Tag Archives: Horton

Dentists Body Art – Huispano Suiza K6 Convertible

All or Nothing – Hispano-Suiza H6

Aged just 22 French Captain Georges Guynemer is reported as having downed 53 enemy planes before Hisano Suiza powered Spad XIII disappeared on the 11th of September 1917 for the final time somewhere north east of Ypres. The captain, who’s best known maxim was “Until one has given all, one has given nothing”, had already survived being shot down seven times, well before parachutes had become either reliable of issued to pilots. After the Great War of 1914/18 Hispano Suiza adopted the stork symbol of Alsace which Guynemer had painted on the side of his Spad as their radiator mascot.

In 1919 Hispano Suiza designer Marc Birkigt brought his Type 41 to fruition which became known as the H6. Having been amongst the pioneers to develop shaft driven overhead cam shafts and amongst the innovators of joined up motor and gearbox housings with earlier models the H6 featured a 135 hp light alloy mono block six cylinder overhead cam motor that, although noisier than the competition in the form of the Rolls Royce 40/50 with it’s push rod operated side valve cast iron twin block straight 6 cylinder motor, produced a full 50 hp more than it’s contemporary from Derby England.

The H6 was not only more powerful than it’s contemporaries but it the first to adopt power assisted four wheel brakes as standard, leaving Rolls Royce, Lanchester and Napier with their unassisted two wheel brakes well behind when in the safety stakes. Indeed Rolls Royce were quick to acquire a license to replicate Birkigt’s power assisted four wheel braking system on their own models. Rolls Royce would continue to use the Hispano Suiza braking system until the introduction of disc brakes on it’s Silver Shadow model in 1965.

Hispano Suiza counted not only Royalty, including the King of Spain, and the nouveaux riche of Hollywood amongst it’s H6 clientele but also French alcohol heir, Spad XIII flying ace, athlete, inventor and race car driver André Dubonnet who entered his H6 in the 1921 Coupé Boillot sports car race run in Boulogne which he promptly won.

The 6,597cc / 403cui H6 like this 1925 example, which resided in the UK until 2000, gained a larger 8 litre / 488 cui H6B sibling in 1922 with the H6C series in 1924 using only the larger motor. In all 2,350 H6s of all types, including a unique 6 wheel H6 built for feature length film pioneer and director D.W.Griffith, are thought to have been built between 1919 and 1933.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs taken at this years Marin Sanoma Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “All or Nothing” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

No Side Vent Windows – Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Series I Cabriolet

Will The Real #0404MD Please Stand Up – Ferrari 500 Mondial Spyder #0434MD

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In 1954 Pininfarina is thought to have built Spyder bodies for 12 Ferrari 500 Mondial chassis. Sounds simple enough but it would appear there are in fact 13 chassis numbers ascribed to the type.

It turns out that the problem car for historians is the very first one #0404MD, some sources believe that this car was renumbered to #0434 after completion and before delivery to Dutchman Herman Roosdorp, while other less credible souces believe #0404MD was rebodied by Scaglietti.

What ever the truth the reasons why a car should be either renumbered or rebodied twixt completion and delivery appear to be lost in the mists of time and no car is known to exist with the #0404 MD identity today. Remember to give the new identity would mean renumbering chassis plates, chassis and engine block which is not the work of a moment and would require considerable effort. I believe the 500 Mondial PF Spyder seen in Geoffrey Horton’s photographs is #0434MD primarily on the flimsy evidence that this RHD has just a single silver/chrome central mounted mirror, a distinctive white exhaust and is known to have been seen in the Danville area. If you know better, please do not hesitate to chime in below.

If my ID is correct and wether or not the car is the renumbered #0404MD, #0434MD was believed to have been raced by Herman Roosdorp, Dries van der Lof and Joke (?) Maasland exclusively at Zandvoort between 1954 and 1956 with all three drivers securing at least one class win.

The car was restored by Edwin Niles in 1978 and you can see some photo’s of the restoration on this link.

More about 500 Mondial PF Spyders can be found on this earlier GALPOT post.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for today’s photographs taken at Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks of joining me on this “Will The Real #0404MD Please Stand Up” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a cool Lotus road car. Don’t forget to come back now !

Needs Must – Ferrari 375 America Vignale Coupé #0327AL

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Never wildly keen on selling road cars Enzo Ferrari was persuaded to build a few, which not only helped him defray the costs of developing new technology for his racing programme but also satisfied a demand for his products at near exclusive prices.

The 1953 375 America was his second series of road cars following the 342 America of which only twenty three were built. The 375 was powered by a 300 hp 4522 cc / 275 cui long block V12 similar to that used in the 4.5 litre V12 Ferrari 375 Formula One Car and slightly longer Ferrari 375 Indy Car.

Only 11 Ferrari 375 America’s were built, with a 12th one being converted from 250 Europa spec to 375 America spec by the Ferrari factory in 1955. Regular readers may remember that a Pininfarina bodied 375 America chassis #0319AL was the subject of a GALPOT blog in May last year.

This particular chassis #0372AL is one of just three cars built with Vignale bodies, each of the Vignale bodies has unique features making this one easy to recognise, due to it’s low bumper and recessed headlights, as the second of the three built. This car was displayed at the Geneva and New York automotive shows in 1954 and then sold to Robert C. Wilke, of Milwaukee, WI, USA – President of Leader Cards Inc.

Thanks for joining me on this “Needs Must” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres”. I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Lotus 72E. Don’t forget to come back now !

Running In At 116 mph – Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale

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As we saw last week the 1951 Ferrari 212 came in two flavours Export for sports car racing and Inter as daily driver. Today’s featured 212 Inter with body work by Vignale is one of the long wheel base road cars.

Of the 82 212 Inters built 37 of them had Vignale bodies while Touring and Ghia were amongst others to build bodies for this model.

The British magazine tested the first production 212 Inter in 1950 recording rest to 60 mph in 10.5 seconds reaching 100 mph in 22.5 seconds and a top speed of 116 mph. The magazine noted that they were asked to keep to a 6,500 rpm limit as the engine had not been fully run in.

Of course just because a Ferrari is designated primarily as a road car there is nothing to stop owners entering them for races, Centro Deportivo Italiano bought two 212 Inters, chassis #0161 EL and 0171 EL and entered them in to the fearsome 1951 Carrera Panamericana in Mexico for Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi in the #9 and Pierro Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti in the #34 respectively. The Centro Deportivo Italiano scored a 1-2 finish with Taruffi/Chinetti leading home Ascari/Villoresi by over eight minuets.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photo’s taken at Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “Running In At 116 mph” edition of “Gettin’ a li’ psycho on tyres” I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another innovative formula one car from Colin Chapman. Don’t forget to come back now !

Shelby Pierce Arrow – Niello Concours at Serrano

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The weekend before last Geoffrey Horton took his Jaguar out of it’s garage for the last time this year to attend the Niello Concours at Serrano. He kindly sent today’s featured photographs for us to enjoy.

The achievements of Pierce Arrow and Carroll Shelby were being celebrated at Niello, above a 1933 Pierce Silver Arrow one of only three such 115 mph V12’s known to exist.

Suffering from slow sales of aero engines made under license from (French) Salmson in 1934 British Salmson extended it’s license deal to include local manufacture of Salmson cars. Above is a 1936 S4C similar to it’s French counterpart except that it has syncromesh on the top two gears of the gearbox. Around 250 S4C’s were manufactured from 1934 to 1938.

For a Delahaye the vehicle above is pretty tame, by Delahaye standards, I’m not sure of either the year, model or coachbuilder, looks most likely a 135 which could have been built 1935 and 1954. If you know which more please do not be afraid to chime in below.

As regular GALPOT readers will know Geoffrey Horton restored a rats nest back into a 1955 Jaguar XK140 FHC SE / MC which he now enters in Concours events. The 1956 example above has been in the same family since 4th January 1956, it is totally original and unrestored, as the owner says “cost of $90,000” and “cost of to keep it original, with sentimental value = priceless”

Not sure what this one is at the time of writing looks a little like a Mk 1 Triumph Spitfire with a lot of additional chrome, the wheels look like they come from a Berkeley. If you know what this one is please chime in below, it’s certainly not in my I-spy book of cars.

Carroll Shelby ordered two new Cooper Monaco’s beefed up to carry Shelby’s 289 Ford V8’s for the 1963 URRSC sports car championship.
Chassis #CM/1/63 seen here was driven by rapidly rising star Dave MacDonald to victories in both the 1963 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside and the Monterey Pacific Grand Prix at Laguna Seca which along which helped MacDonald secure the 1963 URRSC sports car championship.

The 1965 Shelby GT 350 was built to compete in the SCCA National B Production Championship with full race suspension larger oil pan and straight through exhaust side pipes. It was fitted with ‘only two’ seats to comply with the SCCA regulations. This particular copy, one of 562 built in 1965, has been in the same family since new.

For 1970 the US Department of Transport demanded extra visibility over the bonnet / hood of all cars and so all post 1970 model year Mercedes 280 SE’s received a lower grill than in previous years. The Low Grill 280 SE Cabriolet above is one of just 237 built in 1970.

Capable of reaching 60 mph in six seconds and covering the quarter mile in just 14.4 seconds the Ford Torino GT introduced in 1970 could be ordered with sports deck, hideaway head lamps and reflective side stripes, just like the one seen above.

The English Corvette as the Triumph TR8 was known was manufactured 1978 to 1982. This one would appear to be one one of the 2400 dropheads built between 1980 and 1982.

The Panoz Esperante can be ordered in GT, GTLM and GTS specs with an after market JRD upgrade available if you need the speed and have the budget to satiate it. The car above is a 2005 model is the first of 80 Supercharged GTLM models. Amongst Wild Bills other vehicles are an amphibious Amphicar and Messerschmitt Kabinen Roller !

And so it’s time to thank Geoffrey one the last time this year for his fabulous Concours d’Elegance contributions to GALPOT this year, there will of course be further contributions about individual vehicles, and hope that his Jaguar stays safe over the off season in anticipation of the 2013 California Concours d’Elegance season.

Thanks for joining me on this “Shelby Pierce Arrow” 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 Since writing this Geoffrey has informed me that the unidentified car that looks like a cross between a Triumph and a Berkeley is a 1956 FIAT 1200 TV Spider. We live and we learn ! Thanks again to Geoffrey.

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring