Bedford J5 Fire Engine

I took this photograph at the Heaton Park, Manchester, in September 1993 at the Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally organised by the Greater Manchester Transport Society.

It's a 1962 Bedford J5 fire engine, and the programme of the event said this about it:

Bedford J5, 1962 997 LTA

Entered by S.Hodgson & C.D.Ellicott, Hyde

Built to a reduced width for operating along the narrow Devon country lanes.

N.A.G. K2 Raceabout

This is a car I photographed in June 1993 at the start of the Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run organised by the Lancashire Automobile Club. It's a 1912 N.A.G. K2 Raceabout, but the programme of the event doesn't have any more information about the car, only that it was entered for the run by Kevin Bann of Fence, Burnley. N.A.G. was a German company - Neue Automobil Gesellschaft - and you can read the Wikipedia article about it here.

HWM Jaguar

There was a round of the 'Historic Car Championship' at the Historic Car Races organised by the Aston Martin Owners Club at Oulton Park in September 1986, and one of the cars taking part in the race was the car pictured below.

It's a 1955 HWM Jaguar, and the programme of the event shows the entrant of this car to have been Tiffen King Nicholson - apparently a Cumbrian estate agent practice. The car was driven in the race by Kirk Rylands. The Wikipedia article on HWM says this about the sports cars they produced:

'Meanwhile, the first Jaguar-engined HWM sports racing car had appeared in 1953, and this had some success with George Abecassis at the wheel. From then on until 1957, the team was involved in sports car racing both in Britain and on the continent, sometimes beating their Jaguar and Aston Martin Works competitors. After John Heath was killed on the 1956 Mille Miglia in Italy in an HWM Works car, Abecassis did not wish to continue and the works racing programme continued for just a year.'

This is Kirk Rylands at Lodge Corner during the race.

Frazer Nash Mille Miglia

This car was in the paddock at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting organised by the VSCC at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's a 1950 Frazer Nash Mille Miglia, and there's a very good website which gives extensive details of all postwar cars produced by AFN Ltd from which the following details are given about this car:

Car Number:                                 18

Chassis Number:                           421/100/118

Engine Number:                             FNS1/17

Model:                                           Mille Miglia

Delivery Date:                                November 1950

Original Colour:                              Maroon

Original Registration Number:         OPL 2

First Owner:                                  Strutton

Remarks:                                      Now metallic 'Jaguar grey'

Current Location:                           UK

Porsche 804

This is a photograph I took in the paddock at Aintree at the Friday practice for the British Grand Prix in July 1962.

It's Dan Gurney going out for a practice run in his Porsche 804. From 6th place on the grid he finished the race in 9th place the following day, a disappointing result after winning the previous race, the French Grand Prix at Rouen-Les-Essarts. That victory is the only one won in a Grand Prix race by a Porsche.

Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 1996.

It's a Ferrari 250GT SWB, but I've not been able to identify the serial number of this car, which appears to have the registration number 250 SPG. There were three 250GTs entered in the 'Coys of Kensington GT Race', two of which were red according to the programme of the event, The records of www.barchetta.cc doesn't record this car as belonging to either Jose Albuquerque or Ian Donaldson who entered those two cars on that day. In fact I can't trace any 250GT that's ever had this registration number.

MG Montlhery & J2

I took this photograph in the paddock at Oulton Park at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting in June 1982.

Both the MGs featured here took part in the first race of the day, a 5 lap handicap race. The car in the foreground is the 847cc 1932 MG J2 of Duncan Cotter, and behind it number 115 is the 747cc MG C-type Montlhery of Barry Foster. Oulton Park paddock looked a far more homely place then than it does now it's been covered with tarmac, though I suppose it's better for everyone now when it rains.