Classic and Competition Car 137 February 2022

The 21st Century magazine about cars and motorsport of the past and present

Classic and Competition Car Founded 2010 VSCC NYD Much Marcle

Clee Hills Trial

Coventry BreakFest meeting

British GP 1982

Issue 137 February 2022

© Syd Wall

Contents Page 4

Photo of the Month.

Page 5

News

Page 10 Marshals Post.

Page 11 Vintage Stony.

Page 22 Book Review - The Pom. Page 23 MAC Clee Hills Trial.

Page 31 HRCR Open Day, Gaydon.

Page 36 Race from the Past 1982 British GP. Page 45 VSCC New Years Day, Much Marcle.

Page 53 Archive photo of the Month.

Page 54 Coventry BreakFast meeting.

They’re not just for sandy beaches - Ian Davis took his VW Buggy to 2nd in Class 8 - Clee Hills Trial, Page 23

Front cover: VSCC New Years Day meet: The Hotchkiss AM30 Riviera © Peter McFadyen Coventry BreakFest meeting © Janet Wright Clpee Hills Trial - Paul Merson & Nick Sherrin in a Shopland Mk2 – winner among the cars © Peter McFadyen.

British GP 1982 - Riccardo Patrese Brabham BMW BT50, © Simon Wright

Our Team Simon Wright-Editor.

Janet Wright-Staff Photographer.

Independent Freelance contributors.

Pete Austin, Peter McFadyen, Syd Wall, Plus David Goose & Stuart Yates of Motorsport-Imagery.

Nigel Mansell Lotus 91 British GP 1982 Page 36

Classic and Competition Car

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We upload a new photograph on a daily basis on our social media. Follow us on our Facebook page - Classic and Competition Car and Instagram - classcompcar

All content is copyright classicandcompetitioncar.com unless otherwise stated. All photographs are copyright and cannot be used for commercial purposes unless by prior approval of the original copyright holder. We try to ensure accurate and truthful reporting but if you spot an error, please contact us and will we verify and correct accordingly. We do not organise any events which are mentioned and we are not responsible if the event does not take place or is cancelled. Please contact the event organiser before making a long trip Classic and Competition Car High View Drive, Kingswinford, West Midlands DY6 8HT

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All our Previous issues are available to read on our Previous issues page on our web site www.classicandcompetitioncar For future motoring events check out The motoring Diary web site www.themotoringdiary.com

We do not organise any events which are mentioned and we are not responsible if the event does not take place or is cancelled. Please contact the event organiser before making a long trip.

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February 2022

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© Syd Wall

Photo of the Month

By Syd Wall

John Charles in the Liege S was one of many to leap through the end of this section

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News

Wheels on Wednesday have their first Winter Wheels meeting scheduled for Sunday 13th February 2022 at their winter, hard standing, meeting location, Sixways Stadium rugby ground car park, Worcester. The Sixways Stadium is located next to the M5 motorway junction 6.

The breakfast meetings start at 9:30am. There is a small charge of £4 per car and £3 per motorcycle if payed in advance viathe website or £5 cash per vehicle on the day.

For more information or to buy tickets, see their web site at www.wheelsonwednesday.co.uk

Footman James Coffee & Chrome Impney Estate 2021

© Simon Wright

Outdoor meetings are GO. While the major motoring shows in the UK (Autosport International at the NEC and Race Retro at Stoneleigh Park) have been postponed for January and February, outdoor gatherings are now in full swing all over the country.

By the time you read this, the first Footman James Coffee and Chrome meeting will already have taken place. Using the Impney Estate at Droitwich, the first meeting is at the beginning of February, and we will have a full report on the meeting in the next issue of Classic and Competition Car. The next meeting is currently scheduled for the 10th April 2022 at Prescott Hill Climb course. Attendance is usually limited to several hundred cars, so you need to pre-register.

For more information on these Coffee & Chrome meetings see their web site https://www.footmanjames.co.uk/coffeechrome-meets which gives you the option to sign up for email notification from Footman James on future meetings and to register to attend future meetings. © Simon Wright

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Tasman Cup Revival series will go ahead.

The good news for Kiwi motor racing fans - starved of world-class historic motor racing action by the New Zealand government’s response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic - is that the organising committee of the NZ Formula 5000 Association has confirmed this week that the hitherto cancellation-hit 2021/22 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ Tasman Cup Revival Series will indeed go ahead this season.

“One option,” Glenn Richards, organising committee member of the NZ Formula 5000 Association, explains, “was simply to accept that our season and series had been snookered by COVID-19 and that with the HRC still willing and able to have us at its annual Legends of Speed meeting at Hampton Downs at the end of March, we just run at the one meeting this season and accept it as – if you like – a fait accompli.

“The other (option) was to actively canvas clubs still willing to put on race meetings and try and come up with at least two more chances to run our cars before the 21/22 season morphs into 22/23.”

As it turns out it was the second option which received a unanimous vote from the assembled committee members, two of which had already been in touch with meeting organisers in their particular regions and were able to table serious invitations to the race committee for ‘replacement’ events.

The first was back at Christchurch’s Mike Pero Motorsport Park at Ruapuna over the April 9-10 weekend, the second at the now re-named Taupo International Motorsport Park (nee Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park ) at Taupo on May 14-15.

There are still ‘I’s-to-dot-and-t’s-to-cross’ for all parties involved, particularly with little firm idea of how NZ will be affected by the Omnicron variant of the COVD-19 Coronavirus over the next 4-6 weeks. However, Richards believes that with all the proper protocols (access limited

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to those with a Vaccine Pass, signing in, social distancing, mask-wearing, etc, etc) in place, the chances of catching COVID-19 at any motor race meeting are probably no better or worse than they would be if everyone involved with the SAS Autoparts MSC series parked their cars up and stayed at home.

2020/21 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series Original Calendar Rnd 1: CANCELLED 12-14 Nov 2021 – The Sound MG Classic, Circuit Manfeild Chris Amon Feilding NZ. Rnd 2: CANCELLED 21-23 Jan 2022 – Taupo Historic Grand Prix - Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Taupo NZ Rnd 3: CANCELLED 04-06 Feb 2022 - Skope Classic Mike Pero Motorsport Park Ruapuna Christchurch NZ. Revised provisional calendar Rnd 4/Rnd 1: 26-27 Mar 2022 – HRC Legends of Speed Hampton Downs Waikato NZ. .

Rnd 2. 8-10 April 2022 – Scaled back Skope Classic meeting - Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Ruapuna, Christchurch, NZ. Rnd 3. 14-15 May 2022 - HRC Classic Taupo - Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Taupo, NZ. Grant Martin (Talon MR 1/A left) and Codie Banks (Lola T332 right) lead the SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series away from the rolling start at the final round of the 2020/21 series at Hampton Downs last March

February 2022

© Fast Company/Matt Smith.

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Mini Remastered, Oselli Edition.

David Brown Automotive have delivered their first Mini Remastered Oselli Edition to a customer in Scandinavia.

Hand-made to order at the purpose-built facility of David Brown Automotive at Silverstone, Mini Remastered, Oselli Edition is limited to 60 bespoke models, first announced in 2019 to celebrate 60 years since the first Mini rolled off the production line.

Each one-of-a-kind car takes 1,400 hours to make, with a drivetrain engineered by Oselli Engineering, the acclaimed British engine tuning specialist, founded in the 1960s. The car starts with 125 hp, with 113 ft-lb of torque. This gives a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 7.8 seconds.

Customers from around the World can order the car in

Classic and Competition Car

either two or four seater configuration. The two seater option features bucket seats with a four-point seatbelt harness and a hand trimmed rear roll cage, in a car intended for the race track.

The car can be ordered in either left or right hand drive.

Further information at www.davidbrownautomotive.com

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Vauxhall Corsa No1 in 2021.

The UK’s best selling car in 2021 was the Vauxhall Corsa according to SMMT figures. It takes ovwer as the best selling cars with 40,914 sold in 2021. This included 5,605 electric Corsa-e, making it one of the best selling small electric vehicles in the UK, which was an increase of 97% over 2020.

End of the line for Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora.

Production has ended for the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora models and the assembly lines will be dismantled ready for ramping up production of the Lotus Emira. Over the last twenty six years, across the three model lines, 51,738 cars have been built.

Mazda MX5 Supercharger upgrades.

BBR launch two stages of supercharger upgrades for the Mazda MX5/Miata NC. Designed to transform the performance of the popular 1.8 and 2 litre MX-5 NC (mk3) cars built between 2005 and 2015.

The Stage One delivers 250 bhp, while the Stage Two produces 300 bhp..

The kits are offered as either a Drive in Drive out service or as a DIY upgrade, with prices starting from £4095 and carry a 12 month warranty. More information at mx5supercharger.co.uk

Classic and Competition Car

Volkswagen best selling car brand in UK. For the first time, Volkswagen have taken top spot in the UK car market. With 147,826 Cars registered in 2021, the brand sold more cars last year than any other manufacturer, taking 8.97% of the market.

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Formula 1 fun at the British Motor Museum.

February half term has Formula 1 family activities at the British Motor Museum with the arrival of a BRM chassis IV P15 Type 1 V16. The BRM Type 15 was a Formula 1 racing car in the 1950s for British Racing Motors. The car will go on display at the museum from 17th February to 1st March 2022, coinciding with half term.

There is an exclusive members-only preview event on the evening of Wednesday 167th February from 6-7:30 pm, giving members a unique chance to see the car close up and chat to Paul Owen, Director of British Racing Motors Ltd. Four original cars were built of which only two remain today, together with two Mark 2 P30 V16 cars.

To mark the 70th anniversary of BRM, three new and authentic models are being built by Hall & Hall. These continuation cars will use original P15 chassis numbers that weren’t allocated at the time. The first car - chassis 1/04 has been commissioned by John Owen, the 82 year old son of BRM’s original owner, and this is the car that will go on display at the museum.

For more information on half term activities go to www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/february-halfterm , and for the Members only preview event visit https:// www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/members-onlyp15-brm

Classic and Competition Car

Formula Woman announce GT Cup entry.

The Formula Woman competition is nearing its conclusion with the announcement that the two car Formula Woman McLaren 570S GT4 team is confirmed to take part in the 2022 GT Cup Championship. This will be the perfect championship for the soon to be crowned winners to enter into a full season of racing, supported by McLaren Customer Racing. Four New Formula Woman will soon be competing in motorsport this year.

Formula Woman has attracted interest from around the World with competitors being assessed and judged on a variety of tasks.

Finalists from Canada, USA, Italy, Spain, India, Brazil, Australia, Chile, Jamaica, Kuwait, Netherlands, Mexico and Sweden.

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© Syd Wall

The Marshals Post

© Peter McFadyen

Sometimes its hard work just to get on post for marshals and officals, Seen above on the recent MAC Clee Hills Trial, the role here is to check how far the competitior manages to acend the hill. The orange and yellow markers at the side of the muddy track indicate how Michael Gibson/Keshena Capell MG Midget far up the hill the competiting car has reached. They also have the usual marshal jobs as well, helping stranded competitiors off the course in case of a problem, as can be seen by the MG Midget being towed © Peter McFadyen off the hill.

Classic and Competition Car

It might be a Special Reliant Super Robin but it still finds it difficult to stand up at times

Sometimes the help can be really hands on as seen above as marshals try to help steady the unusual 3 wheel Reliant Super Robin of George Osborn at the MAC Clee Hills Trial.

They also need x-ray vision to see everything happening!

February 2022

© Peter McFadyen

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Vintage Stony,

Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, 1st January 2022.

By Simon & Janet Wright.

1960’s Chevrolet Biscayne

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© Simon Wright

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1934 Aston Martin Mk II

© Simon Wright

A cloudy, cold and showery New Years day saw crowds of enthusiasts descend on Stony Stratford for the return of the annual Vintage Stony car display. Taking over the whole of the town centre, the turnout this year was just as good as previous years, before last years enforced layoff

Vintage Sunbeam © Janet Wright

due to the pandemic.

As usual, the market square and surrounding area was given over to vintage vehicles and motorcycles, while the high street and shopper car parks were filled with classic and modern vehicles of interest. You need to arrive early to show your vehicle as the town rapidly fills up and the approach road is soon filled with classic cars that might be the star at any other show.

I think we might have had a first at this years show, as there was © Janet Wright

1928 Bentley 6.1/2 litre. © Janet Wright

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1913 Renault AX

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a single seater racing car on display, on its trailer. American Ed McDonough, a leading motorsport journalist, had his Formula Ford Dulon on display. This is the car that Ed © Simon Wright uses to compete in hill climb events around the UK. As a racing car, and something a little different, it always attracted lots of interest. I don’t recall having seen a modern single seater racing car before at Vintage Stony.

Another stand out car in the high street was a 1977 British Leyland, Broadspeed, Group 2 racing Jaguar XJ12C two door coupe Originally developed by Broadspeed for the European Touring Car Championship, it is powered by a

© Simon Wright

Classic and Competition Car

5.3 litre V12 engine which produced 600 bhp. Due to the large size of the car, the problem was stopping, not going.

Lockheed produced some bespoke eight piston callipers for the front brakes and four pot for the rear brakes to slow the 1.5 ton saloon. In 1976, the four door saloon two car team cars were driven by Derek Bell & David Hobbs and Andy Rouse & Steve Thompson in the RAC Tourist Trophy at Silverstone, where the car was fast, claiming pole position and setting fastest lap before retiring on lap thirty nine. In 1977 the lighter two door lightweight coupe, seen here, competing against the BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’.

The new cars were driven by Derek Bell & Andy Rouse and John Fitzpatrick and Tim Schenken.

The cars were fast , with Fitzpatrick & Schenken © Janet Wright getting pole position at Monza, and the Nurburgring Nordschleife, while Bell & Rouse taking pole at the Salzburgring, Brno and Silverstone. The Fitzpatrick & Schenken Jaguar also set the fastest lap in the races at Salzburgring, Brno, and the Nurburgring. The best result achieved was 2nd by Bell & Rouse at the Nurburgring Nordschleife and 4th at Silverstone. Fitzpatrick & Schenken got 3rd in class, 16th overall at Brno. Unfortunately, the rest of the results were DNFs as the cars proved to be generally unreliable.

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Another unusual car was the 1950 Vauxhall Velox Caleche L. The Caleche model was constructed in Australia between 1948 and 1952. Caleche is French for open carriage.

The chassis was manufactured by Vauxhall at Luton and then exported to GM Holden in Adelaide, Australia, where the open top body was fitted. There were two models produced, a Wyvern and a Velox. The Wyvern had a 4 cylinder 1442cc engine, while the Velox had the more sporty 6 cylinder

© Simon Wright

A unique car at Stony was this Morris Sports Special ‘Sabrina’ built on a 1972 Morris chassis, fitted with a 1200cc engine.

The car was hand built in Malvern and got it’s name from an illegitimate 12th Century Princess who drowned in the nearby river Severn. Construction started in 1993 and took 3 years to build. Using parts from an MOT failure Mini, the original engine was a 998cc A series engine, which was later replaced with a Metro 1275cc A Series engine and 4 speed gearbox. The front suspension is from the Mini and the rear suspension is a leaf spring system from a Morris Marina van. Many of the body panels originally came from a Morris Traveller or Morris Minor.

The bonnet is from a Morris Minor, side panels are Morris Minor wings and the front mudguards are Morris Traveller rear wings. A lot of the ‘chrome’ parts have been hand made from Stainless steel, except the radiator cap, which came from a Lagonda.

Even the steering wheel has been hand built using African Walnut. © Janet Wright

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© Simon Wright

2275cc engine. The 2275cc engine, when tested in 1951, had a top speed of 77 mph and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 23.7 seconds. The lighter body of the Caleche no doubt improved on these performance figures. In December 1952 the model was rebranded as the Vagabond.

This particular car has been restored over a 10 year period from 1998 and imported to the UK in 2010 as a Historic Vehicle. It then obtained an MOT certificate and a letter from the Vauxhall Owners Club in both the UK and Australia as to its originality, as there was no documentation to support when Vauxhall Liston manufactured the chassis or when Holden fitted the body. Using engine and chassis numbers, they were able to confirm a 1951 date of manufacture.

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Third generation Chevrolet Corvette C3

© Janet Wright

Above 1959 Cadillac Sedan DeVill. Below 1972 Dodge Challenger.

© Simon Wright

Big, flash and powerful American cars are always popular in the © Janet Wright UK. There were quite a few out on New Years Day. Everything from the iconic ‘Pink Cadillac’ , a 1959 Series 6300 Cadillac DeVille, with huge rear fins and bullet tail lights, through to the sleek Chevrolet Covette.

The 1972 7.2 litre Dodge Challenger (left) was produced between 1970 and 1974 as a challenger to the Pontiac 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Firebird and Ford Mustang. It was available with a range of engines from 3.2 litre straight 6 to a 7.2 litre V8 and either a 3 or 4 speed manual or 3 speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

© Simon Wright

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1934 Hillman Aero Minx Tourer.

The original Hillman Minx saloon was first announced in October 1931. The Hillman Motor Company was founded in 1907 by William Hillman at Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry.

The Aero Minx was the sporty two seater convertible version.

Powered by an 1185cc four cylinder side valve engine, with aluminium cylinder head and downdraft Stromberg carburettor, which produced around 30 bhp. Front engine driving the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual gearbox. It had a lower chassis than the previous 1933 model, with an underslung rear. It had a live, Beam rear axle, with half elliptic leaf springs with a beam axle front suspension. Drum brakes all round. Maximum speed was 59 mph with typical fuel consumption of around 35 mpg. The model was discontinued in 1935.

© Simon Wright

Looking a little out of place in the vintage Market Square was the 1941 Buick Super 8 Coupe. Date wise it fitted in, but design wise it looked like it was from another planet. The Buick Super was produced between 1940 and 1958. It was designed for passenger comfort instead of performance, using a smaller engine than the Buick Special. The 1941 engine was upgraded to 4.1 litre Fireball straight 8 cylinder engine, which produced 125 hp, thanks to a higher compression ratio, redesigned Turbulator pistons and smaller spark plugs. It also introduced the ‘Compound Carburetion system, the forerunner to the modern four barrel carburettor, with a twin two-barrel construction.This car featured the Sedanet fastback rear style, wider and lower body. © Janet Wright

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1965 Autobianchi Bianchina (Quatro Posti) Berlina.

Autobianchi was an Italian car manufacturer, founded in 1955 by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat. A low volume manufacturer used by Fiat to test innovative concepts which would later find their way in to main stream Fiat models, Some of these concepts included fibreglass bodies and Front Wheel Drive (FWD) The cars fetched a premium price over similar sizes Fiat cars. The company was alter absorbed into Lancia.

The Bianchina was the first model produced by the company in 1957 and based on Fiat 500 mechanicals. These included the two cylinder air cooled 500cc engine, mounted in the rear and producing 18 bhp. In total, only around 275,000 were built up to 1970.

© Janet Wright

1950 Healey Nash Healey Prototype.

More at home in Europe, this Healey prototype (X5) was originally built for the Le Mans 24 Hours race, using a modified Nash Dual Jetfire inline 6 cylinder engine, which produced 126 bhp. Thanks to the aerodynamic body design, the car was able to reach 124 mph. The car was driven by Duncan Hamilton & Tony Rolt and despite an off after being hit by another car, they finished 4th overall. For the 1951 Le Mans race, the prototype was fitted with a coupe body and the pair finished 6th overall. The coupe body was then removed and the car was entered for the 1952 Mille Miglia, with a larger 4.1 litre engine. Leslie Johnson & Bill McKenzie finished 7th overall and 4th in class.

