Tag Archives: Classic

Five Classic Moments – Silverstone Classic

Continuing an ad hoc series celebrating Silverstone Classic’s Silver Jubilee this weeks post features five race highlights from the last three Silverstone Classic Super Saturdays.

Peter Arundell Trophy, Silverstone Classic,

The Formula Junior cars vying to win the Peter Arundell Trophy traditionally are the opening act for Super Saturday above the #53 Lotus 20/22 of Sam Wilson and #79 Lotus 22 of Andrew Hibberd squabble behind the leading #1 Cooper T59 driven by Jon Melicevic in 2013 when Andrew won the trophy by just half a second.

Sir John Whitmore Trophy, Silverstone Classic

The Sir John Whitmore Trophy for under 2 litre / 122 cui touring cars always provides close racing down the field between the Ford Cortinas, above last year British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) regular Gordon Shedden and Richard Meaden kept us entertained with door handle to door handle racing for half an hour before the #157 retired with an overheating issue leaving Richard and Grant Tromans to win in the tyre smoking #63.

Peter Gethin Trophy, Silverstone Classic

Simon Hadfield and Micheal Lyons provided the early entertainment in the Peter Gethin Trophy race for stock block open wheelers in 2012, unfortunately Simon spun the brown 1973 Trojan T101 to leave the win to Micheal in the red and white Lola T400 seen above hounding the Trojan.

Mustang Celebration Trophy proudly presented by Pure Michigan, Silverstone Classic

Ironically last years Mustang Celebration Trophy was dominated by the model the Ford Mustang was due to replace, Leo Voyazides driving the #1 Ford Falcon is seen above sweeping into a lead, past the #37 Falcon driven by Mike Gardiner, that he did not relinquish for the rest of the race.

Froilan Gonzalez Trophy, Silverstone Classic

The Froilan Gonzalez Trophy for HGPCA Pre’61 Grand Prix Cars proved another thriller two years ago when Bristol’s Julian Bronson driving the blue Scarab #30 had a great to and fro battle with the Tec-Mec of Tony Wood and came out the winner to record the Scarab marques second ever open wheel victory.

Silverstone Classic is an advance ticket only event and the race cards are never the same two years running, for further details about this years Silver Jubilee event see this link.

Indy Monza Daytona – Kurtis KK500C

In 1954 Kurtis Kraft built nine Kurtis KK500C roadsters and today’s featured car chassis #376 was entered for the 1954 Indianapolis 500 International Sweepstakes as the Merz Engineering Special for Fred Agabashian to drive.

Kurtis 500C, Silverstone Classic, Test Day,

Fred qualified the #77 for the 24th spot on the grid and finished in 6th place third best of the 9 KK500C’s which all made the start.

Kurtis 500C, Silverstone Classic, Test Day,

The following year Walt Faulkner took over the #77 for the Indy 500 and starting 7th went one better than Fred and finished 5th.

Kurtis 500C, Silverstone Classic, Test Day,

For 1956 chassis #376 was rebranded as the Hoyt Machine Co Special and entered in the Indy 500 as the #10 for Ed Eliian who qualified 14th but had to retire 40 laps short of the full distance with brake issues.

Kurtis 500C, Silverstone Classic, Test Day,

Jimmy Reece qualified the #5 Hoyt Machine Co Special 6th at Indy in 1957, but retired 18 laps short of the full distance with throttle issues.

Kurtis 500C, Silverstone Classic, Test Day,

In 1958 Gene Hartley failed to qualify the Hoyt Machine Co Special for the 500 but with Jimmy Reece back at the wheel the car finished 5th in the race of the Two Worlds at Monza.

Kurtis 500C, Silverstone Classic, Test Day,

After returning from Italy #376 was rebranded as the Wheeler Foutch Special and entered for Red Amnick for the Indy 500, Red qualified the #87 26th but retired after an accident and completing only 45 laps.

In April 1959 Dempsey Wilson qualified #376, now returned to Hoyt Machine Co Special colours, 4th for the Daytona 100 USAC race run at the then brand new Daytona Superspeedway.

Dempsey spun the #24 out at turn 2 on lap 28 of the Daytona 100 and then took over the #75 Racing Associates Kazuma for the 2nd event of the day a shortened 50 mile “Libre”, open to all comers, race from which he was flagged running in 9th place having completed only 17 of the scheduled 20 laps.

Chassis #376 was retired from competition in 1962 and was fitted with a V8 and clothed as a road car until 1995 when it was returned to the condition in which it is seen today, this car is considered one of the most original roadsters to have survived having never been converted to a super modified spec for dirt track racing.

My thanks to Willem Oosthoek and Jerry Entin at The Nostalgia Forum for anticipating my question regarding events at Daytona in April 1959.

Thanks for joining me on this “Indy Monza Daytona” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a seriously modified FIAT. Don’t forget to come back now !

Five In The Car Park – Silverstone Classic

To celebrate Silverstone Classic’s Silver Jubilee I thought it would be fun to select 25 highlights from the last four years that I have been attending the event, today I am looking back at 5 of my favourite classics seen in the Sliverstone Classic car park over the years.

Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk2 Touring Spider,Silverstone Classic

My car of the day on my first visit to Silverstone Classic in 2011 was this 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk2 Touring Spider which Mr Alexander Smith won in a Daily Express competition with his catch phrase “Who Said A Spider Couldn’t Fly ?”.

Ferrari 250 GT Europa, Silverstone Classic

Two years later my car of the day was this 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa #0373GT in which Oliver Gendebien and his co driver Pierre Stasse finished the non stop 1956 2,000 mile Liege Rome Liege Rally 3rd overall.

Lotus Seven Series IV, Silverstone Classic

By no means the rarest, nor necessarily most popular, of cars, but one I used to lust after as a school kid was the chunky Series IV Lotus Seven this 1970 example on Wolfrace Alloy wheels appeared at the 2012 Silverstone Classic.

Lamborghini Jota, Silverstone Classic

Mr Piet Pulford spent 15 years and large sums of money turning a beaten up Lamborghini Muira he found in the States into this copy of the one off racing spec Jota that was destroyed by fire in Italy in 1972.

BMW 3.0 CSL, Silverstone Classic

One of the more lurid colour schemes seen at Silverstone Classic was that on this 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL.

Thanks for joining me on this “Five In The Car Park” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking a pony. Don’t forget to come back now !

Otto Vú – FIAT 8V

It is believed work commenced on the 2 litre FIAT Tipo 106 70° V8 design credited to Dante Giacosa in 1945.

FIAT 8V, Silverstone Classic

The engine which was manufactured in 105, 115 or extremely rare 120 hp variants was only used for the 8V model in FIAT’s range, but was notably also adopted by SIATA for their 208S model.

FIAT 8V, Silverstone Classic

8V’s, so called because Ford held the copyrights to the V8 name, were fitted into a tube frame chassis with independent suspension taken form the contemporary FIAT 1100 parts bin.

FIAT 8V, Silverstone Classic

Bodywork for the 114 8V’s, also known as Otto Vú’s, was primarily farmed out to a variety of coach builders including Zagato, Ghia and Vignale although 34 had bodywork designed by FIAT’s Fabio Luigi Rapi and made by FIAT’s Reparto Carrozzerie Speciali.

FIAT 8V, Silverstone Classic

While the production numbers were extremely low, by FIAT’s standards, they were built in sufficient numbers to qualify for use in GT competition where they enjoyed many successes.

FIAT 8V, Silverstone Classic

Among those successes were Elio Zagato’s, from the coach building company, outright victories in the 3 hour race at Bari in 1954, repeated in 1955 by Carlo Siciliani on the same event and a win in the 1955 Berlin Grand Prix, drivers of 8V’s won the Italian under 2 litre GT championships up to and including 1959.

FIAT 8V, Silverstone Classic

The example seen here at last years Silverstone Classic is a 1954 MkII Berlinetta one of just 28 with the later version of Rapi’s bodywork built by Reparto Carrozzerie Speciali, it has been restored by Ian Nuttall of IN Racing in Nottingham.

Thanks for joining me on this “Otto Vú” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Group B Rally Car that conquered Africa in the mid 1980’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

Here Comes The Sun – Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

Data from the Greenwich weather station in London showed that February and March 1969 were much colder months than the norm for the 1960’s and that with 189 hours of sunshine April 1969 set a record that was not beaten until the 1980’s.

These meteorological events may or may not have played apart in George Harrison taking some time off from pressing commitments with the accountants at Apple Corp in London and visiting Hurtwood the house where his friend Eric Clapton lived and writing the song “Here comes the sun” in April 1969.

Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingam

The song contains the lyric “it’s been a long cold lonely winter” which suggests the contemporary weather played a part in the songs creation.

Even more pertinent speculation to today’s blog is whether four years later the song had any influence on George choosing to purchase today’s 1973 Maranello Yellow Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, after all what more could a man driving a sports car under the sun want than a detachable roof ?

George, the petrol head of the Beatles quartet combo, is believed to have kept the car for four years, several life times in rock star terms, before having a garage clear out.

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

Eau d’Guest – McLaren Cosworth M23 #M23/4

Today’s featured car McLaren M23 #M23/4 appeared in another blog earlier this year in the colours of 1974 sponsors Texaco and Marlboro.

McLaren M23, Silverstone Classic

The car was built in 1973, when McLaren were sponsored solely by Yardley and was driven to a third place finish in the 1974 German Grand Prix by Jacky Ickx in a one off drive.

McLaren M23, Silverstone Classic

Peter Revson drove #M23/4 in the last three races of his career at McLaren finishing 3rd in Monza, winning in Canada and finishing 5th in his home US Grand Prix before leaving to join Shadow for the 1974 season.

McLaren M23, Gregor Fisken, Silverstone Classic

During 1974 both Denny Hulme and Emerson Fittipaldi raced #M23/4 in Marlboro colours with Emerson finishing a best 3rd in the non championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

McLaren M23, Silverstone Classic

After Mike Hailwood crashed his Yardley sponsored McLaren M23 at the 1974 German Grand Prix and effectively ending his Formula One career, #M23/4 was returned to Yardley livery for David Hobbs to drive in the Austrian and Italian Grand Prix, he finished a best 7th in Austria.

McLaren M23, Silverstone Classic

For the final two races of the 1974 season Jochen Mass was invited to drive the car and he also scored a best 7th in the US Grand Prix.

McLaren M23, Silverstone Classic

During 1975 #M23/4 made two race appearances in Marlboro livery, Emerson finishing second at the non championship International Trophy at Silverstone and Jochen retiring from the German Grand Prix.

There after I believe #M23/4 was turned into a show car and it maybe that it was during this time the car acquired it’s post 1976 US Grand Prix West extended side pods with the two distinctive vents.

The car is seen with Gregor Fisken at the wheel during the Silverstone Classic meeting earlier this year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Eau d’Guest” 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 !

Angolan Adventures – Maserati 300S #3082

I believe today’s featured Maserati 300S chassis #3082 was the last to be built. It’s history discernible from internet sources is less than exact.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

From known results it would appear #3082, road registered AVN-04-44, was raced in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) taking part in 5 Angolan Grand Prix from 1959 to 1963 with Álvaro Lopes being the driver on 4 occasions and Flávio dos Santos driving the car in 1962 when it retired from the race.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

The result of Álvaro Lopes efforts in the 1959 Angolan Grand Prix do not appear to be recorded, but it is known he started. The following year carrying the #12 Álvaro did not finish the Angolan GP but finished 5th in the Leopoldville, DRC, Grand Prix.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

In 1960 the Álvaro recorded a 4th place finish in the Angolan Grand Prix in the #3082 chassis now carrying the #8 race number. This combination of car and driver appeared in the 1963 Angolan Grand Prix for the final time bearing the #4, but went one better and finished 3rd.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

By 1985 chassis #3082 had made it’s way via South Africa to the UK where Burkhard von Schenk purchased it for a reputed £200,000. The 2012 dated photo’s show the #3082 still in von Schenks ownership with Gregor Fisken at the wheel during practice for the Sussex Trophy at Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

In 2013 Austrian Martin Halusa bought #3082 for an undisclosed sum and the car is seen with fresh paint work in his ownership at this years Silvertone Classic in the remaining photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Angolan Adventures” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at an incredibly shiney Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !