Aston Martin Project 214

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

It's a replica of the Aston Martin Project 214 which was based on the Aston Martin DB4GT and it took part in the Masters ‘Gentleman Drivers’ GT Race at this meeting. It had a 4.2 litre engine and was driven in the race by Wolfgang Friedrichs and David Clark. Two Project 214 cars were originally built, one of which was destroyed in an accident during practice for the 1964 Nürburgring 1000 km race.

2016 Ford Mustang

This is a photograph that I took in a supermarket car park in Hyde in June 2023.

It’s a 2016 Ford Mustang and has a 4-cylinder inline 2,261cc engine. The first Ford Mustang was produced in 1964 and BD16 YSA is a sixth generation model which was introduced in 2013.

1949 AEC Regent III

This is a photograph that I took in Heaton Park, Manchester at the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s Trans Lancs Historic vehicle Rally in September 1988.

It’s not listed in the programme of the event, but it’s a former London Transport 1949 AEC Regent III, Fleet number RT1574.

1955 Jaguar D-Type

This is a photograph that I took just outside the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1984.

It’s a 1955 Jaguar D-Type and the registration number 774 RW seems to indicate that it is  XKD505, the car with which Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb won the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

Pre-1952 Grand Prix Cars at Silverstone

This is a photograph that I took at Luffield Corner during the Pre-1952 Grand Prix Cars Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

From the left the cars are the 1932 Alfa Romeo Monza of Terry Cohn, the 1939 Maserati 4CL of Norbert Schmitz-Koep and Tony Bianchi’s 1948 Talbot Lago T26C.

Friday's Ferrari

The SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 included 'A Demonstration of Italian Racing Cars' which consisted of some laps of the track by a variety of Maseratis, Ferraris and a Lancia D50. This is one of the Ferraris that took part in the demonstration.

It's Nick Mason's 1978 Ferrari 312 T3, chassis number 034 and the car Gilles Villeneuve drove for most of the 1978 racing season.

1928/31 Austin 7

This car competed in a handicap race at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It’s a 1928/31 Austin 7 and the only information about it in the programme of the event is that it was entered by D.K.Ulph and had a 750cc supercharged engine.

2000 Audi R8

In May 2001 Audi brought an Auto Union C-Type and a D-Type to the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park, together with several other cars and motorcycles. This was one of the other cars which they brought, pictured  on the stretch between the Old Hairpin and McLean's Corner during a demonstration run that day.

It’s the 2000 Audi R8, developed from the previous year's R8R and powered by the same 3.6 litre V8 engine. The R8 competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race six times, from 2000 to 2005, winning on 5 occasions (finishing in the first three places in 2000) and being beaten only in 2003 - by the Bentley Speed 8.

1935 Frazer Nash

This car took part in a ‘Handicap Race for Frazer Nash and GN Cars’ at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1973.

It’s the 1935 Frazer Nash of B.Hopkins, and the only information about it in the programme of the event is that it had a 1,498cc engine, presumably the 4-cylinder inline Meadows unit.

Fifty years of the Formula One World Championship at Silverstone in July 2000

The Coys International Historical Festival meeting of July 2000 marked 50 years of the Formula 1 World Championship for Drivers with a display of cars covering that period, and this is a photograph that I took inside one of the marquees where the cars were displayed.

From the far end the cars here are:

 

1995 Benetton B195

1997 Stewart SF01

2000 Jaguar R1

2000 Jordan EJ10

1998 McLaren MP4/13

And a little bit of the 1950 Alfa Romeo 158

1907 Niclausse Park Phaeton

This is a photograph that I took at the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1969.

It’s a 1907 Niclausse Park Phaeton and the programme of the event had the following note about the vehicle:

 

22.     Mr. Peter Black, Keighley, Yorkshire.

            1907 Niclausse Park Phaeton. 17½ h.p.

Apart from being a great rarity in the catalogue of Edwardian cars – there are only two other Niclausse models still in existence and both these in Spain – the Park Phaeton has a distinction linked with the world of fashion. The body was built specially for the haute couture houses so that the four-seater car might be driven on the boulevards of Paris allowing the Parisienne of the day to display her fashions to the best advantage.

1957 Maserati 250F

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1972.

