Automotive Haute Couture – Delahaye 178 Chapron Convertible

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In 1946 Delahaye became one of the first manufacturers to show a new chassis onto which customers were to fit individually tailored bodies built by third parties.

Delahaye Type 178 Chapron Cabriolet, Desert Classic, Palm Springs

The 175/178/180 chassis featuring new Dubonnet front independent and de Dion rear suspension, was available in three different lengths all powered by the same 4,455 cc / 271 cui 6 cylinder motor, the two longer models were fitted with a single carburetor to produce 140hp.

Delahaye Type 178 Chapron Cabriolet, Desert Classic, Palm Springs

The 1953 chassis featured today is one of 37 178 chassis and the Henri Chapron Cabriolet body was originally painted monotone black.

Apparently back in the day Delahaye owners were not averse to showing off their new cars at Concours events wearing the latest haute coture designs in colours matching their cars.

Sadly most of the third party bodies fitted to the Delahaye chassis were too heavy for the suspension and the companies reputation went into rapid decline.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs taken at this years Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance at Palm Springs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Automotive Haute Coture” 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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Beast Of Surbiton – Cooper Monaco T61P

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In 1962 Bruce McLaren raced the rear 4 cylinder Coventry Climax engined Cooper Monaco T61 for the first time. It is not clear if the first appearance was in Canada where there was an entry but no known result or in the USA where Bruce finished 4th in the Riverside Grand Prix.

Cooper Monaco T61P, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The following year an improved Cooper Monaco ‘T61M’ was raced by 1959 Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori driving for CT Atkins to at least five wins in 1963.

Cooper Monaco T61P, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Roger “The Captain” Penske and Skip Hudson had Chevrolet V8’s fitted to their 61M’s and each won at least one race towards the end of of ’63 and early ’64 respectively, while the real T61M success story was Carrol Shelby who bought two T61M’s and fitted them with Cobra 289 V8’s and called them King Cobra’s one of which Dave McDonald drove to win the 1963 USRRC Pro Sports Car Championship.

Cooper Monaco T61P, Micheal O'Shea, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

For 1964 CT Atkins and Roy Salvadori hatched a plan to build a T61 and fit a Maserati Tipo 151 5 litre 302 cui V8. This car became the unique T61P Cooper Maserati featured today.

Cooper Monaco T61P, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Too cope with the expected 430hp the teams mechanic Harry Pearce strengthened the chassis by welding and riveting a 20 guage steel sheet to the underside of the chassis frame.

Cooper Monaco T61P, Silverstone

Just as with the original Cooper Monaco T61 the debut of the T61P is unclear some sources show the car started at Oulton Park in 1964 but the result is unknown others show Roy drove the car to a second place finish at the 16th International Trophy meeting run at Silverstone.

Cooper Monaco T61P, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The Roy drove the T61P to victory in the 1964 Whitsun trophy at Goodwood and his only other result was a third place finish in the 1964 British Grand Prix meeting at Brands Hatch. After two further retirements CT Atkins closed his team down.

Contemporary accounts all describe the handling of the T61P as wild, possibly due to the weight of the 20 guage steel under tray and absence of any suspension geometry adjustments to compensate.

The car has since had it’s handling sorted and is seen above at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed with owner Micheal O’Shea at the wheel.

Thanks for joining me on this “Beast Of Surbiton” 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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Emmo’s Favourite – McLaren M23 #M23/5

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For his 1974 debut with his new team McLaren built 1972 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi today’s featured car the McLaren M23 chassis M23/5.

At the season opening Argetinian Grand Prix Emerson qualified a a promising 3rd on the grid but finished a disappointing 10th, while his team mate Denny Hulme qualified only 10th but won the race.

01 McLaren M23_1213sc

Next there were championship and non championship races in Brazil and Emerson won them both starting from pole and 2nd on the grid respectively.

Having failed to score in South Africa and finished 3rd in Spain all driving M23/5 Emerson then won the Belgian Grand Prix in the same car and took the lead in the points standings for the first time during the 1974 season.

McLaren M23, Emerson Fittipaldi, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Emerson held the championship lead for the next four races until the 1974 French Grand Prix which was won by Ronnie Peterson driving a Lotus 72, retrieved from the Ark, ahead of the resurgent Ferrari 312 B3’s driven by Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni who both displaced Emerson at the top of the table.

Emerson raced #M23/5 for the last time at the French Grand Prix where he started 5th but retired.

McLaren M23, Emerson Fittipaldi, Goodwood Festival of Speed

After the 1974 German Grand Prix, won by Clay Regazzoni Emerson had dropped to fourth in the standings behind Clay, Jody Scheckter and Niki Lauda.

