Tag Archives: Brighton

King Of Brighton & The Hills – ERA R4D

For reasons that are not yet entirely clear to me today’s featured car ERA R4D began life with the out of sequence identifier R4B apparently a year before R3B had been built.

R4B was a works apple green race car completed for Raymond Mays use in 1935. It is said to have used all three ERA engine sizes, 1.1, 1.5 and 2 litre, according to the demands of the regulations of the event’s it competed in.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

This chassis was shared by Raymond Mays and E Von Delius in the 1935 German Grand Prix, it started 9th but retired at half distance with low oil pressure.

R4B was predominantly used by Raymond for sprints and hill climbing and in 1936, mid way through the season R4B and the other works cars were all painted black.

ERA R4D, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone,

No definitive reason is known for the change of colour, which coincidentally or not first appeared after the death of Marcel Lehoux at Deauville while driving R3B, the only pre war ERA not to have survived.

It is known that Raymond Mays had a Riley and Bentley painted black with silver / chrome wheels and that he detested green the British National racing colour in any shade.

ERA R4D, Mac Hulbert, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

It has also been pointed out that Dick Seaman’s successful R1B was painted black in 1935 and maybe after a run of bad luck the decision was taken to use Seaman’s preferred colour.

In 1937 R4B was upgraded to C specification with independent front suspension using torsion bars designed at great expense to ERA by Dr Ferdinand Porsche.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

R8B and R12B were also to receive this upgrade but R12C was converted back to B Spec after an accident in 1939.

Raymond Mays drove R4C to victory in the 1937 Picardy Grand Prix and in 1937 repeated the feat in 1938 when R4C was upgraded to R4D spec with a lighter fully box framed chassis.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

Arthur Johnson drove R4D in 1939 prior to Raymond Mays buying the car from the works to continue it’s development privately.

Raymond Mays continued to drive R4D winning the two British Hillclimb Championships in 1947 and ’48 and four Brighton Speed Trials, before selling her to Ron Flockhart in 1953.

Flockhart continued where May’s had left off by setting a record at the Bo’ness hillclimb.

In 1954 Ken Wharton bought R4D and won the RAC British Hill Climb Championship, he nearly repeated the feat in 1955, using R4D and a Cooper 500 Formula 3 car, but the title was awarded to new comer Tony Marsh after he and Wharton finished the championship on level points.

Wharton added three more wins at the Brighton Speed Trials to bring R4D’s total to seven, R4D is still the single most successful vehicle to compete in the event.

Today R4D is owned by Mac Hulbert and is seen with Julian Bronson at the wheel during the VSCC Spring Start Meeting earlier this year.

My thanks to Adam Wragg at facebook, Fuzzi and Vitesse2 at The Nostalgia Forum for informing why the works ERA were painted black in 1936.

Thanks for joining me on this “King Of Brighton” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Maserati Monday. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Purple Haze – Brighton Speed Trials

The the skeletal old pier at Brighton was shrouded by a sea haze as I enjoyed an excellent breakfast with local organic eggs at the Lucky Beach cafe on the beach front.

The purpose of my visit to Brighton was to see the 1/4 mile Brighton Speed Trials which earlier this year were saved, with the aid of some GALPOT readers who signed an e-petition organised by Brighton and Hove Motor Club.

Austin 1800 S, Brighton Speed Trials

Among the Brighton and Hove Motor Club members taking part was Andrew Atherton and his immaculate 1970 Austin 1800 S Mk II, also known as a Landcrab, who recorded a best time of 20.77 secs which translates to a final speed of at least 66.55 mph.

Plymouth Satellite, Cheng Lim, Brighton Speed Trials,

Surprisingly Cheng Lim could not better Andrew’s time in his similarly aged General Lim Plymouth Satellite who only managed a best time of 29.67 or 47.49 mph the slowest time of the day.

Porsche 911, Barry Stewart, Brighton Speed Trials,

At the sharper end of the field Barry Stewart managed to record 41st fastest time with a best 12.10 secs approx 112 mph in his Rallycross, off road competition, spec turbocharged Porsche 911.

