|
|
Post by moke on Mar 24, 2012 23:26:00 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by royodeboyo on Mar 27, 2012 7:58:39 GMT
Love that BMC Formula Junior - is it still being run?? A proper racing car!
swap for '86 3 door (99% complete)?!
|
|
|
|
Post by MiG45 on Mar 29, 2012 9:27:43 GMT
Stand looks very impressive from photos. Would have liked to pop along but sunshine at Weeton was an excellent alternative!  |
|
|
|
Post by ian on Mar 31, 2012 9:40:57 GMT
agreed very impressive
|
|
|
|
Post by speedsport on Apr 2, 2012 16:34:21 GMT
Love that BMC Formula Junior - is it still being run?? A proper racing car! swap for '86 3 door (99% complete)?! That's John Sinclair's 30 year restoration project.... nearly as long a job as yours Roy! Here's info from the display sheet:- 1961 BMC Formula JuniorThe BMC seen here is actually an American designed and manufactured car but uses a British BMC ‘A’ series engine mated to a modified VW gearbox. This was the second FJ car designed by Joe Huffacker, (his first being front-engined) and was imported into the UK in 1961. This car is believed to have been raced in the UK by American driver Mike DeValerio in 1962/63 but was always entered as a Cooper FJ. In 1964 it was entered in a race as a Formula 2 car but didn’t appear. It was subsequently converted to Formula Libre with a Ford Twin-Cam engine and raced by Tom Baker around 1975. In 1979 it was bought as an incomplete Cooper FJ car by the present owner, but was later identified as a BMC and restored to its present condition over a period of nearly 30 years. Revived in 1975, Formula Junior is now arguably the most successful historic formula with races and championships being run in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa with owners and drivers enjoying such famous circuits as Silverstone, Monaco, Monza and Goodwood. The car has since appeared at Silverstone 2006, and at the Goodwood Revival in 2007. It will be driven by the owner in this year’s UK Millers Oils Historic Formula Junior Championship. |
|
|
|
Post by speedsport on Apr 2, 2012 16:58:28 GMT
Very many thanks go to all the members who kindly lent us their cars over the weekend, to give us an excellent display that earned us a 4th place award in the Club Stands category, that's 4th out of over 240 stands! And congratulations to Malc Evans too. He was presented with a 3rd place award for his Anglia in the Competition Car Class.
More info about the other cars.
Peter Brogden's blue 1973 March 733 F3:
Originally built in 1973 by March Engineering, (run by Max Mosley & Co). Ran in the 1973 season by Musami Kissiwashuma who achieved 3rd place at the Formula 3 Race supporting the 1973 Monaco Grand Prix.
The car was retired to Scotland as a static exhibit mid to late 70's
Purchased by present owner in 2005, and restored to original specification.
Very few of these lower formula March cars have survived as they were cannibalized to keep newer cars racing as the tub and many major components of 70's March race cars were interchangeable.
The engine was rebuilt Peter Jones Rallying.
The car is now used for sprinting and hillclimbing in class 5c.
Having not been used in anger for many years, on her first outing at a trackday at Aintree she ended up sitting on top of the earth banking of Railway Straight, a most unusual place to see a racing car parked!
To run this car the driver needs the ever present assistance of his pit crew, (Terry Sealey), to polish, clean and fettle the car as well as tightening up his seat belts.
The car can often be seen competing in Liverpool Motor Club’s sprints at the historic Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Liverpool.
Phil Gough's 1997 Caterham 7 (which could be for sale to the right person!)
1700cc ohv engine Max power: 170 bhp approx. Top speed: approx. 125mph 0 - 60mph in 4.5 secs
Close Ratio 4 Speed Gearbox, Mechanical Limited Slip Differential
This particular car has been built specifically to compete in Speed Events (Sprints & Hillclimbs) and can often be seen in action in Liverpool Motor Club’s events at Aintree Circuit
Trevor Jackson's 1935 Austin 7 Ulster:
Poppy”, as she is affectionately known, is something of an enigma. Bearing the chassis number of a Nippy, she was first registered in 1935 as a “tourer” yet all her basic component parts such as the vintage engine, original three speed close ratio box and rear axle are of 1929 Sports era, all on a short wheelbase chassis.
A 1934 close ratio four speed box and Hardy Spicer drive shaft are currently installed for competition. Typical of non-supercharged Ulsters, it has a low 5.67 differential.
Rebuilt on a Chris Gould body in mid 1980s, its faithfulness to the marque is enhanced by attention to external details like full road wings, an authentic honeycomb radiator, lovely period dash board/windscreen frame/hood (not apparent in competition mode)
Engine rebuild by Don Rawson, 2007/2008 - more bullet proof than its original 1.125 inch cranked “spit and hope” spec.
Modifications include 1.5 inch journal Phoenix Steel crank, steel con-rods, modestly lightened flywheel, competition clutch (all balanced), enlarged inlet valves / ports, hardened exhaust valves, fast road cam with modified bearings / followers, rotary high pressure oil pump and remote filter. The engine is fed through a more modern single semi-downdraught 1¼ inch SU carburettor via a long-branch swan neck manifold of the owner’s design.
A Whatmough Hewitt style aluminium cylinder head gives an estimated 9:1 compression ratio, which asks much of the 6 volt starter when cold, hence a 12 volt remote slave battery starting system is installed to avoid embarrassment in the paddock before races.
