1960 OSCA FJ

This car took part in the AMOC Formula Junior Race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in June 2001.

It's the 1960 OSCA Formula Junior car of Peter Mullen and has a 4-cylinder inline Fiat 1,098cc engine. The OSCA company was established by the Maserati brothers at the end of their 10 year contract with Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati concern in 1937. Formula Junior racing was initiated in 1958 by Giovanni Lurani as an affordable introduction to single seater racing and was initially dominated by the Fiat-engined Italian cars, particularly Stanguellini. British interest remained for some time with the 500cc Formula 3 class of racing, but when they turned their attention to Formula Junior cars such as Elva and Lola started to make an impression, and when Cooper and Lotus introduced their mid-engined cars they became the ones to beat.

1960 OSCA FJ

This car took part in the AMOC Formula Junior Race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in June 2001.

It's the 1960 OSCA Formula Junior car of Peter Mullen and has a 4-cylinder inline Fiat 1,098cc engine. The OSCA company was established by the Maserati brothers at the end of their 10 year contract with Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati concern in 1937. Formula Junior racing was initiated in 1958 by Giovanni Lurani as an affordable introduction to single seater racing and was initially dominated by the Fiat-engined Italian cars, particularly Stanguellini. British interest remained for some time with the 500cc Formula 3 class of racing, but when they turned their attention to Formula Junior cars such as Elva and Lola started to make an impression, and when Cooper and Lotus introduced their mid-engined cars they became the ones to beat.

1960 OSCA FJ

This car took part in the Miller Oils/ AMOC Historic Formula Junior race at the Silverstone Historic Tribute meeting in June 2004.

Numbered 21 in the programme of the event, it's the 1960 OSCA Formula Junior car of Peter Mullen and has a 4-cylinder inline Fiat 1,098cc engine. The OSCA company was established by the Maserati brothers at the end of their 10 year contract with Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati concern in 1937. Formula Junior racing was initiated in 1958 by Giovanni Lurani as an affordable introduction to single seater racing and was initially dominated by the Fiat-engined Italian cars, particularly Stanguellini. British interest remained for some time with the 500cc Formula 3 class of racing, but when they turned their attention to Formula Junior cars such as Elva and Lola started to make an impression, and when Cooper and Lotus introduced their mid-engined cars they became the ones to beat.

1959 OSCA FJ

I photographed this car preparing to leave the paddock for a qualifying session for the Formula Junior race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007.

It's the 1959 OSCA FJ car of Tony Pickering, powered - as were most Italian FJ cars - by a Fiat 1,098cc engine. Formula Junior racing was initiated in 1958 by Giovanni Lurani as an affordable introduction to single seater racing and was initially dominated by the Fiat-engined Italian cars, particularly Stanguellini. British interest remained for some time with the 500cc Formula 3 class of racing, but when they turned their attention to Formula Junior cars such as Elva and Lola started to make an impression, and when Cooper and Lotus introduced their mid-engined cars they became the ones to beat.

Formula Junior

I photographed these cars at Redgate corner on the first lap of the Formula Junior race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007.

On the left the yellow car, number 20, is the 1960 Elva 100 of Geoff O'Nion which is being followed by the number 99 1960 Elva 100 of Peter Lavender. On the right the red 1960 OSCA (21) of Peter Mullen is alongside the 1960 Elva 100 (23) of David Watts and behind him is another 1960 Elva 100, the number 226 of Roger Dexter. I can't identify the car behind the OSCA, but the blue car behind that group is the 1958 Stanguellini (116) of Gordon Wright. The three cars bringing up the rear on the left are Bill Grimshaw in his 1959 Moorland Mk1 (29) Stephen Bulling in the red 1959 Sadler (118) and the blue 1959 Volpini (10) of Antony Childe-Freeman. All the cars bar one have 1.1 litre engines, the exception being the Sadler's which is only 1 litre.

OSCA FJ

The SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005 included a Celebration Maserati Invitation Race and this is one of the cars that participated in that race.

It's one of two OSCA Formula Junior cars taking part in the race - included because the Maserati brothers established the OSCA company at the end of their 10 year contract with Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati concern in 1937. Formula Junior racing was initiated in 1958 by Giovanni Lurani as an affordable introduction to single seater racing, and this car is the 1959 OSCA FJ car of Tony Pickering, powered - as were most Italian FJ cars - by a Fiat 1100cc engine.

On 6 Jan 2016 I showed a photograph of this car at Donington Park in 2007.

Italian Formula Junior Cars

I showed some photographs on 31 October 2015 of several British Formula Junior cars at an HSCC meeting at Oulton Park in 1986. Here are a couple of photographs of Italian Formula Junior cars at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007.

The red car is Tony Pickering's 1959 OSCA FJ and the blue car is Antony Childe-Freeman's 1959 Volpini FJ.

This is Gordon Wright's 1958 Stanguellini FJ.