Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race

I took this photograph just past Old Hall Corner in the early laps of the Richard Seaman Memorial Historic Trophy Race at Oulton Park in June 1973.

Car number 6 is the 1930/23 Bentley Napier (also known as the Napier Bentley) of David Llewellyn with Martin Morris alongside in his 1936 ERA R11B 'Humphrey'. The programme of the event said that the favourites today would be;

'....Neil Corner's ERA R4D, and Martin Morris's 2 litre ERA R11B, with a beam front axle and the engine set back in the chassis for Ken Wharton's sprinting activities with it. An unknown quantity to challenge these cars is David Llewellyn's Bentley Napier, powered by a 12 cylinder 24 litre Napier Lion aero engine. This car proved to be faster than the ERAs at Silverstone in April, but may be less successful on the twists and turns of Oulton Park, though this has yet to be proved.'

The Bentley Napier is here in it's original guise, and on 16 August 2015 I showed how it looked with newer bodywork at Donington Park in May 2001.

Mercedes Benz W154

Twice previously, on 13 October 2015 and 16 August 2017 I've shown photographs of the Mercedes Benz W154 that Tony Dron demonstrated at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Donington Park in June 2008. Here are three more photographs I took of the car that day.

Here's the car in the pit garage.....

.....and later being prepared for one of its demonstration runs.

Here's Tony Dron at Redgate Corner during one of the demonstration runs.

Friday's Ferrari

One of the many Ferraris on view at the Ferrari Racing Days meeting at Silverstone in September 2017.

This is a 1997 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, one of 4,871 cars produced between 1994 and 1999. It has a 3,496cc V8 engine with twin overhead camshafts on each bank of cylinders and 5 valves per cylinder. The F355 replaced the Ferrari 348, and was itself replaced by the Ferrari 360.

Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1

This was one of the vehicles entered in the Greater Manchester Transport Society's Trans Lancs Historic Vehicle Rally at Heaton Park, Manchester in September 1998.

It's a 1967 Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 and this was what programme of the event said about it:

Leyland Atlantean/Roe  1967                                                                    OBU 163F

Entered by     Oldham 163 Preservation Group, Oldham

New to Oldham Corporation in 1967, where it was used for 14 years, until it was withdrawn in 1981. It was then purchased by Darrenets dance troupe where it travelled for many miles, including the Isle of Man until it was bought for preservation and restored.

On 24 January 2016 I showed a photograph of the first production Leyland Atlantean built, which was delivered to Wallasey Corporation in 1958.

Gordini T15

This car competed in the Motor Sport HGPCA Pre '52 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival Meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It's John Foster's 1948 Gordini T15, with a 1,430cc 4-cylinder inline Simca-based engine.  The T15 took part in World Championship Grand Prix races from 1950 to 1953 and was superseded by the T16.

On 20 March 2016 I showed photographs of this same car at Silverstone in July 2000.

Maserati Tipo 26

This is one of the cars that took part in the Richard Seaman Memorial Vintage Trophy Race at the VSCC's meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's the 1930 Maserati Tipo 26M (chassis 2514) of Lord Doune and was driven in the race by Martin Grant Peterkin. The 26M was designed as a single-seater car (the 'M' standing for Monoposto) and thirteen examples were built, with a 2½ litre straight-8 engine. The car above appears to be one of the six which were made into the Tipo 26M Sport for endurance racing, taking part in such races as the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio. A note in the programme about this race at Oulton Park says:

'Lord Doune, from Perthshire, has entered the Bologna challenge, his beautiful 2.5 litre Maserati to be driven by Martin Grant Peterkin on leave from Redford Barracks, Edinburgh.'

Intrepid RM-1

This car took part in the Group C/GTP Sports Cars race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2007.

It's the 1991 Intrepid RM-1 of Brian Devries, built to contest the GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) series of races. It has a 439 cu in (7.2 litres) Chevrolet small-block V8 engine and competed in the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons.