Tag Archives: Ford

Too Much Added Lightness – Lotus 27 27-JM-22 & 27-JM-2

Bombproof Escort – Ford Escort 1850GT FEV 1H

Motorsport owe’s much of it’s history to the publishers of Newspapers keen create events which would resonate and engage their readers, indeed the very first recorded motorsport events emanated from the minds of the editors of ‘Le Vélocipède’, who in 1887 attracted a single car entry for a 1.2 mile race across Paris and ‘Le Petit Journal’, who in 1897 69 entries for a 79 mile ‘race’ from Paris to Rouen. By 1908 individual events took on global challenges such as the 12,000 mile 169 day New York west to Paris race which was co sponsored by The New York Times and Le Martin.

Possibly inspired by another 10,000 mile ten day event the London to Sydney Rally of 1968, Australian advertising sage Wylton Dickson came up with the idea of organizing a 1970 World Cup Rally to link London which had played host to the 1966 World (Soccer) Cup to Mexico which was to play host to the 1970 World (Soccer) Cup at a party in London over a glass of wine while chatting to Irish Rally Champion Paddy Hopkirk.

Wylton, who had never so much as seen a rally before approached Stuart Turner Ford competitions manager who gave him the thumbs up and the Daily Mirror who provided the sponsorship for the event. British Rally Champion John Sprinzel was allowed to set up an HQ at the Royal Automobile Clubs Belgrave offices from which to run the whole 16,000 mile event which crossed 26 countries on three continents in 25 days.

Good to his word when the 1970 World Cup Rally was announced Stuart Turner entered 6 Ford Escorts into the event for Poles Sobieslaw Zasada / Marek Wachowsk, Finns Hannu Mikkola / Gunnar Palm, England soccer star Jimmy Greaves with pro co driver Tony Fall, Monte Carlo Rally winners Raunno Aaltonen / Henry Liddon, British rally stars Roger Clark / Alec Poole and Finish rally legend Timo Makinen co driven by Frenchman Gilbert Staepelaere. Other entries in the 96 car field included a VW Beach Buggy a five car factory Moskivitch team from the USSR and two privately entered Rolls Royce’s a Silver Cloud and a Silver Shadow !

Ford’s official reason for fitting these bars in front of the windscreen was that they were to protect the drivers from Condors in the Andes mountains of South America, but it has been noted that these bars connect the top of the front suspension towers to the top of the A pillars which coincidentally helps transfer suspension shock to the roof diverting them away from some of the weaker welds in the bodywork.

It is thought enough parts were produced for just 8 of the 1970 World Cup spec 1850 GT Escorts, which after the disappointment of easily leading the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon only for the Lotus Twin Cam engine in Roger Clark’s Cortina Lotus to fail, meaning these cars were built to be bomb proof against all foreseeable eventualities. Instead of using Lotus Twin Cam motors Ford Kent 1600cc / 97 cui pushrod motors were bored out to 1850cc / 112 cui fitted with a single Weber carburetor and dry sump lubrication which aids ground clearance. These motors were simple, durable and above all easily repairable, they were tuned to run on the low octane fuel that was to be found in the high altitude andean mountains on the South American legs of the route where stages of 500 plus miles were not uncommon and average speeds in excess of 90 mph were expected in order not to attract penalty points.

Hannu Mikkola had a relatively trouble free run dropping just 9 hours in penalty points over the course of the 25 day marathon, 4 of the other Escorts in the top 6 of the 23 finishers. During the course of the event FEV 1H became one of the most famous of Rally Vehicles of all time and is still among the most loved. As a result of the 1970 World Cup Rally win Ford launched a new sporty version of the Escort called the Ford Mexico with the 1600 / 97 cui Kent pushrod motor fitted to an Advanced Vehicle Operations strengthened “Type 49” body shell.

In 1995 there was a 25th Anniversary re run of the 1970 World Cup Rally, miraculously Ford ‘found’ a new unused Escort shell and built a new car to the same specifications as FEV 1H. Hannu Mikkola came out of retirement with Gunnar Palm to win the rerun as well, the new cars registration is H1 FEV.

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

Beneath The Paint – Ford Capri 3000 GXL Auto

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My heart skipped a beat when I saw this fabulous Ford Capri wearing the colours of the early 1970’s works Ford ‘Cologne’ factory racing team, the last time I recall seeing a road going Capri like this in the flesh was around 1974 !

In 1970 Ford Germany built 50 RS2600 variants of the Capri to satisfy the FIA minimum build racing requirements (also known as homologation), the flared arches on the vehicle seen here at last years Silverstone Classic suggest that this might be on of those fifty specials who’s build quality was so low that they were not fit to be sold for road use.

The fifty homologation RS2600’s featured light weight glass fiber doors, boot and bonnet/hood.

Beneath the flared arches the RS 2600’s were fitted with distinctive gold centered BBS wheels, which became as iconic and synonymous with the 1970’s as Minilites had with the 1960’s.

The homologation RS 2600’s were also fitted with plastic window’s and painted with fewer coats of paint than their road going siblings all in an effort to save weight.

Success came to the works Ford Team managed by Jochen Neerpasch in the form of two European Touring Car Championships for Germans Dieter Glemser in 1971 and Jochen Mass in 1972, although on both occasions Alfa Romeo’s running in the lower Class 2 division secured the manufacturers championships.

Unfortunately despite the paintwork this car does not turn out to be one of the homologation specials at all, they were all left hand drive vehicles, a check of the registration reveals this car started out as a Dagenham (UK) built Capri 3000 GLX Auto in 1972 fitted with a 3 litre / 183 cui ‘Essex’ V6, registration details also suggest that this car is now fitted with a 3.5 litre motor which is probably one of the Buick derived Rover aluminium V8’s which are the most readily available for such conversions in the UK.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Beneath The Paint’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be going Auburn. Don’t forget to come back now !

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz – Winner & Results

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I’d like to thank everyone who participated in and persevered with the Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz, seems like this was a bit tougher for GALPOT readers than I anticipated.

Mike ‘Jr Cracker’ Mansmith is the clear winner with 67 correct answers. Mike has chosen the Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s set of cards as his prize and they will be winging their way to him from Paul Chenard in the next week or so.

Of the 120 questions, 17 a) is void because I posted the wrong telephone number and 42 b) is void because I worded the question incorrectly. So Mikes Score was 67 / 118. Below are the answers to all of the questions with high lighted links to some of the places one might have found answers :-

Photo courtesy Geoffrey Horton
Question 1

a) Ole Blue Eyes is said to have owned one of these what is its (full name) ?

a) Dual Ghia

b) One of his rat pack buddies drove another in a film, which rat pack buddy

b) Dean Martin

c) and in which film ?

c), Kiss Me Stupid

3 pts

Question 2 3pts

a) An alien science fiction character took his name from this brand and model after mistaking it for a superior form of life when visiting earth, what was the name of the original name of science fiction character who made the mistake ?

a) Ix

b) What (full) name did he adopt after making the mistake ?

b) Ford Prefect

c) What was the name of the radio series, tv series and film that the science fiction character starred in ?

c) Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy

3 pts

Question 3 2 pts

a) What is the car reg YLR 11 G above (make and model) ?

a) Lamborghini Islero

b) What film did YLR 11 G feature in ?

b) The Man Who Haunted Himself

2 pts

Question 4

a) A car of the same type as CNP 224H above stared alongside YLR 11 G what is it (Manufacturer Model and Variant) ?

a) Rover P5B 3.5 litre Coupé

b) Who purchased the last batch of these cars and put them into storage for future use ?

b) The British Government

Unofficial Quiz consultant Tim Murray has informed me “specifically by the (then) Government Car Service administered by the Department of the Environment. (This has now become the Government Car and Despatch Agency, an executive agency of the Department of Transport.)”

2 pts

Question 5

a) What brand name was SPC 46L marketed under (brand, model number and suffixes) ?

a) Dino 246 GT

b) Which Actor drove a vehicle of the same type as SPC 46L in a TV series known in Sweden as ‘Snobs on the Job’ alongside the actor that starred in the film relating to questions 3 and 4 ?

b) Tony Curtis playing Danny Wilde

2 pts

Question 6

a) What was the original first series full European name of this vehicle (manufacturer, model and variant) ?

a) Lancia Beta Monte Carlo

b) What was the name of the US variant and in which film did it play the love interest ?

b) Lancia Scorpion, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

2 pts

Question 7

a) David Fitzsimons drove the #7 green car owned by Neil Tolich seen above, what is it make & model ?

a) BRM P57

b) What was Moisés Solana Arciniega’s unique achievement driving this make and model,

b) Only person ever to drive with the #13 in a world championship Grand Prix,

c) where and in what year did Moisés Solana Arciniega’s unique achievement driving this make and model take place ?

c) Mexico, 1963

3 pts

Question 8

a) What is the #4 car in the photo above (Make Model and Suffix)

a) McLaren M7 C

b) What distinguished this car in Monaco practice specification as seen here from Monaco race specification ?

b) The removal of the high front and rear wings. Which were outlawed on safety grounds after Thursday practice.

2 pts

Photo courtesy Barry Boor Collection

Question 9

a) Who is the driver ?

a) François Migault

b) What is the name of the car manufacturer ?

b) Connew

c) Where and were was the photo taken, track and year ?

c) Le Mans, 1972

d) Which item from the car above finds it’s self now attached to the car in Question 8 ?

d) The Ford Cosworth motor, allegedly the motor in the the back of the McLaren M7 C today is the very same one that Peter Connew secured from Phil Kerr at McLaren in 1972.

4 pts

Question 10

a) Who is driving the #1 above ?

a)Mario Andretti

b) What (make, model) is the #1 above ?

b) Lotus 80

c) Where and in what year is the #1 above being driven ?

c) Silverstone, 1979

d) What makes the driver of the #1 above different from all the other winners of ‘The Great American Race’ ?

d) Only winner born on foreign soil. (Italy/Croatia) There are also a number of other unique facts including only driver to win Daytona 500, Indy 500 and World (Drivers) Championship any which would have been okay for the point.

4 pts

Question 11

a) To which Grand Prix Car does the drive shaft in the photograph above belong to is it :-

i) BAR Honda, ii) Brabham Repco, iii) Connew Ford, iv) Lotus Climax, v) Red Bull Renault vi) Super Aguri or vii Torro Rosso ?

a) i) BAR Honda

b) Which driver pairing drove this car was it :-

i) Villeneuve / Button, ii) Vettel / Bourdais, iii) Sato / Davidson, iv) Liuzzi / Speed, v) Coultard / Webber, vi) Button / Sato or vii) Brabham / Hulme ?

b) vi) Button / Sato

2 pts

Question 12

a) What is Wings for Life and which Formula One team ran with their logos ?

a) A charity which supports the examination of fundamental approaches and mechanisms in traumatic spinal cord injuries. One of its founders was Dietrich Mateschitz owner of the Red Bull Formula One Team which ran with the Wings for Life logo’s.

b) In which event and when did said team run this colour scheme ?

b) British GP at Silverstone; 6th – 8th July 2007

2 pts

Photo courtesy Geoffrey Horton

Question 13

a ) What is the #46 above make and model suffixes ?

a) Chevrolet Impala SS

b) Who drove the #46 above and what was his day job ?

b) Roy Mayne, US Airforce Sergeant

2 pts

Question 14

a) What is (manufacturer and model) and who drove the Miller Time #22

a) Buick Regal, Bobby Allison

b) The man responsible for building the Miller Time #22 car is thought to have built of 750 racing vehicles and in 1978 built all of the cars that won all 30 Winston Cup Races, who is he ?

b) Edwin Keith “Banjo” Matthews

2 pts

Question 15

a) Who is seen about to demonstrate the 2000 Talladega winning #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2009 was it :-

i) Landon Cassill, ii) Austin Dillon, iii) Dale Earnhardt Jr, iv) Jeffrey Earnhardt, v) Kelley Earnhardt, vi) Kerry Earnhardt, or vii) Taylor Earnhardt ?

a) vii) Taylor Earnhardt

b) How many positions did Dale Earnhardt make up with four laps to go to the chequers at Talledega in 2000 was it

i) Three, ii) Four, iii) Seven, iv) Nine, v) Seventeen, vi) Twenty Nine, vi) Thirty Three or vii) Thirty Four

b) v) Seventeen

2 pts

Question 16

a) Who recorded a best finish of 37th in the Craftsmen Truck series and is associated with the catch phrase ‘Boogity Boogity Boogity’ ?

a) Darrell Waltrip

b) In which song did Ray Stevens use the phrase “Boogity Boogity” ?

b) The Streak

2 pts

Question 17

a) Which popular NASCAR driver is most commonly associated with the telephone number 0800 55 55 55 ?

a) Dale Earnhardt Jr (QUESTION VOID THE CORRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER SHOULD HAVE READ 1-866-500-5555 SINCEREST APOLOGIES)

b) Until the arrival of Toyota in 2007 what was the last recorded foreign manufacturer to start a NASCAR race and what number did it carry ?

b) #32 MG

c) Who drove it ?

Smokey Cook

d) What was the event and where was it held and when year ?

d) International 200 at the Bowman-Gray Stadium, 1963

e) What race distance did he cover and how much did Smokey take home after finishing 17th and completing 12 laps ?
e) 3 miles, $75

5 pts

Question 18

a) Who is the driver of the #82 above ?

a) Scott Speed

b) Where is the #82 above Track and Race Name ?

b) Talladega, Aarons 499

c) Where and when did the driver of the #82 make his first Formula One Grand Prix start ?

c) Bahrain, 2006

3 pts

Question 19

a) What was Lexie’s Challenge ?

a) Charity Drive for the Kyle Busch Foundation

1 pt

Photo by Ed Arnaudin courtesy Steve Arnaudin

Question 20

a) Seen in what has been described as “the greatest two man on going sustained battle, ever !” who is driving the #4 and #5 over the bricks at the Brickyard ?

a) Jim Rathman and Roger Ward

b) This race holds the record for the most lead changes in Indy 500 history at 29, how many times did the protagonists who finished 1st and 2nd change the lead over the last 100 laps ?

b) Fourteen

2 pts

Photo by Ed Arnaudin courtesy Steve Arnaudin

Question 21

a) Which world Champion drove the #17 above at Indianapolis above ?

a) Jack Brabham

b) By what name was the #17 called, sponsor, manufacturer ?

b) Kimberely Cooper Special

c) Who owns the #17 that Jack drove today ?

c) Phillippe de Lespinay

3 pts

Question 22

a) Who is the driver of and who manufactured the #17 above ?

a) Dick Simon, Vollstedt

b) What and where is the event in which the #17 above is competing ?

b) Daily Express 200, Silverstone UK

2 pts

Question 23

a) Which Indy 500 winner drove the #42 at Castle Combe ?

a) Danny Sullivan

b) Were and for what team (full name) did the driver of the #42 above drive Formula One and ?

Apologise omitted the word ‘first’ from ‘drive formula one’ and ‘where’ ?

b) Tim kindly listed all the Formula One races Danny took part in for me

Jacarepaguá – Brazilian GP
Long Beach – US GP West
Brands Hatch – Race of Champions
Le Castellet – French GP
Imola – San Marino GP
Monte Carlo – Monaco GP
Spa – Belgian GP
Detroit – US GP (Detroit)
Montreal – Canadian GP
Silverstone – British GP
Hockenheim – German GP
Österreichring – Austrian GP
Zandvoort – Dutch GP
Monza – Italian GP
Brands Hatch – European GP
Kyalami – South African GP

He probably also tested at other locations, driving for Benetton Tyrrell Team

2 pts

Question 24

a) Which Indy 500 winner drove the #98 at Goodwood Revival in 2011 ?

a) Eddie Cheever

b) With which team did the driver of the #98 above twice attempt to qualify for a Formula One Grand Prix before succeeding ?

b) Theodore Racing Hong Kong

c) How many IRL Career victories did the driver of the #98 have to his credit ?

c) 5

3 pts

Photo Courtesy Tracey Dickson Zee
Question 25

a) Which IRL Champion is driving the #82 above ( all four given names) ?

a) Antoine Rizkallah Kanaan Filho

b) Where at which event and at which track was the photo of the #82 above taken ?

b) Prelude to a Dream, Eldora Speedway

c) Which former IRL Champion owns Eldora Speedway ?

c) Tony Stewart

3 pts

Question 26

a) Who drove the #59 Dallara Honda in the 2011 Indycar Series ?

b) EJ Viso

1 pt

Photo courtesy Jeff Fuller

Question 27

a) Who co drove with the 2011 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon, to victory in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (both co drivers full names) ?

a) Scott Ronald Dixon, Casey James Mears

Photo courtesy Geoffrey Horton

Question 28

a) What make & model is the blue car above (manufacturer, numerals, suffix’s and coach builder) ?

a) Ferrari 250 GT Boano

b) Who does it belong to and how much did he pay for it ?

b) Mr Robert Lee, $9,500

2 pts

Question 29

a) Name this car (manufacturer, model and suffix) ?

a) Ferrari 512 S

b) Which film did the car appear in ?

b) Le Mans

c) Who was as the wheel when it burnt to the ground prior to a shoot ?

c) Derek Bell

3 pts

Question 30

a) What model is this ( numerals and suffixes)

a) Ferrari 512 BB / LM

b) Which two French drivers drove it to 5th place over all and 1st in IMSA GTX at Le Mans in 1981

b) Jean-Claude Andruet / Claude Ballot-Léna /

2 pts

Question 31

a) I sat in this one what is it (numerals name and suffix’s)

a) Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS

b) Which three drivers drove it to 10th place over all and a GTS Class win at Le Mans in 2003 ?

b) Thomas Enge, Jamie Davies and Peter Kox

c) Name the female Stewart Haas Racing driver who drove the so called celebrity chassis of this model ?

c) Danica Patrick

3 pts

Question 32

a) What model is the #42 above ?

a) Ferrari 458

b) Who is driving the #42 above ?

b) Phil Dryburgh and John Gaw

c) At which circuit is the #42 seen racing above ?

c) Castle Combe

d) What outright circuit record did the #42 set at the circuit on the day the photograph was taken ?

d) Greatest number of laps covered in a single race at Castle Combe ever. Pete Stowe and Tim Murray have informed me the record set was 96 laps not 97 laps as originally published I’d accepted either answer for the quiz.

4 pts

Question 33

a) What is the #23 being driven by Simon Ashworth model name and motor ?

a) Marina Rolls Royce

b) To which country was the #23 above allegedly exiled for fear the car would be impounded after the engine manufacturer found out what was going on ?

b) Belgium

2 pts

Question 34

a) Who was the original owner of this E-Type Jaguar registration FPL 660 C ?

a) Dennis Jenkinson

b) What was his best known sporting exploit, with whom did he share the cockpit and in what sort of car?

b) Co driving with Stirling Moss to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia in a Mercedes 300 SLR

2 pts

Question 35

a) What type of car is depicted above (manufacturer, model and suffixes)

a) AC 3000 ME

b) Which two designers were responsible for the design ?

b) Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables

2 pts

Question 36

a) What is the full name of the vehicle carrying the #55 above (manufacturer, model and variant suffix/number) ?

a) Porsche 935 K3

b) Which three drivers drove the #55 above in the race depicted ?

b) Claude Bourgoignie, John Cooper, Dudley Wood,

c) Where did the #55 finish the race overall and in class ?

c) 4th OA and 1st in Class

d) What were the names of the three Australian drivers entered for the same race in the #74 ?

d) Colin Bond /Peter Brock /Jim Richards

4pts

Question 37

a) What type of vehicle is being driven by Dave & Chris in The Cross Trophy above (manufacturer, model and variant) ?

a) Scimitar SS1 1600

b) What type of engine was originally fitted to the vehicle above (Manufacturer, and suffixes) ?

b) Ford CVH

2 pts

Question 38

a) What type of GMC is depicted in the photo above 9 (model) ?

a) GMC Cyclone

b) What sports car did Road & Track pit this model against for a road test and found the truck quicker of the two away from the lights (Manufacturer model number and suffixes)

b) Ferrari, 348ts

2pts

Photo courtesy Geoffrey Horton

Question 39

a) What is the car in the above photograph seen at the Peterson Collection (full name) ?

a) Pierce Arrow convertible sedan by Lebaron

b) Which world champion learned to drive in the car above ?

b) Phil Hill

c) what happened when this car was entered at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance after it had been restored by the erstwhile learner and his brother ?

c) Won best in show award.

3 pts

Question 40

a) What is the surname name of the Brothers who designed and built the car above ?

a) Jankowits

b) It was originally built in Italy but what is the part of Italy in which it was originally built now called ?

b) Croatia

c) What is Mr Fusi of the ALFA Romeo Museum reported to have told Colin Crabbe when he found this car in New York ?

c) That it was a special

3 pts

Question 41

a) What is the full name of the vehicle of this vehicle seen at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance (manufacturer, model, suffix) ?

a) Airmobile Sedan C (Since my quiz post this it has been brought to my attention by Tim Murray that this car was actually known as an Airomobile) either name gets the point in this instance.

b) Who designed the vehicle in the photo above ?

b) Tom Tjaarda (Tim also points out the Tom was born only 3 years before this vehicle was completed and that the design MAY have been influenced by John Tjaarda) point for John or Tom in this instance.

c) How many miles did this car complete on a fruitless promotional drive

c) 45,000 miles

3 pts

Question 42

a) What is the full name of the vehicle depicted in the photo above (manufacturer, model number and variant) ?

a) BMW 327/28 Pillarless Coupé

b) How many others of this exact type are known to exist ?

b) One (Question 42b is VOID SHOULD HAVE READ ‘KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN BUILT’)

2 pts

Question 43

a) Who was the manufacturer and what is the model of the vehicle above ?

a) Bristol 400

b) What is the name of the company that in 2011 bought the assets of the manufacturer of the above vehicle ?

b) Kampkorp Autokraft

2 pts

Question 44

a) What make model and Variant is the vehicle registered TRP 271 F above ?

a) ALFA Romeo 33 Stradale

b) Apart from being fast and based on a racing car what was it’s claim to fame when it was launched ?

b) Most expensive car on the market when launched

2 pts

Question 45

a) What is the make and chassis number of Prince Bira’s #78 depicted competing in the 1936 Coupe de Prince Rainer above ?

a) ERA R2B

b) What did nickname did he give to the car ?

b) Romulus

2 pts

Question 46

a) Dr Guiseppe Farina is seen driving the #2 to victory at the 1950 British Grand Prix, who manufactured the #2 and what model was it ?

a) ALFA Romeo, 158

b) What was significant about the 1950 British Grand Prix ?

b) It was the first round of the first World Drivers Championship

2 pts

Question 47

a) James Dean is depicted above who manufactured the car and what model is it ?

a) Porsche 550 Spyder

b) What script did Dean have painted on the rear cowling of the #130 above ?

b) “Little Bastard”

2 pts

Question 48

a) The chassis number CSX2128 distinguishes the #50 from its English built counterparts what is the correct manufacturers name and model of the #50 ?

a) Shelby Cobra / 289 Sebring Cobra / 289 Cobra BUT NOT AC COBRA

b) This car was sold to Coventry Motors after half a seasons racing in 1963, what prompted the original entrant buy it back in for the 1964 season ?

b) Because it kept on winning.

2 pts

Question 49

a) Graham Hill is depicted winning the Monaco Grand Prix who manufactured the #9 what model and suffix is it ?

a) Lotus 49 B

b) Which American driver practiced with a car similar to the #9 above at the Italian GP but had a clashing commitment with the Hoosier 100 which disqualified him from being allowed to compete the same weekend in Italy ?

94) Mario Andretti

2) pts

Question 50

a) Gilles Villeneuve is depicted driving a Ferrari at Monaco above what is the model number and what are the suffixes ?

a) 126 CK

b) When asked about the handling of the #27 what US manufacturer did he cite in his comparison ?

b) Cadillac

2 pts

I’d like to thank everybody who took part and congratulate Mike again on winning the superb set of Cards, Paul Chenard of Automobiliart for sponsoring the Automobiliart / GALPOT Seasonal Quiz, and not least Tim Murray for his corrections and comments. Look forward to doing something similar again soon. Meantime I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a vintage MG. Don’t forget to come back now !

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

New Cortina is more Cortina – Ford Cortina Mk2

2 Replies

The Roy Haynes designed second incarnation of the Ford Cortina MK2 was launched in 1966 with a range of 4 cylinder ‘Kent’ motors ranging 1.2 litres / 73 cui to 1.5 litres 91 cui.

Above is a 1966 1500GT with a Crayford Cabriolet Conversion seen last year at the Goodwood Revival.

The 1300 cc / 79 cui Cortina above was acquired as a used model by London based Australian Dental Surgeon ‘Doc’ Merfield who raced under the Team Boomerang banner. The ‘Doc’ fitted one of the five prototype Coventry Climax V8 ‘Godiva’ FPE Formula One motors and raced it from 1969 and 1973. In 1979 the car was discovered in East London without the engine and has been restored with a Donovan V8.

In 1967 Ford marketed a performance version of the Mk2 Cortina known as the Cortina Lotus, the reversal of the Mk1’s Lotus Cortina branding signifying that these cars were wholly manufactured by Ford where as manufacture of Mk1 Lotus Cortina was completed on the Lotus premises. The 108 mph Cortina Lotus like the one used the same Lotus developed motor as the Mk1 and the Lotus Elan. Later Cortina Lotus models were rebranded as Cortina Twin Cams. The Cortina Lotus was widely used in racing and rally competition until it was replaced by the smaller Ford Escort competition models in in 1968.

For those not interested in competing with their Cortina’s the 1600 GT powered by a ‘Kent’ motor was the performance Cortina of choice, Blown Hell above started life as a 1600 GT but has since been fitted with a supercharged 3.5 litre / 215 cui Rover V8 for drag racing.

The Cortina Estate / Station Wagon above was highly rated for it’s then unparalleled load space the car seen above at Shakespeare County Raceway started life as a Cortina ‘Super’ but has since also been fitted with a 3.5 litre / 215 cui Rover V8.

The most refined of the New Cortina models was 1600E launched in October 1967, this featured a 1600 GT Kent motor, Rostyle wheels, twin fog lights, bucket seats, sports steering wheel and instrumentation, along with luxury walnut woodgrain trim. I remember when my neighbor’s Dad showed up with a 1600E in 1968 every kid on the block including me could not wait to be taken for a ride in it !

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

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Set 1 Sports & GT Cars

Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition

Set 3 1934 Season

Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s

Set 5 Mike Hawthorn’s Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 1300, 1600E, 1600GT, Automobiliart, Cortina, Ford, GALPOT, Haynes, Lotus, MK2, Quiz, Roy, Seasonal, Super on January 4, 2012 by Ralph.

Gas Turbine Highboy – ’32 Ford Boeing Roadster

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One of the earliest motoring books I was given was called Cars Cars Cars Cars by SCH Davis, published by Hamlyn in 1969, from memory the concluding chapter dealt with the future of motoring with a look at some of the gas turbine passenger concept vehicles that had been unveiled over the previous 10 or 20 years.

Unfortunately the promise of the so called ‘Jet Car’ has yet to become reality and this had troubled Boeing Engineer Leonard Williams, a full ten years before I read about them, so that when he heard of the opportunity to buy a government surplus Boeing gas turbine for $500 he took the opportunity to build the very first privately owned gas turbine motor vehicle.

The story of Len’s gas turbine car began after a trip to the road races and Concours d’Elegance at Watkins Glen in 1949 where he was deeply impressed by a 1932 Highboy Roadster from Massachusetts fitted with an immaculate flat head Mercury motor, hydraulic brakes and a black lacquer paint job which stood out among the Duesenbergs, Jaguars, Ferraris, and sundry European exotica.

After returning to Willow Run Michigan where he was studying Leonard purchased a a rusty ’32 Roadster from the son of Preston Tucker, of Tucker cars, who was living with his Grandmother in Ypsilanti for $50. Len bought a ’41 Ford for a $100 and swapped over the motor, transmission, brakes and wheels over to his Roadster making a few improvement’s to the motor along with a set of Pontiac tail lights.

Upon graduating from the University of Michigan in 1950 Len moved with his wife Gladys to Seattle where he was employed Boeing and towed his not quite complete Roadster west behind his ’41 Chevrolet. Once Len had finished transforming the Roadster into a Hot Rod he used it as his daily transportation and joined the Dragons Hot Rod Club who used to run a 1250 ft drag strip at Arlington Airport for fun. Above Lens Roadster can be seen at Arlington fitted with token mud guards / fenders as required by the State of Washington.

