Tag Archives: County

Cambrian Rally – Conwy County

Cambria is the Latinised form of the Welsh name Cymru from Old Welsh combrog and Proto-Brythonic word kom-brogos, meaning fellow countryman or compatriot, known to much of the rest of the world as Wales.

After studying Welsh rock strata in 1835 Adam Sedgwick named the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era the Cambrian period which characterised by the rapid diversification of lifeforms, known as the Cambrian explosion, some of which have been well preserved in the sedimentary rocks exposed in Wales.

Snowdon, County Conwy

500 million years after the Cambrian explosion 266 of the direct descendants of some of those lifeforms gathered in County Conwy to take part in the 61st running of the annual Cambrian Rally organised by the North Wales Car Club on Saturday February 13th.

The Cambrian Rally has moved from being the concluding round of the MSA Welsh Rally, Ravenol BTRDA Rally, FMP and ANWCC Forest Rally Championships last year to being the season opener for them this year.

 Mini John Cooper Works WRC, Conner McCloskey, Damien Duffin, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

With the intention of making a 4am departure from Bristol to see the opening stage of the Cambrian Rally I left home promptly at 5.30 after being unexpectedly invited out for tapas and sing a long the night before.

The delay was fortuitous as I ended up not far from Snowdon on the third Penmachno stage of the rally which sent the cars around the perimeter of the quarry where the #7 2012 McGeehan Motorsport Mini John Cooper Works WRC crewed by Conner McCloskey and Damien Duffin, who finished the event 4th overall, are seen above.

FIAT Abarth 131 Rally, Matthew Robinson, Sam Collins, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

Walter Rohrl, a hero in my youth drove a FIAT Abarth 131 Rally to claim his first World Rally Championship in 1980.

I believe the 1978 #30 FIAT Abarth 131 Rally seen above started as a more pedestrian brown model before being converted by RSD Rally Sport Development into a competition version, Matthew Robinson and Sam Collins retired the #30 from the event after exceeding the time limit before stage 6.

Hillman Avenger, Barry Jordan, James Gratton-Smith, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

In the 1970’s it would appear there were plans within the British product planning arm of the Chrysler Europe empire to produce an Avenger to compete with the Ford Mexico with a BRM developed 16 valve twin cam head.

It would appear a few heads got built and at least one was fitted to a car used by factory personnel but the project stumbled at this stage, I am not sure if the #64 1971 Hillman Avenger 1500 GL Luxe has one of the 16 valve twin cam BRM heads fitted but the BRM livery on the rear piqued my interest, the car driven by Barry Jordan and James Gratton-Smith unfortunately also retired, after Stage 3.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, Jayne Auden-Rowe, David Auden, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

The #75 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI seen above crewed by Jayne Auden-Rowe and David Auden was classified 50th overall.

Skoda Favorit, Paul Ellis, Simon Jones, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

I could not resist going back to the puddle in the quarry as the final competitors went through Paul Ellis and Simon Jones make a splash in their way to a 70th place finish overall in their #120 1992 Skoda Favorit.

Ford Fiesta R200, Glynne Jones, Glenn Mercer, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

Similarly Glynne Jones and Glenn Mercer go temporarily amphibious in their Ford Fiesta R200 on their way to a 77th place finish overall.

Ford Fiesta 2000, Stephen Simpson, Andrew Roughead, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

Andrew Roughead moved from co – driving Andrew Fenwicks 6th placed Proton S2000 the week before on the Legend Fires North West Stages to sit beside Stephen Simpson in his #12 2010 Ford Fiesta S2000 seen above lifting a rear wheel on the final Great Orme Stage on their way to 8th place overall.

Ford Escort L, John Rowlands, Glenn Latham, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

Lifting a front wheel in classic Mk2 style is the #20 1976 2 litre Ford Escort L crewed by John Rowlands and Glenn Latham which came home 15th overall.

Peugeot 309 GTi, Tim Cains, Richard May, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

The sun came out for a short while and is seen above illuminating the faces of 36th place finishers Tim Cains and Richard May in their #85 1988 Peugeot 309 GTi.

Nissan Micra Tropic, Niel Andrew, Dominic Adams, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

54th place finishers overall and 2nd in the 1400C class were Niel Andrew and Dominic Adams in the #86 1994 Nissan Micra Tropic seen above heading into the sunset sans rear bumper cover.

Ford Fiesta S2000, Charles Payne, Carl Williamson, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

After nearly 48 mins of competitive driving Charles Payne and Carl Williamson in their #3 2009 Ford Fiesta S2000 came home just 1 second behind the winners …

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, Luke Francis, John H Roberts, Penmachno, Cambrian Rally,

… Luke Francis and John H Roberts in their #6 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX who also won this event in 2012.

Volkswagen Lupo E, Paul Barbet, Chris Sheriden, Great Orme, Cambrian Rally,

Paul Barbet and Chris Sheriden above are heading to an evening 81st place finish overall in their #127 2001 Volkswagen Polo E.

As darkness rapidly fell after the action was over I managed to stumble back across Great Orme back to the car park after another great days entertainment.

Thanks for joining me on this Cambrian Rally edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at the last of this month’s featured Camaro’s. Don’t for get to come back now !

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Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club Autumn Sprint- Debden Airfield

At the beginning of October I received an e-mail asking for volunteers to marshal at the Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint being run at Debden Airfield in Essex, a couple of days later I received a request to attend an interview in Scunthorpe and proposed to the Clerk of the course Pete Walters that if he could find me somewhere to stay on the night after the event I would be delighted to go up from Bristol to help out.

Ford Escort RS1600_6187sc

Lionel Reeves kindly stepped forward to offer me accommodation and so off I trekked to Debden the day after the Autumn Classic at Castle Combe. Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club established in 1903, the year the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight, is one of the oldest in the county, the Aero refers to the sport of ballooning. Among the random selection of cars I photographed is the immaculate 1974 #62 Ford Escort which finished 3rd in class B10 driven by Howard Lester.

Leyland Mini Clubman, Julian Kirwan, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Julian Kirwan finished second in Class A3 driving the 1970 #16 Mini Clubman with a 1400 cc / 85.4 cui engine.

Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo Hatchback, Tim Morrison, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Flying the flag for Estates / Wagons was Tim Morrison driving his 2003 #38 Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo Hatchback, who was classified 3rd in class A6.

Ford Escort 1300 GL Auto, Charlie French, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Kicking up the dust above in his #63 Ford Escort Mk2, which I believe has been modified from it’s original 1980 1300 GL Auto spec, is Charlie French who finished 4th in class.

Davrian Imp Saloon, John Webster,Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

I’m looking forward to finding out about the history of John Websters #71 Davrian Imp Saloon in the fullness of time, on this occasion he finished second in Class C12.

Merlyn Mk 30, Colin Glass, Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club, Autumn Sprint, Debden Airfield, Essex

Finally Colin Glass won class D16 in his Merlyn Formula Ford with what I believe is 1977 Mk 30 bodywork, fastest time of the day was set by Tony Beesley in his 1 litre / 61 cui Jedi Mk 4.

My thanks to everyone at the Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club who made me feel most welcome and especially Lionel and Margret Reeves for their hospitality.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hertfordshire County Auto & Aero Club Autumn Sprint” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Talbot Matra. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Bonus Built Facelift – Ford F1 Pickup

Last week week I looked at a 1949 Bonus Built Ford F1 this weeks pick up is the face lifted version first seen in 1951.

Ford F1 Pickup, Yanks Picnic Shakespeare County Raceway

So far as I have been able to discern the grill would originally have only been fitted with three teeth, customisers seem to like adding additional teeth on the grill to fill in the gaps.

Ford F1 Pickup, Yanks Picnic Shakespeare County Raceway

All first Generation F1′s were powered either by a 95 hp flathead straight 6 or 100 hp flathead V8, the 4.8 litre / 292 cui quoted for today’s featured pickup suggests something more contemporary than a regular flathead is installed under the bonnet / hood.

Ford F1 Pickup, Yanks Picnic Shakespeare County Raceway

The new dashboard of the face lifted 1951 F1 featured an ashtray and glovebox. Twin windscreen wipers and the foot operated windscreen washer were still optional.

Ford F1 Pickup, Yanks Picnic Shakespeare County Raceway

The rear cab window was enlarged in 1951 for better reward visibility.

Ford F1 Pickup, Yanks Picnic Shakespeare County Raceway

Finally the steel panels on the 6 1/2 foot cargo bed were replaced with hard wood items which are much easier to repair and replace.

Thanks for joining me on this “Bonus Built Facelift” 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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Prow Front – Ford Prow Front 1/2 Ton Pickup

1n 1937 Ford introduced it new series of “Prow Front” full size models to replace the Ford 48 Series.

Ford Pickup, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County Raceway

Ford’s chief designer E.T. “Bob” Gregorie passed the styling features of the Prow Front full sized Fords to the half ton pickups that were new for 1940/41.

Ford Pickup, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County Raceway

Power options for the Prow Front pick ups included 60, 90 or 95 hp flathead Ford V8 with the 60hp being replaced by a 1996 cc / 120 cui four cylinder sourced from the Ford 6N tractor midway through 1941.

Ford Pickup, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County Raceway

This particular pickup seen at the Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare County Raceway, is registered with a 4500 cc / 274 cui motor of unknown origin.

Ford Pickup, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County Raceway

The chassis of the Prow Front Pickups and Cars are almost identical except the commercial application has the frame stamped out of heavier gauge steel. The pickup rode on trans leaf springs both front and rear. At an additional cost the prow front 1/2 tons could be ordered with pin striped body panels.

Ford Pickup, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County Raceway

70,190 of these 1941 Ford 1/2 ton pickups were built which would have cost of the order of US$ 650 new.

Thanks for joining me on this “Prow Front” 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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Third Generation Friend – Dodge Dakota R/T

The original Dodge Dakota (Sioux for friend) was a mid size pickup truck, less than half ton, launched in 1987, an upgraded second generation was launched in 1991.

Dodge Dakota R/T, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County, Raceway,

The third generation Dakota’s were launched in in 1997 drawing heavily on the big rig look of the full size Dodge Ram styling first seen in 1994.

Dodge Dakota R/T, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County, Raceway,

In 1998 a sports orientated R/T version of the Dakota was announced with a 250hp 5.9 litre / 360 cui Magnum V8 which was coupled with a heavy duty 46RE 4 speed automatic transmission. Additional R/T goodies included performance axle, cast aluminum wheels, limited slip differential, sport suspension and steering, uprated brakes, performance exhaust, monotone paint and bucket seats in the cab.

Dodge Dakota R/T, Yanks Picnic, Shakespeare, County, Raceway,

In 2000, the year the vehicle seen here at Shakespeare County Raceway was built, the Dodge Dakota was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award coming in second. The 4th generation Ram Dakota was launched in 2009 and the model was subsequently completely discontinued in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Third Generation Friend” 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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Red Hot Convertible – Buick Special Convertible

Today’s featured car is a 1958 Buick Special Convertible from the last year of manufacture of the second generation Specials which dated back to 1949.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

The grill looks vaguely similar to the keyboard of my G4 Power Book Steve Jobs however would have been all of three when these cars were new. Polishing the 165 1/2 inch chrome squares is an act of extreme endurance and dedication.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

Looking closely at the Special and it’s apparent acres of chrome detailing, with no less than three bombsight bonnet / hood ornaments it is hard to believe that the Special was in fact Buick’s base model.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

First seen on 1946 Buicks, the Bombsight ornaments were a huge hit in post war America.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

The sweepspear chrome body moulding was first seen, as an option, on the 1949 Buick Riviera and like the Bombsight it soon became a trade mark Buick item.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

Sitting on a 122 inch wheel base and with a 208 inch long body the Special is 5 inches shorter than the contemporary Buick Supers and Roadmasters.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

The interior is a upholstery is a combination of cloth cloth and vinyl with a nylon rug, the 2 speed Dynaflow is operated by the chromed column shifter on the right of the steering wheel.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

Scalloped rear wings / fenders were all the rage in 1958 …

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

but they were not a guarantee for success as demonstrated by marketing disaster known as the Edsel.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

With a top of the range 250 hp 6 litre / 365 cui nailhead V8 a model like this could reach 60 mph in under 11 seconds,

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

which would substantially reduce the average 8.6 miles to the US gallon fuel consumption.

Buick Special Convertible, Shakespeare County Raceway

5,502 of these 109 mph Buick Special Convertibles which weigh 4,165 lbs were built in for the 1958 model year, they retailed at US$ 3,041 and today can be worth in the region of US$ 70 – 80,000 at auction dependent on condition.

Wishing all GALPOT readers a Red Hot Valentines day.

Thanks for joining me on this “Red Hot Convertible” 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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Supercharged Striped Snake – Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

In 2005 Ford introduced the “retrofuturist” fifth generation Mustang, engineered by Hau Thai-Tang, with exterior styling, which took its cues from the late 60’s fast back Mustangs, by Sid Ramnarace.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

In 2010 the fifth generation Mustangs received a face lift, today’s featured car is the face lifted Shelby GT 500 of which 2000 examples were built with unique to the limited edition functional vents in the bonnet / hood…

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

… which keep the 540 hp supercharged 5.4 litre / 329 cui motor temperatures under control.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

2010 limited edition Shelby GT 500’s are only available with one transmission option six speed manual / stick shift, topped off with suitably striped gear knob, which gives the vehicle a rest to 120 mph in 9 seconds capability.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

Despite the competition performance figures 2010 GT 500’s are fitted with air conditioning and six disc CD changers.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

GT 500 specific 19 inch forged alloy wheels with Brembo disc brakes, traction and stability control all help keep the GT 500 firmly attached to the road though hazing the tyres is possible for the more experienced driver in the right environment.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

The rear spoiler acts as a functional Gurney flap and was also unique to the GT 500 Mustangs in 2005.

Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, Shakespeare County Raceway

True to it’s roots the fifth generation Mustangs still use solid axle rear suspension, there are rumours this will be replaced on the sixth generation Mustang with independent rear suspension for the 2015 model year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Supercharged Striped Snake” 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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