Denny Hulme started the 1974 German Grand Prix in chassis #M23/6 but crashed into the back of team mate Emerson on thegrid of the opening lap which left Denny no option but to abandon the car and Emerson no option but to try and complete the opening 14 mile lap with damaged rear suspension.

McLaren M23, Emerson Fittipaldi, Goodwood Festival of Speed

When Denny returned to the pits he jumped into #M23/5 and set off in pursuit of the field, it took the German race officials two laps to realise what Denny had done and disqualify him from what transpired to be #M23/5’s final race appearance.

At the Italian Grand Prix, won by Ronnie in the Lotus, Emerson finished second to take third in the Championship standings, Ronnie who had won three races was fifth in the standings.

McLaren M23, Emerson Fittipaldi, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Emerson then won the Canadian Grand Prix to jointly lead the championship standings with Clay going into the final round of the championship run at Watkins Glen.

Neither championship contenders Clay Regazzoni of Jody Scheckter added to their point’s totals in the United States Grand Prix and so a 4th place finish was enough to secure a second World Drivers Championship title for Emerson and a first World Constructors title for McLaren.

Emerson is seen at the wheel of his favourite McLaren at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed where he described #M23/5 as his ‘favourite’.

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

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English Wheel Master Gomm – Gomm Jaguar Special

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The Gomm special is an amalgam of 1955 Jaguar XK 140 chassis, engine and running gear with bodywork craftsmanship attributed to a master of the english wheel Maurice Gomm.

Jaguar XK140 Gomm Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

I believe the motor is a 3442 cc / 210 cui double overhead cam Jaguar straight six.

Jaguar XK140 Gomm Special, Charles Fripp, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

The Maurice Gomm crafted body is said to have once been fitted to an ‘Alta GP chassis’ in these linked 2013 Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting race notes.

Jaguar XK140 Gomm Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

So far the only photo’s I have been able to find of such a vehicle are recent ones of Amy Tomlin’s Alta Jaguar GP with cycle mudguards, if you know which Alta GP chassis the body on today’s featured car was fitted to, please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Jaguar XK140 Gomm Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

While looking for information on the Alta chassis the body work featured here may have been attached to, I stumbled across this fascinating “Bring-A-Trailer” thread showing one of the last 4 unfinished Cunnigham CR3 chassis built with similar if not an identical right hand drive,RHD, body.

Jaguar XK140 Gomm Special, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

The Cunnigham CR3 chassis #5238 was bought separately form the body by Ben Shuckburgh and turned into a continuation Cunningham C4R featured on this link last June. If you know what became of the Cunningham’s body, seen in the Bring-A-Trailer thread please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Jaguar XK140 Gomm Special, Charles Fripp, Autumn Classic, Castle Combe

Former Twyford Moors Classic Cars proprietor Charles Fripp commissioned his former business to fit the body to the XK140 chassis with racing suspension, Charles is seen at the wheel of his Gomm Jaguar Special in these photo’s taken at the Castle Combe Classic in October.

Thanks for joining me on this “English Wheel Master Gomm” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me tomorrow for a look at Emerson Fittipaldi’s favourite McLaren. Don’t forget to come back now !

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The Ethiopian Ferrari – Ferrari 500 Mondial #0468MD

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In 1954 an Italian, Guido Petracchi, took delivery of today’s featured Ferrai 500 Mondial chassis #0468MD in Ethiopia where it was issued with the registration number ‘ER 22289’.

Ferrari 500 Mondial, Rolex Reunion, Laguna Seca

Guido is believed to have raced the car at least once in the 1954 Ethiopian Grand Prix, an event for which no precise date, circuit or even other entrants are known and from which the car is believed to have retired !

Ferrari 500 Mondial, Rolex Reunion, Laguna Seca

While looking for information about the 1954 Ethiopian Grand Prix I stumbled across this linked photo of an open wheel Maserati and what appears to be a shiny #30 Ferrari 500 Mondial which has yet to be confirmed as showing Bigi Cristoforo and Guido Petracchi at the wheel of the respective cars on the Asmara Street Circuit in Eritrea, then part of the Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea, in 1954.

In 1970 the #0468MD is said to have been rediscovered by Colin Crabbe and sold to an owner in Penrith in 1972. In 1982 DK Engineering restored #0468MD with new bodywork.

From 1989 to 1997 #0468MD went to Switzerland where it had three owners before being sold to it’s current owner in Medina Washington USA in 1998.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton who took these photographs of #0468MD at last years Rolex Reunion.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Ethiopian Ferrari” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for a look at another Jaguar Special. Don’t forget to come back now !

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King Kevin 4 The Happy Nation !

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Without the wonders of the internet I’d probably have no idea who Kevin Harvick was, around the time he was pulled into NASCAR’s top echelon of Cup racing by Richard Childress, RCR, the mainstream press in the UK had barely registered RCR and NASCAR’s star driver Dale Earnhardt’s passing and showed no interest in the guy Richard would turn to in his hour of need.

Thanks to the likes of Jerry Bonkowski over at Yahoo! Sport I managed to keep in touch with what was going on in Cup competition at the turn of the Millennium.

Chevrolet Impala SS, Harvick, Nurburgring,

In 2008 Jay Busbee at the same august internet enterprise ran a competition in which his readers were asked to fantasise about the future of NASCAR to be in with a chance of winning a number of NASCAR goodies.

My entry above imagined a 24 hour Cup race at the Nurburgring, which won me a “Americans For A Gunk Free Nation” cap signed by none other than Happy Kevin Harvick.

Chevrolet Impala SS, Kevin Harvick, Aaron's 499, Talladega,

The following year I got even luckier thanks to a much missed website called rowdy.com and won a trip to see Kevin race in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega.

The race was best remembered for the wipe out between winner Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards at the finish line, my man Kevin had a torrid time after his own early wipe out dented every panel on his car and his 2009 season was his worst since his semaphore slump in 2002.

On the plus side Kevin did win the 2009 Bud Shootout and in the post race interview uttered the phrase that I would eventually purloin and tweek for the title of this blog in 2010.

Chevrolet Impala SS

Photo Courtesy Kevin Harvicks Twitter feed.

The following season there were rumours that Kevin would switch to Haas Stewart Racing but these came to nought and Kevin bounced back to place 3rd in the Cup standings 3 times over the next four seasons.

At the end of 2011, to show how serious the matter of winning the Cup was, Kevin shut down his championship winning Kevin Harvick Inc Nationwide and Camping World Series Truck teams in his quest to focus on a Cup winning competitive edge.

Chevrolet Impala SS, Kansas, Kevin Harvick

Photo courtesy Kevin Harvick’s Twitter feed.

However despite finishing third in the final Cup standings last year Kevin decided that the switch to Stewart Haas Racing was due and amazingly after scoring 20 top ten finishes Kevin was crowned Sprint Cup Champion after winning his fifth race of the season at Homestead Miami to beat Ryan Newman by just one point.

The following day Kevin tweeted “All I can (do) is thank you to everyone for the support through all the years!! What a year this has been!!! WE WIN!!!”

Having been a Happy fan with a signed hat since 2008, I would like to congratulate Kevin and his SHR crew on their Championship success, thank him for keeping me entertained through thick and thin and wish him and his delightful wife Delana, who allegedly wears the fire suit, along with their son Keelan a relaxing festive break and best wishes for the 2015 season which kicks of on Valentines day with the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona.

Thanks for joining me on this “King Kevin 4 The Happy Nation !” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Encore – Classic Motor Show NEC Birmingham

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Today’s blog takes one final look through the recent Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

Porsche 917K, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

It was difficult for sports car fans of a certain age to get passed the main entrance where this Porsche 917 Kurzheck, like the car which opened last Wednesday’s blog some of this one starred in a Steve McQueen film, in this case Le Mans, chassis #013 crashed during filming with David Piper at the wheel during filming and was rebuilt with a fresh chassis #034 to become #034/013. This car went on to win the Daytona 24 Hours with Pedro Rodriguez andJackie Oliver sharing the driving.

Tatra T97, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

The Tatra T97 featured a rear air cooled 4 cylinder boxer engine and influenced the design of the Volkswagen Beetle so much that VW made an out of court settlement with Tatra in 1961. Not copied by the Germans were the elegant Tatra door handles nor rear hinged front. suicide, doors as seen on the 1938 model above.

Commer QX TS3 Mk III, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

If you like engineering novelty you’ll love the 1955 Commer QX TS3 Mk III 7 ton truck, it is powered by a 3.3 litre 200 cui 3 cylinder motor with a pair of horizontally opposed pistons in each cylinder connected to a common crank, oh and it’s a supercharged two stroke diesel an was originally developed by the Germans for a bomber aircraft ! A cross section diagram of how the motor works can be found on this link.

Panther De Ville, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

On a more neo-classical note, but perhaps none the less bizarre, the crystals in the radiator cap of this Panther De Ville are real amethysts.

Aston Martin Vignale, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Very much a work in progress was this unique 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 with body work by Vignale which I understand originally belonged to the King of Belgium.

Jaguar D-Type, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Rounding out today’s final visit to this years Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham is this 1956 short nose D-Type Jaguar used by the works supported Ecurie Ecose team. Ron Flockhart won two races at Snetterton and Goodwood with this car chassis XKD 561 and many years later it was used as a road car for nearly a decade by a Lancastrian owner.

Thanks for joining me on this “Encore” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be celebrating Kevin Harvicks Sprint Cup win. Don’t forget to come back now !

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