Tag Archives: Silverstone

King Of Brighton & The Hills – ERA R4D

For reasons that are not yet entirely clear to me today’s featured car ERA R4D began life with the out of sequence identifier R4B apparently a year before R3B had been built.

R4B was a works apple green race car completed for Raymond Mays use in 1935. It is said to have used all three ERA engine sizes, 1.1, 1.5 and 2 litre, according to the demands of the regulations of the event’s it competed in.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

This chassis was shared by Raymond Mays and E Von Delius in the 1935 German Grand Prix, it started 9th but retired at half distance with low oil pressure.

R4B was predominantly used by Raymond for sprints and hill climbing and in 1936, mid way through the season R4B and the other works cars were all painted black.

ERA R4D, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone,

No definitive reason is known for the change of colour, which coincidentally or not first appeared after the death of Marcel Lehoux at Deauville while driving R3B, the only pre war ERA not to have survived.

It is known that Raymond Mays had a Riley and Bentley painted black with silver / chrome wheels and that he detested green the British National racing colour in any shade.

ERA R4D, Mac Hulbert, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone,

It has also been pointed out that Dick Seaman’s successful R1B was painted black in 1935 and maybe after a run of bad luck the decision was taken to use Seaman’s preferred colour.

In 1937 R4B was upgraded to C specification with independent front suspension using torsion bars designed at great expense to ERA by Dr Ferdinand Porsche.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

R8B and R12B were also to receive this upgrade but R12C was converted back to B Spec after an accident in 1939.

Raymond Mays drove R4C to victory in the 1937 Picardy Grand Prix and in 1937 repeated the feat in 1938 when R4C was upgraded to R4D spec with a lighter fully box framed chassis.

ERA R4D, Goodwood Revival,

Arthur Johnson drove R4D in 1939 prior to Raymond Mays buying the car from the works to continue it’s development privately.

Raymond Mays continued to drive R4D winning the two British Hillclimb Championships in 1947 and ’48 and four Brighton Speed Trials, before selling her to Ron Flockhart in 1953.

Flockhart continued where May’s had left off by setting a record at the Bo’ness hillclimb.

In 1954 Ken Wharton bought R4D and won the RAC British Hill Climb Championship, he nearly repeated the feat in 1955, using R4D and a Cooper 500 Formula 3 car, but the title was awarded to new comer Tony Marsh after he and Wharton finished the championship on level points.

Wharton added three more wins at the Brighton Speed Trials to bring R4D’s total to seven, R4D is still the single most successful vehicle to compete in the event.

Today R4D is owned by Mac Hulbert and is seen with Julian Bronson at the wheel during the VSCC Spring Start Meeting earlier this year.

My thanks to Adam Wragg at facebook, Fuzzi and Vitesse2 at The Nostalgia Forum for informing why the works ERA were painted black in 1936.

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

Angolan Adventures – Maserati 300S #3082

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I believe today’s featured Maserati 300S chassis #3082 was the last to be built. It’s history discernible from internet sources is less than exact.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

From known results it would appear #3082, road registered AVN-04-44, was raced in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) taking part in 5 Angolan Grand Prix from 1959 to 1963 with Álvaro Lopes being the driver on 4 occasions and Flávio dos Santos driving the car in 1962 when it retired from the race.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

The result of Álvaro Lopes efforts in the 1959 Angolan Grand Prix do not appear to be recorded, but it is known he started. The following year carrying the #12 Álvaro did not finish the Angolan GP but finished 5th in the Leopoldville, DRC, Grand Prix.

Maserati 300S, Gregor Fisken, Sussex Trophy, Goodwood Revival

In 1960 the Álvaro recorded a 4th place finish in the Angolan Grand Prix in the #3082 chassis now carrying the #8 race number. This combination of car and driver appeared in the 1963 Angolan Grand Prix for the final time bearing the #4, but went one better and finished 3rd.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

By 1985 chassis #3082 had made it’s way via South Africa to the UK where Burkhard von Schenk purchased it for a reputed £200,000. The 2012 dated photo’s show the #3082 still in von Schenks ownership with Gregor Fisken at the wheel during practice for the Sussex Trophy at Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Maserati 300S, Silverstone Classic

In 2013 Austrian Martin Halusa bought #3082 for an undisclosed sum and the car is seen with fresh paint work in his ownership at this years Silvertone Classic in the remaining photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Angolan Adventures” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at an incredibly shiney Bugatti. Don’t forget to come back now !

Series II Side Vents – Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Series I #5887

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The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Series I was introduced in 1963 with quad headlights and a 4 speed plus overdrive gearbox. 500 examples were manufactured before an interim model was introduced.

Ferrari 330 GT, Silverstone

Chassis #5887 seen here at Silverstone last year was built in 1964 and is recorded as being delivered to “Longoni” in Italy.

Ferrari 330 GT, Silverstone

Subsequently #5887 is known to have visited Copley Motor Cars in Boston Massachusetts at an unspecified date, in 1996 the motor appears to have been overhauled in Hubbard, Ohio and in 2001 the car was seen in Appleton, Michigan.

Ferrari 330 GT, Silverstone

In 2002 #5887 is said to have been imported into the UK by an Aston Martin specialist who kept and maintained it in good condition until 2011.

Ferrari 330 GT, Silverstone

Since then #5887 has been stripped and repainted in the correct Ferrari Blue Pozzi.

Ferrari 330 GT, Silverstone

The Auction notes that accompanied the car when it was photographed last year noted that the side vents in the wings/fenders first appeared on Series II 330 GT’s in 1965.

Ferrari 330 GT, Silverstone

This vehicle sold for GB£89,380 at Silverstone Auctions in May last year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Series II Side Vents” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow, when I’ll be looking at a Petty, but not one from Level Cross, North Carolina. Don’t forget to come back now !

All Sizes Including Chevy – ERA R4A

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Continuing the 80th Anniversary Celebration of English Racing Automobiles, ERA, today’s featured vehicle ERA R4A was the first to be built for a customer, South African P G Fairfield and it was the first to be built in 1935.

ERA R4A, James Baxter, VSCC Prescott

ERA R4A was originally painted white and fitted with a 1.1 litre 67 cui supercharged motor and in this form Patrick Fairfield won the Mannin Beg street race on the Isle of Man, the Nuffield Trophy at Donington Park and the Dieppe Grand Prix support race for Voiturettes.

ERA R4A, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone

After running the car in South African events in early 1936 Patrick returned R4A to the UK where it was fitted with a 1,500 cc / 91.5 cui motor. In this form Patrick and R4A recorded second place finishes in the British Empire Trophy at Donington Park and in the Picardy Grand Prix.

ERA R4A, HGPCA Test Day, Silverstone

Patrick recorded three wins in South African events in 1937 before he was killed during the 1937 Le Mans 24 hours race. R4A was acquired by Norman Wilson with the smaller 1,100 cc / 67 cui motor fitted. Norman raced R4A mostly in South Africa up until the outbreak of the ’39 – ’45 war in which he would loose his life while serving in the South African Air Force.

ERA R4A, James Baxter, VSCC Prescott

Reg Parnell looked after R4A from 1942 to 1945 before selling her to Bob Gerard. When Bob Gerard appeared with R4A at Cockfosters, one of Britains earliest post war motoring events, in July 1945 it had several modifications to the radiator surround which would eventually enclose a smaller radiator.

ERA R4A, James Baxter, VSCC Prescott

In 1948 Bob fitted the 2 litre / 122 cui which is seen in these photographs, at some point he also had radius rods to the rear suspension of R4A, R6B and R14B though these have since been removed from all three cars.

ERA R4A, James Baxter, VSCC Prescott

After ten years of ownership Bob sold R4A to John McAfee in Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, and the following year it went to Jimmy de Villiers in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. During this period in Southern Africa up to the mid 1960’s R4A is said to have been fitted with a unspecified Chevrolet motor for a short time.

ERA R4A, Silverstone Classic,

I believe R4A is currently owned by NJ Topliss and is seen in these photo’s with James Baxter at the wheel during last years VSCC Prescott meeting.

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

Conquering Europe :- ERA R3A

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In 1933 Raymond Mays the leading founder of ERA (English Racing Automobiles), set out to manufacture racing cars capable of upholding British prestige in Continental European races.

ERA R3A, Mark Giles, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone.

In 1934 ERA completed three vehicles and ERA R3A seen here was the third and first ERA to be built with a 2 litre / 122 cui motor.

ERA R3A, Mark Giles, Spring Start, Silverstone.

Raymond Mays drove R3A until it was sold at the end of 1935 and counted among his successes in the car an outright standing start world 1km record and more importantly the marques first victory in Europe.

ERA R3A, Goodwood Revival.

For the 1935 Eifelrennen meeting at the Nurburgring a 1.5 litre / 91.5 cui six cylinder voiturette class motor and Raymond drove the car to victory in the Voiturette Race beating the Maserati of Hans Reusch.

ERA R3A, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone.

R3A remained a voiturette when it was sold in 1936. In 1937 Charlie Martin recorded another win in the Voiturette event supporting the German Grand Prix at Avus .

ERA R3A, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone.

In 1938 Roy Hesketh bought R3A and took it home to South Africa where it remained until at least 1957. Current owner RT Skipworth is a second time custodian of R3A having first owned it 1998 to 2003 and then again since the start of 2014.

ERA R3A, VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone.

R3A was fitted with an original spec 2 litre motor in 1976 and it is in this form that Mark Gillies can be seen driving the to victory in the 80th ERA Anniversary race during the VSCC Spring Start meeting at Silverstone earlier this year.

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

Unfinished Prototype – Bugatti 73C #73005

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Having lost control of his factory in Alsace to occupying German forces in the 1939/45 war Ettoire Bugatti spent the duration making plans for a new post war facility in Paris and a Type 73 which was to be built in it.