Sheerline But Not A Princess – Austin Sheerline

Ronnie’s Rocket – Lotus Ford 72 E

Lotus went into the 1973 Formula One Championship season as World Champion Constructors with reigning World Drivers Champion Emerson Fittipaldi being joined by a new team mate 1971 Championship runner up Ronnie Peterson.

The team started the season with the same Lotus 72 D model as they had used through out 1972 albeit now running on Goodyear tyres in place of the previous seasons Firestones. Emerson started the season well with 2 wins and a 3rd place from his first 3 starts while Ronnie had only two retirements and an 11th place finish to show from the same three races.

At the non championship Race of Championship the Lotus 72 D were brought up to E specification which included mounting the rear wing above the oil tank further back from the rear wheels and a wider track for the wheels front and rear. I well remember seeing both of the new cars spectacularly bottoming out on their debut at Brands Hatch as they approached the fearsome off camber and steep drop to Paddock Bend sending a shower of sparks from under the cars.

Both cars retired from the Race of Champions but Emerson won the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix, his last in a Lotus, before scoring three further second place finishes and a third on his way to a distant 2nd place championship finish behind Jackie Stewart and his Tyrrell Ford 006 who had clocked up five wins and two seconds on his way to his third and final title.

Ronnie meanwhile scored his first four Grand Prix wins and two second place finishes on his way to third in the championship title, helping Lotus win their second consecutive constructors championship. For 1974 Jackie Stewart retired, Emerson moved to McLaren to drive the M23, based very much on the principles of the Lotus 72, and Ronnie was joined at Lotus by Belgian Jacky Ickx.

Lotus started the 1974 season with the 72 E for the first two championship races and then Ickx used a 72E at the non championship Race of Champions and won after pulling off a brilliant overtaking move on Niki Lauda in his Ferrari 312 B3 going into Paddock Bend right in front of my nose. If all had gone to plan this would have been the last ever race for the Lotus 72 which had been introduced in 1970.

The Lotus 76 was first raced in the 1976 South African Grand Prix where neither car finished, Ronnie qualified his 76 at the non championship International Trophy at Silverstone and again at the Spanish Grand Prix but getting the car to finish proved impossible and so the Lotus 72 E’s were wheeled out again for the 1974 Monaco Grand Prix where Ronnie won from third on the grid, Ronnie added to more victories to the Lotus 72 E’s tally during the season to finish a distant fifth in the Championship which was won by his former team mate Emerson Fittipaldi in his Lotus 72 copy the McLaren M23.

For 1975 the Lotus 72 E’s were wheeled out again as the Lotus 76 had been abandoned as a failure, it would take a full twelve months for Lotus to build a new challenger such was the lack of financial resources and Lotus commitment to road car and sundry other projects. Ronnie gamely struggled on scoring just three points paying finishes while Jacky Ickx quit the team before the seasons end having scored a single second place finish.

I believe the two cars seen here both belong to Classic Team Lotus with the #2 most likely being a replacement chassis for the wrecked Lotus 72/R5 driven by Emerson Fittipaldi in C spec to victory in the 1970 US Grand Prix and last used in E spec by Brian Henton in the 1975 US Grand Prix.

The #5 appears to be #72/R9 built new for the 1975 season and used exclusively by Ronnie Peterson who scored a best third place finish in the non championship 1975 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, and three further points paying finishes including a 5th place finish in the 1975 United States Grand Prix which would be the cars final appearance.

Fans of the Lotus 72 in the UK will be interested to know that there will be a 24 min documentary on the story behind the Lotus 72 on Motors TV in December, keep your eye out for it in the schedule. The films director Gary Crichter will also be releasing a full 90 min version with 60 mons of extra’s of the film on dvd in the near future. Keep your eye out on the www.lotus72dvd.com website for further announcements.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ronnie’s Rocket” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow, don’t forget to come back now !

Needs Must – Ferrari 375 America Vignale Coupé #0327AL

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Never wildly keen on selling road cars Enzo Ferrari was persuaded to build a few, which not only helped him defray the costs of developing new technology for his racing programme but also satisfied a demand for his products at near exclusive prices.

The 1953 375 America was his second series of road cars following the 342 America of which only twenty three were built. The 375 was powered by a 300 hp 4522 cc / 275 cui long block V12 similar to that used in the 4.5 litre V12 Ferrari 375 Formula One Car and slightly longer Ferrari 375 Indy Car.

Only 11 Ferrari 375 America’s were built, with a 12th one being converted from 250 Europa spec to 375 America spec by the Ferrari factory in 1955. Regular readers may remember that a Pininfarina bodied 375 America chassis #0319AL was the subject of a GALPOT blog in May last year.

This particular chassis #0372AL is one of just three cars built with Vignale bodies, each of the Vignale bodies has unique features making this one easy to recognise, due to it’s low bumper and recessed headlights, as the second of the three built. This car was displayed at the Geneva and New York automotive shows in 1954 and then sold to Robert C. Wilke, of Milwaukee, WI, USA – President of Leader Cards Inc.

Thanks for joining me on this “Needs Must” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres”. I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Lotus 72E. Don’t forget to come back now !

Finest, Fiercest Yet – Chevrolet Corvette C1

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The 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, like this one seen in the Malta Classic Car Collection in Qwara was the last of four variations known collectively as the C1 models and was advertised with the strap line ” Finest, Fiercest Yet – ’62 Corvette by Chevrolet“.

The front end styling was similar to that first seen in 1958 with four head lights, however the trade mark baroque tooth grill which had been a feature of Corvettes since their inception in 1953 was removed in 1961.

The engine displacement was increased from 4.6 litres / 283 cui to 5.4 litres / 327 cui which gave from 250 hp to 340 dependent of the carburetors and lifters specified or 360 hp when fitted with fuel injection. Two tone paintwork was no longer an option in 1962.

The instrumentation of the ’62 ‘vette remained largely unchanged from 1959 when the engine revolution counter first appeared in the centre of the drivers view below the outsize speedometer.

Among the rosta of winners driving ’62 Corvettes out on the race track were Dick Thompson, Delmo Thompson, Joe Freitas , Dave MacDonald, Everett Hatch, Mack Yates, Bob Moore, Dan McMahnon, Tom Robinson, Don Meline, Bob Paul, Joe Weiter, Jerry Grant, David Stanley, Martin Krinner, Paul Reinhart, Norman Namerow, Ralph Salyer, Nate Karras, Scott Briley, Mike Gammino, Lew Draper, Bob Brown, Roy Kumnick, Red Faris, Jim Collipriest, Roy Tuerke, Hank Mergner, John McVeigh and Mike Stephens.

The 120 mph 250 hp ’62 Corvette seen here was restored over a period of three years and has won numerous awards at classic car shows.

Thanks for joining me on this “Finest, Fiercest Yet” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again, for Ferrari Friday, tomorrow. Don’t for get to come back now !

Mille Miglia Tribute – Goggomobil TS Coupé

10,000 RHD’s Only – MG TC Midget

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A development of the pre-war 1939 MG TB, of which only 379 were built, the MG TC was launched in 1945. and experienced comparatively huge popularity thanks to large numbers of US service men who served in the UK during the 1939 – ’45 war who fell for the cute li’l pre war MG’s that were still in evidence on the roads during the hostilities.

The MG TC experienced comparatively huge popularity thanks to large numbers of US service men who served in the UK during the 1939 – ’45 war who fell for the cute li’l pre war MG’s that were still in evidence on the roads during the hostilities.

Powered by a high compression version of the M TB 1250 cc / 76 cui 4 cylinder motor which produced 54 hp in standard trim, the motors could be supplied in different states of tune for specific, competition, purposes.

The TC’s cockpit was wider than that of the TB and featured a tachometer mounted directly in front of the driver, particularly useful for competition purposes.

TC’s were raced extensively in Europe, Australasia and North America recording many outright and class wins, both Carroll Shelby and Phil Hill raced and won driving MG TC’s, in their early careers, on their way to becoming stars on the world motorsports stage. Bill Bradley is known to have won his, HP, Class in an SCCA sanctioned event at Opelousas as late as July 1963.

All of 10,000 MG TC’s built between 1945 and 1949 were right hand drive, despite most of them being exported to Left Hand Drive countries particularly the United States.

Bertones Czech Brief – Škoda Favorit Pick-up

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring