Classic & Competition Car - Classic and Competition Car

Classic & 

Competition Car Issue 27!! December 2012 

Classic Motor show - NEC

CONTENTS 

News 

Page 4 

Britcar in to the night race 

Donington Park 

Page 18 

Tasman Revival Meeting 

Sydney Motorsport Park 

Page 38 

© Simon Wright 

Birkett 6 Hour Relay Race 

Silverstone 

Page 11 

Archive Photo of the Month 

Page 21 

Masters Festival Donington 

Page 27 

Classic and Competition Car December 2012 2 

Walter Hayes Trophy 

Silverstone 

Page 14 

Classic Motor Show 

National Exhibition Centre, Nr Birmingham 

Page 22 

Moat House Inn Classic car Meet 

Page 43 

LanD Rover journey of Discovery at Autumn Classic Heritage Motor The Centre Walter Gaydon Hayes Trophy Classic Motor Show NEC 

© Mick Herring 

Brirkett 6 Hour relay 

© Pete Austin



Austin 7 at Classic Motor Show NEC 

Front Cover. 

The Jaguar XJ 220C raced by David Brabham, John Nielsen and 

David Coulthard who won the GT Class at Le Mans in 1993 as 

displayed at the Classic Motor Show © Pete Austin 

All content is copyright classicandcompetitioncar.com unless otherwise 

stated. All photographs are copyright the original photographer 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. 

Simon Wright 

Editor 

EDITORIAL 

This month we have a report from the 

Classic Motor Show at the NEC. This show 

gets bigger and better every year, now 

taking 11 halls of the exhibition centre. 

However, with a show this large it makes it 

more difficult for the visitors to get round 

the entire show in one day, and not every 

one can afford to visit for more than a day. 

The organisers had arranged the displays 

well, grouping similar clubs in close proximity. The layout of 

the Halls also let people start at one end and work round the 

show coming out the other end and still be near the main 

entrance. 

With the racing season now finished for this year, it has been 

fascinating to see the effort and commitment that classic and 

vintage car owners have put in to their motorsport. Many of 

the cars are unique and valuable and yet they are driven flat 

out, no quarter asked or given and yet the racing is clean, 

close and generally no contact. Racing as racing should be. 

Driving for pure enjoyment is well demonstrated by Tim 

Bishop who three wheeled his DKW F12 lap after lap, race 

after race even though not dicing with anyone - fantastic! 


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West Midlands DY6 8HT E-mail simonwright57@hotmail.com Tel 07905 435973 


Tim Bishop DKW F12 ahead of Tony Crates Ford Lotus © Simon Cortina Wright Mk2 

PETE AUSTIN 

Pete is the man for Historic racing, with 

an extensive archive of black and white 

images covering the last few decades of 

motorsport in Britain. Also keen on BRM 

MICK HERRING 

Mick’s first love is GT racing, including 

Historics, especially the Lola T70 

JANET WRIGHT 

Janet has been taking photos for 

many years and is also skilled in video 

work. She likes Aston Martins.

News 

Mallory Park under threat 

According to its facebook page, Mallory Park racing circuit is facing a possible threat after local residents have complained to the local Council 

about the level of noise that comes from the circuit. Mallory Park was first opened in 1955 and in the past has hosted many major racing events, 

including the John Player Formula 2 Championship round of the European Formula 2 championship in 1972 which Dave Morgan driving an older 

Brabham BT35 took victory ahead of a young Nikki Lauda in a works March 722. The circuit has also hosted modern Grand Prix cars in the past, 

staging a round of the Aurora AFX British Formula One championship in 1978 when Bruce Allison in a March 781 won from Tony Trimmer in a 

McLaren M23 and Guy Edwards in another March 781. 

The 1.35 mile circuit is located in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47 between Leicester an Hinckley and is one of the shortest permanent 

circuits in the UK. The circuit has asked for people to support them by logging in to their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Mallory-Park 

and leaving some positive comments to back the circuit in any applications which might try to restrict the number of days that the circuit can 

operate. 

Check out our new updated WEB site at www.classicandcompetitioncar.com regularly for additional photo galleries, wall 

papers and other additional content and join our Facebook Group Classic and Competition Car. 


© Simon Wright

Classic Motor Show 


This was probably the most unusual car at the Classic Motor Show. The Cosmotron was hand built by Paul Bacon. 

The bubble canopy lifts by remote controlled hydraulic rams, allowing access to the 2 seater pearl white interior. The 

custom car is powered by a straight 6 engine and is based originally on a BMW Z3. The car drew large crowds to the 

National Street Rod Association’s stand at the NEC. 

Our report and photos from the show starts on Page 22 



BTCC gets tough on unruly 

behaviour. 

In an effort to improve driving standards, 

the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car 

Championship (BTCC) is introducing an 

additional penalty to further punish unruly 

‘on track’ behaviour next season. 

When a driver receives three penalties for 

on-track driving discipline offences (from a 

verbal warning upwards) they will 

automatically be relegated six grid places 

in the next race. This will be in addition to 

any additional penalties that might be 

applied. The grid drop will take place at the 

next available race. It will be continued to 

be applied on every additional third penalty 

that a driver may receive. 


© Simon Wright © Janet Wright

GT Racing proposed changes not popular with everyone. 

Stephane Ratel, SRO Motorsport's founder and CEO, has been the driving force behind the revival in GT racing Worldwide since the mid-nineties. He is 

strongly opposed to the proposition of a single GT class as proposed recently by the ACO and FIA for 2014. 

1) Need for stability - FIA GT3 is one of the most successful categories in motorsport, with 14 different manufacturers having developed and sold cars for this 

class whereas the ACO GTE category has not enjoyed the same level of support 

2) GT Racing which brings together the World’s most prestigious manufacturers and Brands, should not only be considered as a sub category of prototype 

racing but should be allowed to develop different classes to reflect different levels of development in the same way that Prototype racing has developed 

LMP1 and LMP2. 

3) ACO GTE and FIA GT3 are meeting two different needs and any attempt to merge them will have detrimental effects on both categories. It would impose 

technical restrictions on GTE cars to balance performance, where the manufacturers want to have more liberal interpretations of the regulations. It would 

raise costs for GT3 teams and would would make some models uncompetitive by reducing the extent that they can be modified from the original road 

version. 

This will mean that the new category will not answer the objectives as manufacturers who produce competitive road cars will want to compete under strict 

regulations which will reduce the chance of the less race adapted GT production car to run competitively. 

Instead SRO Motorsport proposes: 

1) To preserve the FIA GT3 concept of ‘balance of performance’ and extended wavers to allow a large variety of GT cars to be competitive regardless of their 

original weight or shape. 

To keep GT3 costs at an affordable level by controlling the increase of performance through a strict limitation to year-on-year developments. 

2) To launch a new FIA GT2 category based on strict technical rules, with limited wavers and ‘balance of performance’ limited to success ballast. A category 

where GT manufacturers will prove through competition they can produce the best road going GT car.Strict production requirements would be maintained to 

avoid a potential drift towards GT1/GTP. 

Should such a new FIA GT2 category be introduced, SRO Motorsports will consider running it in the Pro Category of its International Series in 2014. 


© Janet Wright 

GT3 McLaren MP4 12C GTE Ferrari 458 Italia 

Classic and Competition Car December 2012 6

Classic and Competition Car Facebook Group 

We now have a Facebook Group - 

Classic and Competition Car - where you can join and keep up to date with additional 

Photographs, postings, and extra event photo galleries. We also plan to add video clips where 

possible. Please feel free to add postings and photos and we look forward to hearing from you. 

We have also updated our web site and are adding extra photo galleries, so please pop by and 

have a look on a regular basis to see what’s new 

www.classicandcompetitioncar.com 


© Pete Austin 

HRCD join forces with AMOC for 2013. 

