AC 428

I took this photograph at the Northern Classic Car Show at Belle Vue, Manchester in September 1985.

It's an AC 428 and if my memory serves me right it was one of the cars that were to be auctioned at the end of the show. The AC 428 was built on a lengthened AC Cobra 427 MkIII chassis with bodywork by the Frua workshop in Italy and it was powered by a Ford 428 cu in (7,014cc) V8 engine. The car was produced from 1965 to 1973 and the registration number AC 428 is currently on a blue 1971 AC 428 Coupe.

1929 Bentley Napier

This car is pictured at Clay Hill taking part in the Vintage Trophy Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1975.

It's Peter Morley in the 1929 Bentley Napier, a vehicle that he and David Llewellyn created in 1968 using a 24 litre Napier Sea Lion engine which has a 'W' configuration - two banks of four cylinders in a 'V' with a third upright bank between them. The car was originally built on a Sunbeam chassis but after an accident was rebuilt using the chassis of a 1929 8 litre Bentley. The nose of the car was later altered to resemble that of the Napier Railton. This may well be the year that I was watching from Clay Hill when Peter Morley lost a wheel from the Bentley Napier as it rounded the Knickerbrook corner putting him out of the race.

1960 Maserati T61

This car competed in the Classic Car Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

It's the 1960 Maserati T61 of Lindsay Owen-Jones, chassis #2458 and has a 4-cylinder inline 2,890cc engine. The T61, and the 1,989cc T60 were generally known as Maserati Birdcage cars because of the intricate tubular space frame chassis, and in common with many of these cars 2458 started off life in the USA, in this case with Lloyd "Lucky" Casner's Camoradi team. After passing through various hands in the USA it was acquired by Lindsay Owen-Jones in 1992. Sixteen examples of the T61 were produced between 1959 and 1961.

1971 McLaren M19A

I took this photograph on the practice day  for the 1972 Gold Cup race at Oulton Park in May 1972.

It's the 1971 McLaren M19A of Denny Hulme, chassis M19A/1, and he qualified for the race in second place to Peter Gethin's BRM P160B, though he won the race the following day ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus 72 and Tim Schenken's Surtees TS9. The McLaren M19A was designed by Ralph Bellamy and was powered by the 2,993cc V8 Cosworth DFV engine. In the 1972 World Drivers' Championship Denny Hulme finished in third place to Emerson Fittipaldi and Jackie Stewart, winning just the South African Grand Prix, McLaren also finishing in third place in the World Constructors' Championship.

1980 McLaren M29

The Donington Park museum had a large collection of McLaren cars and this is one that I photographed on a visit in September 2014.

It's a 1980 McLaren M29, chassis M29/5, and the last one built. The M29 was designed by Gordon Coppuck with a 2,993cc Ford Cosworth V8 DFV engine and raced by the team from half way through the 1979 season to the early part of the 1981 season but wasn't particularly successful, its best results being three fourth place finishes by John Watson in that time. Chassis 29/5's first race was the 1980 German Grand Prix driven by Alain Prost, who also drove it in the United States Grand Prix, and Andrea de Cesaris drove it in four races early in the 1981 season.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 included races featuring Ferraris, a Ferrari display in the paddock - some of which took part in a series of track displays - and several other Ferraris that weren't part of the official display but which also took part in the track displays. This is one such car that I came across in one of the pit garages.

It's a 1967 Ferrari 312, chassis 0003, that Chris Amon drove in that year's World Drivers' Championship races, ending the season in fifth place in the Championship with his best results being four third place finishes. The car has a 2,990cc V12 engine and at the time of this Silverstone meeting was owned by Abba Kogan and driven that day by Keith Duly.

1924 Bentley 3 litre

This car took part in the Lancashire Automobile Club's annual Manchester to Blackpool Veteran and Vintage Car Run in June 1990 and is pictured in the Exchange Station car park in Manchester before the start of the Run.

It's the 1924 Bentley 3 litre of Clive Miller of Stalybridge and is chassis 592. The programme of the event had this note about the car:

Bentley 3 litre

Reg: FR 5792  4 cylinder  2996cc

(Clive Miller, Stalybridge)

A very original car, still with many of its original fitments - outside exhaust, auxiliary oil tank and Edwardian headlamps, Also original engine, gearbox, rear axle and Harrison 2-seater body. The car was photographed and featured in Autocar in 1925.