Juan Manuel Fangio

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting of July 1994 at Silverstone featured a tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio and had a display of some of the cars with which he was associated.

On the left is the Mercedes Benz 300SLR with which Stirling Moss, accompanied by Denis Jenkinson, won the 1955 Mille Miglia – his team mate Fangio finished in second place in a solo drive. The red car is an Alfa Romeo 158, representing the later Alfa Romeo 159 with which Fangio won his first World Championship in 1951 and next to that is one of the cars with which he won two of his World Drivers’ Championship victories, the Mercedes Benz W196 which he drove in 1954 and 1955, although he started the 1954 season with a Maserati 250F. When Mercedes Benz withdrew from racing at the end of the 1955 season Fangio moved to the Ferrari team where he won the 1956 Championship driving a Lancia-Ferrari, but at the time of this tribute there were none left in existence, although since then several of the earlier Lancia D50s and the Lancia-Ferrari have been recreated. In 1957 he moved to the Maserati team where he won his last title with a 250F, one of which featured in this display, but was taking part in a track display when I took this photograph. Behind the W196 is a car from his earlier exploits in Argentina before he came to Europe. This blue and yellow car is a 1949 Ferrari 166 F2 car, Enzo Ferrari's first single seat racing car. It is thought to be one of the cars that Fangio drove early in his career before he came to Europe and joined the Alfa Romeo F1 team, and had been fully restored by Tony Merrick in the 4 years before this appearance.

1927 Thornycroft Dandy

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

It's a 1927 Thornycroft Dandy and the programme of the event had this comment about the vehicle:

YC 1176 Thornycroft Dandy. 1927. Entered by Frederick Robinson Limited, Unicorn Brewery, Stockport. This fine vintage lorry is now in the distinctive livery of its present owner.

1954 Maserati 250F

Maserati was the featured marque at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005, and in particular the 2½ litre 250F Formula One car. A total of 16 of the 250Fs appeared at the meeting, either competing or being displayed on and off the track, and here is one of them.

This is Josef Rettenmaier at McLean’s Corner during the Celebration Maserati Invitation Race in his 1954 car, chassis #2508, which was once owned by Stirling Moss. There were short notes in the programme of the event giving details for each Maserati 250F chassis number, and this is what it said about Josef Rettenmaier's car:

 

'2508

Ordered by Stirling Moss through the Shell-BP company office in Italy. Raced by Moss until he joined Mercedes-Benz, and later loaned to various drivers including Mike Hawthorn, Bob Gerard and John Fitch. Sold to Ross Jensen in New Zealand and returned to the UK in 1964. Now owned by Josef Rettenmaier in Germany.'

1928 Morgan Super Aero

This is a photograph I took at Britten's chicane during a Five Lap Handicap Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2008.

It's Gary Caroline in his 1928 Morgan Super Aero 3-wheeler with a 1,260cc V-twin JAP engine and he’s following Noel Runnels-Moss in a 1921/24 Vauxhall 30-98 Velox. There's a Morgan Three Wheeler Club especially for the owners of these cars.

Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It is either a Ferrari GTC4Lusso which has the Ferrari F140ED 6,262cc V12 engine and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, or it's a Ferrari GTC4Lusso T and has the 3,855cc twin-turbo V8 Ferrari 154 engine. The GTC4Lusso has four-wheel drive whilst the GTC4Lusso T has rear wheel drive only and both cars have a four-wheel steering system. The GTC4Lusso was introduced in 2016 and the GTC4Lusso T a year later, and both ceased production in 2020. The DVLA record no longer shows any results for H1 GTC.

1936 Ford CX

This car was on the stand of the Ford Y & C Model Register at the Northern Classic Car Show in the G-Mex Centre, Manchester in August 1987.

It's a 1936 Ford Model CX, a de-luxe version of the Model C, identifiable by the chrome strips across the radiator. It has the 4-cylinder inline 1,172cc Ford side valve engine that was used by many builders of 1950s 'specials' including the early Lotus cars.