The HRDC Touring Greats series have teamed up with the Aston Martin Owners Club Racing to 

stage a five event schedule starting at Silverstone in April and finishes in September at Snetterton. 

Dates are as follows 

6th April 2013 Silverstone National circuit 11th May Oulton Park international 

1st June Donington Park 14th July Brands Hatch Grand Prix 

28th September Snetterton 

Joining forces with AMOC will allow the ‘Touring greats’ series to move up a gear for 2013. The races 

for 1950’s and 60’s saloons will complement the grids that the AMOC currently enjoy. 

The HRDC ‘AllStars’ calendar have only two confirmed dates for next year at the moment 

21st April Silverstone National circuit (part of the VSCC Spring Start meeting, due to be televised live 

by Motors TV) The other date is 13th July 2013 at Brands Hatch, on the short Indy circuit. 

For more information see their web site at www.hrdc.eu/index.html 

Goodwood dates for 2013 

The dates for the two major motorsport events at 

Goodwood have been announced for 2013 and tickets 

are now available to purchase. 


Desire Wilson - Spice Cosworth SE90C 

Festival of Speed 2012 

The festival of Speed is from Friday 5th July to Sunday 

7th of July 2013. This is the 20th anniversary of the 

modern event. The Moving Motor show will take place the 

day before the Festival of Speed on Thursday 4th July 

2013. 


The Goodwood Revival is set for Friday 13th September 

to Sunday 15th September 2013


(http://www.classicworldracing.co.uk/) 


CWR Titan unveiled by Pete Austin 

Mike Luck from Redditch based Classic World Racing (CWR) unveiled the new 

CWR Titan Sportscar at the Classic Motor Show on 16th November. 

Following the merger in 2010 with TVR parts and service specialist David Gerald 

Sportscars, CWR set out to build a modern version of a 60's style TVR. 

TVR ceased production of their distinctive 2 seater sports cars in 2006. Although 

there had been speculation that the marque would return, confirmation came in 

August of this year that no more cars would ever be produced. With 

their engineering skills, parts and service knowledge CWR decided to offer an 

alternative. 

The Titan blends 60's style with modern V8 power to provide the ultimate driving 

experience. The car now unveiled will be available for demonstration early next year 

with production of an initial 6 cars commencing later in 2013. 

Mike added that there was still a lot of work to do but they were determined to 

present the car at the show to demonstrate what will be available. The Titan is 

priced at £69,995 and will come with full leather trim, air conditioning, electric 

windows and power steering. 420bhp is on tap from the all alloy GM LS3 3e engine. 

© Janet Wright © Pete Austin

LIVE PROMOTIONS LAUNCHES NEW MOTORING 

FESTIVAL 

SYWELL CLASSIC - PISTONS AND PROPS 

Make a note in your diary for a new event in 2013. Pistons and Props is 

a brand new festival celebrating both classic cars and classic airplanes 

and will be held at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire on Saturday 

28th and Sunday 29th of September 2013. The aim is to incorporate all 

aspects of the vintage lifestyle in to the two day event, including fashion 

and entertainment. 

Sywell is the perfect location, in the heart of the country, with an aviation 

museum and art deco buildings, it is ideally suited to this type of event. 


Jaguar XKSS ouside the Aviator at Sywell 

Classic car clubs are being offered the chance to display members 

vehicles over the weekend, while historic race cars and motorcycles will 

have the opportunity of live action on the airstrip. 

It is planned that vintage aircraft like the Spitfire and Tiger Months will 

give ariel displays, while static car displays, live music and a vintage 

Funfair will keep the crowds entertained on the ground. 

For more information, check out their web site at www.sywellclassic.com. 


BTCC S2000 Award for 2013 season planned. 

There are plans to introduce a new award to the Dunlop MSA 

British Touring Car Championship for next season, to reward the top 

performers in the older S2000 specification cars. 

S2000 cars have been the backbone of the grid since 2004 but 

they will play second fiddle to the latest NGTC spec cars which are 

growing in numbers 

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow commented: “There has been 

sufficient interest from competitors who wish to compete with 

current S2000 cars to warrant an award for their efforts – we made 

a commitment over two years ago for those cars to continue in the 

championship, albeit not with performance parity against NGTC 

cars. 

“Therefore we will award silverware to the top S2000 finisher in 

each race which will accumulate to an overall trophy at the end of 

the season. It means those teams, drivers and sponsors who are 

looking to eventually move up to NGTC machinery can still actively 

participate in the BTCC and benefit from its profile. 

“It is important to stress this will not take the form of a separate 

points-based championship. However, we will announce the exact 

details and the name of the award in the near future.” 


Dave Newsham S2000 Vauxhall Vectra

© Tony Todd 

Northallerton's 

Kevin Procter, 

co-driven by 

Dave Bellerby, 

won Croft 

Circuit's 

traditional 

Christmas 

Stages Rally 

last time out 

Croft ready for Christmas Stages 

Final event of the year for Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire will be the traditional ‘single venue’ 

Christmas Stages Rally held on Saturday 29th December 2012. Organised by Northallerton 

Automobile Club, the event has proved popular with both teams and fans in what is generally 

a quiet period in the motorsport calendar. In recent years thousands of fans have flocked to 

the circuit to escape the cold turkey of Christmas and enjoy some high speed action. 

The event has a reputation for attracting a large entry of competing vehicles, often more than 

80 cars taking part, even including some ex-works World Rally Cars. Last years winner was 

Northallerton’s © Mick Herring Kevin Procter in a Subaru Impreza (Pictured above). With just under a month 

to go to this years events, there are already 30 registrations received. 

Another benefit of this type of event is that it all takes part within the perimeter of Croft Circuit. 

This means that spectators can see the vast majority of all eight timed stages as well as visit 

the service area to see the cars being worked on between stages. 

Croft Circuit is located just outside Darlington 

All-day tickets for the event can be booked in advance for just £7 on the www.croftcircuit.co.uk 

website (this is compared to £10 on the gate). Admission for accompanied children aged 15 

and under is FREE. Gates open at 8.00am with the rally action getting under way at 9.00am. 

More information about the Christmas Stages Rally can be found on the croftcircuit.uk website 

as well as Northallerton Automobile Club’s own www.northallerton-ac.co.uk pages. 

Please check with the circuit before traveling far to ensure the event is taking place, especially 

in bad weather. We do not organise any events and are not responsible for any changes to 

the event details shown above, 


Prescott Dates for 2013 announced. 

Home of the Bugatti Owners’ Club, the dates for 2013 have been 

announced for Prescott Speed Hill Climb. The season starts with 

the British and Midland Championship over the weekend of the 

27th and 28th April 2013. The big event of the year for the club is 

La Vie en Bleu on Saturday and Sunday the 1st and 2nd of June 

2013. The venue is turned into a part of France for the weekend, 

with CanCan girls, onion sellers and Gendarmes adding to the 

atmosphere and Sunday is predominantly French cars on the 

course, plus lots of French car clubs displaying in the orchard. 


Next up is the Midland Championship on the 29th and 30th June 

2013. 

The next event is one of the oldest running at the venue and has a 

different flavour to the hill climb. The Vintage Sports Car Club Hill 

Climb uses the original shorter course, by-passing the new loop 

added at Ettore’ bend. They will be in action on the 3rd and 4th of 

August 2013. 

The British Hill climb championship returns again over the 

weekend of August 31st and September 1st bringing all the drivers 

back to the course for their second visit of the year. 

Final meeting of the year is the American Autumn Classic over the 

weekend of 5th-6th of October 2013. For this weekend, the 

emphasis is on American motoring with Hot Rods and Custom cars 

on display in the Orchard.

Birkett 6-Hour Relay Race Silverstone 27th October 2012 By Mick Herring. 

Winning Saker GT 

Almost the end of the season and what better way to capture the essence of English grass roots racing than by witnessing the atmosphere of the 750MC's 62nd 

Anniversary Birkett 6-Hour relay race. 

With so many imaginatively named teams (of up to six relay cars each) from so many different championships and series, the ability to fill Silverstone's full 


Historic Grand Prix circuit, which deletes the hard-braking chicane at Club 

Corner, is assured. 

The race doesn't feature the number of Austin 7 or Vintage car teams it 

once did but the profusion of "Lo-CostCaterField" ensures intense rivalry. 

From the Union Jack flag start and in spite of the contact of the first few 

laps, which saw some Caterham-style cars heading in early with nosecones 

askew or the need to remove a flapping wing panel, the only safety 

car came at the end of the first half hour to retrieve veteran racer Dave 

Brodie's VW Vento, which had lost a wheel and came close to rolling. 

As ever, the organisers would have to adjust the handicaps to compensate 

for the 13 minute safety car period. 

First time entrants, Team OBR, took a well deserved scratch race win by 

keeping out of trouble from the start and maintaining a healthy early lead 

for most of their 145 lap total. 

Gail (Hill) Force Jaguar XJ40 Early Handicap Leader 


© Mick Herring

The team comprising the race starting Saker GT Coupe (Mark Burton, 

Graham Pattle and Eugene O'Brien all driving the car), Paul Rose's Saker 

Spyder and the Caterham of Graham Booth. 

The fight for second place was the annual battle between the Gold Arts 

Caterham team and the Hart Attack Clubmans-mounted team. 

Second would go the way of the Hart Attacks after The 2nd Radical, who 

had led the race initially but dropped back after an early incident, caught 

and managed to split the annual battle to take third place. 

The weather would play its part in the shape of a sudden, fairly short hail 

storm with 90 minutes remaining. 

Rendering the track very slippery it made it a gamble to stay out on slicks 

or relay a wet-tyred car and affected several close running teams in both 

categories. 

Giles Dawson, in his late brother's Trofeo Abarth 500, made good use of 

the transition back to a dry track for his late session by running a slick 

front and wet rear tyre combination. 

The Handicap race was won by the Dirty Half Dozen team of Danny 

Cassar, Steve Cassar, Gary Barlow (Protons) and Ashley Collin's Renault 

Clio who were 21st overall at 132 laps(153 gross laps), having taken 

control at the end of the first hour when Gail Hill finished her session for 

The Start 



Graham Walden TVR Tuscan 

the Six Potters Jaguar team. 

Two LoCost teams would occupy the next pair of handicap places, the 

Four Corners finishing 1 gross lap behind the winners and 42 seconds 

ahead of Three Northern Monkeys & a Southern Softy. 

Steve Cassar Proton Satria Handicap Winners Dirty Half Dozen 


© Mick Herring


Chris Smith BMW Mini Grass Cutting 

As darkness fell over Silverstone another entertaining Birkett Relay had 

fulfilled its yearly promise. 

© Mick Herring © Mick Herring 

Classic and Competition Car December 2012 13 © Simon Wright 

Cheng Lim Thunder Cobra 


Dave Clark Renault 5 Giles Dawson Trofeo Abarth 500

The Walter Hayes Trophy Silverstone. 

By Simon & Janet Wright and Pete Austin. 

The final race of the season at Silverstone was the annual Walter Hayes Trophy meeting for Formula Ford racing cars run over the short national circuit. This 

celebration of close racing is a fitting end to the season and drew a huge entry of over 120 cars. To add a little variety to the meeting, the HSCC also organised 

a closed wheel and open wheel race on both Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday started overcast and damp, with light rain affecting early practice. The field was split in to heats on Saturday with the top drivers in each heat 

progressing to the semi finals on Sunday and there was a Progression race and a last chance race which allowed people who many have encountered 

problems in their heat another chance to qualify for the semi finals. 

The first heat was held on a damp track and Robert Hall driving a Mygale JS2000 was the winner. By the time of the second heat the track was dry and the sky 

was brighter. Ivor McCullough in a Van Diemen RF00 was the flag to flag winner. Heat 3 provided a close victory for Neville Smyth in a Ray GRS09 by just 

0.109 of a second from Graham Carroll driving a Van Diemen RF91. Heat 4 saw the Spectrum 011B of Ben Norton win by 0.185 of a second after passing early 

leader Peter Dempsey in a Ray GR11 at half distance. Heat 5 saw Luke Rosewall disqualified for overtaking under a yellow flag and Josh Fisher won in a 

Reynard FF89. The final race of the day was won by Noel Dunne in a Van Diemen RF00. 

Walter Hayes Trophy winner - Tristan Nunez - Ray GR08 

© Pete Austin


Open Wheel winner Andrew Huxtable Chevron B34 (No 18) laps Ian Pearson Lotus 61 

Unfortunately he was not classified as a finisher at the end of the race. 

SUNDAY REPORT by Pete Austin 

In complete contrast to Saturday, heavy rain greeted everyone on Sunday 

morning. Although qualifying sessions were held for competitors in the 

Open and Closed Allcomer races track conditions soon deteriorated. With 

standing water on several parts of the circuit, track activity came to a 

standstill. After gallant efforts to sweep and pump the excess water and 

following a three hour delay it was decided to resume action at 1.00 pm. 

In between the red flagged Progression race (won by David McArthur in 

his Van Diemen LA10) and the Last Chance Race (won by Ryan Hayes in 

a Van Diemen RF92) Andrew Shanley (Radical Pro Sport) lapped the 

entire field on his way to victory in the Closed Wheel encounter following 

the early smoky demise of Dave Coyne’s Ferrari 328. 

It was then time for the first of the two semi finals. Peter Dempsey (Ray 

GR11) ran out the winner followed by Robert Hall (Mygale JS2000) and 

Joey Foster (Ray GRZ010 ) third. The second semi final was won by 

another Irish ace, Ivor McCullough in his Van Diemen RF00 followed by 

Oliver White (Van Diemen RF01) and an impressive Michael Moyers 

(Spectrum 011C). 


Mixed between the Formula Ford heats were the Open and 

Closed Wheel races. The Open Wheel race drew a good 

mix of Historic Formula 2 cars to head the field with the blue 

Chevron B34 of Andrew Huxtable showing plenty of speed 

to win easily from Jamie Brashaw in a Classic F3 March 

793. The Closed Wheel race saw a nice mix of saloons and 

sports cars take to the track with the pretty Chevron B16 of 

Roderick Smith winning by over 42 seconds from George 

Daws in a Merlyn 6A while Mike Gardiner was the first 

Touring car to finish, in third place. At the other end of the 

field, the little DKW F12 of Tim Bishop was possibly the 

most entertaining car on track as most laps he took 

Brooklands and Luffield on three wheels, lifting nearside 

rear, then offside rear, then offside front as he pushed the 

early ‘Audi’ to keep up with the rest of the field. 


Nigel Winchester Ginetta G4 leads Les Ely BMW 1800 and Steve Dunne Austin A35 in the 

Closed wheel race 

Before the final the Allcomers Open Wheel race was won by Neil Harrison 

(Dallara F302) from Simon Hadfield in his Radio Luxembourg liveried Lola T330. The Historic Formula Ford Final which followed was won by Mike Gardner in his 

Van Diemen RF80 from David Wild’s Lola T200.



