96 replies to this topic

[Allen Brown]

Or, to be precise, The Chequered Flag (Grand Touring Cars) Ltd of Gemini House, High Street, Edgware.

I've found them advertising a 1963 Brabham and the name rings many bells but I just can't recall the names.

Thanks

Allen

[sterling49]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Or, to be precise, The Chequered Flag (Grand Touring Cars) Ltd of Gemini House, High Street, Edgware.

I've found them advertising a 1963 Brabham and the name rings many bells but I just can't recall the names.

Thanks

Allen

Was that not the company that Graham Warner was associated with? In the '60's they used to run the Chequered Flag Brabham and then Techno Dafs? Mike Beckwith and various other drivers involved, and, if it is the same company, ran Tom Pryce, Per Inge Walfriddson in the Chequered Flag Rally Stratos in '74/'75.

[Vitesse2]

Graham Warner indeed. They also built the Gemini Formula Juniors.

[Mistron]

there was an article in Motorsport (I think) a few months ago on the company (certainly during '06)

[Twin Window]

Weren't their F3 cars sponsored by Scalextric for a time in the 1960s?

[sterling49]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Graham Warner indeed. They also built the Gemini Formula Juniors.

He had a long career! Did he not start as a driver?I am trying to remember some of the guys that drove for him, other than the ones named already, Mike Walker, Robin Widdows, Roy Pike? His cars were always immaculately turned out in the team's white and black livery. The Variomatics were new and quite competitive in F3 at the time. I was spectating on the '75 Welsh International Rally when Walfridsson was driving the Stratos, he came into view tail first, with the bark of that Ferrari V6 bouncing off the trees, great days

[sterling49]

Originally posted by Twin Window
Weren't their F3 cars sponsored by Scalextric for a time in the 1960s?

Spot on Twinny, I think it was Mike Walker that drove one of these.

[sterling49]

Shows the Variomatic transmission in place of the normal Hewland and interesting pictures of Jack Brabham.

http://www.racehisto...l/daf/daf_m.htm

[Twin Window]

Originally posted by sterling49

Spot on Twinny, I think it was Mike Walker that drove one of these.

Ian Ashley too, IIRC.

[2Bob]

Come on guys, surely better memories than mine can work here....

Surely they were one of those organisations that aspiring Aussies wanted to work for (and get a drive for) in the early 1970s.. Didn't Richard Knight have a drive with them (ex Australian FF driver)?

Mention of the DAFs reminds me that many of the new cars these days use the same sort of transmissions.. Honda Jazz, Nissan (luxury?) 4WD???, Honda HRV. Known as CVT these days I think. Belt drive anyway.

[bradbury west]

And do not forget , OTOMH, GPG4C the fabulous Cobra raced by Roy Pike in the Ilford 500 apart from elsewhere.

Roger Lund.

[David McKinney]

The only problem with all the above is that, as everyone surely knows, Graham Warner's Chequered Flag company was based in Chiswick.
Did they have a branch in Edgware?

[sterling49]

Originally posted by David McKinney
The only problem with all the above is that, as everyone surely knows, Graham Warner's Chequered Flag company was based in Chiswick.
Did they have a branch in Edgware?

It was the Chiswick address that springs to mind, but they also had an Edgware branch I believe.

[Roger Clark]

Originally posted by sterling49


It was the Chiswick address that springs to mind, but they also had an Edgware branch I believe.

And one in Nottingham.

[Sharman]

LOV 1 versus DAD10

[Fred Gallagher]

.....and in February 1979 Derek Boyd and I went sideways into a wall on the Galway rally in a Chequered Flag Triumph TR7 V8 and I limp to this day because of it!

Fred

[Alan Cox]

Originally posted by David McKinney

The only problem with all the above is that, as everyone surely knows, Graham Warner's Chequered Flag company was based in Chiswick.

Two adverts from Autosport in 1966.

I notice that, later that year, the Edgware address had become the London Sports Car Centre.

[humphries]

In its early racing days the Chequered Flag team employed a young Mike Beuttler and he obviously was well in with Autosport as he penned end of season reviews in this magazine, for the 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1961 seasons.

These can be found in the following issues 27/02/1959, a three-parter in 1960 (01/04, 08/04 and 29/04) and in two parts 27/01/1961 and 03/02/1961 and again in 1962, (12/01 and 19/01).

Again in the issue of 27/01/1967 there was a review of the 1966 season.

The Gemimi Formula Junior Mk 2 was featured in the issue 08/01/1960.

John

[Sharman]

The front engined Gemini was based on the Moorland, what is known about that car, who designed it who built it etc?

[Vitesse2]

According to David Hodges, the one-off Moorland was "laid down by Len Terry" and "seen through to completion by Les Redmond". Chequered Flag "adopted" it and Redmond refined it into the Gemini MkII.

[ianselva]

The Moorland is still being raced and can be seen at most Formula Junior meetings., in its original form still.