The Ulsters were so called because of their successes in the Ards TT races in Northern Ireland. In 1930 Sammy Davis & the Earl of March won the Brooklands 500 mile race in an Ulster at an average speed of 83.41 mph. In 1932 an Ulster came 18th in Italy’s Mille Miglia (1000 miles race); there were certainly some very brave men about then! They have become the most sought after model and are virtually all slightly different as enthusiasts can’t resist making modifications to them.
The Austin 7 was produced from 1922 until 1939, and was one of the most popular cars ever produced for the British market and sold well abroad. It wiped out most other British small cars of the early 1920s; its effect on the British market was similar to that of the Model T Ford in the USA.
It was also licensed and copied by companies all over the world. The very first BMW, the BMW Dixi, was an Austin 7 built under licence, as were the original American Austins.
In France they were made and sold as Rosengarts.
In Japan Nissan (Datsun) also used the 7 design as the basis for their original cars, although not under licence.
Malc Evans' 1964 Anglia:
Full race 1325cc all steel crossflow engine, Yamaha R1 Bike carbs, Max power: 160 bhp, Close ratio gear box, Limited slip differential
Front & rear disc brakes, Soft compound Avon tyres, 5 link rose jointed rear suspension, Adjustable ride height & damper rates
Geared for acceleration rather than top speed
Lightweight glass fibre front, doors & boot lid - 740 kilos ready to run
This ex-Gordon Foster Special Saloon has been with its current owner since 1996 and competes in events throughout the North, Midlands and North Wales in the C&LMC Speed Championship
Phil Prince's 1967/8 Elan:
This car was originally built in about 1967/8, but for some reason was not first registered until 1972.
In 2005 it was found by Pat Thomas, the Lotus agent in Spalding, Lincolnshire, in an orchard where it had been lying for several years. Originally painted red, it was covered in moss, mud and dirt. It looked a real mess when we pushed it onto the trailer to take home.
The rebuild, mainly by Terry Gotts of Ashworth and Simmons in Burnley, took almost a year, replacing and rebuilding most of the major components.
Its current specification is somewhere between an Elan S4 and an Elan Sprint. The engine is a standard Lotus Twin Cam, though it is difficult to describe anything built by Lotus as being standard, it was rare to find two cars exactly the same!
Work has continued on the car over the years to bring it to the condition you see today. The owner has enjoyed several successes in Motorsport with the car and currently competes in sprint events in the North West.
To date, we won the Liverpool Motor Club Classic Car Championship in 2009 and 2010 and the ANWCC Classic Car Championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The Elan was quite technologically advanced when introduced, with a twin-cam 1558 cc engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 4-wheel independent suspension.
The Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine was based on Ford's Pre-Cross-flow 4-cylinder 1500 cc engine, with a Lotus-inspired Cosworth alloy twin-cam head.
This Lotus-Ford 4-cylinder engine would go on to be used in several Lotus production and racing models.
And Moke's very original unrestored 1965 Moke:
History
In the Moke world this car is affectionately know as a Devon Moke. It is complete and unmolested and was once part of a fleet of 15, first owned by Devon Fire Brigade in the 60s/70s, and used as a general purpose vehicle to carry personnel and portable pumps. Other duties included fire hydrant painting, hence the traces of yellow paint in the interior.
Other points of interest
Ex factory, Mokes only had a driver’s seat as standard, everything else was extra. The vehicle did, however, arrive at Bulpin’s of Newton Abbot with a hood and passenger seat. Why is this vehicle fitted with a heater? It’s unusual for a heater to be fitted to an open vehicle, but if you look carefully you can see that this particular Moke was once fitted with a hard top. The silver pop rivets on the top of the side pods show were it would have been bolted down and the paintwork is marked in places were the fibreglass would have fretted against the body. You can also just make out on the side pods traces of where the Devon Fire Brigade emblem was positioned. The Dymo labelling tape also dates from this period, as does the reversing light and interior light.
After Devon Fire Brigade
In the mid 70s the fleet was disposed of. Since then there have been only three other keepers prior to the current owner, who purchased it in 2006. The mileage is a genuine 19,000, as previous MOT certificates testify. The intention of the current owner is to preserve the patina of age, which is an intrinsic part of the vehicles unique history, for as long as possible, before embarking on any major restoration. The hood is the only item to have been replaced and the 4 port accessory socket is the only modern day contrivance to have been added.
Life with the current owner
Apart from being tucked up in a nice warm garage in the winter, this Moke is not kept in cotton wool during the rest of the year. As well as being great fun to drive on bright sunny days it also has a competitive streak and can often be found competing in Autosolos in the North West. Because of its good power to weight ratio it can give much more powerful cars a run for their money and can even take class awards! Some Autosolo video footage can be found on YouTube, just search for ‘Moke at Lymm’. It can also be found at Aintree Motor Racing Circuit with Liverpool Motor Club, doing what it was originally conceived to do, working as a general utility vehicle.
Moke Facts and Figures
The Moke (Moke, n, (sl.). Donkey - Oxford English Dictionary) was first conceived as a lightweight military vehicle based on the Mini platform, but lack of ground clearance eventually made Austin/Morris give up, after five years, trying to persuade the army it was a viable proposition. It, therefore, became a fun/utility vehicle. In all 14,500 English Mokes were produced with 10% going to the home market before production ceased in 1968. It continued to be produced in Australia until 1982, and then in Portugal from 1984, until finally ending for good in 1993. In total approximately 50,000 Mokes were made. The Mini Moke Club knows of 210 in the UK, of which 70 are English
|
|
|
|
Post by royodeboyo on Apr 2, 2012 17:57:59 GMT
Phew - that's a relief, only another 23 years to finish my car!
John - book me into the 2035 show the please!
|
|
