1955 Maserati 250F

This car was owned by Pete Waterman and was driven by Willie Green in the HGPCA Pre’65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's indistinguishable from a 1950s Maserati 250F, but it's the first of 12 replicas built by Cameron Millar and has the chassis number CM1. Cameron Millar acquired a genuine Maserati 250F in 1964 (originally 2501, later renumbered 2523) which he kept and raced for 8 years. In this time he purchased all the remaining cars and spare parts belonging to the Scuderia Centro Sud who had competed with the 250F in the 1950s, and also the chassis jigs from the Maserati factory. He then set about creating this series of replicas, using as far as possible genuine period parts, which are so well crafted that the FIA has allowed them to race alongside the genuine Maserati 250F and its contemporaries in competitive historic racing events.

1955 Maserati 250F

This car was driven by Peter Hannen in the HGPCA Pre’65 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's indistinguishable from a 1950s Maserati 250F, but it's one of 12 replicas built by Cameron Millar and this one has the chassis number CM8. Cameron Millar acquired a genuine Maserati 250F in 1964 (originally 2501, later renumbered 2523) which he kept and raced for 8 years. In this time he purchased all the remaining cars and spare parts belonging to the Scuderia Centro Sud who had competed with the 250F in the 1950s, and also the chassis jigs from the Maserati factory. He then set about creating this series of replicas, using as far as possible genuine period parts, which are so well crafted that the FIA has allowed them to race alongside the genuine Maserati 250F and its contemporaries in competitive historic racing events. At the time of this Silverstone event CM8 was owned by Robin Lodge.

 

The number 12 car in the background is another of Cameron Millar’s Maserati 250F replicas, CM1, which was owned by Peter Waterman and was driven by Willie Green in this race.

1957 Maserati 250F

This is a photograph I took at Lodge Corner during the Cheshire Building Society's Allcomers' Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It's Willie Green driving A P Bamford's 1957 Maserati 250F which is chassis #2534, a car that was supplied new to the American Temple Buell team in September 1958. This car was acquired by Anthony Bamford in 1972, and after restoration was raced in historic events by Willie Green. The car has the usual 6-cylinder inline 2,491cc Maserati 250F engine.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

This car took part in the HGPCA Pre-1952 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. It also competed at the Coys meeting at Silverstone in 1997 when a note in the programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

This is the only Alfa Romeo 158/159 in private hands, and it was given by Alfa Romeo to Michel Poberejsky (who had raced under the name Mike Sparken) in exchange for the ex-Lord Doune 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Le Mans Berlinetta which had competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year. Michel Poberejsky later sold the car to Carlos Monteverde, and later went to Carlo Vöegele.

Three each of the Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 cars still exist, and this one is chassis 158.107 and has engine 159.227 - the others are as follows:

158

Chassis 158.005 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum at Arese with engine 158.102.

Chassis 158.109 on display in the Biscaretti Museum, Turin.

 

159

Chassis 159.109 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum as a chassis without bodywork, with engine 159.211.

Chassis 159.111 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum.

Chassis 159.112 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum and used in events.

Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph at  Luffield Corner during the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's Willie Green in Pete Waterman's 1958 Ferrari 250 TR which has the Gioacchino Colombo designed 2,953cc V12 engine  and is chassis #0742 TR.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

This was one of the competitors in the HGPCA Pre-1952 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. It also competed at the Coys meeting at Silverstone in 1997 when a note in the programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

This is the only Alfa Romeo 158/159 in private hands, and it was given by Alfa Romeo to Michel Poberejsky (who had raced under the name Mike Sparken) in exchange for the ex-Lord Doune 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Le Mans Berlinetta which had competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year. Michel Poberejsky later sold the car to Carlos Monteverde, and it has since been purchased by Carlo Voegele.

Three each of the Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 cars still exist, and this one is chassis 158.107 and has engine 159.227 - the others are as follows:

158

Chassis 158.005 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum at Arese with engine 158.102.

Chassis 158.109 on display in the Biscaretti Museum, Turin.

159

Chassis 159.109 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum as a chassis without bodywork, with engine 159.211.

Chassis 159.111 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum.

Chassis 159.112 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum and used in events.

Friday's Ferrari

Yesterday I showed a photograph taken at the 1992 Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone of two Jaguar D-Types and a Maserati T61, with a Ferrari in the background. Here's a photograph the Ferrari in the paddock at that meeting.

It's Pete Waterman's 1958 Ferrari 250 TR which was driven in the race by Willie Green. The car has the Gioacchino Colombo designed 2,953cc V12 engine  and is chassis #0742 TR.

1934 Talbot AV 105

This car took part in the Williams Trophy Race for Pre-1934 Grand Prix Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in May 2011.

It's the 1934 Talbot AV 105 of John Polson which was driven in the race by Willie Green. The AV 105 was developed by Georges Roesch from the Talbot 90, the 6-cylinder inline 2,276cc engine of which was increased to 2,969cc. This particular car was rebuilt as a replica of the Talbot AV 105 Alpine Team cars by Ian Polson for his son John to race.

