Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took  during the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association's meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's Alexander Boswell's in his 1952/55 Ferrari 625, originally a Ferrari 500, chassis #0482, built as a 4-cylinder 2 litre Formula 2 car and used in World Championship races in 1952 and 1953 when they were run to Formula 2 regulations. The new Formula 1 regulations specifying a 2½ litre engine came into force in 1954 and this car was given a 2½ litre unit to convert it to a Ferrari 625. It later had a 4-cylinder 3-litre Ferrari 735 engine installed and was raced in Australia by Peter Whitehead.

1953/4 Maserati A6GCM

This is a photograph that I took at McLeans Corner during the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's David Bennett's 1953/4  Maserati A6GCM. The car is finished in the Siamese colours of Prince Bira who competed in a Maserati A6GCM in the 1954 season. This is a car that that started off life in 1953 as a Maserati A6GCM, chassis number 2044 with a 6-cylinder inline 1,979cc engine, but was converted to a 250F in 1954 with a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine and given the chassis number 2504. Later that year after an accident the chassis 2504 was switched with that of 2509.  Though it's shown in the programme of the event as a Maserati A6GCM it also says that it had a 2,493cc engine, so I suppose it should really have been called a 250F.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

This was one of the competitors in the HGPCA Pre-61 Front Engine Grand Prix Cars race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010 and is pictured in the paddock waiting to take to the track for the qualifying session.

It's the 1959 Aston Martin DBR4 of Wolfgang Friedrichs, chassis DBR4/1. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engine cars had made the older front-engine cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. The car is powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine.

1959 Cooper T51

This is one of the competitors in the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Pre '65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the 1959 Cooper T51 of Martin Stretton, and is in the colours of the British Racing Partnership/Yeoman Credit Racing Team of 1959-1960. It is one of two cars that were raced by the British Racing Partnership in 1959, mainly in Formula 2 races with a 1½ litre Borgward engine, then by the Yeoman Credit team in both Formula 1 and some Formula 2 races in the 1960 season with 2½ litre and 1½ litre Coventry Climax engines. Martin Stretton's car has the 2,495cc Coventry Climax engine.

1953 Cooper Bristol T23

These cars took part in two of the races at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

Car number 30 competed in the Corporate Jets Historic Grand Prix Car Race and is Oliver Robinson’s 1953 Cooper Bristol MkII which has a 1971cc 6-cylinder inline Bristol engine that was derived from the pre-war BMW 328 unit. Car number 29 next to it is Belgian driver Jan Heuten’s 1960 Cooper T43 with a 4-cylinder inline 1,960cc Coventry Climax engine, and is possibly chassis F2-14-57. This was one of the competitors in the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Pre '65 Grand Prix Car Race.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's Kerry Manola's 1960 Ferrari 196S Dino, chassis #0776S, that was driven in the race by Spencer Martin. The car is similar to the Ferrari TR59/60 but has a 1,984cc V6 engine instead of the TR59/60's 2,953cc V12 unit.

1956 Jaguar D-Type

This car competed in the HGPCA's Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the 1956 Jaguar D-Type of Andrew Baber with a 6-cylinder inline 3,781cc engine and is being driven by Timo Makinen. The chassis number is XKD530 which is a car that was originally supplied to Kurt Lincoln of Helsinki and was raced at that time by Timo Makinen amongst others. After being campaigned in Finland for several years, including participation in ice racing, the car came into the hands of Nigel Moores in the mid-1960s. It required a complete rebuild, and at that time different parts of the car were used to create two D-Types, both bearing the XKD530 identification. This car has the registration number XSV 979, and the other car is PAS 645. By 2002 both cars had been acquired by Gary Bartlett who had them completely dismantled and all the original parts that could be proved to have been part of the original XKD530 were incorporated into one car with the registration number XSV 979. The remaining parts were built into the replica car PAS 645.

Friday's Ferrari

This was one of the competitors in the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association's Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza, chassis #0504M, of Tom Walduck that was driven in the race by Kerry McSwan. The 750 Monza had an Aurelio Lampredi designed 4-cylinder twin overhead camshaft 2,999cc engine and bodywork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. This car was first campaigned by Mike Sparken (real name Michael J Pobereksky) who didn't own it, but 'rented' it from S.A.I.P.A. in Modena. This was apparently so that the car could be registered in Modena and so was able to avoid export restrictions and import duties when it travelled around Europe to different race meetings. The only major race that it contested was the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hour race where it was driven by Mike Sparken and Masten Gregory, but retired early in the race. It's the first Ferrari that I saw in competition, being driven by Mike Sparken in the 1955 British Empire Trophy race at Oulton Park.

Lotus 18

These cars are approaching the Old Hairpin in the HGPCA Race for Pre-1966 Grand Prix Cars at the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

Leading is Michael Schryver in his 1960 Lotus 18 with a 2,495cc Coventry Climax engine. The Lotus 18 was designed to be used in Formula Junior, Formula Two and Formula One events, 1960 being the last year of Formula One's 2½ litre limit that started in 1954. The following car is Frank Sytner's 1963 Brabham BT4, chassis IC-2-62, a car that was built for the Australian and New Zealand season of Formula Libre races where it was powered by the 2,751cc Coventry Climax FPF engine that was developed for Jack Brabham's attempt to win the 1961 Indianapolis 500 race in a Cooper T54. The Donington Park programme says that Frank Sytner's car had a 2,500cc engine.

On 18 August 2016 I showed a photograph of Michael Schryver's car in the pit lane at this meeting, and on 27 December 2016 a photograph of Frank Sytner's car in the paddock.

Jaguar D-Type

This photograph was taken at McLeans Corner on the first lap of the BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship race at the HGPCA's Donington International Historic Grand Prix meeting in May 2004.

Leading is the Ben Eastick in his 1955 Jaguar D-Type with another Jaguar, the 1950 XK120 of Nigel Webb, in second place. Bringing up the rear is John Clark in his Lola Mk1.

Cisitalia D46

This car took part in the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at the HGPCA's Donington International Historic Grand Prix meeting in May 2004.

It's Richard Pilkington's 1946 Cisitalia D46, a car that was designed by Dante Giacosa based on Fiat parts to participate in voiturette racing in the years immediately following the Second World War. It is powered by the Fiat 1,089cc 4-cylinder inline engine.

Jaguar C-Type

This car is competing in the BRDC Historic Sportscar Championship race at the Historic Grand Prix Car Association's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

Photographed at McLeans Corner, it's not shown in the programme of the event but it's a 1952 Jaguar C-Type and may have been owned at the time by Dave Lomas. Partly hidden behind the C-Type is the 1952 RGS Atalanta of Barry Wood with the Lola Mk1 of Anthony Galliers-Pratt bringing up the rear.

BRM P25

This car took part in the HGPCA Pre '65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the 1959 BRM P25 of Dave Gilmour being pushed from the scrutineering bay in the paddock. The P25 had a 2,491cc 4-cylinder inline engine and was the first BRM to win a World Championship race, Joakim Bonnier finishing in first place in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

I've shown photographs of the BRM P25 four times previously, most recently on 7 June 2017.

Maserati 300S

This car is pictured in the pit lane during a practice session at the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's the Maserati 300S of Burkhard von Schenk, one of the last to be built and is chassis #3082. This car is often described as a 300SI, implying that it has one of the experimental fuel-injection engines that were tested by Maserati, but I've not been able to confirm that this is so. The car behind is the 1962 Lotus Elite that Malcolm Ricketts and Barry Sewell drove in the 2¼ hour long Gentleman Drivers GT and Sports Endurance Race.

On 23 December 2017 I showed photographs of three Maserati 300S sports cars at Silverstone in 1994, including that of Burkhard von Schenk pictured above.

Brabham BT4

Here are three cars approaching McLean's Corner in the HGPCA Race for Pre-1966 Grand Prix Cars at the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association's International Historic Grand Prix Meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

Leading is Frank Sytner in his 2½ litre 1963 Brabham BT4, chassis #IC-2-62, a car that was derived from the BT3 F1 car and intended for Tasman Formula Racing. The following car is the 2½ litre 1960 Lotus 18 of Michael Schryver and the third car, as far as I can make out, is the 1½ litre 1961 LDS Mk2 of Julian Wakeley.

On 27 December 2016 I showed a photograph of the Brabham BT4 in the paddock at Donington Park in May 2001.

Aston Martin Project 214 Replica

This car competed in the 2¼ hour long Gentlemen Drivers GT and Sports Endurance Race at the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's shown in the programme of the event as a 1961 3.9 litre Aston Martin DB4 GT to be driven in the race by Wolfgang Friedrichs and David Clark, but it is actually Wolfgang Friedrichs' replica of the Aston Martin Project 214 cars that were built in 1963.

I showed photographs of the only remaining original Project 214 car on 23 January 2017 and 7 June 2018.

Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph at McLeans Corner during the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's Tony Smith in his 1960 Ferrari Dino 246 F1 car, originally with a 2½ litre engine in line with the then current Formula 1 regulations, but the programme of this event says it has a 2,952cc engine - presumably the Columbo V12 unit as fitted to the 250 series cars in the 1950s & 60s.

On 24 February 2017 I showed a photograph of this car in the paddock at Donington Park in September 2005.

Maserati A6GCM

On 15 January 2018 I showed a photograph of a Maserati A6GCM in a pit garage at the HGPCA's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004. Here's a photograph of the car during the HGPCA Race for Pre-1961 Grand Prix Cars at that meeting.

This photograph was taken at McLeans Corner and David Bennett in the 1953/4 Maserati A6GCM is leading the 1927 Bugatti Type 35B of Ian Landy ahead of the 1946 Cisitalia D46 of Richard Pilkington with Dick Smith's 1932 Frazer Nash Nürburg bringing up the rear.

Jaguar C-Type

This was one of the cars taking part in the HGPCA Race for Pre-1959 Drum-Braked Sports Cars at the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004.

It's Nick Rossi's 1952 Jaguar C-Type replica, one of several cars created by Peter Jaye - in this instance based on a Jaguar XK120. It has the 3,442cc straight-6 engine that powered the original C-Types.

Cooper T51

This car competed in the HGPCA Race for Pre-1966 Grand Prix Cars at the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association's International Historic Grand Prix meeting at Donington Park in May 2004. 

It's John Clark's 2½ litre Climax-engined 1959 Cooper T51. The T51 was the car with which Jack Brabham won his first World Championship in 1959, and on 20 May 2014 I showed photographs of Jack Brabham in a Cooper T51 at Silverstone in 1993.