While running at Arlington the ’41 Ford Motor in the Roadster was eventually replaced with a ’49/’50 303 inch / 4965 cc Oldsmobile motor that was machined out to 331 cui / 5425 cc and fitted with a four barrel carburetor. Len drove his Roadster to Bonneville for the Southern California Timing Association Speed trials in ’51, ’52 and ’54s and was timed at 134.12 mph. This was before the establishment of a street legal class and was no match for the trailered cars.

Len put the Roadster aside after Bonneville in ’54 while he fixed up a ’33 five window Coupé with a 283 cui / 4637 cc Chevrolet motor and Corvette cams and manifolds that was capable of 95 mph in 2nd gear. By the time he got back to the Roadster it was suffering from salt corrosion so he decided to strip the car for sand blasting and resprayed the chassis red and body white.

It was after he completed rebuilding the Olds motor for the Roadster and before he had reinstalled it that Len found out about a surplus Boeing 502-8 gas turbine, as used in the military version of a Cessna 170 the L19 reconnaissance aircraft, which he acquired from a New York government surplus lot.

Detailed records indicated that the motor Len purchased had been used to set the Class C small plane altitude record at 37,062 feet it was then put into storage until it became surplus. More surprisingly the motor fitted into the engine bay like a glove, apart manufacturing a couple of steel straps to bolt the motor to the chassis frame, splitting the radius rods, manufacturing an adaptor to connect the turbine output shaft to the Roadsters propshaft, a pair of five inch diameter tailpipes and fitting a 35 gallon fuel tank not much else had to be done, as Len said at the time “it was almost as though Henry (Ford) had the turbine in mind when he built the car (in 1932)”.

The Boeing 502 gas turbine features a combustion chamber which creates hot air that is forced by a fan through an enclosed space at the end of which a second fan attached to an output shaft gets spun before entering the exhaust pipe. Because the two fans are not directly connected there is no need for a gearbox effectively providing the motor with a built in infinitely variable transmission. In theory one could stand on the brakes and run the gas turbine at maximum 37,000 rpm without stalling the motor, though one might burn out the fan blades if one tried this.

In the rush to complete the car Len, like Rover who manufactured the T4 concept gas turbine car around the same time, dispensed with fitting a reverse gear, however despite the absence of reverse Len resumed driving his ’32 Roadster to work at Boeing’s Plant One.

The Roadster was now capable of 0 – 60 in 5 seconds but was conservatively geared at the rear axle for a top speed of just 75 mph, though Len later fitted a higher gear rear axle and saw an indicated top speed of between 110 mph and 115 mph, but he never ran his turbine powered roadster in competition.

Despite being able to run on a variety of fuels diesel to Jet A one of the drawbacks of the efficient producer of power compared to weight is the inefficient use of fuel, a tear jerking 5-6 mpg was the best Len got from his roadster which was prohibitive even when fuel was available at 16¢ a gallon back in the day.

Len’s gas turbine Roadster project was entirely self funded, Len estimates that by 1962 he had spent around $1500 on the car and a lot of spare time. Eagle eyed GALPOT readers may remember it was around this time that Len’s work took him to Indianapolis with the John Zink Trackburner.

Today Lens ’32 Roadster can be seen at the Le May Museum, unfortunately one of the turbine wheels was burnt out during a demonstration in 2006 and has yet to be repaired.

My thanks to Mr Leonard Williams for today’s remarkable story of private innovation, more details of which can be found on Lens website linked here.

Thanks for joining me on this Gas Turbine edition of ‘Getting’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow.

Wishing everyone a merry festive season, I’ll be back tomorrow with a short seasonal blog to celebrate a GALPOT contributors birthday. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Set 1 Sports & GT Cars

Set 2 Phil Hill World Drivers Championship 50th Anniversary Edition

Set 3 1934 Season

Set 4 Grand Prix Engines of the 1950’s

or

Set 5 Mike Hawthorn’s Race Cars

The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

The cards measure 15.24cm x 11.43cm, come in packs of 12 with 3 copies of 4 designs in each set, plus A6 envelopes.

Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

Looking for Automotive Seasonal Gift Idea’s? Visit Automobiliart Now !

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 502-8, Boeing, Cessna, Colmar, Davis, Ford, GALPOT, L19, Le May, Leonard, Museum, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Ralph, Roadster, Rover, SCH, Tucker, Williams on December 24, 2011 by Ralph.

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