Tag Archives: Park

Stewart’s Nemesis – Ferrari 312 B2 #007

In 1970 Ferrari launched the first in a long line of Grand Prix cars powered by flat 12 motors that would eventually power Niki Lauda to World Championships in 1975 and ’77 and Jody Scheckter to a Championship in 1979.

The initial incarnation of the flat 12 powered Ferrari Grand Prix challenger was known as the Ferrari 312 B, B for boxer although the motor is actually a 180 degree V12 design ie the crank pins operate pairs of pistons rather than individual pistons as on a true boxer motor. The 312 B in the hands of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni scored 4 championship Grand Prix wins at the end of 1970 in the absence of Jochen Rindt who would be declared the World Champion posthumously.

For 1971 Mario Andretti joined Ickx and Regazzoni and won the South African GP in a 312B and a non championship race at Ontario before the team introduced the 312 B2 of the type seen here at the Donnington Park Museum. The new car showed some initial promise with Ickx winning the Dutch Grand Prix second time out in part thanks to the superiority of the Firestone wet weather tyres but there after the B2’s suffered appalling reliability with Ickx and Regazzoni and Andretti scoring points on just 4 occasions from 15 further starts between them in the remaining 1971 season.

Things did not improve much in 1972 when Lotus and Tyrrell’s now joined by McLaren’s superior reliability left only scraps on the table for forth placed Ferrari who’s highlight of the year was a one two finish at the Nurburgring for Ickx and Regazzoni after Regazzoni was involved in contact with Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell that all but ended the Scotsman’s 1972 World Championship challenge.

For 1973 Ferrari would have it’s first ever monocoque chassis, built in England, prepared in the guise of the 312 B3 for what would be an even more disastrous season than 1972, but for the first three races of the season the old B2 wheeled out and driven by Ickx and Arturo Mezario the B2 scored 11 of the teams 12 points that saw Ferrari plummet to 6th in the constructors championship.

This particular chassis appears to be #007, the four B2 chassis numbers carried on where the B finished off and so were numbered 005 to 008. Andretti drove this car to 4th place finishes in Germany ’71 and South Africa ’72 and Clay Regazzoni drove the car at the ’72 German Grand Prix to the 2nd place finish that all but ended Stewart’s championship run in the process.

My thanks to galbet and Sire Bruno de Losckley at Ferrari Chat for helping to sort out which car this is.

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

Irish Grand Prix Winner – 8/33 MG Midget

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Cecil Kimber’s Morris Garages blossomed into the car manufacturer when it began producing sports versions of the 4 seat Morris Oxford in 1924. After building around 1100 such vehicles by 1929 the MG Car Company found a new market niche for small engined two seat performance sports cars.

The first such car was the M-Type similar to Alex Peacops 1930/31 example seen at Prescott above which was marketed as the 8/33 M.G. Midget which was based on the Morris Minor chassis featuring lowered suspension with a wheel base of 78″ / 1980 mm and track of 42″ / 1067 mm.

The power for the Midget was provided by a 20 hp overhead cam 4 cylinder motor derived from the Morris Minor and Wolseley 10 cars. In 1930 the Midget design, like all those featured today, was upgraded with the Morris rod braking system replaced with a cable operated system and the 20 hp motor being replaced by a 27 hp version. Roger Glister is seen at Prescott driving his 1931 Midget above.

Competition success with Midgets in 1930 included a Gold Star on the Lands Ends Trial, class victories in the Double 12 (hour) race at Brooklands, and Irish Grand Prix, success which were unashamedly used in subsequent advertising campaigns for the MG Midget.

In standard form, like the 1932 #19 above driven by David Rushton at Loton Park, the Midget was capable of 65 mph and 40 mpg. The popularity of the Midget significantly boosted MG production numbers, by 1932, when production ceased, 3,235 Midgets had been produced which included coupé, supercharged and a one off service van variant.

Thanks for joining me on this M-Type edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again for a look at “The Car You Always Promised Yourself”. Don’t forget to come back now !

Opel Manta i200

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With the Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz almost over, closing date for entries is this Sunday, it’s time to return to shake off the cobwebs and return to blogging about all things motoring. To start the New Years blogs I am looking at a hot version of the Opel Manta B the i200.

The second incarnation of the Opel Manta known as the ‘Opel Manta B’ was launched in 1975, and like its predecessor was based on the current model Opel Ascona saloon / sedan, the ‘B’ version of which was also used as a platform for the British range of GM products the Vauxhall Cavalier.

Confusingly for the automotive historian the Opel Manta ‘B’ and first generation Vauxhall Cavallier all featured a droop snoot nose while the saloon / sedan Ascona ‘B’ featured a common to period blunt nose.

In 1979 Opel started a rally competition program for both the Ascona and Manta models with the ‘400’ suffix added to competition variants of both models. This competition program led to several limited production runs of hot versions of the road going Manta’s being produced including i200 seen here which was manufactured in 1984.

‘i’ was a common suffix at the time usually signifying a vehicle fitted with a then less than common fuel injection system, while the i200 certainly had a 1979 cc / 120.7 cui overhead cam four cylinder motor tuned to produce 125 hp, the ‘i’ in i200 stands for the German tuning firm Irmscher who along with Cosworth were responsible for producing the competition versions of the Manta. Irmscher are credited with producing the body kit comprising rear spoiler and side skirts of the i200 model.

Of the 700 Opel Manta i200’s manufactured just 25 are thought to have been made in right hand drive form for the UK market most like this one in Arctic White with racing stripes as used in period by the Rothman’s cigarette brand which sponsored Opel’s competition program.

The Manta which was available in notch back as seen here or hatchback bore a passing resemblance to the larger contemporary Chevrolet Monza.

Thanks for joining me on this Irmscher 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.

2011 GALPOT Review #1 – Motor Museums

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In the week leading up to the season of Goodwill I thought it might be interesting to review some of the places and events I have been privileged to visit in 2011.

In March I joined fellow members of the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club for a visit to the Prodrive factory & Museum, the Museum is packed with a fabulous selection of vehicles from Prodrives successful history including Rally Cars, Racing Cars and this one off Prodrive P2.

Next I made the first of several visits to the Haynes International Motor Museum which probably houses one of the worlds largest collection of red cars, of many makes including the obvious ALFA Romeo, Ferrari, and Lambourghini, outside of Italy. The car that really struck a chord for me however was this GAZ M13 Chaika from the Soviet Union.

On my way back from London in June I found time to visit the wonderful Atwell Wilson Motor Museum which houses some real gems including a prototype CVT Mini, and many cars which can be hired for weddings including this Plymouth Fury. I particularly like the collection of every day cars from my youth including the much maligned Austin Maxi, Twin Cam Morris Marina and Opel Manta. The Atwell Wilson is running a raffle for a Triumph Dolomite in 2012 a ticket for which including entrance fee and a cup of excellent tea will probably leave you change from a tenner !

If Grand Prix Cars and open wheelers are your thing then you’ll feel like a kid in a toy shop when you visit Donington Park Museum which has an amazing collection of Grand Prix cars from 1950 to the present day, and a few more besides. One car I was particularly thrilled to see was the Hill GH2 built for 1976 which only completed a single test session before Team Founder Graham Hill, driver Tony Brise, designer Andy Smallman, team manager Ray Brimble along with mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards perished in Graham’s aeroplane when it came down in heavy fog on the 29th November 1975.

One of the surprises of the year was finding a Formula One car at the Cotswold Motor Museum, which has a fine selection of vehicles including Veteran, Vintage and Classic. The exact identity of the Wolf / Fittipaldi, which could do with a bit of TLC, has yet to be positively established, but none the less a wonderful find amongst a quirky selection of vehicles.

Finally the smallest museum I visited this year was the Bugatti Trust situated right next to the Prescott Hillclimb course. Housing just three full size vehicles, they were of the highest quality and well worth the price of admission alone, what really struck me and my companion on the day Tim was how unbelievably knowledgeable and friendly the trusts Chairman Hugh Conway and his staff were about the cars and the many other exhibits of Bugattibilia including a cutaway vertical 16 aero engine, drawings of the Bugatti train, model LSR car and a giraffe by Rembrandt Bugatti. Be warned the enthusiasm at the Bugatti trust is infectious.

Thanks for joining me on this Museum edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’ if you have a favorite Motor Museum you’d like to see a blog about in the new year why not drop me a line info(at)psychoontyres.co.uk. ?

I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be reviewing some of the Concours d’Elegance events covered on GALPOT during 2011. 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.

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

The Right One – Chevrolet Corvette

MEBEA MIA ! – Reliant Fox

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The story of today’s pickup starts in 1960 when two Greek motorcycle assembly operations merged to form Μεσογειακαί Επιχειρήσεις Βιομηχανίας, Εμπορίου και Αντιπροσωπειών which translates to Mediterranean Enterprises for Industry, Commerce and Representations, known as MEBEA. MEBEA manufactured a variety of vehicles using mostly Zundapp motorcycle engines.

During the 1970’s MEBEA also manufactured glass fiber bodied Reliant vehicles under license. In 1979 the company developed its own pick up the Fox based on the Reliant Kitten chassis and running gear. In order to get the vehicle type approved for the Greek market it was deemed easier and possibly cheaper for Reliant to get the Fox type approved in the United Kingdom first.

It is thought around 3000 MEBEA Foxes were manufactured between 1979 and 1983 when changes in Greek laws stopped favoring vehicles like the Fox.

However that was not the end of Fox production, no sooner had MEBEA ceased production of the Fox in Greece than Reliant started to produce the Fox, powered by an all aluminium 848 cc / 52 cui 4 cylinder motor, for the British market.

This 1984 Fox, seen above at Oulton Park, is one of around 600 built between 1983 and 1990.

My thanks to L.S. Skartsis and G.A. Avramidis who’s excellent book “Made in Greece” Typorama, Patras, 2003 proved an invaluable reference source.

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

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring