Four Connaughts and an ERA

All these cars lined up in the paddock outside the pit garages took part in the Chopard HGPCA 100-Mile Grand Prix Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

Number 12 is the 1955 Connaught B-Type of Ean Pugh and is chassis B5. Behind that is car number 24, the 1952 Connaught A-Type of Bob Burrell, chassis A6, then next is the 1955 Connaught B-Type of Paul Burdell which is chassis B4. The fourth Connaught is the 1952 A-Type of Spike Milligan, chassis A7, and in the background car number 32 is the 1934 ERA R1A driven here by Tony Merrick.

Connaught A-Type

These two Connaughts competed in the HGPCA Pre-61 Front Engine Grand Prix Cars race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

This is Adrian van der Kroft's 1952 Connaught A-Type, chassis A3. Originally owned by Ken Downing it was acquired by Rob Walker in 1953 and subsequently driven by Tony Rolt, Peter Collins and Tony Brooks, amongst others.

This is another Connaught A-Type, the 1952 car of Wil Arif, and is chassis A6. This car was driven in the 1952 season by Eric Thompson, and in the Italian Grand Prix by Stirling Moss, but was acquired by Ecurie Ecosse at the end of the season and was campaigned by them in the 1953 season.

Here's Wil Arif in A6 preparing to go out on a practice session.

The A-Type Connaught was designed in 1950 to compete in 2 litre Formula 2 races and the 1,960cc engine was developed from the Lea Francis engines that powered their L-Type sports cars. In 1952 and 1953 the World Drivers Championship was contested by Formula 2 cars and Connaughts took part in several of those races.