Christmas Day

It's Christmas Day today, so here for a change is a photograph that I took on the Route de Cobo in Guernsey in December 2021.

Happy Christmas to everyone!

1950 Leyland Titan

Here are some photographs that I took in Guernsey a few days ago.

It’s a 1950 Leyland PD2/3 bus that was new to London Transport as RTL1004 in June of that year and was sold in June 1967.

It was purchased by Guernseybus in October 1994 and was rebuilt with a front entrance and one person operated. It was given the Guernsey registration number 995 in December 1995 and this was changed to 47312 in March 1997.

In November 2000 it was sold to Nash, Weybridge and was reunited with its original registration number in September 2002, then sold again to Ullmer, Enfield August 2004.

Ian Walker, chairman of the Little Big Hotel Group in Guernsey, had spotted the bus at the Goodwood Revival meeting over several years and realised that the route sign on it showed that it had once seen service in Guernsey.

In 2023 he noticed that it had a ‘For Sale’ sign, so he bought it, and it was transported to Guernsey in December 2024.

1907 Berliet Curtiss Special

I took this photograph at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's a 1907 Berliet which has an 8.2 litre V8 Curtiss OX-5 engine, and it was displayed with a couple of other cars of the same vintage.

1927 Leyland Straight Eight

This car is on Mount Street, Manchester having just left Albert Square at the start of the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in April 1965.

It's a 1927 Leyland Straight Eight entered for the Run by Leyland Motors and the programme of the event says that it was driven by A.Bennison. The programme gives this information about the car:

164. Leyland Straight Eight

The Leyland Eight was produced by Leyland Motors under the direction of J.G. Parry Thomas, Leyland’s Chief Engineer. This model was first exhibited as a limousine in 1920 at the Olympia Motor Show and created a sensation. Amongst its many features was a straight eight engine, single overhead cam shaft operated by triple eccentrics, hemispherical cylinder head, aluminium pistons and tubular connecting rods, leaf valve springs, torsion bar-assisted suspension, servo-assisted brakes, anti-roll bars front and rear, automatic chassis lubrication, adjustable steering column, starter motor built into the gearbox operating through the gear lever. The chassis alone cost £2,500 in those days.

The car taking part in the Manchester to Blackpool Rally was built from Leyland parts by Thomson and Taylor in 1928 based on a speed model short chassis with a 7.2 litre engine, 4 Zenith carburetters and gave 200 b.h.p. at 2,800 r.p.m. This vehicle lapped Brooklands at over 124 m.p.h.

This car is now at the British Heritage Motoring Centre at Gaydon.

1961 Lotus 20/22

This is a photograph I took at Brittens chicane during the Historic Formula Junior Championship race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2005.

Leading is the 1961 Lotus 20/22 of Peter Anstiss and the following car is Doug Martin’s 1960 Elva 200.

Friday's Ferrari

This car is 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 Danish driver Johnny Laursen, a car which has a 670hp 3,902cc V8 turbocharged engine developed from that of the Ferrari 488 GTB.

1997 Saab 2000 CSE

I took these photographs at a car show in Hyde in October 2022.

It's a 1997 Saab 2000 CSE 2.3t and has a 4-cylinder inline turbocharged 2,290cc engine.

The model designation, 2.3t, is displayed underneath the right-hand rear lights.

1955 Jaguar D-Type

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2003.

It's Benjamin Eastick's 1955 Jaguar D-Type which was built in the 1970's from genuine Jaguar D-type parts and has chassis number XKD 133, but never ran in period. Neither the chassis number nor the registration number 207 RW show up in the coventryracers.com search site. It has the 6-cylinder inline 3,442cc Jaguar XK engine.

1955 Lancia D50

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000 celebrated 50 years of Formula One, the World Drivers' Championship having started in 1950, and the first race of that Championship was run at Silverstone on 13th May of that year. At the July 2000 meeting at Silverstone there was a representative display of cars covering that 50 year period, and the car below was one of those taking part.

It's a re-creation of the Lancia D50 that competed in the Championship in 1954 and 1955. This car was owned by Robin Lodge, and was entered in the Maserati UK Race for Pre 1961 Grand Prix Cars. It has a reproduction chassis with an original offset 2,488cc V8 engine and transmission salvaged from Enzo Ferrari's 'scrapyard'.

1951 Jaguar XK120

This car took part in the Aston Martin + Other Pre-War/50's Sports Cars Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in May 2002.

It's the 1951 Jaguar XK120 of Nicholas Wilkins and has the 6-cylinder inline 3,441cc Jaguar XK engine. The XK120 was produced from 1948 to 1954 and was used for racing and rallying from the start, leading to the Le Mans winning C-Type and D-Types. It was later succeeded by the XK140 and then the XK150.

Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally

This is a photograph I took at the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in September 1995.

It’s a view of the part of the assembly area in Heaton Park and shows part of the site allocated for coaches and single deck buses. To the right, and also beyond the buses at the rear of the photo, would be the double deck buses.

1935 Maserati 4CS

This car took part in a 4-lap scratch race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in August 1996.

It's Ken Painter's 1935 Maserati 4CS, chassis #1126, originally with a supercharged 4-cylinder inline 1,088cc engine that was replaced with a 1,496cc engine in 1938. The car was originally owned by Ettore Bianco who finished in 7th, and then 6th in the 1935 and 1936 Mille Miglia races, winning his class on both occasions. It was involved in a fatal accident with the next owner, then acquired and rebuilt in 1937 by Luigi Villoresi and Count Giovanni Lurani's Scuderia Ambrosiana, and in 1939 found a new owner in Singapore. Ken Painter, bought the car in 1969, and it's been with the family ever since.

Friday's Ferrari

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

It's a Ferrari 458 Speciale, a high performance variant of the 458 Italia. It has the 4,497cc version of the F136 V8 engine with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. 3,000 of the cars were built between 2013 and 2015.

1932-34 Alfa Romeo Tipo B

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

It's a 1932-34 Alfa Romeo Tipo B and the book Great Racing Cars of the Donington Collection has this to say about it:

 

The car was based on a very slender channel-frame chassis, carrying a similarly slim body only 26 inches wide. The cockpit sides were low-cut to give the driver elbow room, and the basic eight-cylinder engine was developed to a 2.65 litre capacity with enlarged bore and stroke. Two small Roots supercharger were used, and the power was boosted from the Monza’s 165bhp to 215bhp a 5600rpm. Drive to the rear wheels was unique, with the differential on the back of the gearbox instead of in a rear axle assembly. Two separate propellor shafts enclosed within torque tubes veed rearwards to drive the wheels through simple bevel boxes attached to each hub. Historical controversy clouds the reasoning behind this system, although claims of reduced axle ‘hop’ and added ease of final drive ratio changing to suit varying circuits seem logical. The Monoposto (literally ‘single-seater) made its debut at Monza in the five-hour Italian Grand Prix, held in June 1932. With Nuvolari at the wheel, it won. Three more major victories fell to this car before the season’s end, and then Alfa Romeo bowed to economic strictures for 1933, leaving their racing honour in the hands of Enzo Ferrari’s private Scuderia with older models, and put the Monoposti into store. When the re-engined Monza cars proved fragile, the Milan management relented and released the Tipo Bs to Ferrari. Luigi Fagioli drove the first car to a win at Pescara, and he and Louis Chiron quickly added four more major victories. In 1934 a new 750-kg maximum weight Formula came into effect, for which the German industry had built powerful new all-independently-suspended cars which should have rendered the solid-axled, leaf-sprung Alfas obsolete overnight. An 85-centimetre minimum width rule led to the Monoposto’s cockpits being bulged, and with 2905cc engines and 255bhp the P3s won no less than thirteen major events, old 2.6-litre models winning twice, and a streamlined 3.2 model once at Berlin’s AVUS speedway. For 1935 modified suspensions, 3165cc and later 3822cc engines were adopted to stave off the German menace, but normally they were only successful in the absence of Mercedes and Auto Union. Nuvolari’s genius brought them the Nürburgring triumph to add to their fifteen other successes. Richard Shuttleworth won his first Donington Grand Prix in his private car in England and thereafter the Monoposto became one of the earliest, generally acknowledged ‘historic racing cars’.

