North American P-51 Mustang

When I went to the Coys International Historic Festival meetings in the 1990s Robs Lamplough was usually in attendance with one or more of his collection of historic cars, and he usually turned up in one of the historic aircraft that he also collected. Once or twice I remember that it was a WW2 Supermarine Spitfire, but in 1999 he came in aircraft pictured below.

It's a North American P-51 Mustang, registered as G-BIXL. This aircraft, 44-72216, was delivered in January 1945 to the 352nd Fighter Group then based in Bodney, Norfolk, and was assigned to Captain Ray Littge who named it 'Miss Helen' after his fiancé Helen Fischer. The 352nd were redeployed to Belgium and then back to Bodney, and after Ray Littge returned to the USA the Mustang was reassigned to Captain Russell Ross. At the end of the war 'Miss Helen' was flown to Germany with other surplus Mustangs, and it was bought by the Swedish Air Force in 1948. When the Swedish Air Force had no further use for the aircraft it was sold to the Israeli Air Force, and in 1978 it was discovered in a kibbutz at Ein Gedi by Robs Lamplough. He bought this and several other aircraft and shipped them to Duxford where this was the aircraft that was chosen to be restored for his own use. It was only when restoration was under way that its historical significance was realised. In 1989 it was one of the aircraft used in the film 'Memphis Belle' where it was painted in the livery show above which Robs Lamplough kept until 2000 when it was repainted in its 352nd Fighter Group colours.

1964 Lotus 33

This car was entered in the Innes Ireland Trophy Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994, but didn't take part in the race after an accident in the Friday practice session.

It's the 1964 Lotus 33 of Robs Lamplough, a car developed by Colin Chapman and Len Terry from the Lotus 25 and powered by the 1,497cc V8 Coventry Climax FWMV engine. The car was introduced part way through the 1964 season at the German Grand Prix and driven by Jim Clark and Mike Spence for the rest of the season, although Jim Clark reverted to the Lotus 25 for the Italian Grand Prix. The car wasn't successful at first and Jim Clark only managed a fifth and a sixth place finish in the car, ending the season in third place in the World Drivers' Championship, thanks to three wins with the Lotus 25 in the early part of the season. Mike Spence, who came into the team at the German Grand Prix after Peter Arundell had been badly injured in crash during a Formula 2 race at the Reims circuit, had a fourth and a sixth place finish to end up in twelfth place in the Championship. In the 1965 season Jim Clark won six of the ten races (one in a Lotus 25) to win the World Drivers' Championship while Mike Spence had a third and two fourth places to finish in eighth place in the Championship.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIc

The Silverstone motor racing circuit is on the site of a WW2 RAF bomber station and when it was first used for the British Grand Prix in 1948 the two main runways formed a large part of the circuit. The following season, however, the circuit just ran round the perimeter of the airfield and apart from relatively minor adjustments it stayed that way till 2010 when the left hand bend at Abbey was changed to a right turn so the track meandered across towards the Maggotts curve then turned abruptly back along the line of one of the old runways towards Brooklands corner. This meant that the runways were able to be used by aircraft and part is still in use, mainly as a heliport, for the British Grand Prix and other meetings. When I went to the Historic Festival meetings there in the 1990s there were always a few interesting aircraft in the centre of the circuit, and this is one that I photographed at The Coys International Historic Festival meeting in August 1996.

It's a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIc and was built in 1944, but didn't see any wartime service. Its engine is a Rolls-Royce Merlin built under license in the USA by the Packard Motor Car Company. The aircraft was shipped to Australia in 1944 where it remained till 1979 when it was acquired by former RAF Cranwell graduate Robs Lamplough who brought it to this meeting at Silverstone where he was competing in his BRM P125 and Talbot Lago T26 Monoplace Décallée. The programme of the event has an article which refers to the displays of vintage and classic aircraft at the meeting and says this about the Spitfire:

'Built in 1944 by Vickers Supermarine of Southampton, MV154 is one of only two airworthy Mk VIIIs in the world. Superbly restored between 1980 and 1994 by a team of engineers led by John Hart at Filton, it took to the skies again on 28 May 1994 in Robs' capable hands, almost 50 years after its first delivery flight to the RAF.'

Talbot Lago T26 Décalée

This car took part in the HGPCA Pre '52 GP Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 1996.

It's the 1939 Talbot Lago T26 Décolée of Robs Lamplough, the 'Décolée' referrring to the offset drive train, but could also apply to the offset driving position. The car is powered by a six-cylinder 4½ litre unsupercharged engine and was originally designed to take on the pre-war Silver Arrows of Auto Union and Mercedes Benz, but lacked the power to do so.

Friday's Ferrari

This car was driven by Robs Lamplough and Enrico Guggiari in the Coys of Kensington GT Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It's Robs Lamplough's 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis #3445GT, and was once owned by Sweden's Ulf Norinder, hence the Swedish colours of blue and yellow. It has the Ferrari 250 2,953cc V12 engine with single overhead camshafts on each bank and 6 Weber carburettors.

On 20 June 2014 I showed a photograph of this car at the Coys Silverstone meeting in 1994.

Supermarine Spitfire

The Silverstone motor racing circuit is on the site of a WW2 RAF bomber station and, apart from the first few meetings which used stretches of the original runways, in its early years the circuit followed the line of the perimeter track. This meant that the runways were able to be used by aircraft and part is still in use, mainly as a heliport, for the British Grand Prix and other meetings. I've seen a variety of aircraft there when I've attended meetings, and this is one I photographed at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting in July 1998.

It's a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIc and was built in 1944, but didn't see any wartime service. Its engine is a Rolls-Royce Merlin built under license in the USA by the Packard Motor Car Company. The aircraft was shipped to Australia in 1944 where it remained till 1979 when it was acquired by Robs Lamplough who brought it to this meeting at Silverstone where he was competing in his Lotus 33. The programme of the event has an article which refers to the various reminders around the circuit of Silverstone's wartime history and says:

'But this weekend there could be rather more reminders than usual because, once again, there will be an outstanding display of vintage and classic aircraft assembled by Simon Ames and the Air Squadron. This group of aircraft enthusiasts number about 100 and includes former RAF Cranwell graduate, Robs Lamplough. BRDC member Robs, a very successful racing driver in the late 1960s, will be racing his Lotus 33 this weekend but is also expected to arrive in his magnificent Spitfire Mk VIII. This 1944 aircraft is believed to be one of only four airworthy Mk VIIIs and it took a team of engineers at Filton some 14 years to painstakingly restore.'

Friday's Ferrari

I've shown two photographs of this car previously, on 18 April 2012 and 30 Oct 2015 which were taken at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 when it was part of a display paying tribute to Juan Manuel Fangio.

It's a 1949 Ferrari 166 F2 car, Enzo Ferrari's first single seat racing car, and the chassis number is 011F. It is thought to be one of the cars that Fangio drove early in his career before he joined the Alfa Romeo F1 team and had been fully restored by Tony Merrick in the 4 years before this appearance. The blue and yellow car behind the 166 is Robs Lamplough's 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis number 3445GT.

Friday's Ferrari

This is another photograph of the Robs Lamplough Ferrari 250 GTO at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 that I showed on 20 June 2014. It's serial number 3445GT and was originally owned by Luciano Conti of Bologna. It later passed to Ulf Norinder of Sweden, which is when it received its Swedish racing colours of blue and yellow.

Friday's Ferrari

This car, photographed at the 1994 Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994, is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, serial number 3445GT. If you read the www.barchetta.cc history of the car you will see that it was rebodied by Drogo in 1965 in a non-GTO style, but following an accident in 1976 it was again rebodied as a standard Series 1 GTO. This website details that part of the car's life and has photographs of the car with its Drogo body. At Silverstone the car was entered and driven in the Coys of Kensington GT Race by the owner Robs Lamplough.