Here it was shown having competed in the 2020 1000 Miglia driven by Warren Kennedy & Michael Strasser. They finished 249th out of 292 finishers. © Simon Wright

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© Janet Wright

Berkeley B65

© Simon Wright

Magnificent Mercedes Benz W23 130

1957 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup

© Simon Wright

1968 Sunbeam Stiletto © Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright

1973 Datsun 240Z

1990 Ginetta G20

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Classic sports car line up - 1973 VW Karmann Ghia, Triumph Spitfire and AC Cobra

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1937 Austin “Hurricane” Special.

This is a new Austin Special, built single handed by Andrew Shepherd over the winter of 2017/2018. Based on a low frame Austin Ruby, with the engine and many mechanical components from that car. The body design is unique, in the style of a World War 2 aircraft. Even the instruments were sourced from period air ministry stock. The 3 bearing engine has been completely rebuilt after the original car had stood under a tree for 55 years, filled with water. The 4-Speed gearbox and clutch just required a complete overhaul. The exhaust, Brooklands Silencer and fishtail were hand bent, formed and welded. The rear lights are aircraft navigation lights with a bulb conversion. The frame is ply with oak stringers covered in doped calico. © Janet Wright

1935 Ford Model 48.

This American model Ford V8 saloon was introduced in 1935 and replaced the Ford Model A engine with the 3.6 litre Flathead V8 engine connected to a 3-speed sliding-mesh manual gearbox. The body was lowered and the front springs were relocated ahead of the axle to give more interior space. The rear transverse leaf spring suspension remained from the previous Ford Model 40A. The body was a more modern Art Deco design, with the front grille moved forward, with a more integrated bumper. It was offered in two trim levels, Standard and DeLuxe. An interesting optional extra offered was a second windscreen wiper - not fitted on this vehicle.

This particular car has been modified under the skin, with the original engine replaced by a 5.7 litre Chevrolet V8 engine

© Simon Wright

1934 BSA Ten saloon.

The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) originally manufactured small firearms in 1861. In 1880, the company branched out to build bicycles. In 1910 they added motorbike production, for which the company is most famous.

They also produced a prototype automobile in 1907 and sold 150 the following year. The car side was unsuccessful due to poor management and in 1910 BSA bought Daimler.

The BSA Ten was manufactured by Daimler as a cheaper version of the Lanchester Ten. It was powered by a 4 cylinder 1185cc side valve engine connected to a Daimler fluid flywheel and Wilson 4-Speed preselection selfchanging gearbox. It produced 28 bhp and had a maximum speed of 57 mph. © Janet Wright

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© Simon Wright

Hillman Avenger

Ferrari Testarossa © Janet Wright © Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

1932 Wolseley Hornet

© Janet Wright

1966 Mercedes Benz 230S

Ratrod based on 1984 Dutton chassis

American La France fire truck

1973 Clan Crusader

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

February 2022

© Simon Wright

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1954 Bristol 403

1927 Humber 14/40 saloon

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

Classic and Competition Car

1922 GN Standard

© Simon Wright

1932 Ford Model B Roadster.

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Book Review by Simon Wright.

The Pom By Peter McFadyen Publisher: www.petermcfadyen.co.uk Price: £39.95 (Soft-back standard edition) £59.95 (hardback premium edition) Description: Soft-back and hardback editions, 123 pages, © Peter McFadyen

formula, to allow any closed wheel car to compete. It is the only event run by the VSCC which allows modern cars to take part.

Respected photographer and journalist Peter McFadyen has produced the perfect coffee table book recording the recent history of the Pom from 2007.

The Book covers each year from 2007 up to 2020, the last running before the Covid-19 pandemic stopped most motorsport. Illustrated with superb colour and black & White photographs showing the wide range of diverse vehicles which have competed over the years.

Results for each year show winners that range from a 1928 Frazer Nash Super Sports right through to a 2000 Subaru Impreza. Also all class award winners are listed.

© Peter McFadyen

illustrated in colour and black & white.

The Pom, or it give it the full title, the Pomeroy Trophy, is a unique event in British motorsport. Organised by the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC), the first event ran at Silverstone in 1952. It was an event to settle the age old argument, which is the best Grand Tourer of all time. A series of driving tests were devised, along with a handicap

Classic and Competition Car

The book provides a pictorial history of the last fourteen years of this historic event. The quality and size of the images make it the perfect way to relive these events, and is highly recommended.

To purchase a copy in either hardback or soft-back, log on to the web site www.petermcfadyen.co.uk and click on the Buy Now button.

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© Syd Wall

2022 MAC Clee Hills Trial 23rd January 2022,

By Syd Wall, with additional photos by Peter McFadyen

Paul Merson burns rubber on the way to the overall win

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© Syd Wall

Best MAC member and Best Cinematography went to Mike Henney & Philip Stader

The Midland Automobile Club’s Clee Hills Trial made a welcome return from the 2021 Covid sabbatical with a large entry of around 70 cars and bikes gathering at The Squirrel in Ludlow to attack up to 12 hills over 80 miles.

Mark Gregg’s Austin 7, 2nd in Class 5

Classic and Competition Car

© Syd Wall

Entries ranged from classic and modern bikes to classic trials cars and modified road cars to a Reliant Robin Special.

February 2022

© Peter McFadyen

Stuart & Kieran Bartlett Cannon Sport 6th in class

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© Peter McFadyen

right back to a 1928 Ford Model A and a 1926 Frazer Nash Super Sports, with many Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) members taking part.

After a long day or competition, first overall were Class 8’s Paul Merson and Nick Sherrin in the 1600cc Shopland Mk2. They cleaned every section except the tough Jenny Wind, where they scored a 2.

As usual with these type of events, the entry was split in to many different classes to allow competitors an equal opportunity for a victory. The class winners were: Class 0 Novices: Michael Dorsett & Mary Grimmett scored 28 in a Suzuki X90

Simon & Charlotte Lewis Suzuki X90 4th in class

Suzuki X90s were the most prolific entry. When they first went on sale in the mid-90s, they were ridiculed for their ridiculous look and poor driving experience, but the remaining examples have found a home in trialling. In fact, they are so popular that they have their own class.

