Today’s MG is a special B built with aluminium body panels at Abingdon to take part in the Sebring 12 Hours.

The car as seen here features a ‘Droop Snoot’ nose of the same type worn by it’s sister car DRX 255C at Le Mans in 1965.

However DRX256C, to the best of my knowledge, was never raced at Le Mans in period and certainly not with the Syd Enever designed nose

which I believe first appeared at Le Mans in 1963 fitted to a ‘B’ registered ‘7 DBL’ then in 1964 fitted to ‘BMO 541B’ and finally DRX 255C in 1965.

Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges qualified DRX 255C 46th and averaging 98 mph came in 2nd in class at the Le Mans 24 hours behind a Porsche 904 GTS.

Andrew Newton is the current owner of DRX 256C Barrie Williams and former Grand Prix Driver Mike Wilds are well known UK club racers. The drivers of DRX 256C at Sebring in 1965 were American Brad Picard and Canadian Al Pease.

Picard & Pease qualified 50th and finished 32nd 6th in class in a race that is best remembered for a flash flood which saw some parts of the track under 6 inches of water.

Some drivers described them selves as being up to their elbows in water during pit stops,

and I believe the lead Jim Hall / Hap Sharp Chaparral 2a recorded a lap time of 12 minuets at one point during the deluge.

I highly recommend viewing the Shell Promotional Film called the 12 hour Grind with commentary by Chris Economaki which can be seen on youtube starting with this link for those wishing to fast forward to see what happened when the heavens opened up the wet action starts here, I have never seen anything quite like it.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Wade in the Water’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow, don’t forget to came back now !