1963 Iso Grifo A3C

This was one of the cars entered in the Coys of Kensington Pre 1964 GT Cars race at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 1999.

It's a 1963 Iso A3C driven by Jeremy Agace and Ray Bellm in the race. The car was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini who later left Iso and continued producing the car as a Bizzarrini A3C. The car was entered in the same event the following year when programme of the event had this note about the car:

 

‘Monaco based Agace’s Iso, the company’s Turin show car of ’63, benefits from a hulking great 5.3 litre Chevrolet V8 engine, buried as far back as possible in the cockpit bulkhead for optimum weight distribution. Well balanced, and superbly fettled by Paul Lanzante’s équipe, its impressive Historic log includes winning last year’s Spa 6 hours and the GT class of the Paul Ricard 24 hours in ’98. Co-driver Bellm is still seriously quick.’

1997 Robin Hood Kit Car

This is a car that took part in a classic car show in Hyde, Cheshire in October 2022.

It’s a 1997 Robin Hood Kit car, a replica car based on the Series 3 Lotus Seven. 

The DVLA record says that it has a 1,997cc engine, which appears to be the one that powered the Ford Pinto in the 1970s.

I've not seen one of these cars before, nor since.

1965 Shelby Cobra

This is a photograph that I took at the Knickerbrook chicane during qualifying for the Guards Trophy race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2017.

It’s the 1965 Shelby Cobra of Paul Gibson which has a 4.7 litre Ford V8 engine.

1930 Bentley 4½ litre

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's a 1930 Bentley 4½ litre, but despite being called a 4½ litre car the capacity of the 4-cylinder inline engine of the Bentley 4½ litre is only 4,398cc. The DVLA record of GF 3372 says that the car is currently taxed to the end of December 2026.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took of one of the F1 Ferraris that took part in a series of demonstration runs at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's a Ferrari 412 T2, one of the cars that contested the 1995 Grand Prix season in the hands of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger. The World Championship was won that season by Michael Schumacher in a Renault powered Benetton B195 with Jean Alesi in fifth place and Gerhard Berger sixth. The only Grand Prix victory for Ferrari that season was Jean Alesi's win in the Canadian Grand Prix, and he also had four second place finishes. Gerhard Berger's best results were six third place finishes.

 

The programme of the Donington Park meeting doesn't record the names of any of the drivers taking part in the demonstration runs.

1901 De Dion Bouton 4½hp Voiturette

This was one of the entrants in the Lancashire Automobile Club's Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1981 and is pictured in Manchester before the start of the run.

I no longer have the 1981 programme, but it was also in the 1980 Run when the programme of the event included this note about the car:

 

3. Major A.Pownall, Wilmslow, Cheshire

1901 De Dion Bouton 4½ h.p. Voiturette

This single cylinder car was assembled in America and spent its life there until 1972, when it was imported into this country.

 

The DVLA record says that the car currently has a SORN.

1974 Bitter CD

Erich Bitter built his first car in 1973 based on an Opel floorplan and running gear, and between 1973 and 1986 he built 395 Bitter CD's and 488 SC's. Three of these cars were displayed by the Bitter Owners Club at the Footman James Classic Car Show Manchester at EventCity in September 2018 and this is one of them.

It’s a 1974 Bitter CD, and was described as follows:

 

'395 examples of the CD were built by Baur of Stuttgart for Bitter between 1973 and 1979. This CD is the only CD in the UK and was a personal import. The car is based on a shortened and stiffened Opel Diplomat chassis and fitted with a 5354cc American V8  (short block Chevy) and will achieve a top speed of 130mph. This was the 10th CD built and exported to South Africa by GM to try and establish the Marque there but no others followed. It was brought to the UK from South Africa in 2015 by its current owner. There are now less than 200 CD's left, mostly in Germany with a few in the Netherland, Belgium and the USA.

The car is owned by Andrew Grace.'

1979 TVR 3000M

This is a photograph that I took at Britten’s chicane during the HSCC Roadsports Championship Race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2005.

Julian Barter in his 1979 TVR 3000M is leading, closely followed by the 1970 TVR Tuscan of Jim Baynham.

1960 Maserati T61

This is a photograph that I took at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's the cockpit of the 1960 Maserati T61 of Lindsay Owen-Jones, chassis #2458 which has a 4-cylinder inline 2,890cc engine. The T61, and the 1,989cc T60 were generally known as Maserati Birdcage cars because of the intricate tubular space frame chassis, and in common with many of these cars 2458 started off life in the USA, in this case with Lloyd "Lucky" Casner's Camoradi team. After passing through various hands in the USA it was acquired by Lindsay Owen-Jones in 1992. Sixteen examples of the T61 were produced between 1959 and 1961.

1948 Leyland Tiger PS1

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 1990.

It’s not listed in the programme of the event, but it’s a 1948 Leyland Tiger PS1, originally Leeds Corporation fleet no 28 and has a Roe B36R body. It was withdrawn from service in 1962 and is now preserved at Keighley Bus Museum Trust.

1937 Lagonda LG45

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It’s the 1937 Lagonda LG45 of A.W.Barker who competed in two 4 lap handicap races at the meeting. The LG45 was produced from 1935 to 1937 and had a 6-cylinder inline 4,453cc engine which is a modified Meadows unit. The Lagonda Club has this information about the LG45.

Friday's Ferrari

Ferrari uses the Corse Clienti Ferrari Racing Days meetings at various circuits to allow a group of specially selected customers to test limited edition cars developed exclusively for the track and to provide feedback on the performance of the cars to Corse Clienti engineers, thus helping Ferrari to develop its cars for the future. The Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017 included a series of test sessions involving the Ferrari FXX-K, the 'K' referring to the KERS kinetic energy recovery system with which the car is equipped. Here's one of the cars pictured at Club Corner during one of the sessions.

This is Russian driver Valentin Bukhtoyarov in his Ferrari FXX-K, which is based on the LaFerrari. The car has a 6,262cc V12 engine that develops 848 hp, to which the 140kW electric motor adds 188 hp.

Austin 12 Clifton

This is a photograph that I took at a vintage car show and a run from Stockport to Matlock in July 1985 organised by car dealers Gordon Ford of Stockport.

There was no programme at this event, but it looks like an Austin 12 Clifton, a car that was produced from 1921 to 1939.

1939 Mercedes Benz W154

This is a photograph that I took at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in June 2008.

It's a 1939 Mercedes Benz W154 from the Mercedes Benz museum that had been taken to the event to complete a number of demonstration runs in the hands of Tony Dron – here seen getting out of the car after completing one of those runs.

 

The rules governing the running of the European Championship races for 1938 had been changed from a 750kg weight limit with no restriction on engine sizes to a maximum engine capacity of 4½ litres unsupercharged or 3 litres with a supercharger. The W154 was designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut based on the chassis of the previous year's W125 and used the 2,962cc supercharged V12 M154 engine. Three of the four European Championship races that year were won by three Mercedes Benz drivers, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Richard Seaman and Rudolf Caracciola, with Tazio Nuvolari winning the final race in his Auto Union D-Type. For the 1939 season the engine was modified to use a two-stage supercharger and designated as an M163 - for this reason the 1939 car is sometimes erroneously referred to as a Mercedes Benz W163. The body was also given a sleeker, less bulbous look. Mercedes Benz again won three of the four European Championship races, Hermann Lang winning two and Rudolf Caracciola one. The other race was again won by an Auto Union D-Type, this time driven by Hermann Müller.

1931 MG C Type Montlhery

I took this photograph at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

It's the 1931 MG C Type Montlhery of D.H.Cooksey which has a 747cc supercharged engine. The MG C Type was developed from a car designed for International speed record attempts and was based on the 847cc MG M Type with a supercharged engine reduced to 743cc to try to capture speed records in the under 750cc class H. In January 1931 Captain George Eyston succeeded in setting speed records for this class with several runs at the Montlhery race track in France at over 100mph and the subsequent production MG C-Type was given the tag 'Montlhery'.

1960 Alfa Romeo SZ Coda Tronca

This car competed in the RAC Tourist Trophy Race for Historic Cars at the Silverstone Classic meeting at Silverstone in July 2010.

It’s the 1960 Alfa Romeo SZ Coda Tronca of Liz Halliday and was based on the Alfa Romeo Guilietta with a body designed by Zagato. It had a 1,290cc 4-cylinder inline engine and only 30 examples of the car were built.

1926 Jowett

This is a photograph that I took before the start of the Lancashire Automobile Club’s Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1980.

It’s a 1926 Jowett and the programme of the event had this note about the car:

 

72.     F. Barrett, Accrington, Lancs

            1926 Jowett, 2-cylinder, 6.9 h.p.

 Horizontally opposed twin cylinder engine, cone clutch, external brakes on rear wheels only. Restored in the late 1960s after standing in a field for over 12 years. The car was bought from a scrap yard in 1949 by a student for £15 and driven 5,000 miles through Europe and over the mountains of Norway and Sweden, almost to the Arctic Circle, returning with little trouble. Has been featured twice on BBC/TV. Today is the Jowett’s tenth Manchester/Blackpool run.

Willys Jeep

This is a photograph that I took in one of the car parking areas at the Vintage Sports car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1975.

It’s a Willys Jeep, and it was quite common to see these vehicles  at meetings, particularly when bad weather was expected, to help people get their cars out when they became bogged down.

Friday's Ferrari

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

It's a Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, one of 4,871 cars produced between 1994 and 1999. It has a 3,496cc V8 engine with twin overhead camshafts on each bank of cylinders and 5 valves per cylinder. The F355 replaced the Ferrari 348 and was itself replaced by the Ferrari 360. From 1997 the F355 became the first-ever road car to have the paddle operated F1 style gearbox transmission system.

2016 Aston Martin Vantage N430

This is a car that I came across in the Manchester United car park in January 2022.

It’s a 2016 Aston Martin Vantage N430, based on the standard Vantage model but with mechanical and styling changes. It’s powered by a 4,735cc V8 engine.

1930's ERA

This is a photograph that I took at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1965.

It’s a 1930’s ERA, but unfortunately it has no race number (there is what looks like a faded ‘27’ on the front of the car, but that was a Frazer Nash at this meeting) and there were 7 ERA’s entered in the Historic Trophy Race. I'm told by people with a greater knowledge of  ERAs than me that this is the 1936 ERA R5B ('Remus') of the Hon. Patrick Lindsay.

1959 ERF

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

It’s a 1959 ERF and the programme of the event had this note about the vehicle:

RDB 22 E.R.F. 6.6 GX Tractor. 1959. Entered by J.C. Wood, Bollington, Cheshire. 

New to John Stephens Limited of Heaton Mersey, this vehicle was in service until 1973 when it was withdrawn, being rescued for preservation in 1983.