1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR

The five times World Drivers Champion Juan Manuel Fangio was featured at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 with a display of some of the cars that he drove in the 1940s and 50s, and the car below was one that was in that display.

Not the actual car that Fangio drove, this is the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR with which Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson won the 1955 Mille Miglia - Fangio, driving solo, finished in second place over half an hour behind in second place in an identical car. The car is being driven here by John Surtees in a parade of the cars from the display, in which Stirling Moss drove one of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz W196 Grand Prix Cars.

Avro Vulcan

This aircraft was part of the static display at the RAFA Woodford Air Show in June 1994.

It’s an Avro Vulcan bomber, 136 of which were built between 1956 and 1965 at Woodford. They were in service with the RAF from 1957 to 1982 and this one, Vulcan B.2 XM603, is now in the Avro Heritage Museum at Woodford.

Manx Norton 500cc

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

There were no motorcycle races at this meeting but there was a small group of motorcycles in a corner of the paddock, though it doesn't get a mention in the programme of the event. The Manx Nortons were made between 1947 and 1962 and the yellow number plate suggests that it's a 500cc model.

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.

1994 Williams FW16

This car was on display in the paddock at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's a 1994 Williams FW16, the type of car with which Damon Hill finished in second place in the 1994 World Championship to Michael Schumacher's Benetton B194. Williams won the Constructors' Championship though, thanks to the efforts of David Coulthard and Nigel Mansell. Damon Hill won six of the sixteen races that season in the 3½ litre V10 Renault-engined car, and Nigel Mansell won the final race in Australia.

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.

Mercedes Benz Kompressor Club

Several members of Germany's Mercedes Benz Kompressor Club for vehicles produced between 1927 and 1934 attended the Coys International Historic Festival Meeting with their cars in July 1994 and took part in a demonstration run around the circuit. This is a photograph that I took at Luffield Corner during the demonstration run.

The programme of the event had this note about the Kompressor Club:

1955 Lotus Mk IX

I took this photograph at Luffield corner of one of the competitors in the up to 2 litre class in the Classic Car Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in the in July 1994.

It's Stephen Archer in his 1955 Lotus Mk IX which has a 4-cylinder inline1,098cc Coventry Climax FWA engine. As with the earlier Lotus Mk VIII the Mk IX was offered with a variety of engines of up to 1½ litres, but the Mk IX most usually had this 1,098cc Coventry Climax unit. The car was originally owned by Tony Page who competed with it in various British events including the 1955 Goodwood 9 Hour race where he and Paul Emery finished in eleventh place overall and fourth in class.

1960 Cooper T53

This car took part in the Innes Ireland Trophy Race for Pre-1966 Grand Prix & Tasman Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's the 1960 Cooper T53 of Allan Miles, described in the programme of the event as having a 2,459cc 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.

1955 Maserati 300S

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

According to the programme of the event number 23 in the Classic Car Sports Car Race was supposed to be Thomas Bscher's Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage, but he  drove his 300S instead, and this is a 1955 car, chassis #3053.

1926 Bentley 3 litre

This is a photograph that I took at Luffield corner during the Taylor Woodrow Pre-War Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

Leading is Duncan Wiltshire in his Bentley 3 litre followed by Peterheinz Kern in his 1928 Mercedes Benz SS.

Citroën 11 Cabriolet

I photographed this car at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1994.

It's a Citroën 11 CV Cabriolet, a car that was produced from 1934 to 1957 with five different engine sizes during that period. It was succeeded in 1957 by the ID19.

1955 Mercedes Benz W196

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 featured a tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio with a display of some of the cars that he drove to win his five World Championships, for two of which, in 1954 and 1955, he was a member of the Mercedes-Benz team.

This is one of the Mercedes-Benz W196 cars that he drove in those two seasons and in which I remember seeing him finish in second place to his team-mate Stirling Moss in the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree. Behind it is the Mercedes-Benz 300SLR with which Stirling Moss and co-driver Denis Jenkinson won the 1955 Mille Miglia - Fangio, driving solo, finished in second place over half an hour behind in second place in an identical car. In the background is an Aston Martin DBR1, chassis DBR1/2, which also formed part of a display in the paddock and on the circuit.

 

1928 Mercedes Benz SS

I took this photograph at Luffield Corner during the Taylor Woodrow Pre-War Sportscar Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's the 1928 Mercedes Benz SS of Peterheinz Kern which has a supercharged 6-cylinder inline 7.1 litre engine. The following car appears to be the 1935 MG PA of Hamish McNinch.

Pre-War Sports Cars at Silverstone

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

If that's a black number 1 on the door of the leading car then it's the Alfa Romeo 8C Le Mans of Klaus Werner. Behind him is the Bentley Speed Six of John May and on the outside the Alfa Romeo 8C Le Mans of Peter Groh. The blue car behind the leading Alfa is the Bugatti T40/37 of Michael Steel and the car on the left-hand side is another Alfa Romeo 8C, that of either Hartmut Ibing or Heidi Kampfer.

1957 Aston Martin DBR1

This is Roy Salvadori in an Aston Martin DBR1, chassis DBR1/2, at Luffield Corner during a track demonstration at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 where it also formed part of a display in the paddock.

The DBR1 replaced the DB3S and was designed by Ted Cutting to compete in the World Sportscar Championship, and specifically the Le Mans 24 Hour Race. In 1957 DBR1/2 won the Nürburgring 1000km race driven by Tony Brooks and Noel Cunningham-Reid, and in 1958 won the RAC Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks. In 1959 Aston Martin finally managed to win the World Sportscar Championship, this car winning the Le Mans 24 Hour race driven by Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby whilst Carroll Shelby, Jack Fairman and Stirling Moss took it to victory in the RAC Tourist Trophy race. The Nürburgring 1000km race was won by DBR1/1 driven by Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman.

Motorcycles at Silverstone

There were no motorcycle races at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994, but this is a photograph that I took in the paddock that day.

There doesn't appear to be anything in the programme of the event about these bikes, but the white number 11 on the blue background indicates that the AJS is a 350cc machine whilst the white number 9 on a green background tells you that the Royal Enfield has a 250cc engine. If it's still kept the same registration number 362 WNK belongs to a 1958 499cc BSA.

1955 Mercedes-Benz W196

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 featured a tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio with a display of some of the cars that he drove to win his five World Championships, for two of which, in 1954 and 1955, he was a member of the Mercedes-Benz team.

The programme of the event had this to say about Fangio:

 

'The five times World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio is to be honoured by the British Racing Drivers' Club this weekend. Now aged 83, Fangio is no longer able to travel long distances, so he will be represented by his nephew, the 1992 & 1993 IMSA GTP Champion Juan Manuel Fangio II. On his uncle's behalf, he will receive one of the BRDC's prestigious Gold Stars for lifetime achievement.

This will be presented on Sunday by Lord Hesketh, President of the BRDC, on the grid. Juan Manuel Fangio II will also be seen in action on the track when he takes to the wheel of the Maserati 250F that his uncle used to win the 1957 German Grand Prix and thereby clinch his fifth and final World Championship.

The younger Fangio will lead the demonstration of famous racing cars, together with Stirling Moss who will drive a 1955 Mercedes-Benz W196, the type that both he and Fangio raced so successfully.'

 

The photograph shows Stirling Moss at Luffield corner on one of those demonstration runs.

1931 Bentley 4½ litre

I took this photograph at Luffield corner during the Taylor Woodrow Pre-War Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's the 1931 Bentley 4½ litre of Paul Benton which was driven in the race by Soames Langton. Despite being called a 4½ litre car, the capacity of the 4-cylinder inline engine of the Bentley 4½ is only 4,398cc. The DVLA record of GT8771 says that the car has been untaxed since December 1995.

1929 Chevrolet International

This is a photograph that I took at the Northern Classic Car Show in a very poorly lit G-Mex Centre in Manchester in August 1994.

It's a 1929 Chevrolet International which should have a 6-cylinder inline 194 cu in (3,179cc) engine. The DVLA record says that it has a 2,630cc engine and has been untaxed since March 2001.