Tag Archives: Horton

D Modified – Mercedes Benz 300 SLS Replica

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After 2 successful seasons winning two SCCA Class D Production (DP) championships the Mercedes Benz supplied team of George D Tilp and driver Paul O’Shea were hoping to make it a threepeat even though they were planning on swapping from the 300 SL Gullwing to the new for ’57 300 SL Roadster model.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

However the SCCA would not mandate running the 300SL Roadster in the DP class in 1957 on the grounds that insufficient numbers of the Roadster had been built.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

To get around this problem the Mercedes Benz Rennabteilung built two special lightweight SLS Roadsters for George Tilp to run in the SCCA class D modified for Paul O’Shea.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Dario Franchitti, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

Despite sending George Tilp two cars, two Mercedes Benz race mechanics, Erwin Strupp and Karl Bunz with a container load of spares, the plan was to run only one car to give the operation the semblance of a privateer effort, however after Paul crashed one car at Thompson Connecticut and turned up six days later with an apparently completely repaired car at Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin the cat was out of the bag that George Tilp had two cars at his disposal for Paul.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Dario Franchitti, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

Paul went on to threepeat his and Mercedes Benz third SCCA class championship and the two SLS Roadsters were returned to the Mercedes Benz factory where they were scrapped, allegedly over fears the lightweight bodies would deteriorate.

Mercedes Benz 300 SLS, Dario Franchitti, Goodwood, Festival of Speed,

Subsequently numerous SLS variations have appeared most notably Chuck Porter built and raced one very successfully, where the second S stood for scrap, from a burned out Gullwing that closely resembled the 1955 300 SLR’s, several roadsters have also been converted to Tilp / O’Shea SLS replica’s more recently using 300 SL Roadster donor cars, including one by Kienle Automobiltechnik, in Heimerdingen, Germany.

Today’s featured replica seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed with Indy Legend Dario Franchitti at the wheel, was converted to SLS spec by Mercedes Benz who used one of their former test 300 SL Roadsters as a starting point.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for information on his Uncle George Tilp’s racing team.

Thanks for joining me on this “D Modified” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a triumph of presence over elegance. Don’t for get to come back now !

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Rudge Wheel Roadster – Mercedes Benz (W198) 300 SL

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In 1955 Mercedes Benz introduced it’s 300 SL Gullwing Coupé, at the behest of their American agent Max Hoffman, and over the next 2 years built 1400 examples.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL, Danville Concours d'Elegace

For reasons that are not entirely clear to me Mercedes Benz did not introduce the almost mechanically identical roadster version until 1957.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL, Danville Concours d'Elegace

The major difference between the two models is that the space frame required lower sills than the gull wing to permit front hinged doors.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL, Danville Concours d'Elegace

The fuel tank and rear axle were also redesigned which allowed the spare wheel to be taken out of the boot /trunk and mounted beneath the floor panel.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL, Danville Concours d'Elegace

With the space between the boot / trunk lid freed up Mercedes offered it’s customers bespoke suitcases to fill the space up, as there was no storage in the cabin area as there had been in the Coupé.

Mercedes Benz 300 SL, Danville Concours d'Elegace

From 1957 to 1963 1,858 Roadsters were built, the example seen here has been in the same family since it was purchased from the used lot of a Chevrolet dealer in 1965.

It is one of less than 50 Roadsters, all built in 1957, to be documented as supplied with Rudge Wheels from the factory.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs, taken a couple of years ago at Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “Rudge Wheel Roadster” 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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Out Of Aladdin’s Cave – Mercedes Benz W24 540K Cabriolet A

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Friedrich Geiger was charged with the design of the straight 8 5 litre / 302 cui W29 500K launched in 1934 and then 5.4 litre / 329 cui Typ W24 540K in 1935.

540K Cabriolet A, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

The supercharged 180hp W24 540 K motor was fitted to chassis of either 117″, 130″ or 153″ which differed from the 500K predecessor by using oval tubes as used by the Mercedes Benz Silver Arrows racing cars of the period.

540K Cabriolet A, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

The 540K Cabriolet A seen here sits on the shorter 117″ chassis and would have been capable of 110 mph, production ended in 1944 by which time variants were being built with armored bodies for Gemran Government officials.

The 1937 example seen here at Dana Point Concours d’Elgance belongs to collector Anthony ‘Tony Vincent’ Zehenni who founded the Aladdin Developers Inc property development empire.

My thanks once again to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Out Of Alladin’s Cave edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at an off road Matra, don’t forget to come back now !

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Parisian Show Car – Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé #0295EU

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Visitors to the 1953 Paris Motor Show will have no doubt been impressed by the sight of today’s featured Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé #0295EU.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

#0295EU has the lowest chassis number of any 250 Europa and is one of only two such chassis with a Vignale Coupé body the other being #0313EU which I looked at a couple of years ago.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

After the 1953 Paris show #0295EU was shipped to the USA where at some as yet unspecified date in the 1950’s race car driver George Reed from Midlothian, Illinois who ran RRR Motors, Reed’s Race Rats, which dealt in Ferrari’s and later Shelby Cobra’s acquired the car.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

By 1971 Gilbert Walton in Danville California acquired the #0295 and to date became it’s longest custodian, in 1986 Crockett Auto Restoration commenced a four year restoration.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

More recently Kentucky property developer Kevin D Cogan became the custodian of the car and he appears to have been the first owner to take #0295EU to a Concours D’Elegance event entering it a Pebble Beach in the Ferrari Grand Touring Class earlier this year.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

#0295 is seen in these photographs back in it’s spiritual home town Danville where the car won the Award of Excellence at the 2015 Danville Concours d’Elegance.

Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale Coupé, Danville Concours d'Elegance,

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

Thanks for joining me on this “Parisian Show Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the last in the current series on Chevron’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

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2 Door 4 Seat – Mercedes Benz W142 320 Cabriolet B

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In February 1937 Mercedes Benz launched the first two, of an eventual four, variations of the W142 Typ 320, that replaced the W18 Typ 290, with either 2,880 mm / 113″ or 3300 mm / 130″ chassis both of which remained in production from 1937 to 1938.

The new models were powered by enlarged 77hp 3,208 cc / 195 cui six cylinder side-valve engines that were fitted with manual all synchromesh 4 speed gearboxes.

Mercedes Benz W142 320 Cabriolet B, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

As with the W18’s W142 were fitted with numerous Cabriolet options the long wheel base chassis cabriolet options included 2 door 3seat Cabriolet A, 2 door 4 seat Cabriolet B as seen in these photographs, 4 door 4 seat Cabriolet D and four-door 6-seat with three rows of seats Pullman-Cabriolet F.

With a top speed of 81 mph the W142’s had hydraulic brakes on all four wheels to slow then down and made use of the same suspension as the W18, transverse leaf and coil springs on the front and swing axles at the back.

Mercedes Benz W142 320 Cabriolet B, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

The third W142 variant manufactured from 1938 to 1940 was for military use with 4 front hinged door, a canvass roof and off road tyres that reduced the top speed of the vehicle to 73 mph.

The final variant of the W142 built from 1938 to 1942 was powered by a motor enlarged to 3,405 cc / 207 cui, the power output remained the same thanks to a reduced compression ratio in anticipation of the increased use of fuel synthesized from coal which had a lower octane rating than the fuel refined from oil.

The military W142/III was also fitted with the larger engine in 1939 but tuned to give 79hp in order that the top speed remained at 73 mph.

Mercedes Benz W142 320 Cabriolet B, Dana Point Concours d'Elegance

4,326 of the W142’s were built with the smaller engine and 885 with the larger engine, additionally 1,806 military variants were built.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photographs of the 1937 320 Cabriolet B belonging to Mercedes Benz Classic Center taken at Dana Point Concours d’Elegance a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “2 Door 4 Seat” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a three seat Talbot. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ham Handed Texan – Ferrari 340 Vignale Berlinetta #0222AT

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Allen Guiberson struck it rich in his early ’20’s and became a Ferrari collecting Dallas oilman who was once described in Time Magazine as a ham handed Texan.

Ferrari 340 Vignale Berlinetta, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

In 1952 he bought today’s featured Ferrari 340 Vignale Berlinetta, the first of three built for the Carrera Panamericana road race, sometimes referred to as a 340 Mexico Berlinetta.

Ferrari 340 Vignale Berlinetta, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Sponsored by Industrias 1-2-3 #0222AT was driven by Luigi Villoresi and either Piero Cassani or Franco Cornacchia in the 1952 Carerra Panamerica, but failed to finish after a gearbox problem manifested it’s self.

Ferrari 340 Vignale Berlinetta, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

The following year Phil Hill and Richie Ginther drove the same car in the event and retired after an accident, the cars only other known appearance was in the 1954 1000 km race at Buenos Aires where Phil shared the car with Dave Sykes until they retired with a clutch problem.

Ferrari 340 Vignale Berlinetta, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

After 14 changes of ownership during which time #0222AT had it’s original engine swapped out for a Chevy V8 in the 1950’s and then replaced by a larger 342 Ferrari V12 in the 1980’s the current owner bought the car in 2000.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photograph’s taken at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance earlier this year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ham Handed Texan” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another open wheel Chevron. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Reflecting Good Taste – Lincoln Capri

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From 1952 to 1959 Lincoln manufactured the Capri with 4 door sedan, 2 door coupé and 2 door convertible bodies only the first generation was manufactured from 1952 to 1955 the second from 1956 to 1957 and the third and final generation from 1958 to 1959.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Powered by the all new 160hp 5.2 litre / 317 cui Lincoln Y-block that replaced the flat heads in all Lincoln’s in 1952 the Capri when tested by Popular Mechanics reached 60mph from rest in 14.8 seconds, covered the 1/4 mile in 21.3 seconds and recorded fuel consumption of 21 mpg at an average speed of 40mph.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

To mark the Capri out from it’s competitors like the Cadillac 62 series, Chrysler New Yorker and Packard 400 teams of Lincolns were entered in the last three Carrera Panamericana races that saw them win the Tourismo Internacional class on each occasion with Chuck Stevenson and Clay Smith finishing 7th overall in 1952 and 1953 while Ray Crawford and Enrique Iglesias finished 9th overall to claim class honours in 1954.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

With the strap line “Everything about Lincoln reflects good taste” the 1955 Capri was offered with a 225hp 5.6 litre / 341 cui Y-block atop which sat a 4 barrel carburetor.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

There was no Carrera Panamericana for the more powerful Lincoln Capri to prove itself as a result of the 1955 disaster at Le Mans and so far as I know the model was never seen in contemporary competition again.

Lincoln Capri, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Today’s featured 1955 Lincoln Capri owned by Dick “El Flaco” de Luna was competition prepared by Dennis “El Gordo” Varni who fitted a modern 425hp 5 litre / 302 cui Ford V8 and all modern safety and handling equipment to the car which is now said to handle like a 4000 lb Porsche. The duo have competed on numerous resurrections of the Carrera Panamericana winning outright in 1999 alongside numerous class awards.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing these photograph’s taken at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Reflecting Good Taste” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Ferrari that competed on the Carerra Panamericana in 1952 and 1953. Don’t forget to come back now !

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