Tag Archives: Castle

T for 2 – MG TF

Following the demise of the MG PB in 1936 MG launched the 2 seater MG TA as it’s replacement the same year.

3000 TA’s were up until 1939 when the TA was replaced by the TB of which just 379 were built prior to the requirements of the War Office taking precedence of the MG manufacturing facilities.

After the war with the huge demand for vehicles world wide the MG TC came into it’s own with 10,000 examples built from 1945 to 1950, when the TD, which started to break away from the look of the older models with it’s relatively small 15″ steel road wheels and chrome bumpers, was launched. 30,000 of these phenomenal export earners were built with 23,488 of them going to the USA and just 1,656 remaining for UK showrooms !

The TF as seen in todays photos at Castle Combe during last years Classic & Sportscar Action day was launched 1953 featuring headlights integrated with the front wings, for the first time in the T series. This 1954 model was fitted with a 1250 cc 76 cui motor with 56 hp which would take the car from rest to 60 mph in 18.9 secs and on to a top speed of 81 mph and return 28 mpg.

Over three years 9600 TF’s were manufactured of which all but 1057 were exported. Eagle eyed GALPOT readers with a solid state hard drive may recall the Replica Prize Winning Brazilian Avalone 11 was fashioned after the MG TF.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘T for 2’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, wishing all GALPOT contributors & readers a romantic Valentines Day, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Foot Warmer – TVR 400 SE

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The story of the TVR 400SE begins with Oliver Winterbottom who, after designing the wedge shaped Lotus Eclat and second generation Lotus Elite models launched 1974, was responsible for designing the wedge shaped TVR Tasmin launched in 1980.

Over the years the Tasmin which was originally available with 2 litre / 122 cui or 2.8 litre / 170 cui Ford sourced motors grew into a second incarnation with a 3.5 litre / 215 cui V8 that traces it’s history back through the Rover 3.5 litre Coupé to the aluminium V8 Buick 215 designed by Joe Turley for Buick Oldmobile and Pontiac vehicles launched in 1961.

Launched in 1983 the TVR Tasmin 350i which became the plain TVR 350i in 1984 had a 190 hp and a 130 mph capability. With it’s Rover power the 350i became marketable in the middle east where there was, and is, a resistance to anything associated with Ford due to it’s dealings with Israel. In 1984 a 390 SE engine package was offered to 350i customers with a blueprinted version of the V8 motor with 3905 cc / 238 cui cylinder capacity, high lift cam shaft large valves and Cosworth machined pistons which brought the power up to 275 hp.

In 1986 further improvements offered 300 hp from the 420 SE spec which could be ordered with a lighter and slightly more rounded 420 SEAC spec body. For 1988 introduced the 3948 cc / 240 cui 400 SE which offered marginal performance improvements over the 390 SE and used the Series 2 390 SE body with asymmetrical near side louvers in the bonnet and a slightly more tidy nose as seen on the example above.

With the increase in engine size and output from 100 – 160 hp for the Tasmin models to 275 hp for the 400 SE seen here the transmission tunnel was increased in size to accommodate ever larger transmissions required to cope with the extra horsepower and so the foot wells have decreased in size. The extra heat generated by the more powerful motors allegedly also means occupants feet are more exposed to heat soak than was the case in the original Tasmin.

Equipped with 8J x 15 inch wheels and ventilated disc brakes the 400 SE could reach 60 mph from rest in 5.6 seconds or 100 mph in 14.8 seconds and max out at 145 mph. In 1989 a final version of the TVR Wedge was introduced the 320 hp 450 SE good for 150 mph.

The rear deck spoiler on this 400 SE appears to have been sourced from the ’86-’88 420 SEAC which had up to 20% of its body panels made from light weight kevlar. The 400SE is renowned for making a phenomenal noise and exhilarating acceleration.

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

Brenda’s Makeover, Ford Escort Mk II Estate 1300 Base

Dominating Réunion – Alpine A110 1600S

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Jean Rédélé’s rear engined Alpine A110 “Berlinette” launched in 1961 was an evolution of the A108. Distinguishing features include proprietary Renault R8 running gear in place of the Renault Dauphin running gear of the A108 and a larger tail for the fiberglass body to accommodate the larger R8 derived motors.

The cars were manufactured at the Dieppe factory, which today operates under the the Renault Sport banner, with further cars being assembled in Mexico under the name Dinalpin and perhaps most unlikely of all from 1967 to 1969 in Bulgaria under the name ‘Bulgaralpine‘.

Over the years of production up to 1977 the choice of straight 4 cylinder engine sizes ranged from 95 hp 1.1 liters / 67 cui through to 125 hp 1.6 liters / 97 cui, the latter giving the a top speed of 130 mph and zero to 60 mph in 7 seconds.

With these sorts of performance figures the vehicle was a shoe in for a successful competition career in particular on tarmac rallies, Jean Vinatier won the French National Rally title in 1969 in an A110 and both Ove Anderson (1971) and Jean-Claude Andruet (1973) won the Monte Carlo Rally in A110’s the latter victory contributing to Alpine Renault, rebranded after Renault’s 1970 buy out, winning the first World Rally Championship in 1973.