1958 Devin SS

This car appeared at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993, taking part in the Twelve Lap 1950's Sports Car Race.

It's Ron Gammons' 1958 5,424cc V8 Devin, and a note about the car in the programme of the event says this about it:

 

‘Fancied runners in the race are Frank Sytner's 1957 D-type Jaguar, American Stephen Griswold's 1958 Lister Chevrolet and Ron Gammons' 1958 Devin. The latter has a chassis designed and built in Belfast by Irishman Malcolm MacGregor, with a glass-fibre body designed and built by American Bill Devin in California and a V8 engine by Chevrolet of Detroit. Only about 15 were made.’

 

You can read the story of Bill Devin's cars here.

1960 Cooper T53

This car took part in the Maserati UK Race for Pre-1966 Grand Prix & Tasman Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

It's the 1960 Cooper T53 of Allan Miles, described in the programme of the event as having a 2,495cc engine, presumably the Coventry Climax FPF unit. It appears to be chassis F1-9-61, a car built for French driver Bernard Collomb to use in the 1961 season and was eventually wrecked in practice for the 1962 Brussels Grand Prix. Some parts of the car were acquired by John Harper in the late 1970s and it was reconstructed, later going to Allan Miles who raced it in historic events from 1988 to 1999. The car is painted dark blue with a white nose band, the colours of Rob Walker who had a Cooper T53 in 1961, chassis F1-7-61, that competed in some non-championship events in the early part of that season.

 

Car number 34 behind this car is another Cooper T53, that of Frank Sytner, which also took part in this race and the number 22 to the rear is another of Allan Miles’ cars, a 1953 Cooper Bristol MkII.

1948 Rover 75 (P3)

This is a photograph that I took at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2018.

It's a 1948 Rover 75, and the information sheet in the windscreen of the car reads as follows:

Rover Sports Register Ltd

Northern Section

 1948 Rover 75 (P3)

 

The P3 was always intended as a stop-gap and indeed, it was only in production for 18 months. Although the styling was similar to the preceding P2 model there were, in fact, very few common parts. Underneath, however, the new car was very different with independent front suspension, hydraulic rather than mechanical front brakes, and, in particular, a new engine. This had overhead inlet and side exhaust valves and variations of this engine would power Rover cars and Land-Rovers for over 30 years.

The P3 was available in two engine sizes, the 60 (4 cyl 1595cc) and 75 (6 cyl 2103cc) and two body styles (four-light and six-light). The smaller engine was also used in early Land-Rovers and the larger was carried forward into the P4 model.

In many ways the P3 was a means of testing the mechanical elements that were to be used in the subsequent P4 and so, to many people, represents the best of both worlds, having pre-war styling married to post-war mechanicals.

The car was apparently stored in pieces for some 18 years before being restored over a 3 year period to 2009. A P4 cylinder head and twin carburettors improve performance and fuel consumption while flashing indicators and reversing lights are road safety related additions. Mileage since restoration is just over 2,500. The present owner purchased the car in 2014 and has continued to maintain it carefully.

Owner: Graham Martin

1959 Triumph TR3

This is a photograph I took in May this year when I was returning home after doing a bit of shopping in Hyde and I saw this car coming towards me.

It's a 1959 Triumph TR3, a car sometimes known as a TR3A because the wider grille on the later models make it look a different vehicle than the original TR3. The original Triumph TR3 was produced between 1955 and 1957 with a 1,991cc straight-4 engine, and later versions from 1957 to 1962 with the 1,991cc engine, but with the option of a 2,138cc engine from 1959. This car has the larger engine.

1950 Cooper MkIV

This is a photograph I took in the paddock at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1992.

The cars are waiting to take to the track for the morning practice session for the Historic Formula Junior Race. Number 53 is the 1950 Cooper MkIV of Bill Needham which competed in the 500cc Formula three cars class as did the car to the left which is Roy Hunt's 1952 Jason F3. On the right is the 1961/62 Lotus 20/22 of Denis Chorley which was in the class for Rear Engined Formula Junior Cars.

1960 Ferrari 246S

This is a photograph I took at Luffield corner during the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's Tony Dron in Sporting & Historic Cars' 1960 Ferrari 246S which has a 2,417cc V6 engine derived from the one used by Ferrari Formula 1 cars of that period. The car behind the Ferrari appears to be a Lister Knobbly.

1903 Panhard et Levassor?

This is a photograph that I took during the Lancashire Automobile Club's  Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1963 at the roundabout that at one time stood at the junction of the A6 and Cross Lane in Pendleton.

The programme of the event says that car number 8 is a 1904 De Dion Bouton, but the VCC plate clearly says 1903. It doesn’t appear to be a De Dion and is possibly a 1903 Panhard et Levassor. The programme of the event says that the number 9 car that day was a 1903 Panhard et Levassor and though I photographed all the early cars in the run I've not got one of the number 9 so I suppose it's possible that it was re-numbered as 8. I doubt that though as the driver of that car was listed as John Bolster who invariably wore a deerstalker hat, so he's not one of the gentlemen in the car pictured here. The DVLA record says that AA218 is now on a 2014 Mini.

Update: This car was also in the 1966 run where the programme showed it as a 1903 Regal - apparently one of the names under which Lacoste et Battmann sold their cars.

1934 MG K3

This car competed in three races at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in August 1992.

It's the 1934 MG K3 Magnette of Philip Walker. The original K type Magnette, the K1, had a 6-cylinder inline 1,087cc engine and was available as a 4-seat open tourer or a 4-door saloon. The K2 was an open 2-seater with a shorter chassis, and could have the same engine as the K1 or a larger 1,271cc version of that engine. The K3 was a racing variant using the shorter chassis and a supercharged 1,087cc engine. Only 33 of the K3 model were made, many of which have not survived, and a number of replicas have been made using the K1 or K3 cars. Philip Walker's car may be one of those, and the programme of this Oulton Park event shows it to have a 1,408cc supercharged engine.

1956 Cooper T39

This car competed in the HGPCA Sports Car Race at the Christie’s International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the 1956 Cooper T39 of John Beasley, more commonly known as the Cooper Bobtail because of the truncated tail of the car which was aerodynamically effective, but which John Cooper claimed to have been shortened so that it would fit inside the works transporter. The car was used in the 1,100cc and 1,500cc classes of sportscar racing and this car has a 4-cylinder inline 1,460cc Coventry Climax engine. It was reputedly the road-holding characteristics of this car that led John Cooper to produce first the rear-engined 1½ litre Formula 2 car and then the 2½ litre Formula 1 car that gave Jack Brabham the World Drivers' Championship in 1959 and 1960. Cooper's successes led all the other teams to adopt the rear-engine layout, and the last Formula 1 Grand Prix to be won by a front-engined car was Ferrari's victory in the 1960 Italian Grand Prix.

1969 Daimler Fleetline

This was one of the participants in the Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1993.

It’s not listed in the programme of the event, but it participated in 1996 when the programme had this note about it:

 

Daimler Fleetline, Park Royal Body                                                                   NNB 598H

Entered by     Hycote, Royton, Oldham, Lancs

Former Operator - Manchester City Transport. Hycote recently purchased this vehicle to save it from going to scrap. The company intend to use it for exhibition purposes but retain the exterior vintage livery of Manchester City Transport. The vehicle has been exposed to weather for 5 years, hence the poor paint finish.

1933 Frazer Nash TT Replica

This car took part in two races at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

It's the 1933 Frazer Nash TT Replica of J Sharpe which the programme of the event says has a 1,498cc engine, presumably the 4-cylinder inline Meadows unit. The TT Replica was based on the cars that contested the 1931 Tourist Trophy Race, though none of the three cars entered actually finished the event.