The oldest cars included a group of 1930s Austin Sevens,

© Syd Wall

© Syd Wall

The 1928 Ford Model A of Steve Hill performed well throughout the day

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February 2022

Michael Dorsett/Mary Grimmett won the novice Class 0 in his X90

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© Syd Wall © Syd Wall

Class 2: Roger Ashby & Alan Wibberley scored 15 in the Coates Orthoptera

Class 5: George Houghton & John Harris scored 28 in a Dellow Mk 1 © Syd Wall

Class 3 & 4 combined: Sam & Mick Holmes scored 12 in a VW Beetle

Classic and Competition Car

Class 7: Richard Houlgate & Ian Webb scored 16 in a Marlin Roadster

February 2022

© Syd Wall

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© Syd Wall

Class 8: Charlie Knifton & Martin Freeman scored 7 in a VW Scorpion - class win as overall winner was from the same class

Class 90: Nick Deacon & Ben Wear scored 5 in a Suzuki X90 of course

Class E: George Osborne & Ian Benfield scored 63 in the Reliant Super Robin Special

© Peter McFadyen

Joe Stollery & Garry Plummer Wolseley Hornet, Best VSCC member, 2nd in class.

© Peter McFadyen

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© Syd Wall

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© Syd Wall

© Syd Wall

John & William Ramsden Marlin Roadster 4th in class.

Dave Middleditch and his Dutton Phaeton were 3rd in Class 7

Peter Kite in the field’s oldest car, the 1926 Frazer Nash Super Sports Retired

© Peter McFadyen

© Syd Wall

© Peter McFadyen

Stewart Green’s Gruffalo was a contender in Class 8 but retired

Despite struggling early on the stage, Matthew & Michael Wills (MX5) made it to the top

Mark & John Sandford Sylva Enigma Retired

© Peter McFadyen

Jonathan & Pat Toulmin Suzuki X90 8th in class

© Peter McFadyen © Syd Wall

Russ Clark’s Troll T6B - 3rd in Class 8

© Syd Wall

Nicola Butcher jumped her Beetle to 2nd in combined Class 3/4

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© Syd Wall

The Suzuki X90s leapt higher than the rest on this section. This is Brian Hampson’s example

Colin Bromley & Louise Anson Citroen 2CV - Did not sign off.

© Peter McFadyen

Ed Wells and his Dutton Melos claimed 2nd in Class 7

Stuart Highwood & Mark Ensoll Scimitar SS1 Retired

© Peter McFadyen

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© Syd Wall

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Motorcycle section.

There were sixteen motorcycles taking part in the MAC Clee Hills Trial. Overall Winner was Kev Stannard on a GasGas Pampera

Kev Stannard GasGas Pampera 1st Overall Bikes.

© Peter McFadyen

Charles Whitaker Beta Alp 200 3rd in class.

Rick Lees Triumph Tiger cub 1st A/C combined

© Peter McFadyen

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February 2022

© Peter McFadyen

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© Simon Wright

Historic Rally Car Register Open Day. British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

Saturday 15th January 2022,

By Simon & Janet Wright.

1971 Alpine-Renault A110

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© Simon Wright

Following the enforced absence from 2021 due to the global pandemic, the Historic Rally Car Register (HRCR) Open day returned for 2022 at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon.

As usual the open day occupied part of the conference centre at the rear of the museum. Various road and stage Rally and scenic Tour event organisers had a variety of stands to advertise their events and to encourage people to compete. To complete the event were several trade stands and several rally cars scattered around the rooms to add © Janet Wright

Classic and Competition Car

to the atmosphere.

The event is really aimed at competitors who can plan and organise their year ahead by speaking to event organisers. This will enable them to decide on the most appropriate events to compete in during the season.

Parked outside the conference rooms, in a selected area, were a selection of historic rally cars. The selection of cars represented both stage and road rallies.

February 2022

MG B

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An unusual Plymouth Cricket rebadged Hillman Avenger from the 1970s.

Austin Mini 1275 rally car

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright

February 2022

Ford Escort Mk1

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© Simon Wright

1969 3 litre MG C GT © Janet Wright

Rally driver Bron Burrell reunited with a Hillman Imp similar to one she drove in 1968/69

© Simon Wright

Oxford University Motorsports Foundation Alfa Romeo

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright

1962 Triumph TR4

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

1969 Riley Elf 1275cc

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1969 Ford Escort 1600 Mk1

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1988 Opel Manta

© Janet Wright

1972 Saab 99 2.0 rally car

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

Team Retro-Speed 1954 Daimler Conquest ‘Doris’

Classic and Competition Car

Jean Denton MG B

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© Simon Wright

Race from the Past.

XXXV Marlboro British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, July 16-18th 1982

By Simon Wright.

Classic and Competition Car

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© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

Keke Rosberg Williams FW08 claimed pole position but started at the back of the grid

The tenth round of the 1982 Formula One World Championship was the British Grand Prix, held at Brands Hatch in mid-July. As the Grand Prix circus arrived in Kent, Following a win in Detroit, British driver John Watson was leading the World Championship driving a McLaren Ford.

With Emilio de Villota loosing his sponsor at the last minute, the field was down to thirty cars, and no prequalifying session was required.

After qualifying round the 2.6 mile Grand Prix circuit, it was Finnish Driver Keke Rosberg who claimed his first Grand Prix pole position for the race at the wheel of his Williams Ford FW08 by just 0.087 of a second. However, the joy of qualifying turned to disappointment in the race, when they couldn’t get the Williams to fire up for the parade lap and Rosberg had to start from the back of the grid. He charged through the field at the start, moving up to 7th but blistered his tyres in the process. Pitting for new tyres dropped him back down the field. After working his way up again, Rosberg retired on lap fifty due to dropping fuel pressure.

In 2nd place on the grid was Italian Riccardo Patrese in the Brabham BMW BT50 with his team mate Nelson Piquet in Nelson Piquet Brabham BMW BT50 was fast until it broke

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© Simon Wright

Riccardo Patrese Brabham BMW BT50 was fast in qualifying, but didn’t get through the first lap

With the Brabham's out, Niki Lauda McLaren Ford MP4/1 took an easy victory

3rd in another Brabham BMW BT50. After the Williams problems at the start, the Brabham's started the race from the front. The team had thrown the rest of the paddock in to confusion when they arrived with loads of refuelling equipment and four air-guns. Brabham team owner Bernie © Simon Wright Ecclestone and designer Gordon Murray had calculated that if they ran the cars on soft tyres and half a fuel load, the cars would be light enough and fast enough in the first half of the race to make up more time then it would take to pit and change to new tyres and refuel. Without the need to worry about fuel consumption, the turbo

engine could run at a higher boost level and as fuel wan’t included in the weight regulations at the time, it was completely legal. At the start there was more drama for Patrese who stalled the second Brabham when the lights went green. He was hit from behind and nudged off on the grass by Arnoux in the Renault RE30B, with both cars out of the race.

Unfortunately, Teo Fabi in the Toleman Hart TG181C also got involved in the first lap accident and was also out of the race.In the early stages, the Brabham BMW BT50 of Piquet was dominant and nothing could stay with him. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to try out the

Alain Prost Renault RE30B 6th

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© Simon Wright

Lauda went on to win the race for his second win of the year.

Afterwards Lauda said of his race victory “It was a race without problem. For sure I could not stay with Piquet, but once he was out, it was straightforward. Easy? No way.

No Grand Prix victory in easy, but I had no worries….”

Taking 2nd and 3rd on the podium were the Ferrari pair of Didier Pironi and Patrick Tambay in their Ferrari 126C2.

This gave the lead in the World Championship to Pironi for the first time Finally making his home Grand Prix debut was local hero Nigel Mansell in the JPS Lotus Ford 91, complete with strapped up wrist. After qualifying 23rd, he only managed twenty nine laps before retiring due to illness.

Didier Pironi Ferrari 126C2 finished 2nd

© Simon Wright

fuel stop idea, as Piquet retired on lap nine due to fuel pump failure. Niki Lauda in the McLaren Ford MP4/1B made a good start and passed Didier Pironi in the Ferrari 126C2 at Druids. Lauda pulled away from the Ferrari and although he could not match the pace of the Brabham BMW, Lauda took a comfortable lead when Piquet retired, © Simon Wright

Chico Serra debuted the new Fittipaldi Ford F9 for 2 laps before being involved in an accident with Jean-Pierre Jarier.

Injured local hero Nigel Mansell JPS Lotus Ford 91 Retired .

Classic and Competition Car

The Fittipaldi team arrived with their new Fittipaldi Ford Cosworth F9 car making its debut with Brazilian driver Chico Serra. The race was a glorified test session for the team, who managed to qualify 21st. They didn’t manage to get much mileage on the car as Serra was involved in an accident on the second lap.

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© Simon Wright

wanted to race the older car which qualified 24th. Cheever got up as high as 7th before having to retire with engine failure. Laffite had already retired on lap forty one with gearbox failure.

Eddie Cheever preferred the older Ligier Matra JS17 but retired on lap 60 with engine failure

© Simon Wright

Elio de Angelis JPS Lotus Ford 91 finished 4th

The Ligier team arrived with four cars, the team split on wether to continue development on the new Ligier Matra JS19 or just race the old Ligier Matra JS17 and develop next years car in the background. Jacque Laffite and his brother-in-law Jean-Pierre Jabouille, team manager, wanted to use the JS19, which qualified 20th, while team owner Guy Ligier and second driver Eddie Cheever © Simon Wright

Jacque Laffite preferred the new Ligier Matra JS19 but retired on lap 41 with gearbox problems.

Classic and Competition Car

In qualifying, Elio de Angelis had qualified a new version of the JPS Lotus 91 in 7th place, splitting the two Renault of Arnoux and Prost. While challenging Pironi in the Ferrari for 2nd in the race, the engine developed problems.

© Simon Wright

Derek Daly Williams Ford Cosworth FW08 had a spin in practice but still managed to finish 5th in the race.

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© Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

John Watson McLaren Ford MP4/1B was fastest Brit in qualifying but retired on lap 2

De Angelis managed to keep going and finished 4th at the end, just holding off Derek Daly in the Williams FW08 in 5th and Alain Prost in the Renault RE30B who took the final point in 6th position.

Best of the British drivers after qualifying was John Watson in the McLaren Ford Cosworth MP4/1B in 12th. At the start, he had to take to the grass to avoid the the Patrese and Arnoux incident. A couple of laps later, Watson spun off on his dirty tyres while avoiding another midfield collision between Jarier and Serra and was out.

Derek Warwick managed a magnificent 16th place in the Toleman Hart TG181C in © Simon Wright qualifying, just ahead of Brian Henton in the Tyrrell Ford 011.

Warwick made a great start and passed Tambay, Prost and Giacomelli In the Alfa Romeo 182 thanks to improved Pirelli tyres and a new Hart turbo engine. He continued to charge through the field, making short work of the Alfa Romeo of Andrea de Cesaris, followed by the Williams FW08 of Daly and the Lotus 91 of De

Classic and Competition Car

Derek Warwick Toleman Hart TG181C passes Patrick Tambay Ferrari as he climbed up to 2nd before retiring on lap 40 - half shaft failure

Angelis. By lap twenty one he was on the gearbox of the Ferrari of Didier Pironi in 2nd place. On lap twenty five, to an almighty roar from the fans, Warwick was through in to 2nd place and set off after the leader Lauda. Unfortunately, the dream ended on lap forty one when the Toleman Bruno Giacomelli was 7th in retired due to CV failure. the Alfa Romeo 182, one lap Mansell in the second JPS behind the winner, Lotus Ford 91 qualified back in 23rd due to a painful hand, and retired from the race on lap twenty Nine due to illness.

In 7th place was the first of the Alfa Romeo 182 of Bruno Giacomelli, one lap behind the winner. The

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© Simon Wright

Top Brit was Brian Henton TyrrellFord 011 in 8th place.

Jochen Mass (17) was the last classified finisher in 10th in the March Ford Cosworth 821. Team mate Raul Boesel (18) failed to qualify.

other Alfa Romeo of Andrea de Cesaris retired on lap sixty six with electrical problems.

Brian Henton took 8th place in the Tyrrell-Ford 011. The other Tyrrell of Michele Alboreto had retired on lap forty four with engine problems.

In 9th place, two laps behind the winner, was Mauro Baldi in his Arrows Ford Cosworth A4. The other Arrows A4 of Marc Surer retired with engine problems on lap fifty nine.

The final classified finisher was Jochen Mass in 10th at the wheel of a Rothmans March Ford Cosworth 821. © Simon Wright

Mauro Baldi finished 9th in the Arrows Ford Cosworth A4

© Simon Wright

Of the smaller teams, Roberto Guerrero retired the Ensign Ford Cosworth N181 on the third lap with engine problems. The Osella Ford Cosworth FA1D of Jean-Pierre Jarier and the Fittipaldi Ford Cosworth F9 of Chico Serra both retire on lap two after colliding.

The two ATS Ford Cosworth D5 of Manfred Winkelhock and Eliseo Salazar, along with Jan Lammers in the Theodore Ford TY02 plus Raul Boesel in the March Ford 821 all failed to qualify. © Simon Wright

Jean-Pierre Jarier Osella Ford Cosworth FA1D retired on lap 2 after colliding with Serra.

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Michele Alboreto Tyrrell Ford 011 retired with engine problems and Keke Rosberg Williams FW08 retired with fuel system problems

© Simon Wright

Teo Fabi Toleman Hart TG101 went out in the first lap accident.

© Simon Wright © Simon Wright

33 Jan Lammers Theodore Ford Cosworth TY02 failed to qualify

© Simon Wright

Manfred Winkelhock ATS Ford D5 failed to qualify.

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© Simon Wright

Marc Surer Arrows Ford A4 retired with engine problems.

© Simon Wright

Eliseo Salazar ATS Ford A5 did not qualify for the race.

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

Andrea de Cesaris Alfa Romeo, retired electrical problems, chasing Derek Daly Williams FW08 round Druids hairpin

© Simon Wright

Roberto Guerrero Ensign Ford N181 retired with engine failure

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VSCC New Years Day Meet, Much Marcle, Herefordshire 1st January 2022

By Peter McFadyen.

© Peter McFadyen

Classic and Competition Car

February 2022

A general view of part of the Royal Oak’s large car park with a Bugatti attracting attention in the foreground

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A 1938 Chevrolet Coupé standing next to a French Amilcar

© Peter McFadyen

At Much Marcle in Herefordshire, 130 cars of 38 different makes, all of them dating from pre-1940, assembled at the Royal Oak. All the attending drivers voted for the car, other than their own, which they would most like to take home with them.

The winner was a 1937 Invicta S-Type low chassis belonging to Heather Milne-Taylor with a 1936 Lagonda Rapide brought by Bill Tomlin from Usk and Kevin Hannon’s 1937 MG SA Saloon second and third respectively.

The award for the longest distance travelled to the event went to Mike Sythes who drove his Frazer Nash TT Replica all As always, there the way from were several motorcycles Melksham in present including Wiltshire. a group of Ariels © Peter McFadyen

Classic and Competition Car

One of the more unusual cars on show was a 1925 Donnet Zedel Type G 2-door saloon. Donnet was a French manufacturer that was formed in 1914 by Jérome Donnet and Francois Denaut at Neuilly sur Seine in France. They originally made flying boats for the French Navy. When Denaut left in 1919, the company became known as Donnet. They then purchased the Swiss firm Automobiles Zedel, whose factory was located in Pontarlier, Doubs, France, in 1919 and changed the name to Donnet-Zedal. The first car produced was the DonnetZebel CI-6, a design from 1912 and powered by a 2120cc engine. The Type G was introduced in 1925 with a four cylinder 1098cc engine which produced 20 hp. It proved popular, taking Donnet to becoming the 4th largest car manufacturer in France in 1927. The G1 version was built between 1925 to 1926, during which time around 4,600 were built.

The Zedel part of the name was dropped in 1928 as production moved to Paris. Expanding with another factory in Nanterre, the company had one of the most modern automobile factories in France. Unfortunately, after the great depression, production ended in 1934.

A French Donnet Zedel Type G 2-Door Saloon

© Peter McFadyen

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© Peter McFadyen

A Standard open tourer comes in for some close scrutiny

Easily the oldest car on parade was a 1904 Mors Roi des Belges. Frenchman Emile Mors started his automobile business in 1895 with several steam cars prior to his first petrol model in 1895, and went car racing in 1897 in the epic city-to-city races. He liked high powered cars and this 1904 model had a 5.5 litre four cylinder engine which produced 24 HP. The engine featured a decompressor that lifted the exhaust valves at the start of the stroke to ease starting. It has competed regularly in the London to Brighton run since before the second World war.

© Peter McFadyen

A flat-nose Morris Oxford departs for home © Peter McFadyen

Classic and Competition Car

© Peter McFadyen

February 2022

Easily the oldest car on parade was this 1904 Mors Roi des Belges, a regular and long standing participant in the annual London-Brighton run

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A rare and very original 1934 Vauxhall Stratford Sports Tourer © Peter McFadyen

Dick Wilkinson’s Alvis Silver eagle which is often seen competing in hill climbs at Prescott, Shelsley Walsh and elsewhere

1934 Vauxhall Stratford Sports Tourer.

This is one of only five cars known to still exist, and the only remaining model with a boot. The aluminium bodies were built by Whittingham and Mitchel of Fulham, who specialised in building bodies for Vauxhall, Alvis, MG and Wolseley. The car has been fully restored in recent years, with over 2.500 hours work, which included a new hood and side screens as well as a new tonneau cover.

Originally offered as a light -Six it was powered by a six cylinder 1781cc engine with a Zenith down-draught carburettorr, producing 43 bhp, which was based on the Chevrolet Stovebolt six engine design.

The rear wheels were driven through a 4-speed manual gearbox, with synchromesh on 3rd and 4th gears. This gave the car impressive acceleration and a top speed of 70 mph.

It had semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension front and rear.

© Peter McFadyen

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1938 Packard 120 Coupé powered by a 4.8 litre V8 engine

© Peter McFadyen

© Peter McFadyen

Too young to join the pre-war cars in the main car park, this 1956 Bristol 405 remained at the roadside in front of the Royal Oak

A 1930 Hotchkiss AM30 Riviera in fine ‘oily rag’ condition but going well on the road © Peter McFadyen

Classic and Competition Car

February 2022

© Peter McFadyen

Nick Cook’s Stanley Steamer was seen a few weeks earlier competing in the VSCC’s Winter Driving Tests at Bicester.

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© Peter McFadyen

A smokey exit from a 350cc 1930 Terrot motorcycle © Peter McFadyen

This Star 14/40 has undergone several changes of body style over the years and attracted plenty of admiring glances © Peter McFadyen

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February 2022

Of the thirteen Morgans present, twelve were three-wheelers, this one being the only 4wheeler present.

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© Peter McFadyen

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This Vauxhall 23-60, recently repatriated from New Zealand, was much admired

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© Peter McFadyen

The cockpit of Bruce Young’s Aston Martin International

A Wolseley 4-door saloon heads for home after the event © Peter McFadyen

This 1924 3-Litre Bentley was once seen in a film entitled ‘A boy, a girl and a bike’ with Honor Blackman as its passenger.

Classic and Competition Car

© Peter McFadyen

February 2022

© Peter McFadyen

Hugh Stirling’s Alvis Speed 20 SA

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Archive Photo of the Month

By Pete Austin.

