Tag Archives: The Classic Motor Show

Steel Shell Camelion – Ferrari 250 GT SWB #3087

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According to the best records at my disposal today’s steel shelled Ferrari 250 GT SWB chassis #3087 was originally supplied painted midnight blue with a tan interior to Otello Feretti of Bologna in December 1961.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Later in the 1960’s the car was sold and sent to the USA and by the 1970’s it had been painted silver by 1974, been used in competition for the first time at Laguna Seca in 1975, and changed hands at auction in 1976 for US$ 22,000.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In 1983 the chassis #3087 was offered for sale at US$ 115,000 and in 1989 it was restored.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

During the 1990’s the car won it’s class at the VI. Cavallino Classic and was offered for sale at US$ 700,000 in 1998.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

A decade later, now painted red, #3087 changed hands at RM Auctions in Monterey for over $4 million and found it’s in the UK. Ferrari Classiche fitted an authentic exhaust before #3087 was resprayed Silver and the interior fitted with Connoly Rosso hide.

The superb detailing of the car seen here at last years Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham is credited to Ashley Moran.

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

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Toothbrush Not Included – Buick Roadmaster Riviera

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As some of you may have noticed I some times identify vehicles incorrectly, another misidentification came to light while I was looking into the identification of today’s featured 1950 Buick Roadmaster Riviera. It turns out that the curved ‘observation car’ windscreens on Buick Roadmaster’s were first seen in 1949 and therefore the Jetback Sedanet Coupé I looked at last April must be a 1949 model and cannot be a flat screen 1948 model. I live and learn and hope that you will bear with me while I inevitably make a few mistakes. Please do not hesitate to chip in and correct these errors as and when you see them.

Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Back today’s 1950 Roadmaster Riviera which is immediately identifiable by the huge teeth in the grill unique to the 1950 model. When these cars were first seen in public one journalist is reported to have said “a toothbrush for the dentures comes extra.”

Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Like all Roadmaster series Buicks the mandatory motor remained the 5247cc / 320 cui “Fireball” straight eight, it would not be until 1953 that a Nailhead V8 would become available.

Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The pillarless Roadmaster Riviera coupé was one of 18 1950 Roadmaster variations which broke down into Jetback Sedanet, Tourback Sedan, Estate / Station Wagon, Convertible, Hardtop and Pillarless Coupé body styles.

Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Just as the Fireball motor was standard so was the 2 speed Dynaflow transmission which was derived from a World War 2 tank transmission.

Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

This Roadmaster Riviera was given the 76R model code with the body code Fisher Style 4737. Fisher was a bodywork operation that was gradually absorbed into General Motors between 1926 when GM bought 60% of the stock and 1984 when the Fisher Body entity was dissolved thanks to mergers with other GM operations.

Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Thanks to the popularity of the Buick Special sales of all Roadmasters fell by over 13,000 to 75,034 in 1954 representing just 12% of Buicks 1950 output.

Thanks for joining me on this “Tooth Brush Not Included” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now.

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Elle va à Bexhill On Sea – Elva Climax Mk III

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Bexhill on Sea second hand car dealer and engine tuning specialist Frank G Nichols decided to enter the racing car manufacturing business as a response to enquiries arising from a CSM Frank bought from Mike Chapman, no relation to Colin and raced successfully in 1954.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Elva name is a mash up of the French “Ella va” which means ‘she goes’. By the time production ceased the Elva name had appeared on over 1000 vehicles.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

By 1958 Elva was manufacturing the Coventry Climax powered Mk III, known drivers of the cars back then included Charlie Kolb, Burdette Martin and William Jordan in the USA with Eugine Hall and Ian Raby representing the Marque in the United Kingdom.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Of the 92 starts known for the model at Racing Sports Cars.com three were outright victories Kolb at Miami, William Bradley at Green Acres both in 1958 and the last recorded by George Ranney at Grayling in 1960, many additional class wins were also recorded.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The history of the car seen here at last years Classic Motor Show is unknown, it is owned by Bexhill Museum who had the original aluminium body that had at various times been painted red, blue and white, replaced by a new one manufactured by the original suppliers Hastings Motor Sheet Metal now known as Moore & Tye in 2009.

Elva Mk III, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Nostalgia Forum member Bloggsworth has kindly informed that the team that made the new body included Alan Jenner who worked on the original car. A small reunion of ex Elva employees took place when the restoration was complete. The Mk III can now usually be seen in the Technology Collection at Bexhill Museum.

Thanks for joining me on this “Elle va à Bexhill On Sea” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Congratulations to Johnny Martinez who was awarded a trophy for his ’29 Ford Model A at the Grand National Roadster Show yesterday, John would also like to thank every one who has voted for him in the Cool Rides Online ® pole at goldeagle.com. The vote is still incredibly close, YOU CAN VOTE “John’s 1929 Ford Model A” ONCE A DAY ON THIS LINK until poling closes 31st January, please keep your daily votes coming in, thank you.

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First Ferrari Road Car – Ferrari 166 Inter Coupé Touring Superleggera #017S

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At the Turin Motor Show in 1948 Ferrari presented two new models to the world, the 166 Barchetta sports racer and the 166 Inter Coupé which sits on a longer wheelbase. Both vehicles are powered by Gioacchino Colombo designed two litre / 122 cui all aluminium V12’s.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The car seen here carries the chassis number 017S, like all Ferrari’s at the time even numbers were saved for the works team racing cars while odd numbers were designated to cars intended for customers to buy.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

This Right Hand Drive car appears to have been sold new to the Cerana brothers of Milan in 1949 where it remained until 1958 before finding new owners in Switzerland where the car remained until the turn of the Millenium when the car moved to the Nehterlands before finding an owner in the UK in 2009.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The most popular coachwork supplier for the 166 Inter Coupé appears to have been Touring who built the aluminium body panels for the car seen here with their usual Superleggera structure of tubes in support.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

With 110 hp the 166 Inter Coupé could reach a top speed of 105 mph.

Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The 166 Inter Coupé represented Ferrari’s first series road cars and in all 37 were built between 1948 and 1951.

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

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Excel Protoype – Lotus Eclat/Excel Type 84/89 #1144

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The Lotus Eclat, Type 76 but not to be confused with the Lotus Ford 76 Grand Prix car, was a fastback version of the Lotus Elite, Type 75 shooting brake, first seen in 1975 sharing the same back bone chassis and motor and running gear as the Type 75 Lotus Elite.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Eclat was updated in 1980 known as the Eclat S2 the updated car was given the Type 84 designation. 1757 original sepcification Eclats were built between 1975 and 1982 and a further 223 Eclat S2’s were built between 1980 and 1982.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In 1982 Lotus renamed the Eclat as the Excel with further upgrades and designated the Excel as Type 89. The car seen here is registered in the log book as a Lotus Eclat, a Type 84, but has all the signs of being the prototype Excel, a type 89 which was also known by the M55 code name at the Lotus factory.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Amongst the prototype clues are a cut and shut gearbox with the then new Toyota sourced gearbox welded onto the older original type bell housing, M55 marks on the body panels indicating the car was the first off the jig, not to mention the Excel badging on the sides and Eclat badging on the rear of the car. The car was probably registered as an Eclat prior to the necessary type approval being received for the later Excel.

Lotus Eclat Excel, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

354 Excel’s were manufactured between 1982 and 1984 when production was discontinued. The current owner of this prototype Excel, Brian Swankie, bought the car at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham several years ago and has been restoring it ever since.

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

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Next Generation – MG6 GT

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The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) dates back to 1958 when Jack Sears won the first contest, then known as the British Saloon Car Championship in an unlikely Austin A105 Westminster. Last year 2 time champion Jason Plato brought his MG6 GT featured here home in third place in the now Chinese owned MG Marque’s return to the Championship.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Plato’s team Triple 8 Motorsport which runs under the MG KX Momentum team banner was one of just two teams running with works support the other was the Championship winning Honda Yuasa Racing Team which clinched the top two championship spots with Gordon Shedden snatching the 2012 title from 2011 champion Matt Neal running Civic bodies.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

All of the runners in the 2012 BTCC were running with the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) motor, a turbocharged crate motor that produces around 300 hp, depending on the performance of a particular team this can be increased or decreased by the series organisers TOCA to even out the playing field.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The cars all run with standard spec 6 speed sequential gearboxes, racing clutches, front subframe incorporating the the suspension, transmission and motor, rear suspension, turbo inter cooler and aerodynamic aids front and rear.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Jason Plato started racing in karts and progressed through Formula Ford, Formula Renault and Formula Three open wheelers before winning the 1996 Renault Spider championship, he then manged to land a drive in the works Renault Touring Car team which was run by Frank Williams, he moved to Vauxhall, run by Triple 8 Motorsport, in 2000 an won his first BTCC title in 2001. Since then he has won more BTCC races than any other driver with stints at SEAT 2004 – 2008 and Chevrolet 2009 to 2011 winning the BTCC title for a second time in 2010.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The BTCC series comprises ten weekends racing at different tracks starting at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit and finishing at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, each meeting comprises three races, qualifying for the first is by timed practice while the top ten finishers are reversed on the grid for the second race and pole for the third is determined from from between 6th and 10th place finishers in the second race by lucky dip with 1st to 5th finishers from the second race going to the back of the grid ! Jason won 6 of the thirty qualifying races last season on his way to third in the championship.

MG6 GT, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

To celebrate their successful return to the BTCC MG recently launched a fully loaded with go faster equipment and graphics MG6 BTCC Special Edition.

For 2013 MG and Honda will be joined by privateers running Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Avensis, BMW 125i, Ford Focus ST, Audi A4, Vauxhall Insignia VXR-R, Volkswagen Passat CC, and Proton Persona bodies. 1st meeting of the season will be at Brands Hatch on the 31st of March.

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

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Fully Loaded Rare Breed – Zastava Type 102 / Yugo 65AGLX

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Reading through the Zastava history on the zastava-yugo.co.uk website I was surprised to learn that just 83 of all Zastava/Yugo types remain registered on British roads,

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

which makes today’s featured 1989 Yugo 65AGLX branded Zastava Type 102 a rare breed in Britain, if not it’s homeland and the area surrounding Serbia where it was built.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Today’s featured 1989 model, is the top of the UK range GLX fitted with a 1298 cc / 79 cui motor which could be ordered with either a 5 speed manual or Renault derived 3 speed automatic gearbox.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In the USA where the 65AGLX was known as the GVX (GV = Great Value) along with the spoilers front and rear, side body kit and alloy wheels it was possible to order a GVX with a automatic electro-hydraulic folding/raising cabrio roof. US destined Yugo’s were apparently built on a separate production line manned by an elite staff who were paid a premium wage.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Despite modest acceleration times of 0-60 mph in 13.5 seconds and a top speed of 85 mph, US spec, production of the Zastava Type 102 survived the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia, the factory at Kragujevac in Serbia survived a bombing, and did not end until 2008 with 794,428 examples built.

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

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