[LOTI]

Chris [Irwin] raced for Graham Warner at the 'Flag' in '65 and '66, driving the F3 Brabham as well as the smaller Cobra.
There was a good article in Motor Sport, September 05 called Chequered History which is an interview with Graham but I also have an article written by Mike Beuttler in Autosport, January 27th '67 which I would like to quote:
Summing up at the end of the season showed that the Chequered Flag team had gained 19 first pplaces, 17 of which were garnered by Chris, with 9 seconds, five thirds and three fourths. We had a 90 per cent reliability record, with only six retirements in the whole year from 63 F3 starts, a great tribute to the two mechanics Bill Grainger and John Jackson.

Graham and Bill certainly gave Chris a terrific car in '66 to battle those works Lotus F3s from Charles Lucas Engineering.
Loti

[BarryD]

Ivan Dutton started his career working at "The Flag" in his youth, at Chiswick...working on elites etc...as we all know he has had a very successful career in motorsport and went on to star in the Radio One and Castrol saloon series in his quick and carefully prepared Escorts and Capris (and others) and to subsequently become one of the premier Bugatti restorers and racers.

I well remember the showroom on the Edgeware Road in Stanmore too, and blagging my way in to sit in a D type in the showroom.
Sadly my paper-round wages would not stretch at that time..........

BD

[Geoff E]

Re: The Chequered Flag

The July 1967 edition of Motor Sport has them at the aforementioned Chiswick High Road addresses ... plus Arkwright Street, Nottingham.

[Huw Jadvantich]

As well as Walfridson's Stratos and the TR8 (Fred G do you remember your spannerman Don Fenwick?), Warner ran Rob Widdows and Kiwi Graeme Lawrence in Mclaren M4A F2, (1968 I think).

[Gary C]

does anyone know when they moved from Chiswick? I was born and bred in Chiswick & can remember the Chequered Flag garge. but can't remember when it went.

[Eric McLoughlin]

Warner seems to be more involved in aviation projects these days. He operated a Max Holste Broussard ( a French light utility transport aircarft ) for a number of years and, more famously, funded the restoration of two Bristol Blenheim bombers.

[D-Type]

Somewhat OT. Didn't one of the Great Train Robbers buy an Austin Healey from the Chequered Flag with some of his ill-gotten gains?

[Sharman]

Roy James

[MCS]

Originally posted by Gary C
does anyone know when they moved from Chiswick? I was born and bred in Chiswick & can remember the Chequered Flag garge. but can't remember when it went.

About seven (?) years ago, Gary...it's a block of flats now

[scarbs]

I recall the chequered flag in Edgware, It was around at least from the early seventies. As a child living just around the corner and my mum working in the adjacent office (Greenshield stamps, remember them...?), I often used to do the schoolboy thing of face pressed to the window and stared at the cars. I recall they sold mainly second hand fast road cars, with a few racecars (saloons & single seaters) always present in the small showroom, glassfronted on two sides allowing two views of the cars at the front. I went in there as punter only once to look at a Piper roadcar, the man running the show (a south african I recall) told me he raced in F1 (really..?) and an orange McLaren single seater (possibly a F5000 as it ran on carbs) was sat in the showroom. They had a small lock up unit around the back but I never saw anything like a racecar workshop around there.
They closed the shop around the late eighties, where it lay empty until the glass windows were boarded up and turned into a temple of some sort. Which was a shame as the Edgware Lotus centre must have closed around the same time leaving my home town with only a Ford and Austin Rover dealership for automotive interest.

Scarbs...

[hipperson]

Is Graham Warner still with us........?

If he is can someone give me contact details I have some great unpublished photographs he might like to see

Thanks

[ace woodington]

Graham Warner is very much still with us.

But, I have his contact details, and I am uncertain about putting them on the forum.

Could Twiggy advise as to the correct corse of action.

[Gary C]

who's this Twiggy woman then??

[Gary C]

ace, probably better not to post personal details on the forum, you can always PM or e-mail (Michael) hipperson through the forum instead.

[hipperson]

Ace

You have pm...........

Thanks

Michael

[RichardW154]

Graham Warner is very much still with us.

But, I have his contact details, and I am uncertain about putting them on the forum.

Could Twiggy advise as to the correct corse of action.

Dear Ace,

I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me whether Graham Warner is still with us, as this post is from 2007. I only ask as we have a very interesting vehicle we own, that could have possibly be owned by him. The Vehicle is a '61 Lotus Elite, which seems to be a Team Elite vehicle with the engine being from a Chequered Flag car. The reg on the car is 8802 TE. I have been researching this vehicle for a few months now and I've encountered a dead end, and before we restore it, I'm looking for some clarity on the vehicles history, so I would greatly appreciate your help.

Kind Regards,

Richard Ward

[RCH]

Interesting. I worked in Edgware from 1974 and remember Chequered Flag being there, although I cannot remember ever visiting them! I can remember Green Shield Stamps in Edgware as well. Norman Hillwood, Lister Jaguar driver, ran a jewellers very close to there, I remember going in there once, I think to get something valued, not realising the motor racing connection, spending a long time chatting and completely forgetting what I went in for.

I believe Chequered Flag in Chiswick had become a mundane Vauxhall dealers by the time they closed. A friend of mine (for you Aussies Mike Kable's niece) used to deliver cars for them occasionally.

[hatrat]

Dear Ace,

I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me whether Graham Warner is still with us, as this post is from 2007. I only ask as we have a very interesting vehicle we own, that could have possibly be owned by him. The Vehicle is a '61 Lotus Elite, which seems to be a Team Elite vehicle with the engine being from a Chequered Flag car. The reg on the car is 8802 TE. I have been researching this vehicle for a few months now and I've encountered a dead end, and before we restore it, I'm looking for some clarity on the vehicles history, so I would greatly appreciate your help.

Kind Regards,

Richard Ward

Graham Warner is still with us. Richard Heseltine is writing a book on the Flag and accordingly would be in contact with Graham.

[Roy C]

I used to work roughly opposite the Chequered Flag in Chiswick in the late 70's / early 80's and later bought a TVR (they had a dealership) from them in the early 90's. I remember seeing their TR8 rally car proudly displayed in the showroom. I think the name was taken over by a local BL or Vauxhall dealership when the Chequered Flag garage closed. The garage was just across the railway line from the London Transport Bus works skidpan, where the driving instructors would regularly spin a Routemaster full of their students to "encourage" them.

I'm not certain that the "Chequered Flag (Grand Touring Cars) Ltd" showroom in Edgware was the same company. Anyone know?

Edited by Roy C, 28 July 2011 - 09:33.

[johnthebridge]

I'm not certain that the "Chequered Flag (Grand Touring Cars) Ltd" showroom in Edgware was the same company. Anyone know?

Initially they were linked, with the Edgware showroom starting off in the '60s with that name, but it was subsequently changed to "The London Sports Car Centre" when it became a seperate business. Tel. no. 01 952 6171(!). The building in which it operated was known as Gemini House, after the Formula Junior car that Graham Warner built and raced in the 50s.
I worked throughout the 70s for Alan Foster, the "Governor" there, and they were the best days of my working life, if you can call selling the type of cars we handled as "work"!

Edited by johnthebridge, 28 July 2011 - 07:49.

[Gary C]

as an update, here's what the old Chequered Flag premises in Chiswick High Road look like now.........photo taken this very afternoon.

[DogEarred]

as an update, here's what the old Chequered Flag premises in Chiswick High Road look like now.........photo taken this very afternoon.

Did you pick up that free Peugeot while you were there?....

[john winfield]

Working through old programmes and Motor Sports, I was interested to see advertisements for the Nottingham branch of The Chequered Flag, as mentioned above by Roger Clark. An advert in a Mallory Park programme shows it to have been up and running in April 1960 as 'The Midlands' only 100% Sports-Car Specialist'...'The Midlands' Lotus Centre'...'New Lotus Mark VII in stock'....'early delivery of the new Lotus Elite.' 5-11 Arkwright Street, just south of the Midland Station.

I wonder if both the Nottingham and London branches date back to the late 1950s.

Here's a link showing the Nottingham branch (somewhere around 1958-1962?). Are those Loti on the far left?

http://wayneburrowsn...ost-city/017-4/

Hard working in those days, open 9.00am to 7.00pm Monday to Saturday (interesting that Saturday was a 'weekday') plus five hours on Sunday.

Edited by john winfield, 12 September 2012 - 15:28.

[Geoff E]

This would seem to be the Nottingham showroom https://maps.google....p=12,36.87,,0,1

The upper storeys were apparently erased from the old advert. Palm Tree restaurant is 7-11 Arkwright St.

Edited by Geoff E, 12 September 2012 - 17:16.

[hipperson]

Graham called me a year ago and asked me to email Richard Hesletine to let him know I had some good photos ( Graham saw them when he signed them)
I duly did this but have heard nowt since.

I bought my first Elan in 1968 from Alan Foster in Edgeware

Edited by hipperson, 12 September 2012 - 17:56.

[elansprint72]

Out of the blue Amazon inform me that "A Chequered Life" by Richard Heseltine will be delivered tomorrow! I don't know what the production problem has been (I ordered it about 18 months ago and Amazon have contcted me regularly informing of delay) but it looks like my Christmas will be starting early!

[taylov]

Or, to be precise, The Chequered Flag (Grand Touring Cars) Ltd of Gemini House, High Street, Edgware.

I've found them advertising a 1963 Brabham and the name rings many bells but I just can't recall the names.

Thanks

Allen

https://maps.google....21.43,,0,-12.74

 

Hope this works. A Google Street photo of the Edgware High Street premises taken in 2012. Little changed from when I used to walk past it in 1973.

 

Tony

[Gerald Swan]

Roy James

It was Bruce Reynolds who paid £835 for a black Healey, registration number 222 NFC.

[MCS]

as an update, here's what the old Chequered Flag premises in Chiswick High Road look like now.........photo taken this very afternoon.

 

That's the old MLG BMW garage.  The Chequered Flag is further up towards the Chiswick roundabout near Gunnersbury tube.