Ben Mitchell determined to finish his heat despite collision damage to his Van Diemen 

Allcomers Closed Wheel winner Andrew Shanley in his Radical Pro Sport 

Now it was time for the final and the much anticipated duel between three 

times Walter Hayes Trophy winners Peter Dempsey and Joey Foster, both of 

whom had gone well throughout the weekend. We weren’t to be disappointed 

with Foster soon latching onto the tail of leader Dempsey. Both exchanged the 

lead until the dramatic conclusion two laps from the end when they clashed 

whilst going through Becketts side by side with their races ending there and 

then. This allowed Teams USA’s Tristan Nunez (Ray GR08) to take a famous 

victory closely followed by World Endurance Championship driver John Martin 

(Spectrum 12) who passed Ivor McCullogh after the latter missed a gear on 

the final lap. 

Semi Final 1 winner Peter Dempsey leads second place man Robert Hall 

It was one of the most dramatic and exciting finals in the history of the Walter 

Hayes Trophy and organiser James Becket must have been very pleased in 

the way that everyone pulled together at the end of a difficult day. HSCC 

meeting secretary Alan Jones also thanked marshals, officials, drivers and 

spectators for their patience which was well rewarded. 


© Pete Austin


Sam Mcleod Van Diemen JL012K leads a group into Luffield during the heats 


Nigel Dolan Van Diemen JL012K dicing with Kevin O’Hara Van Diemen RF01 during 

the heats 


Paul Barnes Ray GR06 and Neil Winn Van Diemen LA10 both spin at Luffield 



Mike Smith Porsche 911 RSR dicing with Stuart Scott Chevrolet Camaro Z28 in the 

Closed Wheel Scratch race on Saturday 


Stephen Collyer Crossle 32F leads Simon Toyne Lola T200 in to Brooklands during the heats 


Stephen Bracegirdle Van Diemen RF89 and Andrew Smith Van Diemen FA73 battle 

through Brooklands during the heats


Night-time 9th place Nissan 

Britcar Into The Night Race Donington November 3rd 

By Mick Herring. 

The clocks at Donington were turned back for the second time in a week 

at the penultimate 2012 MSA Britcar Endurance Championship race. 

Two returning teams proved that neither men nor machines had lost their 

effectiveness during their time away, popularly taking the top two places. 

Following fours hours of intense racing, 2010 Britcar 24hr winners(with 

Gaw and Dryburgh) and former double champions Witt Gamski and Keith 

Robinson plus John Gaw in the MJC Ferrari 430GTC, after a thirteen 

month absence, took the flag nearly one minute ahead of outgoing 

champions and 2012 Blancpain Endurance Audi drivers Craig Wilkins and 

Aaron Scott in the GT3 Racing Dodge Viper. 

Following two safety car laps racing began in earnest with Witt Gamski's 

Ferrari slipping back on cold tyres and full fuel with Craig Wilkins charging 

up from a ninth place grid slot. 

2012 Britcar 24hr winners, Richard Abra, (with Mark Poole and now 

sharing their new Aston Martin Vantage GT3) led by 11secs after 15 

minutes of racing ahead of the Strata 21 Mosler, the Bailey/Schultz Ferrari 

and the Optimum Racing Ginetta G55 GT3. 

As the race progressed the Ferrari and Viper pulled themselves towards the front until the thirsty Viper pitted for fuel and the first hand over to Aaron Scott. 

The race saw several safety car periods to retrieve broken down or gravel trap beached cars, bunching the field and teams taking advantage of these periods 

to top up another 25 litres of fuel some, including 

the Viper, on consecutive laps and thus ease their 

strategies. 

With daylight long since faded and approaching 

half distance this would be another race where 

weather played a significant part, a sharp shower 

of freezing rain witnessed several cars spinning 

off, including the Aston Martin and the Mosler, 

separately into Redgate's gravel. 

Both would resume but their race challenge 

effectively over. 

Many pitted in a flurry of tyre changing but they 

would be soon be in again to revert to their slicks 

as the track rapidly dried. 

The Ferrari/Viper battle raged for many laps but 

an off-track incident gave the race a new 

perspective when John Gaw brought the MJC 

Ferrari in for fuel. 

Stuck behind a breakdown truck in a full pit lane, 

the truck stopping to crane off a three-wheeled 

Unlucky Ultima Jonny MacGregor leads Jensen Lunn Chevron GR8 


© Mick Herring


Scorching to early lead Abra-Poole Aston Martin Vantage 

The Bullrun Lotus Evora of champions-elect Richard Adams, David Green and Martin 

Byford suffered a rare mechanical failure but lengthy repairs would see them uphold 

Morcillo-Cintrano-White Mosler 13th in race, 2nd in championship 



Porsche and blocking his progress. 

The frantic shouts from the MJC team saw the truck move out of harms 

way but not without the loss of at least 30 seconds and the lead to the 

Viper. 

Their fate looked settled but the thirst of the Viper would ensure another 

fuel stop, their eighth, consequent lead reversal as Craig Wilkins 

prepared to get in. 

A giant-killing third place went to the Chevron GR8 of Chris Hart/Tommy 

Field. 

The Poole/Abra Aston Martin clawed its way back to fourth ahead of 

Flick Haigh's Ginetta G55 Cup, which she shared with Ryan Ratcliffe. 


First of many passes between Viper and Ferrari . Hollywood-bound Craig Wilkins 

Dodge Viper battles with Witt Gamski Ferrari

their honour and finish the race in twelfth, one place ahead of the much delayed Morcillo, White and Cintrano Mosler who secured second place in the 

championship. 

. 


Gamski passes into Redgate 

© Mick Herring © Mick Herring 

Thirsty Viper 8 fuel stops 


Hart-Field Chevron 3rd 

Richard Withers MG B GT managed a time of 38.42 seconds 

Championship winning Bullrun Lotus Evora 

© Mick Herring

Archive Photo of the Month By Pete Austin. 

By winning the World Championship in Brazil this month Sebastian Vettel became only the third driver in history to win the title in three 'consecutive' years 

(2010-2012). He joins Juan Manuel Fangio (1951 and 1954-1957) and fellow German Michael Schumacher (1994, 1995 and 2000-2004) in achieving this feat. 

Michael Schumacher himself retired from Formula 1 for the second time after Brazil but this image shows him in his more successful Ferrari days at the British 

Grand Prix, Silverstone in 2004. 





The Footman James Classic Motor Show. 

By Simon & Janet Wright with additional photos by Pete Austin 

The Classic Motor Show was held at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham over 3 

days from the 16th to the 18th November 2012. This year the show was bigger than ever, 

covering 11 halls and included the Classic Motorcycle show in Hall 6. A record breaking crowd 

of more than 58,000 visitors, at least 8,000 more than last year, poured in to the show, with over 

1,500 cars on display for them to enjoy. The majority of stands were organised by around 250 

car clubs, whose members had arrived with the most fantastic selection of automotive history, 

from the mundane to the exotic. 

The halls were organised so that manufacturers models were kept together, so the one hall 

contained mainly Austin car clubs, another hall contained mainly Ford cars etc. The Classic 

Motor cycle show was placed right in the middle of the exhibition, with its own hall, containing 

around 300 bikes on display, as well as an indoor trials bike demonstration area and a “Wall of 

Death” show. Back in the car halls, there were plenty of stands selling everything that the car 

enthusiast could 

ever want, from 

model cars and books, through to clothing and car accessories. 

Some of the high-lights of the show started with the display by the Veteran Car 

Club. There was a 1901 Toledo Steam Carriage, a 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile, 

a 1907 Lion Peugeot , a 1913 Mors 12/15 HP RX Tourer, a 1913 Vauxhall 16/20 

h.p. Ascot Torpedo, and probably the oldest car at the show, a 1899 Daimler 6hp. 

One of the more unusual cars on this stand was the 1904 Humber Forecar which 

© was Mick built Herring by Thomas Humber, a bicycle manufacturer who began building cars in 

the early 1900’s. It was a three wheel design with a bicycle handle bars and saddle 

for the ‘driver’ and a 

large, comfortable arm 

chair fitted to the front 

for the passenger. The 

Coventry model was 

powered by a water 

cooled engine with a 2 

speed gearbox and 

cost £85 when new. 

Another very old car 

was the 1899 

Decauville Voiturelle 

which didn’t have a 

steering wheel but 

instead had a vertical 

steering arm 

Coming forward in 

1904 Humber Forecar 


time, on the next stand 

was a fine example of 

a 1936 Brough Superior. And a couple of Railton cars. 

Charity Rides 

The Sporting Bears Motor Club were running their charity rides out of the back of Hall 

12, where visitors could pay money to have a ride in a classic car or super car. Over the 

three days of the show they raised around £35,000 giving 1,000 rides in a range of 


A Lola T70 replica awaits passengers in the Sporting Bears rides for Charity 

different cars. 

During the show, the Sporting Bears reached the million pound milestone and Colin 

Padley from Bristol paid £20 for a ride in a Bristol and also won a ride around 

Silverstone in a Ferrari. Colin is a regular contributor to the charity and reckons to have 

donated around £1,000 over the years.

The Austin 7 was such a versatile car and was used as a basis for many different coach 

builders, some of which were one off designs. Many different examples were on display on 

the Pre-War Austin Seven club stand, from the two seater open sports cars to the more 

basic production Austin 7 saloon. 


Amongst the Austin 7 

display there was 

tucked away a 1930 

Rosengart L2 R5. Built 

in France by Lucien 

Rosengart, the car was 

a licensed copy of the 

Austin 7 but was all 

metric in design. Based 

on the A frame with 

tapered side rails and 

stronger cross 

members. It kept the 3 

speed gearbox, but the 

magneto ignition system 

was replaced by a coil 

system. 

Rosengart ran a works racing team between 1929 and 1931 which included some female 

drivers. The faster cars were fitted with a Cozette Supercharger. The LR2 achieved a 

class win in 80 of the 81 sporting trials it competed in and proved itself as a reliable car. 

Californian Moke 




1930 Supercharged A7 Ulster 

It seemed that the full history of Longbridge built cars were on 

display at the show. Various models from the Austin ‘Counties’ 

range were on show, Devon, Dorset, Gloucester, then coming 

more up to date there were Mini, Maxi, 1800, Princess 1800 and 

2200 wedges, Allegros, 1100 and 1300 models in various guises, 

Vanden Plas, Riley etc and there was even a good display of Mini 

Moke models. The Mini Moke was originally going to be a military 

off road vehicle similar to the Jeep, but being based on the Austin 

Mini running gear and wheels it ended up with insufficient ground 

clearance for military deployment. Sold to the public, it gained 

popularity as a Beach Buggy utility vehicle in places like Australia, 

the Seychelles, America and parts of the Caribbean. Its other 

claim to fame was that the Moke appeared as a Taxi in the Village 

in the cult TV show “The Prisoner” 

There were many unusual very old and rare cars at the show.


Silverstone Auctions NEC Classic Motor Show Sale 

The auction held at the Classic Motor Show achieved over a 60% sale rate and 

brought in more than £1.1 million. The top seller was a beautiful Aston Martin DB4 

which went for £224,000. Although there were plenty of exotic cars in the sale, 

some more normal classic cars also achieved much higher than expected prices. 

There were a pair of original Fiat 500 cars, both listed with a guide price of around 

£8,000. One was previously owned by Prime minister David Cameron MP and 

sold for £18,480 whilst the other reached £16,800. 


A 1968 Morris Mini Cooper 998cc which had been restored to concours 

condition sold for £22,960. In 2011, the car won National Mini Show Class 

winner, Car of the Year award, National Mini Cooper Day 2011 - Beaulieu 

master class winner and Mini Fest 2011 - first class winner. 

An original 

1986 Ford 

RS200 sold 

for £103,040. 

Only 200 of 

this model 

were built to © Janet Wright 

meet FIA 

homologation requirements. Six were classified as prototypes and 46 were dismantled as 

spares. Only 90 were converted and sold as road cars. This one is a rare Rally Specification 

model which had been in the hands of a collector and has only covered 1066 miles. 

A 1969 Porsche 911 wide body Speedster with only 12,000 miles on the clock sold for £66,080. 

Inspired by the 

1950’s Porsche 

356 Speedster, 

just over 2,000 of 

this model were 

built in 1989. 

Fitted with the 3.2 

litre Carrera 


engine, producing 

231 BHP it has a 

0 to 60mph time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of over 150 mph. 

© Simon Wright





Classic 

Motorsport was 

well represented 

at the show, with 

the Historic 

Sports Car Club 

(HSCC) and the 

Vintage Sports 

Car Club 

(VSCC) both 

having large 

stands, 

displaying cars 

to represent the 

different 

categories of 

historic 

motorsport that 

they each 

promote. The 

HSCC stand was 

diverse in its 

selection. There 

was a 1975 

Formula 5000 

March Ford 

75A-1 as driven 

by Alan Jones 

who later went on 

to win the World 

Championship. 

Next to this 

powerful single 

Alan Jones March Ford 75A-1 F5000 

seater was a 

1975 Martini Chevron B31 2 litre sports car which had won the HSCC 

Martini Trophy at the 2012 Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting driven by 

James Dodd. Other cars on the stand were the Auto Union DKW F12 

Touring Car, A Porsche 924 from the 70s Roadsports series, an Austin 

Healey Sprite of Tony Davis from the Historic Roadsports Championship, 

a Ford Capri from the Historic Touring Cars and a Formula Junior of 

Justin Fleming. This represented the majority of the HSCC 

Championships and showed that the HSCC race meetings have 

something for every one, from racing cars to saloons and sports cars.


The Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) also had a nice range of vehicles on display to show that they 

cater for any vintage car built before 1940, not just Sports Cars. An interesting car was the American 

built 1915 Lenox Speedster 4-40, originally built in Massachusetts, USA. This open 2 seater sports car 

has an unusual circular 

monocle windscreen, 

mounted to the steering 

column which will only 

protect the driver. The car is 

powered by a 4 litre 4 

cylinder side valve engine 

and only has brakes fitted to 

the rear wheels, which are 

wooden with detachable 

rims. 

Lenox Speedster 4-40 



Bugatti on the VSCC stand 

Monocle windscreen on the Lenox Speedster 4-40 

Another unusual car on display was the 1912 Peugeot Bebe which was the first car 

designed by Ettore Bugatti. It was also the first miniature four cylinder car built on 

large production lines, and it had many advanced features in its design. The 6HP 

engine is an unusual design with the cylinder head, block and crank case all as a 

single casting, with the sump bolted on to complete the unit. The engine is mounted 

on an under shield to form a sub frame. It has a bore of 55mm and stroke of 90mm 

with two camshafts operating the valves on opposite sides of the cylinder head. The 

engine is splash lubricated and water cooled and the transmission uses an inverted 

cone clutch drive 

system with 2nd and 

3rd gears operating via 

2 enclosed concentric 

prop shafts which 

engage with appropriate 

bevel gears in the rear 

axle. 1st gear uses a 

step down arrangement. 

The rear suspension 

uses a reversed quarter 

elliptic rear spring and 

as normal for the 

period, the brakes only 

applied to the rear 

wheels. This car is the 

88th built from a 

production run of 3150 

all built between 1912 

and 1914. 

1912 Peugeot Bebe 


© Janet Wright


GN-Spider II 

The Toyota MR2 Owners Club displayed this superb Toyota 

90C-V World Sports Prototype car which ran in the World 

Championship and at Le Mans in 1990. The main drivers 

were Geoff Lees and Johnny Dumfries but John Watson, 

Roberto Ravaglia, Hitoshi Ogawa and Auguri Suzuki also 

drove. The car is powered by a 3.576 litre V8 Turbocharged 

Toyota R36V engine which develops 800PS at 7000rpm 

giving a top speed of 220 miles per hour. With an overall 

weight of just 900kg and double wishbone suspension fitted 

with inboard coil springs, the car has stunning 

performance. 


The Midland Automobile Club (MAC) 

which runs Shelsley Walsh hill climb 

course, had the stand next to the 

VSCC to promote the clubs activities 

for 2013. They had four different cars 

on the display to represent the different 

aspects of the club, ranging from a 

modern single seater, through a Mini 

Cooper and a GN-Spider II 

representing the sporting side, whilst 

the fourth car was the1966 Alvis TF21 

Super Coupe which won the Concours 

D’Elegance at the MAC Classic 

Nostalgia meeting in July. This 

particular car has coachwork by 

Graber of Switzerland and is of 

aluminium construction. 


Alvis TF21 

© Janet Wright


Sunbeam Alpine - Stirling Moss ‘Coupe de Alpes 1954-54 


The Rootes Group consisted of many famous British 

manufacturers such as Sunbeam and Hillman and most of these 

manufacturers had success in motorsport at some time in the past. 

The Sunbeam Alpine MKV 21 (Left) was one of six Sunbeam 

Alpines built for the 1953 Alpine Rally. This car was driven by Sir 

Stirling Moss and John Cutts with great success. In both the 1953 

and 1954 events, Moss completed the route without a single 

penalty and was awarded the prestigious Coupe des Alpes. The 

1954 event was the third straight success for Moss (Having 

competed in 1952 driving a Sunbeam Talbot 90) and Moss was 

awarded the Coupe des Alpes en Or (Alpine Gold Cup), only the 

second ever driver to receive this award. 


Sunbeam ‘Monster’ Tiger (above) 

Team Fraser Race Tiger was run by the late Alan Fraser who ran a 

successful racing team with factory support with both Hillman Imp 

and Sunbeam Tiger models. Fraser was impressed with the Tiger 

after watching Bernard Unett winning in the 1965 Autosport GT 

Championship in an ex Le Mans Tiger. Fraser invited Unett to join 

his team and used the best bits from the Le Mans car in to a 

production bodyshell. This became known as the ‘Monster’ Tiger 

which Unett used to great effect to finish 2nd in the 1966 Autosport 

Championship and won the Freddie Dixon Trophy. 

The car has recently been restored and was entered in the 

Fordwater Trophy at this years Goodwood Revival meeting where 

Tom Dyer finished 6th. A podium place was on the cards until a 

bonnet latch came loose.

Hillman Aero Minx Streamlined 

The Hillman Aero Minx. 

Another part of the Rootes Group produced the Hillman Aero Minx between 1933 

and 1935 in 5 different body styles. The Streamlined Saloon (Left) originally sold for 

£245, while the 

streamlined two 

seater open 

tourer (right) 

went for the 

same price 

when new. The 

Aero Tourer 

(below left) was 

slightly cheaper 

at £225 when 

new. The Aero 

Minx was based 

on the standard 

10 HP Minx 

chassis, with a 

Saloon - winner Classic and 

Sports Car Special Award in 

the club awards 2012 © Simon Wright 

streamlined 

aluminium body 

and steel wings 

and bonnet. This 


made the cars a bit lighter than the standard 

Minx, which increased performance slightly. 

The Aero Minx also had quite a competition 

history winning lots of class awards at 

Brooklands during 1933-34 and in 1935-36 C. M. 

Davies took a couple of Premier awards in 1 

hour Trials at Brooklands. But the models’ real 

strength lay in Rallies and Trials. In 1933 they 

took Silver and Bronze awards in the MCC 

London-Exeter Trial with W.P Uglow and J.E. 

Mellor both taking Silver and M.P. Tenbosch 

taking Bronze. In 1934 MCC London - Lands 

End Trial Mellor and Tenbosh did the same 

again. In 1934 the Aero Minx took the team 

award on the Welsh Rally with M. Biscombe and 

W.P Uglow won the Gold medal. They won many 

more awards during 1935 and 1936 with the last 

noted award going to G.R. Young who took 

Bronze on the 1938 MCC London - Lands End 

Trial. The long list of sporting achievements was 


displayed on the club stand at the NEC (Right). 


Audi ‘Ugly Duckling’ prototype replica. 



Star of the recent 

Audi television 

commercial, the 1933 

Paul Jaray designed 

prototype was well 

ahead of its time. 

Unfortunately, its 

idiosyncratic styling 

was too futuristic for 

the public. It was met 

with disapproving 

look from the towns 

folk, supposedly 

scaring the horses 

and not liked by other 

drivers of the period. 

Audi did understand © Simon Wright 

the potential for the 

concepts aerodynamic technology and engineering though, and Jaray’s influence can be seen in all 

Audi models since then. This replica was made for the TV advert and is powered by a 1400cc 

engine, probably from a Skoda Favorit 

In contrast to the ‘Ugly Duckling’, the 1938 Auto Union D-Type Grand Prix car was not met with ridicule. It too was an unusual design for the time, with its mid 

engine layout when the opposition were still front engined designs. Designer Robert Eberan von 

Eberhorst had retained the mid engine layout from the earlier Auto Union C Type designed by Dr 

Ferdinand Porsche. Powered by an all alloy 2949cc supercharged engine producing 485 bhp 

and a total car weight of only 850 kg, the car had a top speed of 206mph. 1938 saw the 

introduction of the new 3 litre formula, 


which the D-Type was built to comply 

with the new regulations. It was a 

tough year for Auto Union as driver 

Bernd Rosemeyer was killed early in 

the year during an attempt on the 

World Land Speed record. Tazio 

Nuvolari was brought in to replace him 

along side Hans Stuck and Nuvolari 

went on to win both the Italian and 

Donington grand Prix, while Hans 

Stuck won another European Mountain 

(Hill climb) Championship. In 1939 

before the outbreak of the second 

World War, Nuvolari won the 

Yugoslavia Grand Prix and Hermann P 

Muller won the French Grand Prix. 

© Pete Austin



La Vie en Blue Can Can girls 

1938 Bugatti Type 57C Corsica style Special Roadster 


1932 Bugatti Type 55 Grand Sport 


Bugatti Brescia 

The Bugatti Owners Club, who run the Prescott Hill 

climb course, put on a fantastic display of Bugatti on 

their stand. The 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Corsica Style 

Special Roadster which had been re-bodied in the mid 

1960’s in the style of the famous Colonel Giles 

Corsica Roadster ‘La Petite Sezanne’ looked fabulous 

but the star was the 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Grand Sport 

in a red and black paint scheme.YP 8506 is a famous 

Bugatti Brescia as campaigned for many years by 

Hamish Moffat. Modern EB110 from 1991 was one of 

only 139 built. A couple of beautiful cancan girls were 

promoting La Vie En Blue weekend at Prescott. 

1991 Bugatti EB110 



© Simon Wright © Janet Wright 

Winning 1962 Volkswagen Beetle 1200 Deluxe 


The Meguiars Club 

Showcase is their annual 

show within a show, where 

the best 16 cars from 

different shows held all over 

the country during the year 

are pitted against each 

other. An independent panel 

of experts pick the best of 

the show cars. Meguiars support various classic car shows during the year, 

and the 

best car at 

each show 

is brought 

to the NEC 

and displayed on their stand. This year the selection was quite diverse with cars ranging 

from a 1959 Isetta 300 ‘bubble car’, a 1971 Renault 12 TL through a 1973 Citroen D Super 


1959 Isetta 300 


5 to an 1969 Jaguar E-Type Roadster 

Series 2 and a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT 

SWB Berlinetta. After voting the 

winner was a 1962 Volkswagen 

Beetle 1200 Deluxe owned by Wayne 

McCarthy from Ireland. The car was 

first sold in Sweden and was not 

imported in to the UK until 2008. The 

engine was completely rebuilt and 

bored out to 1384cc and fitted with 

twin 34 carbs. A complete body off restoration 

was completed, air suspension and Porsche 

Fuch wheels fitted. This car came through from 

the VolksWorld Show 2012. Another of Wayne’s 

former cars was also in the top 16. An unusual 

1967 Type 34 Karmann Ghia Razor Edge which 

he recently sold to Richard Percival. Only five 

points separated the top four cars. 

1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 

engine (Right) 

1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta 

1967 Type 34 Karmann Ghia Razor Edge 

© Simon Wright

1961 Mercedes Benz W198 300 SL. Developed from the Gullwing Coupe, only 1,858 built. 


Liberace’s 1931 Cadillac V8 Golf Tourer 

Photo Gallery from the show 




TVR Car Club laid out a grid 

of racing TVR sports cars. 

At the front a 1962 TVR 

Grantura Mk3 and a 1965 

TVR Griffith 400 

There was a large Jaguar 

presence at the Show. This is 

a 1990 Jaguar XJ-S V12 H.E. 

Convertible Automatic Coupe 

© Simon Wright


Clark Gable’s 1949 Jaguar XK120 

1940 Aston Martin Atom prototype 




Ferrari 166 Inter Coupe 

Touring Superleggera. 37 

were built between 1948 and 

1950 powered by a 1995cc 

V12 engine producing 110 

BHP. 

1952 Renault 4CV R1062 converted to R1063 Le Mans 845cc 55bhp. 


Rare Ginetta G11 fitted 

with Ford V8 engine 

instead of normal 

MGB. One of only six 

built by Ginetta to full 

G10 specification 


Bitter CD 1973-9 Based on the Opel 

Diplomat chassis and fitted with 5.3 

litre Chevrolet V8 engine. 390 

coupes have been produced with 

only 2 CD’s in the UK. Top speed 

131 MPH 0-60 in 10 seconds. 





De Tomaso Guara Barchetta 


1963 BMW 700 Sport Coupe. 

Powered by a 693cc 2 cylinder 

horizontally opposed 4 stroke 

engine producing 32 BHP with 

the Sport boosted to 42 BHP.


Norton Commando JPN Replica 828cc 1974 


Classic Motorcycle Show 




Moto Guzzi

original car purchase price of £801 This made the cars very expensive and in two years only 40 were produced. 

There are only thought to be seven cars surviving. This car was supplied to Mrs Minnie Clarke of Woodford 

Green, London, in March 1964 at a cost of £683 12 shillings and 9 pence on top of the price of the basic car. At 

the same time, a new Ford Cortina Super Mk1 would have cost just £688. 



Hooper Capri 

Another rare car at the 

Classic Motor Show was 

the Hooper Capri. Only 

40 versions of this car 

were built, this being 

number 25. Hooper was 

a coach builder, and in 

the late 1950’s the 

market for coach built 

bodies was in decline, so 

Hooper decided to offer 

luxury upgrades to 

existing cars, and with 

the backing of Ford, they offered upgrades to the Consul Capri and 

Zodiac Mk3. The Capri upgrade included a re-designed Connolly leather 

interior, re-designed tail lights and front grill, a fully carpeted boot interior 

and the car painted in 

whatever colour the 

customer required. The 

basic upgrade started at 

£500 and with up to 40 

modifications possible, 

the price could rise to 

over £1,000 on top of the 

Lancia Augusta Tipo 234 March Special 

The Augusta first appeared in 1932 and is celebrating it’s 80th anniversary in 2012. This 

car belonged to the Earl of March (Freddie March) and was used by him in competition. It 

was one of the team cars that won the 1935 JCC meeting at Brooklands. Freddie and his 

friend Brian Lewis (Lord Essendon) drove the car to the 1935 Monaco Grand Prix, where 

Tazio Nuvolari gave it a quick trip round the circuit. He was impressed with the 1170cc 

supercharged performance. They then met Taruffi, a racing mechanic and driver who also 

had a tuned Augusta. A sprint race was organised between the two cars on the Moyen 

Corniche road above Monte Carlo. The March car was easily the fastest. In 1936 a hill 

climb was organised at the Earls home, Goodwood (The first Festival of Speed) where 

Freddie set the fastest time of the day. 



© Simon Wright

Tasman Revival meeting Sydney Motorsport Park 

November 23-25 2012 

Visiting British driver Greg Thornton (McRae GM1 #22) leading Alan Dunkley (Lola T140 #42), Chris Lambden (McRae GM1) and Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) in the first F5000 race at the Tasman 

Revival meeting at the Sydney Motorsport Park © Fast Company/Grant Paterson 

Saturday report NEW CAR JUST THE TICKET FOR THORNTON 

A new car has proved just the ticket for visiting British driver Greg Thornton at the big Tasman Revival classic motor racing meeting in Sydney this 

weekend. Thornton won both today's F5000 category races at Sydney Motorsport Park in his ex Stuart Lush McRae GM1 and says he couldn't be 

happier with his latest purchase. "I'm over the moon, " he said after leading home fastest qualifier and Friday race winner Andrew Robson in the second 

of today's six-lap races at the Sydney Motorsport Park. "I should have bought a Kiwi car years ago!" Thornton owns several classic racing cars but was 

forced to look for a new MSC NZ F5000 series mount when the ex Peter Gethin Chevron B24 and ex Sam Posey Surtees TS8 he has previously raced 

here were badly damaged by fire earlier this year. Both cars are being rebuilt but Thornton didn't want to rush the job so he bought the McRae, a car he is 

familiar with but only got to sit in for the first time on Thursday. The GM1, designed and built by acclaimed New Zealand driver and car designer/ 


© Fast Company/Grant Paterson 

Andrew Robson (Lola T332 # 63) qualified quickest and won Friday's race but was forced out of the 

first Saturday race by a puncture. 

fastest race lap, setting up a fascinating scenario for 

tomorrow's 12-lap F5000 category feature. 

Behind Thornton and Robson the field was fairly evenly 

matched with young gun Dunkley duking it out for the final 

poridum place with Australian Paul Zazryn (Lola T332), expat 

Kiwi Chris Lambden (McRae GM1), and fellow Kiwis Ian 

Clements, Russell Greer (both Lola T332) and Stan Redmond 

(Lola T333CS). Local category stalwart Aaron Lewis (Matich 

A50) was second quickest in qualifying but had throttle 

problems in the first two races. Eric Haga and Bruce Lesson 

also struggled with issues in the first two races but had them 

sorted for the third. 

The crowd favourite though? That had to be Alan Dunkley, the 

young Aucklander running where no Class A (for early model 

cars) have run before, despite damage caused by a spinning 

car on Thursday forcing he, his father Paul and a small group 

of helpers to miss the rest of the practice sessions as they 

repaired the nose cone and radiator. Brushing aside the early 

setback Dunkley set the fourth quickest lap time in the 

Triumph sports car line up TR4, TR3 and a 


constructor Graham McRae, has always been a popular choice amongst 

MSC NZ F5000 series drivers. And now that he has driven one 

Thornton says he understands why. "It is very nimble, very responsive 

and talks to you as a driver in a way that other cars don't." 

Though the weekend's races do not carry points for the 2012/13 MSC 

NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, the meeting attracted a 17strong 

category entry with a fairly even split of drivers from Australia 

and New Zealand and the balance made up Thornton from Great 

Britain and Eric Haga and US-based Australian Bruce Lesson from the 

United States. Top local driver Andrew Smith, driving the original ex 

Ken Smith Lola T332, was comfortably the quickest qualifier and went 

on to win the meeting's first F5000 category race on Friday from 

Thornton and giant-killing young Kiwi Alan Dunkley in one of the 

early high-wing Lola T140s, but Robson was forced to retire from the 

lead in the first of two races today (Saturday) with a flat rear tyre, 

meaning he had to start the second from P13 on the grid. That he was 

able to work his way back up to second place behind Thornton in just 

six laps proved he had the pace, but to his credit Thornton set the 


Chris Lambden (McRae GM1 # 27) leads Paul Zazryn (Lola 332 # 24) and Russell Greer (Lola T332 # 14) into 

the hairpin at Sydney Motorpsort Park)

Young Kiwi Alan Dunkley 

qualified fourth quickest in the 

repaired Lola T140 before 

going on to finish second in the 

first race on Saturday 

Lambden got an early jump on 

Robson off the line but Robson was 

back into second before the end of the 

first lap and Lambden was relegated 

to third by Paul Zazryn a lap later. 

Category young gun Alan Dunkley 

(Lola T140) was again in the 

hunt early on, only to have a ball-joint 

in his car's gear change mechanism 

break. Fellow Kiwi Russell Greer was 

also out early, in his case becasue of a 

broken brake caliper. That left twotime 

former MSC NZ F5000 Tasman 

Cup Revival Series champion Ian 

Clements in fourth place ahead of an 

entertaining battle for fifth eventually 

settled in favour of David Abbott 

(Lola T430). With fellow series 



qualifying session on Saturday morning before finishing third in 

the first race, runner-up to Thornton in the second and fifth in 

the third. 

ROBSON TOPS ALL-AUSTRALIAN PODIUM IN 

SYDNEY F5000 FINAL 

The hosts got their revenge in the 10-lap feature Formula 

5000 final at the Tasman Revival historic motor racing meeting 

in Sydney on Sunday with Andrew Robson (Lola T332) topping 

an all-Australian podium. Melbourne man Robson set the fastest 

lap time in qualifying and won the first of the big biennial 

event's four F5000 category races on Friday but was forced out 

of the second on Saturday morning by a puncture, leaving 

visiting British driver Greg Thornton to win that race and the 

next in his newly acquired McRae GM1. Thornton also led 

Sunday's 10-lap final for the first three laps before his McRae's 

engine overheated, gifting the lead and eventual victory to 

Robson from fellow Victorians Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) and 

Chris Lambden (McRae GM1). 


Andrew Robson (#63) on his way to winning the race


Chris Lambden (#27) leading Paul Zazryn (#24), Alan Dunkley and Ian Clements. 

Russell Greer (Lola T332 #14) from 

Blenheim is one of the seven MSC NZ 

F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series 

drivers who competed at the 2012 

Tasman Revival historic motor racing 

meeting in Sydney. 

© Fast Company/Alex Mitchell 


stalwart Stan Redmond (Lola T333 CS) Abbott slowly but surely worked 

his way forward, starting 13th and pipping Redmond - who had been 

eighth at the end of the first lap and got to fifth by lap six - for fifth on 

the final lap. The other big mover in Sunday's race was US-based 

Australian Bruce Leeson (McLaren M10B) who was ninth at the end of 

the first lap but who got as high as fifth mid-race before being reeled 

in and shuffled back to seventh by Redmond and Abbott. 

The focus of the MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series now 

returns to New Zealand with the next two rounds at the NZ Festival of 

Motor Racing - Denny Hulme meetings at Hampton Downs in January. 

The series then heads south for the annual Skope Classic meeting at 

Christchurch's Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna Park in February. 

Prepared by FAST COMPANY of behalf of the New Zealand Formula 5000 Association 

www.F5000.co.nz For more information about the 2012/13 MSC New Zealand F5000 Tasman 

Cup Revival Series contact Ross MacKay on via e-mail on ross@fastcompany.co.nz 

© Fast Company/Alex Mitchell 

Alan Dunkley (Lola T140 #42) from Auckland.

Race 1 (Fri 6 laps) 

1. Andrew Robson 9:08.9903 

2. Greg Thornton 9:15.7314 

3. Alan Dunkley 9:26.9447 

4. Chris Lambden 9:30.4474 

5. Paul Zazryn 9:30.6675 

6. Russell Greer 9:31.9548 

7. Ian Clements 9:33.5357 

8. Bill Hemming 9:47.4462 

9. Lindsay O'Donnell 9:48.6710 

10. David Abbott 9:57.4721 

11. Phil Mauger 9:59.5539 

12. Rod Carroll 10:00.3112 

13. Jay Bondini 10:25.1200 

DNF. Eric Haga, Stan Redmond Aaron Lewis Bruce Leeson 

Fastest lap: Andrew Robson 1:30.1357* 

Race 2 (Sat 6 laps) 







7. Stan Redmond 9:38.8706 



10. Rod Carroll 9:50.5962 

11. Phil Mauger 9:58.6348 

DNF. Aaron Lewis, Andrew Robson, Jay Bondini, 

Bruce Leeson, Eric Haga 

Fastest lap Andrew Robson 1:30.8665 

Race 3 (Sat 6 laps) 


2. Andrew Robson 9:23.2945 






8. Stan Redmond 9:37.8186 

9. Aaron Lewis 9:39.9789 

10. Bruce Leeson 9:43.8000 


12. Phil Mauger 9:48.5595 




14. Lindsay O'Donnell 9:50.3617 

15. Eric Haga 10:34.1020 

DNF Jay Bondini 

Fastest lap: Greg Thornton 1:30.8805 

Race 4 (Sunday) 10 Laps 

1. Andrew Robson (Lola T332) 15:39.6796 

2. Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) 15:49.9930 

3. Chris Lambden (McRae GM1) 15:57.9440 

4. Ian Clements (Lola T332) 15:58.3667 

5. David Abbott (Lola T430) 15:59.8065 

6. Stan Redmond (Lola T333 CS) 16:00.3078 

7. Bruce Leeson (McLaren M10B) 16:00.6481 

8. Bill Hemming (Elfin MR8)16:00.9047 

9. Rod Carroll (Lola T140) 16:16.3586 

10. Aaron Lewis (Matich A50) 16:20.2618 

11. Jay Bondini (Lola T332) 15:44.6814 

12. Eric Haga (Lola T10) 17:03.8045 

DNF Greg Thornton, Alan Dunkley, Russell Greer 

All-Australian podium in the final Formula 5000 race at the Tasman Revival meeting in Sydney with (from left) 

second-placed Paul Zazryn, winner Andrew Robson and third-placed Chris Lambden.



Triumph Herald Cadillac Triumph TR4 

© Simon Wright © Simon Wright 

A pair of Mk2 Ford Escorts Rochdale Olympic 

Moat House Inn Classic Car meet, 

Alcester 

Sunday 25th November 2012 

By Simon Wright. 

A bright sunny Sunday morning in the middle of 

all the heavy rain showers brought a small but 

dedicated group of car enthusiasts out for the 

monthly car meeting at the Moat House inn, 

Alcester. The turn out was smaller than usual 

due to flooding in the area. The main A435 on 

which the pub is located was badly flooded only 

500 yards up the road towards Birmingham. 

The flood was passable with care, but many 

classic owners would not bring their cars out in 

such conditions. Here is a gallery of some of 

the cars that did turn up.


Austin 7 Triumph TR3 

© Simon Wright © Simon Wright 

Lancia Delta Integrale Austin saloon 

Classic and Competition Car is published by simonwrightphotos.com E-mail simonwright57@hotmail.com 



© Janet Wright

Classic & Competition Car - Classic and Competition Car

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