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Thursday, 21 May 2026

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.


Wednesday, 20 May 2026

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.
 

Tuesday, 19 May 2026

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.


Monday, 18 May 2026

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.

Sunday, 17 May 2026

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. 

Saturday, 16 May 2026

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, 15 May 2026

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.

Thursday, 14 May 2026

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.

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

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.

Tuesday, 12 May 2026

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.

Monday, 11 May 2026

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.

Sunday, 10 May 2026

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.’

Saturday, 9 May 2026

1950 Crossley DD42/7

This is a photograph that I took in Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1988 at the Greater Manchester Transport Society’s Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally.
It’s a 1950 Crossley DD42 and the programme of the event had this note about it:
 
JOJ 489 Crossley DD42/7, Crossley H30/24R, 1950 Birmingham City Transport. Entered by D. Harvey, Halesowen, West Midlands. Rallied every year since 1969 and recently re-restored, this unique tin front Crossley is now the sole survivor of 270 Crossleys owned by Birmingham.

Friday, 8 May 2026

Friday's Ferrari

This was one of the Ferraris at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.
It's a 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello, which has a 5,474cc V12 engine and is one of 3,083 produced between 1996 and 2001.

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Chevron B17C and Lotus 69

This is a photograph that I took in the paddock at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2005.
On the left is the 1970 Chevron B17C of Ray Davies, a Formula 2 car which took part in the Open Wheeled Chevron Race. It is chassis F2-70-2 and has a 1600cc Ford twin cam engine. The car on the right is Andy Middlehurst’s 1971 Lotus 69, a car designed to be used in Formula 2, Formula 3 and Formula Ford racing. This car had a 1600cc engine in accordance with the Formula 2 regulations in 1971 - probably the Ford twin cam. The Lotus 69 was also used in Formula B racing in the United States.

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

Lotus Exige

This is a photograph that I took as I was leaving the Donington Park circuit at the end of the SeeRed meeting in May 2011.
It’s probably a Lotus Exige a car which was produced by Lotus from 2000 to 2021 with various different engines, but since the DVLA says that the vehicle details for P3 SKE could not be found I’m unable to give a more precise definition.

Tuesday, 5 May 2026

1981 Williams FW07C

This was one of the competitors in the Grand Prix Masters F1 Cars 1966-85 race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the 1981 Williams FW07C of Michael Fitzgerald and has the 2,993cc V8 Ford Cosworth DFV engine. The FW07 was designed by Patrick Head, Frank Dernie and Neil Oatley and first appeared in the 1979 season. Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni drove the car that season and finished in third and fifth places respectively in the World Drivers' Championship with the team ending up in second place in the World Constructors' Championship. Improvements were made to the car for 1980 creating the FW07B with which Alan Jones won the Drivers' Championship with Carlos Reutemann in third place and Williams winning the Constructors Championship. Changes were made again for the 1981 season and the FW07C was driven by the same two drivers, Carlos Reutemann finishing in second place in the Drivers' Championship and Alan Jones in third place with the winner being Nelson Piquet in his Brabham, though Williams again won the Constructors' title.

Monday, 4 May 2026

1933/4 Riley 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 May 2005.
It’s the 1933/4 Riley 12/4 Special of Alan Couper and 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.

Sunday, 3 May 2026

1905/6 Argyll

This is a photograph that I took in June 1963 at the first of the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Runs.
It’s the 1905/6 Argyll of Eric Kirby about which the programme of the event only says:
 
22.   1905/6 Argyll.
Just finished restoration. First time entered in any Rally.
 
In 1905/6 the Argyll company produced two model, both with 4-cylinder engines – the 14/16 with a 3,054cc engine and the 16/20 with a 3,686cc engine. The DVLA record says that 5555 TF is an Argyll and has a 1,701cc engine.

Saturday, 2 May 2026

1956 Maserati 250F

This is a photograph that I took at Lodge Corner during the Twelve Lap Scratch Race for Post War Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s meeting at Oulton Park in August 1996.
It’s David Pennell in his 1956 Maserati 250F which has the 6-cylinder inline 2,491cc Maserati engine. It is chassis #2524 which was sold new to Francisco Godia-Sales and with which he competed in the F1 World Championship races in 1956 and 1957. In 1958 it was sold to Joakim Bonnier who raced it during the 1958 season with Phil Hill taking the wheel at the French Grand Prix and Troy Ruttmann taking over for the German Grand Prix, although engine problems meant that he did not start the race. Scuderia Centro Sud entered the car in the 1958 Italian and Moroccan Grands Prix, driven by Giulio Cabianca and Hans Herrmann respectively.

Friday, 1 May 2026

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.
It's a 2009 Ferrari F430 Scuderia with a 4,308cc V8 engine and produced from 2007 to 2009. It was lighter than the standard Ferrari F430, and revised intake and exhaust systems and other engine improvements raised the power output from 490hp to 510hp. Michael Schumacher spent a lot of time testing the 430 Scuderia when it was being developed.