A poll in a recent popular motorsport publication invited readers to vote for their most missed motor racing championship. One of the categories listed you could vote for was F5000 and I think that is the one I would choose. This shows the ShellSPORT European F5000 Championship field approaching Clearways on the Brands Hatch Club Circuit in March 1975. Tony Dean (Chevron B24) is shown here leading Vern Schuppan (Lola T332), Dave Walker (Chevron B28) and the rest of a total field of 20 cars.

David Purley (Chevron B30) lying sixth in this photograph won this round. This was the last year of the 'pure' F5000 era as the following year it was to become the ShellSPORT Group 8 Championship.

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© Pete Austin

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Coventry BreakFest Saturday 22nd January 2022, Millennium Place, Coventry.

By Simon & Janet Wright.

Classic and Competition Car

February 2022

© Simon Wright

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1998 Jaguar XJ saloon

© Janet Wright

The organisers of Coventry MotoFest held their first BreakFest meeting of the year in January, in Millennium Place, outside Coventry Transport Museum. The cold, but dry, Saturday morning attracted a really good turnout of modern, modified and classic cars from enthusiasts eager to meet again after all the recent government restrictions. The colourful rows of cars more than half filled Millennium Place, as crowds milled around the display.

Being Coventry, many models could claim the city as home, but there was no © Simon Wright

Classic and Competition Car

bias, with Japanese, American and German cars very popular in the ranks. Whilst Coventry is most famously known for Jaguar, it was also the base for many other British cars including Standard Triumph. The bright yellow Triumph Stag was a perfect example of British Leyland's empire of the 1970s.

The Stag was a 2 + 2 sports tourer which was sold between 1970 and 1977. Designed by Italian designer Giovanni Micholotti, the four seater convertible was notable for the B pillar roll bar connected to the windscreen frame by a T-bar. The early convertibles had a popular body coloured optional hardtop available, with a heated rear screen and lever operated quarter windows, which was later supplied as standard. The Stag was powered by a new 3 litre V8 Triumph engine, with dual Zenith-Stromberg carburettors instead of fuel injection. It produced 145 bhp with 170 lb ft of torque. This gave it a top speed of 117 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 10.5 seconds. It had MacPherson struts and disc brakes at the front and semi-trailing arms and drum brakes at the rear.

It also had power assisted rack and pinion steering.

Unfortunately, the model was plagued with reliability problems, usually around over-heating. The high mounted water pump let coolant escape if the engine became hot in traffic. The level was then lower than the pump, which resulted in pump failure. Also the alloy cylinder head and iron block suffered regular head gasket failure.

Only around 19,000 were sold in the UK.

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© Simon Wright

The modified car scene in the UK is a large segment of the market, with Japanese cars and other hot hatch backs all popular choices. Mostly owned by younger drivers, the cars stand out with custom paint schemes and often have very large rear wings, which probably create more drag then generate downforce! Many cars in this category can be heard from miles away, not always because of the modified engine, but by the booming beat from the stereo sound system with the boot being a giant speaker system.

The Honda Civic in both saloon and hatchback version are popular cars for modifying, with many parts available for both bodywork upgrades and mechanical upgrades.

1992 Peugeot 205 XL

© Janet Wright

Another popular model for modifiers, with a local connection, is the Peugeot 205/206 range. Peugeot used to be made at Ryton, Coventry. © Simon Wright

Classic and Competition Car

1993 Honda Civic

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2004 Nissan 350Z

© Simon Wright

Popular World wide the Nissan 350Z and it’s successor the 370Z are highly sought after. There was a nice collection of Nissan 350/370Z cars at Coventry. The 350Z

first appeared in 2002 and was built until 2009.

Powered by a 3.5 litre V6 engine which produced 287 hp when launched, which 2010 Nissan 370Z © Janet Wright increased to 306 hp by 2009. The front engine drives the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox.

It had a top speed of 155 mph and could accelerate from 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds.

© Simon Wright

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1966 Dodge Charger V8 © Janet Wright

There were some interesting classic cars on show. One of the largest was the 1966 2 door Dodge Charger Fastback.

Powered by a 6.6 litre engine, it was also available with the Chrysler 7.2 litre 426 Hemi V8 engine, with only 426 built with this engine. The transmission was either a 3Speed column change manual, a console mounted 4-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic.

In 1996 production was over 30,000 cars.

1966 Dodge Charger V8

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

February 2022

© Simon Wright

1982 Ford Capri 2.8 Injection

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© Janet Wright

© Janet Wright

1987 Panther 2.8L

2018 Ford Mustang

Honda Pan-European motorbike

© Simon Wright © Simon Wright

© Simon Wright

Sunbeam Alpine & 1991 Peugeot 309 GTi

BMW 3118i

© Janet Wright

1989 Volkswagen Scirocco © Simon Wright

1979 Reliant Scimitar

Classic and Competition Car

© Janet Wright

Pop Bang Paint Continuous car drawings studio

February 2022

© Simon Wright

1982 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus rally car

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Volvo PV444 De Luxe 1957.

This classic Volvo rolled off the production line in Gothenburg, Sweden in December 1957 and cost around £1,630 when new. The model was Volvo’s first unibody car and was © Simon Wright produced between 1943 and 1958. The first cars had a 1.4 litre four cylinder ohv engine with a single down-draught carburettor.which produced just under 40 bhp. By 1950, the power output had increased to 50 bhp.

In 1956 the American market cars had a twin side-draft 1 ½ inch SU

engine capacity was increased in 1957 to 1.6 litre and was offered with either a single downdraft carburettor or twin side-draught carburettors. The gearbox was a 3speed manual with a floor mounted gear stick. The car had a top speed of 73 mph.

The two door saloon had a dated body style even when launched, but had a couple of innovative features - a laminated windscreen, and the speedometer was a ‘thermometer’ type display instead of the more © Simon Wright usual round speedometer, with a display needle.

It was originally thought that they would sell 8,000 cars but the actual figure was almost 200,000 vehicles built.

© Simon Wright

carburettors which increased the power to 70 bhp. The

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

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The Lord Mayor of Coventry enjoying the cars

1959 Austin Healey Frog-eye Sprite © Simon Wright

1989 Land Rover Defender

2015 Ford Focus ST

Classic and Competition Car

© Simon Wright

February 2022

© Janet Wright

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© Simon Wright

1967 Humber Septre

© Simon Wright

© Janet Wright

2006 Ford Focus

Mazda RX8 Vanden Plas Allegro 1500

© Janet Wright

Honda 750 Four

© Janet Wright

© Simon Wright

2004 Peugeot 307 cc © Simon Wright

1995 Honda Civic

Classic and Competition Car

© Janet Wright

February 2022

© Simon Wright

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