Tag Archives: MG

Bump Start Only – Kayne Special

Following yesterdays blog about Colin Cooper here is the first of 4 blogs on MG powered specials that Colin has built, raced and or owned.

The Kayne name is derived from Kay, and Neil his children. Colin’s first special was built in the ’72 – ’73 off season on an MG J2 chassis thought to be chassis number J4326. The Colin is seen driving the car above on it’s first outing at Loton Park in 1973.

For 1973 Colin ran the Kayne Speacial 1 with a 939 cc / 57 cui 4 cylinder MG PB motor. To save weight car built the car without a starter motor, so it always had to be bump started ! The Kayne Special is seen above at RAF Topcliffe alongside the #28 MG L Type of Maurice Gleeson and the #30 an ex Nigel Musselwhite MG PB belonging to Colin’s friend Trevor Goodwin.

For the 1974 season Colin fitted a Shorrock S/C directly driven off the nose of the crank, the car is seen Curborough Sprint driven by current owner Mike Painter in the early 1980’s with the super charger fitted, you can tell by the single carburetor popping out of the bodywork ahead of the front wheels.

Colin secured many class victories with the Kayne Special before selling it on 1976.

Mike Painter bought the Kayne Special, seen more recently at Loton Park above, soon after Colin sold it.

I’ll be looking at Colin’s second special the Kayne Special II next Tuesday.

My thanks to JMH for the chassis number and Allan Lupton for his comments on The Nostalgia Forum.

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

24/04/12 Added chassis number.

Specials & Restorations – Colin Cooper

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A couple of months ago I set out to find who built an MG that will feature in tomorrow’s blog called the ‘Kayne Special’, see below. Thanks to some help from my friends paulg at the MG Car Club Forum, The Nostalgia Forum, Bob Allan and his friend Peter Croft in New Zealand I have learned that the Kayne Special was built by Colin Cooper and a couple of weeks ago Colin invited me to visit him and discuss his pursuit of speed.

Colin Cooper hails from Bolton at 15 he and a school friend purchased an Austin Seven for £2 10s (£2.50) at auction. They drove the car home sans driving licence and between them they built up a special but could not afford to run it and sold it on.

Colin started driving legally when his Dad bought a 1955 Ford Popular in 1958 which was sold the following year. For his 20th Birthday Colins Mum bought him a £75 MG VA 4 seat tourer seen above around 1960 which seeded his affinity for MG’s.

Colin’s interest in cars was primarily a hobby, with a few deals to ease the financial pain, in 1972 he started racing a 1934 MG PA shared with his friend Trevor which is seen above at Kinmel Park near Rhyll in Wales.

Having squirrelled various bits pieces away including an MG J2 chassis and MG PB motor Colin set about building the first, see to top photo, of what would be come three Kayne Specials built between 1973 and 1982. The name is derived from Kay, and Neil his children. Above on the left is the Kayne Special 3 in the middle the Kayne Special 2 and the Killeen K1 built by Tom Killeen in 1953 all 3 of these cars will be looked at in greater detail in the coming weeks Tuesday MG blogs.

In between building and racing his three specials and racing the Kileen K1 Colin acquired, restored, raced and sold numerous fascinating vehicles including a bevy of Lotus 18’s of which the one above, seen at Curborough in 1977 featured some radical bodywork a standard Ford 1500 cc motor with a 4 speed Renault Dauphine gearbox.

Some where around 1978 Colin acquired an Ex Targa Florio Daren Mk 2B one of only 8 Mk 2’s built, seen here at Longridge in Lancashire.

Photo Copyright Frank Hall 1985.

Frank Halls photo above taken in 1985 shows Colin competition career drawing to a close at Blackpool, where he drove a Mallock Mk III, one of many early Mallocks that Colin owned over the years.

Above are some of the trophies Colin won over a span of 15 years in competitive driving, Colin is also a snooker champion, he still uses the same Joe Davis cue he was given on his 13th birthday.

When Colin retired from his professional career he started a Frogeye restoration business called Central England Sports Cars in 1993, soon after setting up a Mr Ogawa seen on the left signed the first of several deals for batches of six restored Frogeye’s to be exported to Japan paying 50% upfront and the balance when the cars were ready for dispatch to the docks. The business declined with the stagnation of the Japanese economy in 1998 and became the Frogeye Spares Company which was sold in 2000 and is still going strong.

Before I left, Colin he asked if I could help track down the black Midget seen in the corner of the CESC workshop above. The car registered WHP 94S is still thought to be on the road, it is a MG Midget identifiable by a Sprite grill 1500 cc motor, rear anti tramp bars Frogeye Windscreen and hood with 9 lift of fasteners. Colin sold the car to a policeman for approximately £2000 and he believes the PC bought it for his sister. Colin would like to get in touch with the current owner if you can help please leave a message below, on my fb page or e-mail me direct infoATpsychoontyres.co.uk please type MIDGET in the subject box.

My thanks to Colin for generously giving me the time to discuss his fascinating story and cars, to paulg at the MGCC Forum, to everyone at The Nostalgia Forum, Bob Allan and Peter Croft who helped me find Colin. Thanks also to Tony Gallagher for putting me in touch with Chris Winstanley who kindly granted permission to use Frank Halls photograph.

Thanks for joining me on this Specials & Restorations edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be taking a look at Colin’s first Kayne Special. Don’t forget to come back now !

24/04/12 Photo of Colin driving the Mallock at Blackpool added.

Coffee, Croissant, Vintage & Classic – Avenue Drivers Club

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The Avenue Drivers Club was formed in 2009 by a small group of enthusiasts of cars that will do at least 100 mph and the Avenue Café on Queen Square, Bristol. Every second Sunday of the month they meet at 9 am at Queen Square for coffee and a chat.

Being Bristol the 100 mph criteria is not strictly adhered to, as I found out yesterday when I was pleasantly surprised to find several interesting Vintage vehicles, like this 1925 Talbot 10/23, which would struggle to reach that 100 mph speed under their own steam.

Like wise The BSA Ten powered by a twin cylinder air cooled engine from 1925/26 would struggle to reach 100 mph and if it did the owner would not know about it as his speedometer fell out on the way over to the meeting.

Not too sure what the function of these accessory is it appears to shine red yellow or green lights forwards and rearwards and one was mounted either side of a 1933 Morris Cowley. If you know what purpose these lights were designed for please chime in below.

GALPOT regulars may remember this Austin 10 choking on a clothes peg from an earlier blog, turns out the full name for the car is Austin 10/24 Ripley Sport. This car is thought to have been first owned by the Debyshire County Constabulary in black.

Despite my many recent Tuesday MG blogs I have not yet been able to establish exactly what model MG this nifty little 1936 racer is, if you know please chime in below.

In the running for car of the day was this absolutely immaculate 1953/55 Bristol 403, the condition of this car really has to be seen in the flesh to be believed, I can imagine this car will still be turning heads in 60 years time.

Another vehicle falling into the sub 100 mph bracket was this 1962 Austin Gipsy a would be competitor to the otherwise ubiquitous Land Rover this one with a 110″ wheelbase. There was also an immaculate Series One Land Rover and an early ‘proper’ Range Rover in attendance.

Representing Triumph was a 2000, 2500PI a GT6 and this 1966/67 TR5PI which rather took my fancy.

At the more powerful end of the scale was this 1969/70 Aston Martin DBS, with an even more powerful Ferrari 365 GTB/4 parked up behind it.

Among many things I learned yesterday was the existence of Fisher cars, I mistook this for a Ginetta G4, it is actually a Fisher Fury powered by a 1 litre / 61 cui motorcycle motor.

Car of the day was without doubt this K1 Attack, another vehicle I had never heard of before which originates from Slovakia and is powered by a Honda Type R engine. Sundays blog will reveal more about this car. Only 4 are thought to exist in the UK and this is the only one with RHD.

At the end of the meeting which lasted a very short 3 hours David Roots, who told me about the Avenue Drivers Club a couple of weeks ago kindly gave me a highly entertaining ride home ‘aboard’ his unique Lenham ALFA Romeo.

My thanks to David and everyone else who brought out their pride and joy I simply did not have time to include in today’s blog, can’t wait for the next meeting on the second Sunday in May.

Thanks for joining me on this Coffee, Croissant, Vintage & Classic edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l pscho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

12 04 12 Errata I originally had the cool white car down as a Attack K1, it’s actually a K1 Attack and it is not powered by a motor cycle engine but a Honda Type R, apologies to all concerned.

Japanese Edition – MG RV8

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After the success of the Mazda MX5/Miata/Eunos launched in 1989 that all the models sited by Mazda as having been influential on it’s design instantly experienced an increase in demand on the classic market, those cited influences included the Triumph Spitfire, Austin Healey Sprite, MG MGB and Lotus Elan.

Such was the demand for all things British in Japan in the early 1990’s that several specialists including Central England Sports Cars and the Frogeye Company on the Isle of White ran thriving businesses exporting renovated Spridgets by the half dozen to Japan. MG also saw the interest in British sports cars created by the MX5 as a opportunity and built a limited edition of 2000 MG RV8’s loosely based around the MG B Roadster.

At the heart of the RV8 roadster was a 3,946 cc / 240 cui V8 based on the aluminium Buick Rover V8 that had become the motor of choice amongst British sports car builders, slightly ironically the original MG B Roadster had never been available the the V8 that was an option for the B GT Coupé bodyshell.

BBS wheels a good dose of Connolly leather and a splash of veneered Burr Elm completed the look of the reincarnation of the worlds most numerous sports car.The boot / trunk lid and doors are the only panels to carry over from the original MG B all though beneath the skin the rear drum brakes and some suspension components were also carried over from the MG B that was phased out in 1980.

The RV8 is built for those who travel light the floor of the boot trunk is so high that there is little space for anything beside the full size spare wheel. Between 1993 and 1995 1579 MG RV8’s were exported to Japan leaving just 421 to be distributed through the rest of the world.

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

Norma Ann Sykes – MG B Mark III

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For 1974 US federal regulations mandated low impact bumpers which led to some seriously non collectible vehicles being built like the Volvo 240, aand US spec Jenson Healey, FIAT X1/9, MG B and MG Midget.

The Mark III MG B was introduced in 1972 with the biggest benefit being a new and improved heater for the occupants.

In 1974 chrome bumpers were replaced with steel reinforced rubber items that formed part of the restyled nose at the front. Apparently in MG circles these bumpers are referred to as ‘Sabrinas’ a name derived from a well endowed British model Norma Ann Sykes who was better known as Sabrina in her acting career which started with a small role in the 1955 film Stock Car.

To complete the transformation from cool low slung roadster to the dork car look US Federal regulations mandated a minimum height for head lights and so the MG like many other sports car manufacturers that decided to simply raise the ride height of their cars rather than start with new designs or heavily restyled versions to meet the regulations.

Like Concorde sports cars as they had been known were effectively ruled out of the market in the USA, manufacturers did not seriously look at the Sports Car market again until the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and since then the minimum ride headlight regulations have been dropped.

MG B manufacture came to an end in 1980 and MG did not replace it until 1992 when 2000 limited edition MG B like R8’s were manufactured.

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

Escape The Option Trap – MG B GT

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The MGB GT was launched in 1965 with a ground breaking Pininfarina inspired hatchback and the latest 5 bearing 95hp 1798 cc / 109.7 cui 4 cylinder motor as used in the the MGB Roadster.

In 1970 a version of the GT was launched complete with a black grill as seen above replacing the previous chrome item, reclining seats added to the 4 speed synchromesh gearbox which became available in 1967.

The MGB GT was recognised as an aspirational car by the likes of Playboy which featured an MGB GT in one of it’s advertisements linked here, notice how in the ad the MG owner attracts the females rather more than the Mercury Cougar standing next to it !

MG’s own advertising for the B GT focused on the fact that it’s fully loaded specs allowed owners to escape the option trap as seen in the link here. The 50 spoke wire wheels were standard in some markets though they would eventually be replaced with Rostyle steels wheels.

The extra weight of the roof over the MGB Roadster hindered the B GT’s acceleration though it increased the top speed from 100 to 105 mph. The last MG B GT’s to imported into the USA officially were 1974 though production of the GT continued for other markets until 1980.

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

Wade In The Water – MGB Roaster DRX 256C

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Today’s MG is a special B built with aluminium body panels at Abingdon to take part in the Sebring 12 Hours.

The car as seen here features a ‘Droop Snoot’ nose of the same type worn by it’s sister car DRX 255C at Le Mans in 1965.

However DRX256C, to the best of my knowledge, was never raced at Le Mans in period and certainly not with the Syd Enever designed nose

which I believe first appeared at Le Mans in 1963 fitted to a ‘B’ registered ‘7 DBL’ then in 1964 fitted to ‘BMO 541B’ and finally DRX 255C in 1965.

Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges qualified DRX 255C 46th and averaging 98 mph came in 2nd in class at the Le Mans 24 hours behind a Porsche 904 GTS.

Andrew Newton is the current owner of DRX 256C Barrie Williams and former Grand Prix Driver Mike Wilds are well known UK club racers. The drivers of DRX 256C at Sebring in 1965 were American Brad Picard and Canadian Al Pease.

Picard & Pease qualified 50th and finished 32nd 6th in class in a race that is best remembered for a flash flood which saw some parts of the track under 6 inches of water.

Some drivers described them selves as being up to their elbows in water during pit stops,

and I believe the lead Jim Hall / Hap Sharp Chaparral 2a recorded a lap time of 12 minuets at one point during the deluge.

I highly recommend viewing the Shell Promotional Film called the 12 hour Grind with commentary by Chris Economaki which can be seen on youtube starting with this link for those wishing to fast forward to see what happened when the heavens opened up the wet action starts here, I have never seen anything quite like it.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Wade in the Water’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow, don’t forget to came back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: MG

Bump Start Only – Kayne Special

Specials & Restorations – Colin Cooper

Coffee, Croissant, Vintage & Classic – Avenue Drivers Club

Japanese Edition – MG RV8

Norma Ann Sykes – MG B Mark III

Escape The Option Trap – MG B GT

Wade In The Water – MGB Roaster DRX 256C