Tag Archives: V8

Golden Wonder Scottish Champion – Triumph TR7

In 1976 Triumph initiated a Rally Programme with it’s TR7 model initially in 2 litre 16 valve 4 cylinder Sprint form and finally in 280 hp 3.5 litre / 215 cui V8 form.

Triumph TR7, TNF Herts Film Show, Ware

Legend has it that today’s featured car was loitering in the Triumph compound of the Triumph Press Depeartment when Triumph Competitions Manager John Davenport was invited to take his pick of four cars for the 1978 season SJW548W was the last of the four allegedly chosen because they were; white, without sunroofs and closest to the entrance which John entered to make his selection.

Triumph TR7, TNF Herts Film Show, Ware

However SJW458S is known to have originally been a Carmine coloured TR7 with a Sprint motor so more likely John Davenport chose four cars whose registration numbers were transferred to the teams scratch built rally cars, SJW458S was the 11th works TR7 to be built the third never to have been in competition with a Sprint engine .

Triumph TR7, TNF Herts Film Show, Ware

Like the Works Rally Spitfire I looked at last week this TR7 was refitted as a left hand drive car so that European drivers; Jean luc Therier, Simo Lampinen and Per Eklund could drive it.

Triumph TR7, TNF Herts Film Show, Ware

During the 1978 season both Jean Luc and Simo recorded retirements when they drove SJW 458S on the Tour de Corse and RAC Lombard Rally respectively.

Triumph TR7, TNF Herts Film Show, Ware

Peter Eklund and Mike Broad scored the cars best result in the 1979 season with a second overall on the Mintex Rally while Simo recorded 12th and 13th place finishes on the 1979 Welsh and Scottish Rallies.

Triumph TR7, TNF Herts Film Show, Ware

Scottish air traffic controller Ken Wood bought SJW 485S for the 1981 Scottish Rally championship in which he and Peter Brown narrowly finished 2nd before making amends and winning the 1982 Scottish Rally Championship with the cars new sponsor Golden Wonder.

My thanks to owner Steve Rockingham who kindly trailered SJW485S to a recent TNF Herts Film show and kindly left it in the snow for the day to be deservedly admired.

Thanks for joining me on this Golden Wonder Scottish Champions edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be sharing the tail of the Derrington Francis Formula One car.

Don’t forget to come back now !

350 Rocket V8 – Oldsmobile Cutlass

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The third generation Oldsmobile Cutlass was introduced in 1968 with new styling overseen by Stan Wilen.

Oldsmobile Cutlass, Classics At The Castle, Sheborne

Every year there were upgrades to the third generation Cutlass which by 1970, when today’s featured car was built, was available with seven different body options.

Oldsmobile Cutlass, Classics At The Castle, Sheborne

In 1970 a third 455 cui / 7.4 litre V8 engine was made available for the Cutlass, this one is fitted with the smaller 350 cui 5.7 litre Rocket V8 which could be ordered with two barrel or with two four barrel carburetor options producing over 325 hp in top W31 form.

Oldsmobile Cutlass, Classics At The Castle, Sheborne

Those Cutlasses fitted with floor mounted gear changers were fitted with Hurst shifters.

Oldsmobile Cutlass, Classics At The Castle, Sheborne

This particular ‘matching numbers’ Cutlass was imported from Florida in 2013.

Oldsmobile Cutlass, Classics At The Castle, Sheborne

There are probably less than half a dozen Cutlass models of any age in the UK.

Breakfast – Redhill Village Hall

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Last Sunday I joined my friend Nick in his Mustang GT for a drive over to Redhill Village Hall, where a select gathering of petrolheads gathered for an excellent breakfast.

Vauxhall 30 90, Redhill Village Hall

When I first came across this 1922 Vauxhall 30/90 at an Avenue Drivers Club meeting a couple of years ago it had just had the wooden frame for it’s body panels rebuilt. The panels have been refitted but there is still some way to go with the upholstery before the restoration is complete.

Audi 200 Quattro, Redhill Village Hall

Fifteen years after becoming the first foreigner to win the Safari Rally, Hannu Mikkola repeated the feat in 1987 in one of his last appearances for Audi driving a 200 Turbo Quattro in what would be his final World Championship Rally win. The 220 hp 20 valve 5 cylinder motor above powers a car that is a stripped and stickered up to replicate the car that Hannu drove.

Jaguar XK150, Redhill Village Hall

Two days after celebrating its 56th Anniversary since it’s registration for use on British roads was this 1958 Jaguar XK150.

Ford Consul, Redhill Village Hall

Bristling with extra’s including sun visor, rear view mirrors and a hand operated spot light was this 1959 Ford Consul.

Austin Allegro, Redhill Village Hall

One of the design criteria for the Austin Allegro was that the styling should eschew mainstream trends and so British Leyland reinvented the steering wheel, it’s quartic wheel afforded the driver extra leg room. While many laughed at this feature at the time perversely it foresaw, by several decades, the arrival of the modern open wheel competition steering wheel.

Ford V8 Deluxe Fordor Sedan, Redhill Village Hall

Finally this Ford embossed tailpipe appeared on a 1938 Ford V8 Deluxe Fordor Sedan.

Thanks for joining me on this “Breakfast” 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 !

Serviceability – Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE

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In 2012 Aston Martin returned to racing a GT programme with up to three Gulf sponsored works cars, split between the Pro and Am subdivisions, appearing in last seasons Le Mans Series races.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

The GTE is similar to the previous GT2 incarnation of the Vantage V8 though it is lighter, features improved cooling for the driver, has improved aerodynamics and also improved serviceability which means that the motor can now be changed in an hour without altering the suspension settings where as previously the same operation took four hours.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

The dry sump lubricated 4474 cc / 273 cui V8 motor produces 600 hp that is transmitted to the rear wheels by a six speed X-trac sequential semi automatic gearbox that is operated by paddle shift from the steering wheel. A carbon fiber prop shaft is fitted between the gearbox and rear axle.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

To bring the car to rest ventilated disc brakes are used with six pot calipers on the front and four pot calipers at the rear.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

Helping to keep the dry weight down to 1195 kgs 2634 lbs are a lithium battery, carbon fibre body panels and seat.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

At Le Mans last year two GTE’s were entered the #97 Pro car driven by Adrian Fernandez, Stefan Mücke and Darren Turner finishing 19th over all 3rd in class while the #99 Am car driven by Danes Allan Simonsen, Christoffer Nygaard and Kristian Poulsen after 31 laps.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

Last season Aston Martin finished 2nd in the LMGTE Pro series with one class win and six further class podiums. At the time of writing the week before Le Mans Aston Martin are leading both the Pro and Am 2013 LMGTE series.

Aston Martin Vantage V8 GTE, Donington Park

The #99 featured today is seen at a test day at Donington Park prior to the Silverstone Six Hour race where the car driven by Jonathan Adam, Andrew Howard and Paul White failed to finish.

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

One Tough Act To Follow – Lincoln Town Car

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The very first Lincoln Town Car was a one off custom 1922 limousine built for Henry Ford, the Town Car name next appeared, following the introduction of GM’s 1956 Cadillac Sedan de Ville (= French for Town Car), on the special 1959 Lincoln Continental (forgotten) Mark IV.

Lincoln Town Car, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Subsequently Town Car was used as the name for a variety of interior trim option packages between 1969 and 1980. In 1981 Town Car became a model name used in the first down sized Lincoln on a full size platform.

Lincoln Town Car, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Power for the Town Car comes from the ubiquitous 5 litre / 302 cui Ford Windsor V8 which drives the rear wheels with the aid of a 4 speed AOD automatic transmission.

Lincoln Town Car, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Tough guy actor Jack Palance was employed in for the 1984 Lincoln Town Car commercial which restated Lincolns commitment to quality and luxury and finished with the strap line “From where I sit that’s one tough act to follow.

Regular readers may remember I featured a Widebody Town Car a couple of years ago in a nice car for a wedding feature, turns out that car started out as a pre 1984 Town Car distinguished by the Town Car logo above the drivers side head lights.

The 1984 Town Car featured to day, sans drivers side head light logo, is seen at last years Classics at the Castle event at Sherborne Castle.

Thanks for joining me on this “One Tough Act To Follow” edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow don’t forget to come back now !

Project Sport 500 – Lotus Esprit Sport 350 No.26

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When the Lotus Type 82 Esprit Turbo was introduced in April 1981 it had a new chassis which was built to accommodate a V8 or the hitherto ubiquitous 4 cylinder type 907/910 motors. It was not until two complete body restyles later that the V8 type 918 would finally see the light of day in the back of a Julian Thompson styled Esprit in 1996.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The Julian Thompson styled Esprit replaced the Peter Stevenson styled Esprit in 1993 alongside the new body came a redesigned interior and for the first time on an Esprit power steering.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The twin turbocharged all aluminium 918 V8 Esprits were restricted to 350 hp which was deemed the most that the Renault derived transmission and drive train could handle. In 1998 V8 Esprits were built to either luxury SE or sporty GT specification.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The ultimate incarnation of the Esprit was the Sport 350, such as the one seen here during last years Classic and Sports Car Action Day at Castle Combe. These models were built with AP racing brakes, stiffer suspension, revised electronic control unit (ECU) for the motor and a carbon fibre rear wing mounted on aluminium uprights. With 350 hp these cars can reach 100 mph from rest in just under 10 seconds.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Only 55 of an intended production run of 50 Esprit Sport 350’s were built between 1999 and 2001, all bar 48 of them were painted silver, four were black, two white and one ice blue.
Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Rob the owner of Sport 350 No.26, also known as Project Sport 500, has upgraded this particular vehicle to produce 500 hp and “run right past 60 mph in (the) first of it’s six gears”. You can see some of the work Rob has undertaken to achieve this performance on this linked page.

Only 15 Sport 350’s remain in the UK according to Rob one of them is a right off in a salvage yard.

My thanks to Rob for his help with today’s post.

Thanks for joining me on this “Project Sport 500” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Streamline Dream Car – Lincoln Zephyr V12

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One of many WOW ! moments I had last year was at the Summer Classics meeting held at Easter Compton when I turned round and saw today’s featured 1936 Lincoln Zephyr V12 purring up the main drag carrying two adults two children and a large black and white TV all the way from Dresden, Germany.