It’s Neil Corner’s 1957 Maserati 250F which has a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine. The car is chassis #2528 and was campaigned mainly by Jean Behra in the 1957 season, but also driven that year by Juan Fangio and Harry Schell. It has been owned and raced by the Corner family, Neil and his son Nigel, since 1972.

Ferrari 360 Spider

This is a photograph that I took at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a Ferrari 360 Spider, a model that was produced between 1999 and 2005 and has a 3,586cc V8 Ferrari F131 engine.

1950 Sheffield Tram 513

In August 1996 when returning home from a holiday in Scotland we paid a visit to the Beamish open air museum in County Durham and this is one of the photographs I took there.

It's a 1950 Sheffield tram, number 513, built by Roberts of Wakefield, and it remained in service in Sheffield until 1960. I understand that it is now on loan at the East Anglia Transport Museum at Lowestoft.

1955 Leyland Titan PD2/11

This bus took part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally  in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1990.

It’s not listed in the programme of the event, but it took part in the Rally in 1998, when the programme had this note about the vehicle:

 

Leyland PD2/11   Charles H Roe   1955                                                                  UUA 207

Entered by        Robert Murray, Leeds

New to Leeds Corporation Transport this is a very rare model of which only 20 were built, all 20 being supplied to Leeds, fitted with semi-automatic pneumocyclic transmission and air brakes. Bought for preservation in 1982 from a gliding club who were about to convert it to a towing winch. Now restored to mid 60's livery with period adverts.

1928 Bugatti Type 35B

This was one of the competitors in the Richard Seaman Memorial Vintage Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in June 1965.

It’s the 1928 Bugatti Type 35B of John Horton and has a 2,261cc supercharged 8-cylinder inline engine. The Type 35 was the most successful of the pre-war Bugattis and about 37 examples of the Type 35B were produced in the mid to late 1920s.

Cooper T45/51

This car took part in the Pre-1966 Grand Prix Cars Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's the 1958 Cooper T45/51 of Rod Jolley which has a 4-cylinder inline 2,495cc Coventry Climax FPF engine. It is a 1958 T45 model uprated to the specifications of the 1959 T51, and is chassis #F2-23A-58.

1991 Williams FW14

This is a photograph that I took on a visit to the Donington Park Museum in September 2014.

It's the 1991 Williams FW14 that was designed by Adrian Newey with a 3,493cc Renault V10 engine. It was driven by Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese in the 1991 season, Mansell finishing in second place in the Drivers' Championship to Ayrton Senna and Patrese in third place with Williams in second place in the Constructors' Championship. With minor alterations the FW14B was almost unbeatable in 1992 with Mansell winning nine races and Patrese's sole victory and a string of second places gave him second place in the Drivers' Championship.

1956 Aston Martin DB3S

This is a photograph that i took in the paddock at the British Empire Trophy Race meeting at Oulton Park in April 1958.

It's the 1956 Aston Martin DB3S of John Dalton which is chassis #DB3S/10, the last of the team cars to be built, and has the 2,992cc 6-cylinder inline Lagonda engine.

Ferrari California

This is a photograph that I took at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's Ferrari California with a 4,297cc 32 valve V8 Ferrari F136 engine, and body designed by Pininfarina. The California was in production from 2008 to 2017.

1906 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

This is a photograph that I took on  a very wet day in Manchester at the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1967

.

It’s the original Rolls Royce Silver Ghost and this is the note about the car in the programme of the event:

 

22.     Rolls-Royce Limited, London, W.1.

            (Driver – Mr D.E.A.Miller-Williams, Rolls-Royce Limited).

            1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 7036 c.c.

This is the original Silver Ghost built at the first Rolls-Royce works in Cooke Street, Manchester. The distinguishing name comes from the fact that Mr. Claude Johnson, the first managing director of the Company, was determined to demonstrate the ability of a new 40/50 h.p. chassis and fitted a special aluminium painted body with all the external metal work silver plated. In May 1907 the car was driven from London to Edinburgh directly in its third gear, and shortly afterwards achieved a world record run of 14,371 miles without an involuntary stop. Four drivers worked in relays for fifteen weeks under continuous R.A.C. supervision to achieve this record. To date this magnificent machine has covered well over half-a-million miles.

 

N.B. America’s recent Artemis mission recently travelled about the same distance going to the Moon and back.

1956 MG Magnette ZB

This is a photograph that I took in one of the car parks at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in May 2019.

It’s a 1956 MG Magnette ZB and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,489cc engine. 18,524 of these cars were built between 1956 and 1958.

1955 Maserati 250F

This car was owned by Pete Waterman and was driven by Willie Green in the HGPCA Pre’65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's indistinguishable from a 1950s Maserati 250F, but it's the first of 12 replicas built by Cameron Millar and has the chassis number CM1. Cameron Millar acquired a genuine Maserati 250F in 1964 (originally 2501, later renumbered 2523) which he kept and raced for 8 years. In this time he purchased all the remaining cars and spare parts belonging to the Scuderia Centro Sud who had competed with the 250F in the 1950s, and also the chassis jigs from the Maserati factory. He then set about creating this series of replicas, using as far as possible genuine period parts, which are so well crafted that the FIA has allowed them to race alongside the genuine Maserati 250F and its contemporaries in competitive historic racing events.

Drag Racing 1965

In 1964 and 1965 the US National Hot Rod Association in conjunction with the British Drag Racing Association organised an exhibition tour of Britain which in 1965 included a drag race meeting on the runway of RAF Woodvale near Southport. This is a photograph that I took that day of one of the US drivers preparing for a run.

I don't recall having a programme at the event, but this is apparently Gary Casady in his Ansen Forgings Chevy powered 400 Junior Fueler.

1983 Austin Ambassador

I took these photographs at a classic car show in Hyde, Cheshire in October 2025.

It's a 1983 Auston Ambassador and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,994cc engine.

The note in the windscreen of the car reads as follows:

Austin Ambassador

 

The Ambassador is what ADO71,

the Austin Princess became in its final form.

The conversion to Ambassador was codenamed LM19 and cost just £19M.

Ambassador was a stop-gap model before LC10,

the Montego and Maestro were launched.

 

This was a mainstream model but only 44,000 examples were made,

between 1982 and 1984 and now to many peoples’ surprise, only 74 survive including

only 13 in Vanden Plas trim and only 17 in total are known to be on the road!

 

The advanced features of Harris Mann’s design include:-

crumple zones with a rigid passenger cell,

fold-away steering wheel to protect ribs in an accident,

front wheel drive for accuracy in all road conditions,

Hydragas suspension, linked front to rear giving legendary comfort,

a huge boot, masses of legroom, especially in the back, and wedge styling.

Over the Princess, the ambassador has bigger, improved Hydragas suspension units,

wider wheels, the dashboard is all new, there is an air dam at the front

to further reduce drag and it is a hatchback.

 

The decision not to build the Princess in the first place as a hatchback was because

BL wanted a saloon car, so as not to compete with its own Rover SD1.

 

Despite being ‘badged’ an Austin, Ambassadors were at Cowley, Oxford,

the former Morris factory where BMW Minis are built today.

 

Here is a very rare British car to be proud of.

 

A455 VUK Ambassador Vanden Plas

1999 Renault Laguna

I took this photograph at Druids Corner during qualifying for the HSCC/TCRE Super Touring Car Challenge race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2018.

It’s Mark Jones in his ex-Jason Plato 1999 Renault Laguna which has a 4-cylinder inline 1,988cc engine.

Friday's Ferrari

The Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017 celebrated Ferrari’s 70^th Anniversary, and this is one of the cars that marked the occasion.

It’s a 2016 Ferrari 488 Challenge based on the 488 GTB and has a 3,902cc V8 engine.

1958 Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1

This is a photograph that I took in Heaton Park, Manchester at the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally in September 1988.

It’s not listed in the programme of the event,  but it’s a 1958 Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 provided new to Wallasey Corporation Transport in 1958 and has a Metropolitan Cammell H77F body.

1944 Volkswagen Kübelwagen Type 82

I took this photograph at the Donington Park museum in September 2014 in the area set aside for Tom Wheatcroft’s son Kevin’s collection of World War II military vehicles.

It’s a 1944 Volkswagen Kübelwagen Type 82, over 50,000 of which were built between 1940 and 1945.

 

AI tells me that the military vehicles were moved into private storage when the museum closed down in 2018.

1962 Morgan Plus 4

I took this photograph at Druids Corner during qualifying for the Equipe Pre ’63 race at the Aston Martin Owners club’s meeting at Oulton Park in May 2018.

It’s Mark Hoble in his 1962 Morgan Plus 4 which the programme of the event says has a 1,962cc engine. They may have confused the engine capacity with the date of manufacture as the Plus 4 was provided with a variety of engines of around 2 litres, but none of them with a capacity of 1,962cc.

1959 Maserati T61

This was one of the competitors in the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It’s Alan Minshaw’s 1959 Maserati T61, generally known as a Maserati Birdcage on account of its space frame chassis and which has a 4-cylinder inline 2,850cc engine. It's 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.

1909 F.N. (Fabrique Nationale)

This is a photograph that I took at the Broad Street/Cross Lane roundabout in Salford of one of the cars that took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1965.

It's the 1909 F.N. of Mr W.G.Steele, and the programme of the event had this note about the car:

16.  Mr. W.G. Steele, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

         F.N. (Fabrique Nationale) Belgium 6-12h.p.

This car was originally owned by the Belgian Royal Family. Its snake horn “Horace” was in the film “School for Scoundrels” with Terry-Thomas. Many times Concours winner, including Grand Concours 1961, International Goodwood. This car is one of the many exhibits on show in Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire, Motor Museum, which also houses all forms of antique travel. Competed in all the previous Manchester/Blackpool Rallies and won the Vigzol Trophy in 1964.

N.B. The Vigzol Amoco Trophy was awarded for the Veteran or Edwardian car covering the greatest distance to the start under its own power.

1981 Triumph TR8

This is a car that I found in the paddock at the Aston Martin Owners Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in May 2017.

It a 1981 Triumph TR8, a car based on the 2 litre Triumph TR7, but with a 3,528cc Rover V8 engine.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a Ferrari 458 Italia which has a 4,497cc V8 Ferrari F136 F engine. It was produced between 2010 and 2015 replacing the Ferrari F430, and was itself eventually replaced by the Ferrari 488.

1965 Singer Vogue

I took these photographs in a supermarket car park in Hyde in June 2021.

It's a 1965 Singer Vogue, the Singer version of the Rootes Group's Hillman Super Minx

It's a Series III model and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,592cc engine.

1935 ERA R4A

I took this photograph at Deer Leap during the Hawthorn Memorial and Spanish Trophies Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in July 2015.

It's the 1935 ERA R4A of Nick Topliss with the 4-cylinder inline 1,988cc supercharged engine.

 

1956 Maserati 250S

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

It's Jeremy Agace in his 1956 Maserati 250S which started off life as the 1,484cc 4-cylinder Maserati 150S of Argentinian Alejandro De Tomaso with the chassis number 1660. In 1957 it was converted to a Maserati 250S with a 2,489cc 4-cylinder engine and given a new chassis number 2411.

1948 Leyland Tiger PS1

This vehicle took part in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1990.

It's a 1948 Leyland Tiger with a Brush body, and was provided new to Burnley, Colne and Nelson.  The note about it in the programme of the event reads as follows:

 

Leyland Tiger PS1, Brush, 1948                  HG9651

Burnley, Colne and Nelson

Entered by R Eckersall, Ashton U Lyne, Lancashire

Sold by BCN in 1996 and purchased for preservation in 1974. During repairs to the body the rear entrance has been replaced.

1953 Riley RME

This is a photograph that I took in one of the car parks at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2008.

It's a 1953 Riley RME, 3,446 of which were produced between 1952 and 1955 and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,496cc engine. 

1948 Maserati 4CLT

This is a photograph that I took in the Donington Park Museum in March 1996.

It's a Maserati 4CLT which was a development of the pre-War 4CL and has a 4-cylinder inline 1,491cc supercharged engine. The first 4CLT was produced in 1947 and the 1948 variant made its debut at the San Remo Grand Prix, winning the race in the hands of Alberto Ascari. The 4CLT has ever since been known as the 'San Remo'. After spending some time trying to find this car's chassis number I eventually came across this site  which says it's #1607 and gave this information:

'Maserati 4CLT-48 [1607]: To Enrico Platé for 1949 (dated 14 Nov 1949 in Maserati records) and raced by Bira up to Geneva 1950. Car fitted with a 4450cc OSCA V12 engine for Bira for the 1951 season. The OSCA was taken to Australia in 1955 by Bira as a spare car to his 250F and sold there to Alf Harvey who raced it from 1955 to 1959. The car then went to the UK for historic racing and was bought by Tom Wheatcroft in 1971. Subsequently in the Donington Museum.'

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

It's a Ferrari 360 Modena, a car that was introduced in 1999 replacing the Ferrari F355 and was superseded by the Ferrari F430 in 2004. It has the 3,586cc Ferrari F131 V8 engine with twin overhead camshafts per bank and five valves per cylinder.

1901 De Dion Bouton

This is one of the cars that took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car in April 1965.

All that it says in the programme of the event is that it’s Ralph Wilde’s 1901 De Dion Bouton. It also took part in the Run in 1966, however, as number 4 and the programme on that occasion had this note about it:

 

4.       Mr. R. Wilde, Radford Semele, Leamington.

           1901 De Dion Bouton Voiturette 503 c.c.

This is the first of the four-wheeled De Dion petrol cars, as opposed to the earlier steamers. It is a  descendant of the tricycles and is the earliest example of the famous De Dion rear axle now used on high-performance cars, including the Rover 2000. This example was rebuilt from scratch by the present owner and the task took five years. Won the Matthew Brown and Carburol Trophies in 1965.

 

Note: The 1965 programme says that the Matthew Brown Trophy was awarded for the best performance by a Veteran Car, and the United Lubricants Carburol Trophy was awarded for the best combined performance on the road and in the Concours d’Elegance by a Veteran or Edwardian Car.

1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA

This is a photograph that I took at Britten’s chicane during the Under 2 Litres Touring Car race at the Gold Cup Meeting at Oulton Park in August 2008.

It's the 1965 Scuderia del Portello Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA driven in the 1 hour long race by Jason Wright. The Giulia was produced from 1962 to 1978 with a 4-cylinder inline engine of either 1.3 litres or 1.6 litres and the programme of the event says that this car has the 1.6 litre engine. The car behind looks like Roz Shaw and Tom Sheppard’s Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT.

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 and It has a reproduction chassis with an original offset 2,488cc V8 engine and transmission salvaged from Enzo Ferrari's 'scrapyard'. This car was owned by Robin Lodge, and was entered in the Maserati UK Race for Pre 1961 Grand Prix Cars, but Robin Lodge had taken the precaution of also entering his 1959 Ferrari 246 Dino for that race, both numbered 42, in case the Lancia was not allowed to take part because of a doubt about its eligibility. In the end the car was allowed to race and was driven by Robin Lodge - the Ferrari also  took part in the race, renumbered as 54 and was driven by Willie Green.

Morris Minor 8hp

This is one of the cars that took part in a Vintage & Historic Vehicle Display & Run organised by the Saddleworth Museum in June 1987.

It’s not mentioned in the entry list, but it appears to be one of the 8hp Morris Minors built between 1928 and 1932 which had a 4-cylinder inline 847cc engine.

1959 Terrier Mk IV

This is a photograph that I took at Britten's chicane during a short Scratch Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Boulogne and Hawthorn Trophies Race Meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006.

The leading car is the 1959 Terrier Mk IV of Derek Walker which is being followed by the  1937 Riley Falcon Special of Robert Cobden and the 1936 ERA R7B of Paul Mullins. The Terrier is a little-known Formula Junior car but I have found a Formula Junior site with this information about it:

 

‘The Terrier was typical of the front engine Juniors which captured an appearance of their much bigger/ faster GP fellows. It was designed with space frame by Len Terry. The power being provided by the Ford Anglia. Due to the layout and need to keep the driver low the engine is engine dropping downwards at the rear and resultant prop shaft facing upwards. Tyres are believed to have been 5.00 L x 13 front and 5.50 Lx 14 rear on steel wheels to keep costs down etc. the front suspension incorporated Triumph Herald uprights. The weight is estimated at approximately 10cwt.’