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.

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.

OSCA MT4

This car competed in the 1950s Drum-Braked Sports Racing Cars race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2005.

It's Tony Pickering's 1953 1,495cc straight-4 OSCA MT4, built by the Maserati brothers' new company set up after their split from Adolfo Orsi, to whom they had sold the Maserati company.

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.