Allard J2, Jim Tiller, Brighton Speed Trials,

Jim Tiller’s drag spec Allard J2 “The Old Fella” had the largest quoted engine size at 7342 cc / 448 cui but he could only record 14th best time at 10.62 seconds / 127 mph.

Force SR4, Rob Stevens, Brighton Speed Trials,

Like the slowest car the fastest car in the field was painted purple, but the competition Force SR4 powered by a 1300 cc / 79 cui turbocharged motor was driven by 2012 Brighton Speed Trials Winner Rob Stevens who recorded a best time of 9.87 seconds / 144 mph in the top six run off.

Suzuki Hyabusa Turbo, Craig Mallabone, Brighton Speed Trials,

Unsurprisingly 8 bikes managed a faster time than Rob with fastest being Craig Mallabone on his 1300 cc / 79 cui turbocharged Hayabusa powered Suzuki who recorded the only sub 9 second time of the day at 8.94 on his first timed run, seen above, at an astonishing 150.68 mph.

My thanks to those GALPOT readers who signed the Save Brighton Speed Trials e-petition without your support I would not have found myself writing this blog.

Thanks for joining me on this “Purple Haze” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again for a look at a proto Can Am car tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Please Sign e-petition To Save – Brighton Speed Trials

Happy New Year welcome to the first GALPOT blog 2014, this year we hit the track running as Brighton and Hove Motor Club is urgently in need of our help, in the form of a couple of minuets of your time to keep alive one of Britain’s oldest speed events namely the Brighton Speed Trial.

The Brighton Speed Trial was inaugurated in 1905 after Brightonian Sir Harry Preston managed to persuade Brighton Town Council to lay a track made of the recently invented “Tarmac” between the Palace Pier and Black Rock, now known as Madeira Drive. The first event was organised by the Council and Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, which was later to become the Royal Automobile Club (RAC).

Levitt, Napier, Brighton Speed Trials

The July 1905 event was part of a speed week known as Brighton Motor Week which ran over 4 days during which Dorothy Levitt seen above at the wheel of her 80hp Napier became the fastest woman on earth achieving an average speed over a flying kilometer of 79.75 miles per hour. The first event was won out right by Clifford Earp in a 90 hp Napier.

Summers, Lotus Chevrolet 24, Brighton Speed Trials

The opposition of rates payers to the cost of the event meant it was not run again until 1923 before being subject to an erroneous police ban on speed events held on public roads interjected in 1925. In 1932 Brighton and Hove Motor Club discovered that Madeira Drive was actually not a public highway at all, but the property of Brighton Corporation and so the police ban did not apply and the event became annual until the outbreak of the 1939-45 war. Above Chris Summers fearsome Chevrolet Lotus 24 chassis #942 won the now standing kilometer event in 1965 and 1966. In the back ground a Farina designed Mk 1 Austin A40 Countryman sits on a trailer behind a large Mercedes Benz tow car.

Shepard, Lotus Europa, Brighton Speed Trials

By 2012 the last time the event was run all manor of vehicles had run at the Brighton Speed Trials including a twin Rolls Royce engined device in the 1950’s in the 60’s dragsters and funny cars became popular with the cars still running side by side and as can be seen below David Render managed to acquire the loan of a works Lotus Cosworth 76 for his sprinting in 1976 winning the Brighton Speed Trial with the car in the same year with the car to the nose of which David had added a large lump of lead to help keep the front wheels on the ground. Motorcycles and side car outfits have also been catered for since 1905 Above Leonard Shepard blasts of the line in his Lotus Europa.

Render, Lotus Cosworth 76, Brighton Speed Trials

By 2012 the Brighton Speed Trial run by Brigthon and Hove Motor Club and Brighton and Hove City Council with an army of volunteers was being run over a quarter mile with vehicles running individually rather than in pairs. Unfortunately during the last running of the event the front wheels of a side car combination crewed by Roger Hollingshead and Charlotte Tagg lifted after hitting a dip in the track which launched the occupants into a collision with a concrete bollard which severely injured Roger and killed the unfortunate mother of three Charlotte. The 2013 event was cancelled pending an inquest into Charlotte’s death.

Lotus Elans, Brighton Speed Trials

Late last year the inquest concluded that the death was accidental. After the inquest Charlotte’s brother Simon was quoted by The Argus as saying “We don’t blame anyone, but would like to see the council treat the road before the next event.” Charlottes 18 year old daughter added “We just want them to smooth it out.”

In anticipation of a decision on the future of the event to be made by the council’s Economic Development and Culture Committee at a meeting on 23 January Ruth Reynolds of the Brighton and Hove Motor Club has set up a petition on the Brighton & Hove City Council website requesting acceptance of the application by the Brighton and Hove Motor Club to run the 2014 Brighton Speed Trials on Madeira Drive.

I would strongly urge anyone who has ever enjoyed any kind of motorsports event as a competitor, organiser, volunteer, concession trader or spectator to spend a couple of minutes registering onto the Brighton and Hove City Council website linked here and supporting Brighton and Hove Motor Club in their efforts to revive the Brighton Speed Trials and encourage Brighton and Hove City Council to attend to the road surface. There is NO requirement for signatories to be resident in Brighton or even the United Kingdom, thank you.

My thanks to Simon Lewis of Simon Lewis Transport Books for permission to his photographs and Vitesse2 at The Nostalgia Forum for alerting me to the existence of the e-petition.

Wishing all GALPOT readers and contributors a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Please Sign e-petition To Save” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be starting a new short series on North American Law Enforcement vehicles. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Worlds Best Midget – MG Midget 1500

Regular readers will remember previous blogs on Mr Len Millers MG PA and it’s earlier restoration with storm damage repairs by TJK Repairs in Purfleet in Essex. Today’s featured Federal Spec MG Midget 1500 belongs to Trevor Kirk the proprietor of TJK Repairs and the story of his car was kindly past on by Suzanne Fogg who also works at TJK Repairs.

MG Midget 1500, Essex

His 1976 Midget is seen above in 1995 after Trevor had spent 10 years bringing it up to scratch. After taking it on the Regency Run in 1996 and on a few other events Trevor parked the Midget up in his garden in 2001 and let his MG Owners Club membership lapse.

MG Midget 1500, Essex

Over the next five years the car remained in Trevor’s garden getting covered in moss and filling up with water. In February 2006 Trevor decided he wanted to take his Midget on the Regency Run 12 weeks later and so began a second restoration which required draining out all the water, replacing the bonnet / hood and a new differential.

MG Midget 1500, Essex

The interior had to be completely stripped out all the interior trim, panels, and both seats were cleaned by Suzanne while the car had second bare metal respray in a slightly lighter shade of green. At 6:30 on the morning of the Regency Run from Brooklands to Brighton his car was ready and Trevor completed the run as seen in the photo below.

MG Midget 1500, Regency Run Brighton

In 2010 Treveor changed the gearbox and revamped the motor which can be seen in revamped condition in the second photo above.

MG Midget 1500, International Midget 50, Burghley House

In June 2011 Trevor took his Midget to the International Midget 50 celebration at Burghley House where it weather was so bad he spent almost the entire day inside Burghley House. As Trevor was about to leave a steward flagged him down and asked Trevor to make himself known at the event organisers marquee.

MG Midget 1500, Regency Run, Epsom

When he did so Trevor was surprised to learn his car had not only been voted best in class but also having attracted more votes than each of the 800 other cars put together easily won the best car of the event.

My thanks to Suzanne Fogg and Trevor Kirk of TJK Repairs UNIT 3A, TANK HILL ROAD, PURFLEET, ESSEX, RM19 1SX for sharing the story and photo’s of Trevor’s Midget, TJK Repairs offer customers car and light commercial servicing alongside MOT testing services and can be contacted on 01708 861810.

Thanks for joining me on this “Worlds Best Midget” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share