Two US Military Vehicles

I took these two photographs at the Pallot Museum in Jersey which we visited while on holiday there in May 2013.

This one is a LaFrance M1A1 Heavy Wrecker, about 5,000 of which were produced during the Second World War.

This is a 1942 Mack NM5 Prime Mover, a heavy lorry constructed for military use from 1940 to 1945 by the Mack Manufacturing Corporation of New York U.S.A. It was brought to Jersey by the British Liberation Forces in 1945.

1964 McLaren M1A

I took this photograph on the finishing straight just after Lodge Corner during qualifying for the HSCC Pre’80 Endurance Challenge race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2018.

It’s Andrew Wareing in his 1964 McLaren M1A, a Group 7 sports prototype car, which has a 5.9 litre V8 Chevrolet engine.

1957 Vanwall 'Streamliner'

I took this photograph in a dark corner of the Donington Park museum in March 1996 before the later alterations which provided a proper display for the Vanwall Grand Prix cars.

It's the 1957 Vanwall F1 car with the streamlined body that never actually raced. The Vanwall of 1956-58 was designed by Colin Chapman and the body by Frank Costin, and it used the Vanwall engine designed by Norton engineer Leo Kuzmicki which was basically an enlarged version of four single-cylinder 498cc Norton engines joined together. The streamlined body was taken to the high-speed Reims circuit (a triangular five-mile road circuit with just two sharp corners and a couple of long sweeping curves) in July of 1957 for the non-championship Reims Grand Prix for evaluation. Regular drivers Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks were unavailable and Roy Salvadori and Stuart Lewis-Evans were drafted in for the race. Both drivers tried the streamlined car in practice, but it proved no faster than the normal one, which both drivers preferred to use in the race.

1939 Maserati 4CL

This car competed in the Maserati UK Race for Pre 1952 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's Norbert Schmitz-Koep's 1939 Maserati 4CL, chassis #1566, which was designed for Voiturette racing and had a supercharged 1,491cc straight-4 engine. The 4CL had some success in its first season until racing was curtailed by the Second World War, and dominated racing in the years immediately following the war in the hands of drivers such as Raymond Sommer, Tazio Nuvolari and Luigi Villoresi, until the arrival of the Alfa Romeo 158. The green car next to the Maserati is Dick Skipworth's ERA R3A, which was driven that day by Barrie Williams.

1957 Tojeiro Jaguar

This car competed in the Jack Fairman Cup Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in May 2018.

It's The 1957 Tojeiro Jaguar of Tom McWhirter and has the 6-cylinder inline 3,781cc version of the Jaguar XK6 engine. John Tojeiro started building cars in the early 1950s, the first car being based on an MG TA. Other cars followed and when Cliff Davis decided he wanted a car with more power to replace his Cooper MG John Tojeiro was commissioned to build a car with a Bristol engine with similar bodywork to the Cooper. This car was very successful and attracted the attention of Ernie Bailey who had connections with AC Cars and knew they were looking for a replacement for the AC 2 litre so suggested that they should use the Tojeiro Bristol as a basis for the new car. That car became the AC Ace which in turn attracted the attention of Carroll Shelby who transformed it into the AC Cobra. John Tojeiro in the meantime built four Jaguar engined cars, the first in 1956 for John Ogier and has the registration 7 GNO. The car pictured above is a rebuild of the second car which was also owned by John Ogier who wrecked the car at a hill climb at Stapleford at the end of 1957, the rebuild being completed in 1990. The third car was built in 1958 and was loaned to Ecurie Ecosse but did not have any notable success - as far as I know it is now in New Zealand. The fourth car was built for Ecurie Ecosse in 1959 and competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year but failed to finish, then was wrecked in a crash during the 1959 Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood. It has since been completely restored.

Here’s the car during the race having just rounded Lodge Corner.

1933 Dennis Ace

This was one of the vehicles taking part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1990.

It's a 1933 Dennis Ace and the programme of the event said this about it;

Dennis Ace, 1933                                                                                                                           FTE 327J

Entered by C Ralph, Helmshore, Rossendale

Used work transport by Dennis, which explains its recent registration, this is probably the only Ace lorry remaining.

Friday's Ferrari

This is one of the Ferraris I photographed at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a 1991 Ferrari F40, one of 1,311 produced between 1987 and 1992. It has a twin turbo 2,936cc V8 engine with two overhead camshafts per bank and four valves per cylinder. The F40 was apparently the first road legal production car to break the 200mph barrier.

1969 Ginetta G15

This car competed in the Historic Road Sports Championship race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2017.

It's the 1969 Ginetta G15 of Ian Ross and has a 4-cylinder inline Rootes 998cc engine. About 800 of these cars were produced between 1968 and 1974.

1896 Lutzmann Victoria

This car took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car run in June 1973.

It's an 1896 Lutzmann Victoria but I no longer have the programme of the event giving details of the car. The only information I can find is that it had a single cylinder 4hp engine.

1928 Bentley 3 litre

This car took part in the Pre-War Team Challenge Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2017.

It's the 1928 Bentley 3 litre of Duncan Wiltshire and is pictured here at Druids corner during the morning qualifying session. The car is chassis ML1524.

Here's the car at Hislops chicane during the race in the afternoon followed by Richard Reay-Smith in his 1936 Lagonda LG45 Team Car.

Red Arrows at Silverstone

Silverstone was originally a World War 2 RAF bomber station and, appropriately, on the day of the British Grand Prix each year it became the busiest airport in the UK, and on at least one occasion, in 1999, the busiest airport in the world. Recent changes to the circuit have meant that there is now no runway for aircraft, though helicopters are able to land there. When there was still a runway there the major historic car meetings used to attract a few aircraft visitors and there were flying displays, such as this one at the 1999 Coys International Historic Festival meeting when they had a visit from the Red Arrows, though it was a rather overcast day.

1950 Jaguar XK120

This was one of the exhibits at the Northern Classic Car Show in Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1984.

It's Ian Appleyard's 1950 Jaguar XK120, most famous for its exploits in the Alpine Rally, where it won a Coupe des Alpes (Alpine Cup) in 1950, which was awarded for finishing the event unpenalised. Ian Appleyard repeated this feat with the car in 1951 and 1952, thus being awarded a Coupe d'Or (Gold Cup) for winning a Coupe des Alpes in three consecutive years. He also won the RAC Rally and the Tulip Rally in 1951 with NUB 120.

MRE Suzuki

Paul Downes and David Hainsworth preparing to take to the track in their MRE Suzuki in a qualifying race for the ACU/FRSA British F2 Sidecar Championship Race at the NG Road Racing meeting at Oulton Park in April 2017.

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 1998.

It's the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO of Swiss driver Nicolaus Springer, chassis #4153GT with the Gioacchino Colombo 2,953cc V12 engine. Its original owner was Pierre Dumay who finished in fourth place with it in the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hour Race in the colours of Ecurie Francorchamps partnered by Léon Dernier.

1913 Sunbeam 3 litre

I took this photograph at the Doune Museum in Perthshire which we visited when on a family holiday in Scotland in August 1996.

The museum description of the car reads as follows:

'A replica of the earlier French Grand Prix racers. This car was bought new in 1913 for the son of a Galloway family. When he was killed in 1914 or 1915, during the First World War, his mother ordered that the car be buried. It received its first Log Book in 1974, having been recovered after being struck by a plough. The engine was still free, and after restoration, the car went on to take part in hill climbs, including Doune, and other events.'

1972 McLaren M21

I took this photograph at the Donington Park Museum in September 2014.

The McLaren M21 was designed and developed by Ralph Bellamy to compete in the European Formula Two Championship in 1972 and had a 4-cylinder inline 2 litre Ford-Cosworth BDF engine. It was driven by South African Jody Scheckter and won one race, at Crystal Palace, with Scheckter eventually scoring 15 points to finish in 8th-place in the Championship. The car pictured here was converted for use in the British Formula Atlantic series in 1975, but converted back to Formula 2 specifications before it went to the Donington Park Museum. The oldracingcars.com site shows it as 'the Steve Prior car'.

1939 Talbot Lago T150C

This car competed in the Bill Phillips Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in July 2015.

It's a 1939 Talbot Lago T150C and was driven at this meeting by the owner, John Guyatt, seen here at Druids corner. The only other detail about the car in the programme of the event is that it had a 4 litre engine. The Talbot company had gone into receivership in the 1930s during the Great Depression and Antonio Lago, who had been appointed managing  director, bought the company from the receiver in 1936 and renamed it Talbot-Lago. The engines developed by the company for its sporting models were 6-cylinder inline 2,996cc and 3,996cc units, the T150C being powered by the larger of these engines.

Pit Lane Activity

The cars here are moving out of the pit lane at the start of the qualifying session for the Chopard HGPCA 100-Mile Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

Leading the exodus are the Maserati 250F's of Jeremy Agace and Thomas Bscher. Jeremy Agace's car (number 2) is a 1954 car with a 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine and is chassis #2507/1. Thomas Bscher's car (number 4) is a 1957 Maserati 250F V12, a car built with a 2,491cc V12 engine instead of the 250F's usual 6-cylinder inline 2,490 unit. It's chassis #2531, one of only 2 cars specifically built to take the V12 engine and the only one to take part in a World Championship race. It was entered for the 1957 Italian Grand Prix and driven by Jean Behra, but retired towards the end of the race with overheating problems.

 

1953 Seddon Mk5

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

It's a 1953 Seddon Mk5 and the programme of the event had this to say about it:

EM 5505 Seddon Mk5/L platform. 1953. Entered by R. Sanders, Preston, Lancs. Rebuilt from scrap, this vehicle is displayed in the livery of its first owner, and can be seen at many rallies throughout the U.K.

1962 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight

I took this photograph at Hislops chicane during the Innes Ireland Cup race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2015.

It's Christopher Scragg's 1962 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight and has the 3,781cc 6-cylinder inline Jaguar XK6 engine.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured an extensive display of Ferraris, some of which took part in demonstration runs round the circuit during the two-day meeting. Here are two of the cars that were on display that day.

On the left is the 2,992cc flat-12 Ferrari 312 T4 (chassis #040) with which Jody Scheckter won the World Championship in 1979. Jody Scheckter won 3 of the 15 races finishing ahead of his team-mate Gilles Villeneuve, who also won 3 races, in the final table. Alan Jones in the Williams FW07 won 4 races, but the only other points he scored were for a 3rd and a 4th place so he only managed to finish the season in 3rd place in the Championship. The car on the right is a Vignale-bodied 1953 Ferrari 166MM Spyder. serial number 0314M, that originally had a 2 litre engine which was replaced with a 3 litre unit in 1955.

1934 Sunbeam Twenty-Five

I took this photograph on The Crescent in Salford (the A6) during the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car run in June 1966. You can see the spire of Salford Cathedral in the background.

It's a 1934 Sunbeam Twenty-Five with a 3,317cc 6-cylinder engine. The car belonged to the actress Pat Phoenix who played Elsie Tanner in the Coronation Street TV programme and she was in the back seat of the car that day.

1934 Riley Kestrel 12/4 Special

This car competed in a handicap race and a scratch race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2008.

It's Richard Iliffe's 1934 Riley Kestrel 12/4 Special which has a 4-cylinder inline 1,496cc engine based on the Riley Nine engine. The 12/4 engine continued to be used in Riley cars until 1955.

Austin Healey 3000 Mk II

This is a photograph I took at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1983.

They are Austin Healey 3000 Mk II's, the one on the left being a 1963 car and the one on the right a 1964 car. In 1963 56 FAC was driven by Paddy Hopkirk and Donald Morley in the Sebring 12 Hour Race where they finished in 26th place and 4th in class. The next year Paddy Hopkirk drove 767 KNX at Sebring, this time partnered by Grant Clark, but they failed to finish after Grant Clark was involved in an accident after about 6 hours of the race. The Austin Healey 3000 has a 6-cylinder inline 2,912cc engine.

1956 Jaguar D-Type

This was one of the competitors in the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the 1956 Jaguar D-Type, chassis number XKD603, of Sir Anthony Bamford, said to be the most original of the long-nose Jaguars in existence. It started as a works car in 1956, but when Jaguar dropped out of racing the following year it was sold to Ecurie Ecosse, where it received its RSF 303 registration number. The car finished second in the 1957 Le Mans 24 Hour race when Ecurie Ecosse D-Types were first and second, and three more D-Types finished third, fourth and sixth. The car was driven in this Silverstone race by Frank Sytner.

1968 Chevron B8

I took this photograph at Lodge Corner during the Guards Trophy GTSR race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2008.

It's Andrew Newall driving his 1968 Chevron B8 which has a 4-cylinder inline 1,990cc BMW engine and is chassis CH-DBE-78. 

2007 Mercedes Benz S-Class Wald Black Bison

This was a Mercedes Benz I spotted in a street in the middle of Hyde in March this year and thought it looked a little unusual.

It's a fifth generation 2007 Mercedes Benz S-Class sedan

It has a 2,987cc V6 diesel engine

It has been given a new tuning package by the Japanese tuner Wald International

The new package is called the Black Bison Edition

Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in the Corse Clienti Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli race at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's the Ferrari 488 Challenge of Swedish driver Ingvar Mattsson, a car which has a 670hp 3,902cc V8 turbocharged engine developed from that of the Ferrari 488 GTB.

1956 Lotus Eleven

This was one of the competitors in the 50's Sports Car Race at theVintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006.

It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven of Malcolm Ricketts, which the programme of the event says has a 1,480cc engine. The Lotus Eleven was a completely new car, unlike the previous production Lotuses, the Mk VIII, Mk IX and Mk X which were all based on the Lotus Mk VI. The Eleven had a steel tubular space-frame with stressed aluminium panels, and the aerodynamic body was designed by Frank Costin and was hinged at both ends to give complete access to the engine and other mechanical parts. The car was mainly designed to run in the 1,100cc class of racing, but other engines of up to 2½ litres were also used.

1984 McLaren MP4/2

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

It's a 1984 McLaren MP4/2, and with the number 7 it would have been Alain Prost'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.

Historic Formula Junior Racing

I took this photograph at Britten's chicane during the Historic Formula Junior Championship race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2005.

Leading is Simon Diffey in his 1961 Lotus 20 followed by Mike Hibberd in a 1963 Lotus 27 with the 1963 Lola Mk5A of Robin Longden bringing up the rear.