Tag Archives: 5000

Doubling Horse Power – Doe Dual Drive 130

This month I thought it would be fun to look at a few farm vehicles I have stumbled across in recent years.

In June 1898 Ernest Doe took out a lease on a blacksmiths shop in Ulting near Maldon in Essex. By 1910 the business of shoeing horses and repairing agricultural equipment had been successful enough for Ernest to by the free hold for the business and a neighbouring farm.

11-Doe Dual Drive 130 4094sc

After the Great ’14-’18 war eldest son Ernest Charles persuaded his father to invest in some of the 6000 tractors which had been sent from by the US to help the Allied war effort. By the ’39-’45 war Ernst Doe were distributing Fordson, David Brown, Allis Chalmers and Case tractors with Ransome machinery.

Doe Dual Drive 130 4095sc

Wanting more power from his tractor Essex farmer George Pryor bought two new Fordsons removed the front wheels of both and linked them with a turntable that allowed the enlarged vehicle to be steered with the aid of a pair of hydraulic rams. In 1958 Ernst Doe built an improved version of Pryor’s tractor linking two Fordson Major tractors. With a combined 100 hp and all wheel drive the vehicle outperformed everything else available in the UK with the bonus that it required special equipment because regular farmyard equipment was too flimsy when operated by the Doe Dual Power.

Doe Dual Drive 130 4096sc

The name was later changed to Doe Dual Drive often abbreviated to Triple D. By 1963 Doe built an even more powerful tractor using to a pair Ford 5000’s like the Triple D 130 seen here at Goodwood. The final Triple D 150 variant was built with a pair of Ford Force 5000 units. Eventually more conventional tractors with more powerful single engines caught up with the performance of the Triple D and rendered it obsolete because of the increased maintenance necessitated by having a vehicle with two motors and two gearboxes.

It is thought around 300 Triple D’s were built and today they can fetch over £50,000 at auction. Today Ernst Doe, still a family business, operates from 19 outlets in the east of England distributing a variety of plant and machinery including New Holland tractors.

Thanks for joining me on this “Doubling Horse Power” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the first of this months series of Edwardian vehicles. Don’t forget to come back now !

Estremamente Bella Donna – Lamborghini Countach 5000 quattrovalvole

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When it was first seen at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show the prototype Lamborghini Countach LP 500 powered by a 5 litre / 302 cui V12 with a Bertone body designed by Marcello Gandini was like the Muira before it nothing short of sensational. Unfortunately despite featuring extensive use of honeycomb aluminium in it’s construction, ironically unlike the later production models, the prototype was destroyed in European Countach type approval tests.

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Appropriately the Countach name, Piedmontese slang for extremely beautiful women, lived up to the original, but production variants needed cooling intakes which broke up the smooth roof line. Due to a financial crises which resulted in founder Ferruccio Lamborghini selling a 51% stake of his company to Georges-Henri Rossetti in 1972 and the remainder to René Leimer in 1974. The first 1974 production iteration of the LP 400 Countach featured only a 4 litre / 244 cui longitudinal mounted V12 enough to give the car a 192 mph top speed though it was slightly slower 5.4 second rest to 62.5 mph time.

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV, Auto Italia, Brooklands

The second production Countach LP400S launched in 1978 https://www.psychoontyres.co.uk/had slightly reduced power, and only 181 mph top speed, but wheel arch extensions first seen on two cars commissioned by Canadian oil magnate and Formula One entrant Walter Wolf in 1977.

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV, Auto Italia, Brooklands

1982 saw the introduction of the 500 S with a 4.8 litre / 292 cui motor which took the top speed back up to 186 mph and acceleration times back to the same level as the original LP400.

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV, Auto Italia, Brooklands

In 1985 the 5000 QV with four valve cylinder heads was launched and a larger 5.2 litre / 315 cui motor as used in the, LM 002 SUV, which increased the power to well over 440hp taking the rest to 62,5 mph time below 5 seconds to 4.9 seconds bettered only by the Evoluzione which managed the same test in 4.2 seconds and prototype twin turbo 400S which got to 62.5 mph in 3,6 seconds with over 700 hp available.

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Today’s featured car is a 1987 5000 quattrovalvole but without either the optional rear wing which took at least 10 mph off the top speed, or the dreadful seemingly Ferrari Testarossa inspired side skirts running between the front and rear wheels.

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV, Auto Italia, Brooklands

For 1988 designer Horacio Pagani was commissioned to rework Gandini’s original Countach lines into a model celebrating Lamborghini’s first 25 years of production. The 25th Anniversary edition Countach remained in production until 1990 when it was replaced by the Diablo. By 1992 2,042 Countachs of all types had been manufactured it remains significantly rarer than the Ferrari 512 BB of which 2,323 were produced from 1973 to 1984 and Ferrari Testarossa variants of which over 10,000 were manufactured from 1985 to 1996.

Thanks for joining me on this “Estremamente Bella Donna” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at what is going on with Brighton Speed Trials. Wishing all GALPOT readers and contributors a Happy, Healthy and prosperous new year, don’t forget to come back now !

Brighton Speed Trials Under Threat of Permanent Cancellation !

In their infinite wisdom, Brighton & Hove City Council are seeking to ban the Brighton Speed Trials from 2014.

If you care about speed and or motorsport history, please sign this linked petition to save Brighton Speed Trials in 2014 and beyond.

It’s a faf to Register before signing, but relatively painless compared to loosing the event which has been run with few interruptions since 1905.

You do not need to be resident in Brighton or even the UK to sign.

Thanks and please spread the word through whatever social media you have at your disposal.

More Fuel – McLaren Ford M14A #M14/2

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Going into 1970 things were looking up as McLaren Cars entered their seventh year. The team had won three consecutive Can Am Championships, 2 for Bruce McLaren and one for Denny Hulme, the inaugural European Formula F5000 championship with Peter Gethin and four championship Formula One races one for Bruce McLaren and three, including the last race of 1969, for Denny Hulme.

In addition to these racing programs for 1970 McLaren were to embark on an Indy program with the new turbocharged McLaren Offy M15 and were contracted to run an Alfa Romeo V8 powered car alongside their new Ford powered M14A Formula One car.

McLaren Ford M14A, Goodwood Revival

The new M14A was an improvement of the 1969 McLaren M7C, itself based on a Formula F5000 M10A chassis with McLaren M7A Grand Prix winning suspension.

The main feature of the new car was the narrower internal dimensions of the monocoque which were necessary to accommodate larger fuel tanks required by the ever more powerful and thirsty Ford Cosworth DFV V8’s.

McLaren Ford M14A, McLaren Manchester, Knutsford

The McLaren M14A was used in all but one race in the 1970 Formula One championship season. It’s best result was on it’s debut in South Africa where Denny Hulme finished second, driving I believe today’s featured car. Bruce McLaren matched that in Spain where he also finished second. After the Monaco Grand Prix where Denny finished forth disaster struck as first Denny was badly burned after his car caught fire in testing at Indianapolis and then a couple of weeks later Bruce was killed while testing the M8D Can Am car at Goodwood.

The team consequently missed the Belgian GP and reappeared at the Dutch Grand Prix with Dan Gurney driving the lead car #M14/1 and 1969 European Formula 5000 champion Peter Gethin making his Formula One championship debut driving today’s featured chassis, both cars retired. Denny Hulme still suffering from burned hands was back in time for the French Grand Prix alongside Dan Gurney and the pair came in 4th and 6th respectively.

#M14/2 is seen at the McLaren Manchester show room in Knutsford above.

McLaren Ford M14A, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

Dan Gurney retired from Formula One after retiring from the British Grand Prix where Hulme finished a remarkable 3rd. Peter Gethin was back in the team for the German Grand Prix where Denny again finished 3rd. Denny retired from the Austrian GP but at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix he came home 4th. Peter Gethin scored his first World Championship point at the Canadian Grand Prix where he finished 6th and Denny rounded out a painful year with a third in the Mexican Grand Prix finishing 4th in the Formula One Championship points table.

Incredibly despite his injuries Denny had also won 6 of the 10 Can Am Championship rounds enough to win the 1970 Chamionship his second Can Am Crown and McLaren Cars 4th consecutive championship aided by a further win from Peter Gethin who also won a second consecutive European Formula 5000 title driving a McLaren. The US, New Zealand and South African Formula 5000 thousand championships were won by John Cannon, Graham McRae and Bob Olthof respectively all also driving McLarens.

McLaren Ford M14A, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

For 1971 #M14/2 was driven by Peter Gethin to two second place finishes in non championship races at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch, the best championship result Peter had from 3 championship start in the car was 8th in the 1971 Spanish Grand Prix.

Jackie Oliver joined McLaren for the British Grand Prix where he qualified #M14/2 22nd but a bungled flag drop saw Jackie crash into Graham Hill at the start causing instant retirement for both and a £50 fine for Jackie. The cars final works appearance was at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix where Jackie qualified 13th and finished 7th in a close fought race won by Peter Gethin now driving a BRM.

McLaren Ford M14A, Goodwood Festival Of Speed

#M14/2 next appeared with a Formula 5000 Chevy stock block V8 motor in the hands of Tony Dean who’s best result was a 10th place finish in his first start in the car at Mondello Park. On his seventh and final attempt, which included retirements from races at Elkhart Lake and Brainerd, to race the car Tony failed to qualify for the non championship 1972 John Player Challenge Trophy at Brands Hatch.

In 1973 at the same venue Willie Wood failed to qualify #M14/2 for the Formula F5000 race or non championship Race of Champions and was not classified in a further appearance at Oulton Park. Allan Kayes then bought #M14/2 was also unclassified at Brands Hatch, finished 11th at Oulton Park and then retired, failed to qualify or failed to start in 12 further races most of which were rounds of the 1974 European Formula 5000 championship.

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