The A110 cars also have a successful track racing history in Europe and the United State still winning its class in races as late as 1980.

During the course of finding out about the A110 I have found several inaccuracies one that the A110 was inspired by Colin Chapmans Lotus Elan, this is not true the A110 preceded the announcement of the Elan by 1 year. Also I have seen the A110 mentioned in connection with the Brazilian assembled Willys Interlagos, the Interlagos built from 1962 to 1966 and most successfully raced by Wilson Fittipaldi, brother of twice world champion and Indy 500 winner Emerson, was based on the A110’s predecessor the A108.

This particular vehicle seen at Castle Combe Classic and Sport Car Action Day was originally exported to Renault St Denis, Il de La Réunion out in the Indian Ocean between islands of Madagascar and Mauritius, in 1973. It immediately made an impact sweeping Réunion’s two biggest events the ‘Mille Kilometers‘ and ‘Tour de la Réunion‘ from 1973 to 1975. The car was acquired by it’s current owner in 1991.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Dominating Réunion’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you’ll join me again. Don’t forget to come back now !

Quintessential British Sports Car – MG J2

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The MG J series produced from 1932 to 1934 came in 4 distinct models the J1 a 2 door 4 seat open or closed sports car with a 847 cc / 51 cui motor, J2 a two seater open only version, as seen in todays blog, of the J1, J3 similar to a J3 but with a 750 cc / 45 cui supercharged motor and the J4 a pure racing version of the J3 with a 72 hp supercharged motor.

The 1932 J2 is easily distinguishable by the front cycle style mud guards which in 1933 were replaced with front mudguards joined by running boards to the rear wings a feature that was to remain with all subsequent MG sports cars all the way through to the TF model which was manufactured until 1955.

The 36 hp motor, was similar to that used in the earlier M-Type looked at last week, featuring a cross flow cylinder head and twin SU carburetors but only a two bearing crankshaft which had a limited life at maximum rpm. The Castrol GTX oil breather catch tank is a relatively recent requirement for competition.

Lifting the side opening bonnet panels of the J2 reveals the four speed gearbox and foot wells. The steering column operates Marles steering gear and the drivers side front brake cable can be seen emerging from the chassis rail above.

The two humped dash scuttle of the J Series would turn out to be another trade mark MG feature that was continually carried forward over twenty years to the 1955 MG TF. Note the how the potential crankshaft saving engine revolution counter dominates the dash board instrumentation.

Just over 2000 J2’s were built out numbering the combined total of all the other J series MG’s by more than 2 to 1, this particular example, seen at last years Wessex Sprint, was acquired by Mike Hawke for £85 in October 1953, the car cost just short of £200 new in 1932.

Mike is known to have campaigned this car successfully at both Castle Combe and Silverstone before passing the car on to his son Jeremy who won his class at Castle Combe on the day these photo’s were taken.

Thanks for joining me on this Quintessential British Sports Car edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me tomorrow when I’ll be featuring a hot version of “The car you always promised yourself. Don’t forget to come back now !

Racing Dispensation – Mosler MT900 GT3

The Car You Always Promised Yourself – Ford Capri 1600 L

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The concept of the ‘pony car’ is generally agreed to have been formulated by Ford when it popped a sports car body onto saloon / sedan running gear of the Ford Falcon and called the result the Ford Mustang.

By 1969 Ford in Europe emulated their US cousins by plonking a cool coupé body on the running gear of the evergreen Ford Cortina Mk2 Saloon / Sedan and marketing it as the “Car You Always Promised Yourself“.

And for many people it really was over 1 million of the Mk1 versions were sold between 1969 and 1974 with a range of engines from 1.3 litres / 79 cui to eventually 3.1 litres 189 cui with an extremely limited edition homologation racing special having a 24 valve 3.4 litre / 207 cui motor fitted.

The Rostyle steel wheels on this example were identical to those found on the Cortina 1600E and usually fitted to the XL Capri variants, this 1969 1600 L fitted with 4 cylinder ‘Kent’ motor normally would have far more utilitarian steel wheels fitted with hub caps when it left the factory.

The intakes ahead of the rear wheels are dummies, just like those on the original 1964 Ford Mustang which inspired much of the design philosophy of the Capri.

The Capri Mk 1 was sold without the Ford Badges in the United States by Lincoln – Mercury Dealers and was marketed as the ‘Sexy European‘ perhaps reflecting the popularity of this model among the stereo typical hedonist ‘Medallian Men’ of Europe.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Sexy European’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at a rare contemporary American GT racing car. Don’t forget to come back now

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Castle

T for 2 – MG TF

Foot Warmer – TVR 400 SE

Brenda’s Makeover, Ford Escort Mk II Estate 1300 Base

Dominating Réunion – Alpine A110 1600S

Quintessential British Sports Car – MG J2

Racing Dispensation – Mosler MT900 GT3

The Car You Always Promised Yourself – Ford Capri 1600 L