Here Willie Green at McLeans Corner during the race.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

This car was one of the competitors in the Magneti Marelli UK Race for Pre-1952 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. A note in the Silverstone programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

1932 Alfa Romeo 8C

This car took part in the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It's the 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C of Anthony Bamford which was driven in the race by Willie Green and has a 2.6 litre straight-8 engine.  The programme of the event says:

'Willie Green drives a very historic 8 cylinder 2600cc sports Alfa Romeo belonging to Anthony Bamford. This is the car well known in prewar speed trials when it was successfully driven by G. Bagratouni, an Italian then living in this country. Despite its heavier body by the Italian coachbuilders, Touring, AMO 999 may well be amongst the Monzas with Willie Green at the wheel'

This photograph wasn't taken during that race, though, but during an earlier handicap race - although it isn't shown in the entry list for that race in the programme of the event. The car following it is the 1933 Sunbeam Speed 20 of R.J.R. Sevier which has a 2.9 litre straight-6 engine. The photograph was taken at Foster's Corner on the short circuit at Oulton Park which omits the loop beween Cascades and Knickerbrook.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph taken at Redgate Corner on the opening lap of a Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge race at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2004.

The Ferrari in second place is the 1952/54 Ferrari 625, #0482, of Alexander Boswell, originally a Ferrari 500 that raced in the World Championship races of 1952 and 1953 when there was a 2-litre capacity limit. When this was increased to 2½ litres in 1954 the cars were lengthened, the engines replaced by 2½ litre units, and it was re-designated a Ferrari 625. On 28 July 2017 I showed a photograph of this car at the HGPCA meeting at Donington Park earlier in 2004. The car on the outside leading the race is the 1937 Maserati 6CM of Stefan Schollwöck and is chassis #1547, a car originally belonging to Austin Dobson. Behind Alexander Boswell is the 1939/50 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlo Vögele, being driven by Willie Green, and on 24 May 2018 I featured three other photographs of the car at this meeting. Just visible at the rear is the 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa of Carlos Monteverde, #0738TR, which I pictured in the pit lane at this meeting on 29 January 2016.

Maserati 300S

This car was driven by Willie Green in the Champagne Charles Heidsieck Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1993.

It's the 1955 Maserati 300S of Richard Crump, with a 6-cylinder inline 2,993cc engine developed from the 2½ litre engine of the Maserati 250F Grand Prix car, but with a longer stroke. It appears to be chassis #3054.

On 23 December 2017 I showed a photograph of three examples of the 300S, including this car, at Silverstone in 1994.

Maserati 250F

I took this photograph at Lodge Corner during the Cheshire Building Society's Allcomers' Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1981.

It's Willie Green driving what the programme of the event says is A P Bamford's 1957 Maserati 250F, and it appears to be chassis #2534, a car that was supplied new to the American Temple Buell team in September 1958. This car was acquired by Anthony Bamford in 1972, and after restoration was raced in historic events by Willie Green. The car has the usual 6-cylinder inline 2½ litre Maserati 250F engine.

Alfa Romeo 158

This car took part in two rounds of the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge race series at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2004.

The car is described in the programme of the event as a 1939 Alfa Romeo 158, Alfa Romeo cars from 1933 to 1939 being eligible for this series as the Alfa Romeo racing team in those years was run by Scuderia Ferrari. The straight-8 1½ litre supercharged car is better known, of course, for taking Giuseppe Farina to the first Drivers World Championship in 1950. This car belonged to Carlo Vögele who was named alongside Willie Green in the programme as driver for both races.

The car is seen here leaving the pits during a practice session, and I presume the driver is Carlo Vögele as I have a photograph of him in a black helmet driving a Maserati Tipo 61 at this same meeting.

This photograph was taken at Redgate corner during the first of the two races in which it featured, and because the driver's not wearing a black helmet I assume it's Willie Green.

Maserati 300S

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994 included a race for 1950s sports cars - the Classic Car Sports Car Race - and three examples of the Maserati 300S are listed for that race in the programme of the event. The 300S was produced by Maserati from 1955 to 1959 to contend the World Sportcar Championship and had a straight-6 engine based on the 250F Grand Prix car's 2½ litre unit, but with a longer stroke to bring the capacity up to 3 litres.

Car number 20 was entered by Richard Crump to be driven by Willie Green, and may be chassis #3054, a 1955 model.

Number 21 was Hartmut Ibing's car, probably chassis #3066, a 1956 car.

Number 22 was Burkhard von Schenk's entry, a 300SI model from 1959 and chassis #3082.

In addition to these three cars there was another 300S in the race, number 23, which according to the programme was supposed to be Thomas Bscher's Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage.

He had evidently decided to drive his 300S instead, and this is a 1955 car, chassis #3053.

On 22 September 2016 and 31 October 2016 I featured other examples of the Maserati 300S.