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Lister Bristols imported to America


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#1 Gil Bouffard

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Posted 15 March 2001 - 01:42

I have just gone through a bit with a guy named John Coelho who has a website (http://coldplugs.homestead.com) with old pictures from Lime Rock Park. I found the site interesting because I used to hitch hike from Litchfield to Lime Rock and in 1957 watched Caroll Shelby wack the daylights out of Briggs Cunningham's D-Types. In the spring race he did it with John Edgar's 300S Maserati. In the late Summer/Fall race, he came back with Edgar's 450S to score a double.

Of interest was one photograph of a "flatiron," bodied Lister-Bristol. I remembered seeing that car at Lime Rock. I also had read "Archie and the Listers," by Robert Edwards. John was not quite sure that the car was indeed a Bristol engined Lister. I started a dialog with him to finally sort out the original American driver (John Norwood) of the car and verify that it was a Lister Bristol. Now comes the fun part. John said that someone told him that it was a Lister Maserati and the Archie Scott Brown had driven it. Mr. Edwards book has a rather comprehensive list of all cars produced by Brian Lister. As our talks continued (ongoed?), John provided me with one more bit of helpful information. The car had been registered in England as NVE 732.

NVE 732 turned out to be a 1955 Lister Bristol Chassis BHL 7. this car was raced by Archie Scott Brown once at Brands Hatch. However, the body type was not the one that BHL 7 appeared with at Lime Rock. Rather it was what they called the "Dan Dare," body by Lucas-Wakefield. This style body was distinguished by its Lotus like fins over the rear wheels.

Well now, Having identified the car, where it it today? Especially because it appears to have been the only Lister Bristol in America.

Does anybody know?

Gil Bouffard

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#2 David McKinney

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Posted 15 March 2001 - 19:40

Don’t know the fate of the Norwood (ex-Cunningham-Reid) car, Gil. But in 1959 the names of Bob Colombosian, R Kahmer and Jack Walsh all appear as Lister-Bristol drivers in the results of US races. There’s also a listing for Ray Erickson in 1957, which I think was before Norwood?
Not a Lister-Bristol, certainly, but BHL1 (MER303), the works Maserati-powered car, was at Laguna Seca last year in the name of John Harden.
Those are the only two small (sub-2-litre) Listers I know of with US connections



#3 Gil Bouffard

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Posted 17 March 2001 - 23:00

According to John Coelho BHL 7 gained a small Buick when Colombosian drove it. Also, Coelho says that someone stated that the body as pictured on his site was the Lister Maserati. It does look that way as Archie's car had to large air holes under the windscreen. That being the case, the Maserati body (minus deck lid and bonnet), may have been fitted to BHL 7 before it was sold in Anerica.

I say decklid, because the Scott Brown Lister Maserati did not have a head rest.

Gil

#4 Gil Bouffard

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Posted 17 March 2001 - 23:37

In "Archie and the Listers," Robert Edwards reports that Ormsby Issard-Davies exchanged BHL 3, a Lister Bristol Registered VPP 9 for the Lister Maserati BHL 1 registered MER303.

BHL 3 VPP 9 is the Lister Jaguar that Archie crashed at Spa.

Additionally, Robert Edwards states about the Lister Maserati "Despite the trouble they were to have with the car, Archie was inordinately fond of it. He regularly used to drop by the Moore workshop just to listen to it running, so much did he enjoy the sound of a highly-tuned short-stroke twin-cam engine. It handled superbly, of course, a feature of the car which Archie did full justice to whenever the opportunity arose, which was sadly seldom. The car reappeared at the time of writing, owned by Syd Silverman, the American collector and enthusiast, after a total restoration. Ironically, the engine - not the original troublesome lump - is fine. Silverman owns several Listers, all of which, admits Brian Lister, are probably rather better than new.

There was never any plan to sell Lister-Maseratis to the public, although the flat-iron body was offered to Lister-Bristol clients, its lines rather inevitably spoiled by a huge haystack on the bonnet to accommodate the tall engine."

BTW either my fingers need to go on a diet or they should move the 'M' further from the 'N'. I meant to say America.

Gil


#5 David McKinney

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Posted 18 March 2001 - 06:34

I hope I didn't confuse the issue by throwing in reference to the Lister-Maser. Just my way of saying I didn't know of any other Lister-Bristols going to the US, but the (similar) Lister-Maser did. It was still in the UK in the early 1990s, but Silverman had it in 1995, and is possibly still the owner (notwithstanding someone else driving it at Laguna Seca last year)

#6 Gil Bouffard

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Posted 18 March 2001 - 20:45

David,

You didn't confuse the issue at all.. I guess I would like to know for sure the Chassis number for Silverman's car..

Gil

#7 arttidesco

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 01:33

My Rowdy buddy Steve Arnaudin of Brevard NC recently kindly sent me some photo's his Dad took in the late 1950's to early 1960's.

Posted Image

The scan of the carousel box identifies this photo as being taken at Thompson CT in 1958. I looked at RacingSportsCars.com where there was a meeting on 1st September 1958 but there are no details for a #23 or Lister Bristol having been entered.

Posted Image

If any one has any ideas as to who raced it, or knows anything else about the car I'd like to pass the information back to Steve.

Thanking you in anticipation.

#8 David Birchall

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 01:58

I would strongly suggest contacting John Coelho at www.coldplugs.com


#9 arttidesco

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 08:49

I've just had a look at www.coldplugs.com David thanks for the tip I'll be in touch with John regarding the whole collection Steve sent me :up:

#10 Terry O'Neil

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 11:22

My Rowdy buddy Steve Arnaudin of Brevard NC recently kindly sent me some photo's his Dad took in the late 1950's to early 1960's.

Posted Image

The scan of the carousel box identifies this photo as being taken at Thompson CT in 1958. I looked at RacingSportsCars.com where there was a meeting on 1st September 1958 but there are no details for a #23 or Lister Bristol having been entered.

Posted Image

If any one has any ideas as to who raced it, or knows anything else about the car I'd like to pass the information back to Steve.

Thanking you in anticipation.


I strongly suspect that the photos were not taken at Thompson, but at Lime Rock. It could well have been 20th July 1958 where J Cuomo raced a Lister-Bristol on # 123 (he finished 1st in class E) The cars in the background of the first photo also appear at that meeting.
There is a great deal of information in the book "Northeast American Sports Car Races 1950-1959"
Terry

#11 arttidesco

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 11:42

I strongly suspect that the photos were not taken at Thompson, but at Lime Rock. It could well have been 20th July 1958 where J Cuomo raced a Lister-Bristol on # 123 (he finished 1st in class E) The cars in the background of the first photo also appear at that meeting.
There is a great deal of information in the book "Northeast American Sports Car Races 1950-1959"
Terry


Thanks for you help Terry, I have some pics of the track with a pit complex (?) being built on what looks like a small incline, I also have some pics of the Lime Rock pits which look relatively open and flat by comparison. Maybe I need to open a new thread dedicated to sorting out where these pics were taken.

#12 raceannouncer2003

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 19:45

I strongly suspect that the photos were not taken at Thompson, but at Lime Rock. It could well have been 20th July 1958 where J Cuomo raced a Lister-Bristol on # 123 (he finished 1st in class E) The cars in the background of the first photo also appear at that meeting.
There is a great deal of information in the book "Northeast American Sports Car Races 1950-1959"
Terry


Sorry, Terry, but doesn't your book say the 20th July 1958 race was at Thompson? And the driver of the #123 Lister-Bristol was listed as R. Cuomo (Ray Cuomo?)

Vince H.


#13 Terry O'Neil

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Posted 16 November 2010 - 22:22

Sorry, Terry, but doesn't your book say the 20th July 1958 race was at Thompson? And the driver of the #123 Lister-Bristol was listed as R. Cuomo (Ray Cuomo?)

Vince H.


I hang my head in shame. That's what happens when you have a firm conviction of what you think it is without bothering to check. My apologises for a lapse into laziness.
Terry

#14 David Birchall

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Posted 17 November 2010 - 00:48

Ray Cuomo was in the SanFrancisco area in the eighties-I recall him racing a with us in a Genie powered by an Alfa engine I think. He may still be in CSRG.

#15 arttidesco

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Posted 17 November 2010 - 09:24

I hang my head in shame. That's what happens when you have a firm conviction of what you think it is without bothering to check. My apologises for a lapse into laziness.
Terry


Happens all the time at my end of the learning curve :-)

Thanks for your kind offer Terry, I am clearing it with Steve, expect from him presently :-)

Cheers

#16 Sharman

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Posted 17 November 2010 - 12:37

Does anybody know who R.H. Smith of the Curtis Smith Racing Team was? On Sept 6 1958 he was entered at SUNBAC Ailverstone in a Lister Maserati. On the 11 Oct same year the team had 3 entries at Oulton, namely R.H.Smith in a Connaught , (type not known ) an A35 for J.O.S. Bailey and an Eleven for W.E.J.Allen . Could it have been Robin Smith, Julian Bailey and Bill Allen in formative years?

#17 David McKinney

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Posted 17 November 2010 - 15:49

R H Smith raced the ex-Coombs Connaught ALSR in 1958 and 1959, and I believe was Robin. In the latter year he also raced the JBW-Maserati sportscar, at Zeltweg at least

Bill Allen of later Team Elite and historic racing fame was indeed W E J Allen




#18 bradbury west

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Posted 17 November 2010 - 17:57

The same Robin Smith who raced a Lotus Cortina in the early/mid 60s? Bill Allen is/was father of the .....Allen chap who did the ITV F1 programme, and was close to Nigel Moores in business in days of yore. Anyone with a contact from those days?
Roger Lund

#19 RobMk2a

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Posted 01 December 2015 - 10:41

Another TVR racing related question - in conversation with Mike Allen he says Brian Naylor crashed his JBW in practice for the Oulton Park Gold Cup on 26th Sept 1959, I understand Brian was fairly badly injured but recovered for the following season (as an aside Stanley Hart ex TVR racer came 7th in the Gold Cup in a T43 Cooper Climax).

Robin Smith then entered the 2 litre JBW Maserati for Colin Murray (Ex Frazer Nash racer) at the Internationales Autorennen Innsbruck on 4th Oct 1959. Robin also raced his TVR- Climax RMW 112 in 2 races one for GT's up to 1300 and one Sportscars with the JBW Maserati. It looks as though Robin came last in both races, however he was up against OSCA, Lotus, Porsche RSK and 2litre Maserati in the sports car race and Alfa Romeo GSV, GSS and Zagato in the GT race. The TVR also looks to have been driven to Austria with a GB plate on the back. Apart from the Jomar's in U.S. I think this is one of the first international races for TVR.

Does anyone know where Robin Smith's garage was and was there any commercial relationship with Brian Naylor or was he just helping out after Brian's crash. Has it been confirmed that Robin is the same person as the Curtis Smith Racing /Lotus Cortina.

There are good photos of Innsbruck on www.techishesmusuem.at

Thank you Rob