Tag Archives: Goodwood

Built In Arden NC – Buick Regal Short Track Cup Car

Leave a Reply

Last week on Americana Thursday I looked at a ’62 Buick Electra 225 that was supplied new by Deal in Asheville NC this weeks 1983 Buick Regal Short Track Cup car was built in the Asheville suburb of Arden NC by legendary stock car builder Edwin Keith “Banjo” Mathews.

Buick Regal, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Banjo Matthews originally from Akron Ohio turned building stock cars into an artform so successfully that from 1974 through 1985 cars built at his Banjo’s Performance Center won 262 to out 362 Winston Cup races a staggering 72 % success record which included sweeping the entire 30 race 1978 season.

Buick Regal, Goodwood Festival of Speed

As an owner Banjo Matthews won 9 races from a 160 starts which included three Firecracker 400 victories at Daytona with Fireball Roberts, AJ Foyt and Donny Allison but his forte was building successful cars he is quoted as saying “I get my kicks, and so do my employees, from how well cars that we have built perform and the satisfaction they bring to the customers. That’s all the recognition I care about.”

Buick Regal, Goodwood Festival of Speed

After establishing his business in 1970 Cale Yarbrough drove cars built by Banjo to three consecutive Cup Championships. The car seen today is a short track spec Cup car that Bobby Allison drove in his 1983 Championship winning season.

Buick Regal, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bobby scored six wins that season including sweeping the Cup races at Richmond, and Dover along with a single win at Darlington and a long track win at Pocono on his way to beating Darrell Waltrip to the 1988 championship by 47 points.

Buick Regal, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bobby Allison ran 718 Cup races from 1961 to 1988 when his career was cut short after a near fatal accident Pocono. Bobby Officially won 84 Cup race, two further wins unofficially remain disputed, placing him 4th equal in the all time winners list with Darrel Waltrip. Bobby had two sons Clifford who died while practicing for a Busch race at Michigan in 1992 and Davey who died in a helicopter crash at Talladega the following year. Sadly Bobby now aged 75, has no memory of beating his son Davey for his last Cup victory in the 1988 Daytona 500.

Buick Regal, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Banjo Matthews, who was himself an accomplished wheel man having raced flat head Fords without headers in order to get ten more horsepower and scored a career best 2nd at Atlanta from 50 Cup starts, is reckoned to have built over 750 race cars and looked after hundreds more which were raced in Cup, Limited Sportsman, Modified and IROC stock cars. His friend Smokey Yunnick referred to Banjo as the Henry Ford of racing cars and placed him in the top 25 influential founding fathers of the sport for his largely selfless contribution to the success of so many others.

Banjo succumbed to illness, possibly as a result of fume inhalation from those headerless flat head Fords, aged just 64 in October 1996, Banjo’s Performance Centre is now run by his son.

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

Share

Rarely Rallied Or Raced – Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta #3709GT

Leave a Reply

When I first saw today’s Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta at last years Goodwood Revival I thought it might be the Berlinetta Competizione #3005 I looked at earlier this month.

Ferrari, 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival

However it turns out, thanks to a passing remark by Mark Shannon at Ferrari Chat that this car is more likely the 83rd SWB Berlinetta built, chassis #3709 and that it has a steel body rather than the competition aluminium one.

Further research indicates #3709 may have had as few as four owners, it was sold originally in July 1962 to Ettore Buzzi in Italy and it would appear that he kept the car for at least 32 years before it was offered for sale in Switzerland in 1994. During that time it is only recorded as having taken part in one event the 80 th Anniversary of sport at the ACI with Ferrari at Modena in September 1985.

In 1999 the car was acquired by the current owner and since then it’s only recorded public appearance was in the 1999 Prada Italia Classica a classic car rally.

Thanks for joining my on this “Rarely Rallied Or Raced” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to came back now !

Share

Racer and Runabout – Arnott Sports #AT112

2 Replies

Daphne Arnott was born into a mechanical world in 1926, her Grandfather appears to have been captain and secretary of the Bath Road Club and ‘in control of’ MMC built Werner Motorcylces and her father was responsible for the Arnott Superchargers sold through Carburetors Ltd in North West London.

Daphne spent many childhood hours spectating at Brooklands and in her early teens she became competent mechanic. During the ’39-’45 war she was employed by the Hawker Aircraft company.

Arnott Climax Sports, Goodwood Revival

In 1948 Daphne joined the family business Carburetors Ltd and by 1951 she had created a department within it to design and manufacture 500 cc / 45.5 cui Formula 3 cars with assistance from the works manager George Thornton.

After Bob Brown of Bromley won first time out in the Arnott, Daphne built 8 copies, one of which became a streamliner in which John Brise set 500km average speed record of 108mph at Montlhery in 1953 which still stands.

Arnott Climax Sports, Goodwood Revival

For 1955 Daphne came up with the 1100 Sports model seen here, complete with wishbone independent suspension, which was entered into the Le Mans 24 hours.

It is a measure of the esteem in which she was held that her Arnott, one Lotus and one Kieft were each given a new Coventry Climax motor with which to compete in the 24 hour classic.

Arnott Climax Sports, Goodwood Revival

Jim Russell, of racing school fame and Peter Taylor were the drivers but they crashed during practice after which Daphene had an Arnott supercharger fitted and used the car as her daily driver for 20 years.

A second attempt was made at Le Mans with another Coventry Climax powered Arnott Sports in 1957, this time Jim Russell and Peter Taylor qualified but retired with ignition problems after completing 46 laps and that seems to be the end of the Arnott story as a manufacturer.

Arnott Climax Sports, Goodwood Revival

In all 25 Arnott Sports are thought to have been built with fibre glass bodies. The current owner bought today’s featured vehicle from Daphne Arnott after it had spent some time disintegrating in a barn in 1998.

Arnott Climax Sports, Goodwood Revival

In 2003 this Arnott Sports still fitted with it’s original Coventry Climax motor #FWA400/3.6264, Arnott supercharger, MG TC gearbox and ENV back axle was given a £30,000 plus overhall by Sigma Engineering in Dorset.

When I saw this remarkable testimony to the grit and courage of a little remembered British entrepreneur Daphne Arnott at Goodwood Revival last year it was being offered for sale, if you are interested I have contact details for the owner. Usual disclaimers apply.

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

Share

Active Suspension – Lotus Ford T92 92/5

Leave a Reply

For 1983 the Formula One regulations changed mandating flat bottoms between the front and rear axles, the intention was to outlaw ground effects which Lotus had successfully pioneered with it’s Lotus 79 and less successfully with it’s Lotus 80, 86 and 88 models, all the other teams on the Grand Prix grid had followed the Lotus teams lead with the result that cars were driving around corners so fast they were making the tracks they were driven on obsolete in terms of safety.

Lotus Ford 92, Goodwood FoS

Lotus managed to secure a supply of Renault Tubocharged V6 engines, for 1983, to replace the Ford Cosworth V8’s that the team had been using since the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. These Renault motors were more powerful but also more fragile than the Cosworth’s, they were also in extremely short supply with Renault being able to supply only enough to keep Elio de Angelis on the grid for the first half of the 1983 season in a Lotus Renault Type 93T. Team mate Nigel Mansell had to make do with an interim the Ford Cosworth powered Lotus 92 featured today for the first half of 1983.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

The Lotus Renault 92 was devised by Colin Chapman and Martin Ogilvie, however Colin Chapman died in December 1982 and so never saw the car completed, 2 Type 92’s were built using the chassis tubs of the previous Lotus Type 91 featured last week. As well as being the last Ford Cosworth DFV powered Lotus design the Lotus 92 was also the first Formula One car to be fitted with computer managed hydraulic ‘active’ suspension. Nigel Mansell tested the system but did not like it so the idea was shelved pending further development. In 1992 Nigel won his only world championship with Williams in an actively suspended car.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

Perhaps unsurprisingly without their energetic leader Lotus floundered in 1983 the Renault powered Lotus 93T recorded a best 9th place with Elio at the wheel and Nigel managed a best 6th place finish at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix in the Cosworth powered Lotus 92. A decision was taken in June 1983 to employ the recently sacked ALFA Romeo designer Gerard Ducarouge to design a third all new car for 1983.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

In six weeks Ducarouge managed to design and deliver two new Lotus Renault T94’s and set in motion a return to winning ways for Team Lotus. The Lotus T92 recorded just 9 starts one for de Angelis in Brazil at the beginning of the season where he was disqualified for starting the race in the Cosworth powered car in which he had not set a qualifying time, after his Renault powered 93T broke down on the warm up lap and 8 starts for Mansell who along side his 6th place finish in Detroit recorded three 12th place finishes and four retirements, which was three more finishes than the Lotus Renault 93 T managed.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

The first photo show’s Mercedes Benz GP reserve driver Brendon Hartley at last years Goodwood Festival of Speed and the third show’s 92/5’s previous owner Kiwi Roger Wills at the wheel during the 2011 Silverstone Classic meeting.

My thanks to Roger for clarifying Brendon Hartley’s identity.

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

Share

Pedro y Ricardo – Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta Compitizione #3005GT

Leave a Reply

In 1961 Luigi Chinetti ordered today’s Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta Compitizione chassis #3005GT and entered it in the Paris 1000kms race held at Montlhéry for the Mexican brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez to drive.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Revival

The results of qualifying are not known however the result was an emphatic win for the Mexican’s by thirty seconds over the 250 GT SWB of Willy Mairesse and Lucien Bianchi, infact the first five cars to finish the race were all 250 GT SWB’s including chassis #2729GT driven by Pierre Dumas and Jo Schlesser which featured last weeks Ferrari Friday blog.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ricardo Rodriguez was also credited with fastest lap at Montlhéry, having impressed Enzo Ferrari a couple of weeks earlier at Monza with a front row qualifying spot Ricardo was given a works contract for 1962 and continued to impress despite being just 20 years old with a string of good results including a win in the 1962 Targa Florio sports car race where he co drove a Ferrari 246SP with Olivier Gendebien and Willy Mairesse. Tragically Ricardo was killed in practice of the 1962 non Championship Mexican Grand Prix driving a Lotus for Rob Walker after Ferrari had declined to enter the race.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Older brother Pedro was equally talented particularly in the rain and behind the wheel of big sports cars like the Gulf Porsche 917, Pedro won two Grand Prix first in the 1967 South African GP where he drove a Cooper Maserati and the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix where he drove a BRM P153, recording a record average speed for any Grand Prix at the time of 149 mph. Like his brother Ricardo Pedro died at the wheel in 1971 at the Norisring where he drove a Ferrari 512M chassis #1008 that burst into flames after an accident.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Today’s featured car meanwhile was sold to Doug Thiem for the 1962 season and he is known to have driven it in at least 14 further US sports car races winning outright at Erkhart Lake / Road America in September 1962.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#3005 stayed in the US until 1980 when Italian Pietro Brigato acquired the car and entered it into classic events in Italy and Germany. In 2011 Lukas Hueni, acquired the car and can be seen at the wheel in the top photo at the 2011 Goodwood Revival and in the bottom photo at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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

Share

Field Filler – Ferrari 512 S #1006

1 Reply

17 Ferrari 512 S’s and parts for 8 others were built in late 1969 in response to the 25 917’s Porsche had built in early 1969 in order to be allowed to race in the World Sports Car Championship which allowed up to 5 litre / 305 cui engines. These rules were introduced so that a few old Ford GT 40’s could continue racing, it was never imagined that Porsche and then Ferrari would build 25 cars each to take part in the series which was intended to be for new 3 litre / 183 cui cars like the Ferrari 312P and Porsche 908.

Unlike Porsche who planned on using private works supported teams to run and develop the 917’s on it’s behalf, Ferrari planned on using a single works team to build and develop the 512 S, supplying the rest of the 512 S models to private entrants to whom Ferrari gave little by way of support effectively treating it’s privateer teams as little more than field fillers.

Ferrari 512 S, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ferrari had to sell his road car operation to FIAT in order finance the production to the 512 S model, and as it turned out Porsche’s private partners had snapped up most of the best drivers.

Nonetheless Ferrari took the fight to Porsche with a single championship victory at the 1970 Sebring 12 hours courtesy of Mario Andretti, Nino Vaccarella and Ignazio Guinti driving a 512 S who beat Peter Revson and actor Steve McQueen in their Porsche 908 after Mario famously drove the last 90 mins of the race and chased down an exhausted Peter Revson in what Mario once described as the race of his life.

For most of the rest of the 1970 season the Ferrari 512 S was out classed every where, except at the non championship race run at Kyalami in South Africa, by the Porsche 917’s, particularly those of the JW Automotive team. Ferrari had difficulty selling all of it’s 512 S models, where as Porsche had to build a second run of 25 917’s to meet demand.

Ferrari 512 S, Goodwood Festival of Speed

This 512 S spyder, chassis #1006, was developed in order to save 25 kgs by the factory and sold to Luigi Chinetti’s N.A.R.T. team. Ronnie Buchnum and Tony Adamowicz drove it into second place at the 1971 24 hours of Daytona.

#1006 had to have both front and rear bodywork replaced during the course of the race, the body work is as it appeared on #1006 when it started the 1971 Daytona 24 hours with aerodynamic lips on the nose, which were not on the second nose fitted when it finished the race.

Thanks for joining me on this “Field Filler” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a one off Formula One Lotus that never raced. Don’t forget to come back now.

Share

Chassis or Aerodynamic Aid – Lotus Ford 88

3 Replies

The Lotus 88 was a development from the ideas tested with the twin chassis Lotus 86. It differed, and was developed, in two crucial respects from the Lotus 86 it was designed to run with out skirts to seal the flow of air and would meet the 6 cm minimum ride height mandated by rules around late in 1980 for the 1981 season.

By having a secondary independently sprung chassis Lotus hoped to avoid the need to run their car with solid suspension which aided the road holding of ground effects pioneered by the Lotus Ford 79 which were sucked to the road surface as they moved through the air.

Lotus Ford 88B, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Gordon Murray designer at Brabham also came up with a solution to the 6 cm ride height rule which involved using hydraulic rams to raise the car above the minimum ride height in the pits, the only place the measurement could be checked, and lowering the ride height out once out on the track. This left the Brabham running effectively solid suspension once out of pit road.

All of the teams protested that the second Lotus chassis was in fact an independently aerodynamic aid and eventually the ruling body changed it’s mind having accepted the idea of a twin chassis car before the season started.

Lotus Ford 88B, Goodwood Festival of Speed

As a consequence after being protested during practice for the the United States West, Brazilian and British Grand Prix Lotus withdrew the 88 bodies with out ever having raced and used the more conventional Lotus 87 which used inner Lotus 88 chassis but with conventional side pods to generate ground effect and a similar hydraulic ram system for the suspension as used by Brabham.

Colin Chapman is said to have been disappointed that the twin chassis Formula One cars developed with Peter Wright, Tony Rudd and Martin Ogilvie were never allowed to compete believing that Formula One was supposed to be a proving ground for new innovation.

Thanks for joining me on this “Chassis or Aerodynamic Aid” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t for get to come back now !

Share