself, but one which led to the last two of Jackie Stewart's three World Drivers' Championship wins. Powered by the ubiquitous 2,993cc V8 Ford Cosworth DFV engine it was introduced towards the end of the 1970 season replacing the March 701 for the last three races, but retiring in each of those races. Jackie Stewart finished in fifth place in the championship that year having won it with the Matra MS80 in 1969. Jackie Stewart only drove the car in the first race in 1971, in South Africa, where he finished in second place, then drove the Tyrrell 003 in the rest of his appearances that season to win the Championship again, repeating that feat with the Tyrrell 006 in 1973.

MGB Roadster

I took this photograph at Foulstons chicane during the MG Cockshoot Cup Championship Race at the Jaguar Drivers' Club's Cheshire Cats' Trophy Meeting at Oulton Park in April 1987.

Leading is the MGB Roadster of Mark Ashworth followed by the MG Midget of Ashley Jacques and the Austin Healey Sprite of Rick Frisk. The programme of the event doesn't show the year of manufacture of any of the cars.

1939 ERA E-Type GP2

This is a car that was in the Donington Park Museum for many years - it was there the last time I visited in September 2014, and I took this photograph of it in May 1989.

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.