2963 replies to this topic

[David Beard]

Yes Lee, what Barry said.


Nice signature, by the way!

[leeturne]

Barry and David, I would love to attend the next meeting. When I finally located the last location I realised it would take around two hours to get there. I currently work in West Yorkshire and to get from work to the pub would have entailed the M62 and M6 in rush hour. It's not a pleasant thought at the best of times. However if the next meeting could be a tad closer I will definitely make it.

[indyricefan13]

Hi all,
My name is Peter. I am new on Atlas F1 although I have been posting at TF's nostalgia forum for some time.
I am native Ukrainian and live in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. I have been a huge fan of the Indy 500 and the IRL for a some years now and I am really interested in the history of the '500' and Indy car racing in general. Not really an F1 fan but I still watch the races. I used to be a huge F1 fan and a Ferrari supporter back in the times around 1997 and 1998. The Ferraris constatntly disappointed me and after Irvine didn't win the title in 1999 I turned away from F1. Ironically Ferrari won the title next year.
My hobbies are racing history and current racing in the IRL, V8 Supercars, etc and also foreign languages. I also like heavy metal music.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by indyricefan13
Hi all,
My name is Peter. I am new on Atlas F1 although I have been posting at TF's nostalgia forum for some time.
I am native Ukrainian and live in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. I have been a huge fan of the Indy 500 and the IRL for a some years now and I am really interested in the history of the '500' and Indy car racing in general. Not really an F1 fan but I still watch the races. I used to be a huge F1 fan and a Ferrari supporter back in the times around 1997 and 1998. The Ferraris constatntly disappointed me and after Irvine didn't win the title in 1999 I turned away from F1. Ironically Ferrari won the title next year.
My hobbies are racing history and current racing in the IRL, V8 Supercars, etc and also foreign languages. I also like heavy metal music.

Hello indyricefan13....and welcome...please go back and delete you first attempt....we like to keep things tidy around here!!

I have family friends who come from Lvov (dont understand the use of Lviv in maps etc maybe you can explain?)

oh...and you like heavy metal..listen to some Industrial Metal...Rammstein...I sneak my daughters CDs out of room every now and then...don't tell

[indyricefan13]

Originally posted by 275 GTB-4


Hello indyricefan13....and welcome...please go back and delete you first attempt....we like to keep things tidy around here!!

I have family friends who come from Lvov (dont understand the use of Lviv in maps etc maybe you can explain?)

oh...and you like heavy metal..listen to some Industrial Metal...Rammstein...I sneak my daughters CDs out of room every now and then...don't tell

Hi,
regarding the Lviv-Lvov problem. The city of Lviv has many names. Lwoow in Polish, Lemberg in German, Leopolis etc but there are two that are really used nowadays: Lviv and Lvov. Basically Lvov is Russian and Lviv is Ukrainian. 90% of Lviv (including a proud myself) are Ukrainian speaking so Lviv is used more often. During the time of the Soviet Union (and in eastern Ukraine's case also during the rule of the tsars) the Ukrainian language was not really favored and a big part of Ukraine was russiannized. Fortunately Lviv is one of those towns which remains truly Ukrainian and you don't hear much Russian on the streets.
Another example is with Kiev. The maps always say Kiev and that is unfortunate because it is Russian. The Ukrainian version in Kyiv and after all Ukrainian is the official language.

[Allen Brown]

Welcome Peter.

[raceannouncer2003]

I was born in Toronto, but was a baby when we moved west to live in White Rock, B.C.  In 1947, my mom and dad drove from Toronto to the Pacific coast in a 1933 Essex Terraplane, with five boys and a tent trailer!

Our family started going to sports car races around 1956 at Bellingham, Washington and Abbotsford, B.C.  We later went to races at Shelton, Washington and elsewhere.  We were involved when Westwood was being built. My dad helped build grandstands, and the club house at turn two.  I remember helping with snow fencing.  Once the track opened, one brother was corner marshal at turn one (the Carousel), another at turn three, and my mom and dad were at Deer’s Leap.  I did lap charts at start-finish and for the announcer, Roy Shadbolt.  When Roy passed away, Ron Curties asked me to try announcing, which I did till 1990 when the track closed.

In the 90’s, I went to some vintage events, and at one, I met Dave Tatom and the late Lew Florence, both 50’s and 60’s racers from the Seattle area.  Lew said he had lost all his memorabilia in a fire.  So I gathered up what pictures I could find, copied them, and sent them to him.  After that, with the internet, things got busy!  For example, I have since gathered up pictures of the Rattenbury/Calvert D-type for the present owner, done chassis logs and pictures on local Lotus 15’s for Lotus 15 registrar Bill Colson and on the HWM-Corvette “Stovebolt Special” for present owner, Simon Taylor.  I have lots of programs from U.S. west coast races, late 50’s throughout the 60’s, plus albums of clippings from races of the same era, including Westwood.  I also kept lists of drivers and cars from that time, plus lots of magazines.  Tom Johnston has my old Westwood programs and SCCBC bulletins.  I also help with announcing at the Mission Historics.

I enjoy finding out more about the cars we used to see racing, and meeting the people that were involved with them!  For example, a few years ago at the Seattle Historics, I talked to ten guys that were originally involved with the HWM!  I retired from teaching in June, 2004, so now can spend more time at this!

Vince Howlett, Victoria, B.C., Canada

[eldougo]

Welcome aboard ......Vince . Sounds like you will fit right in well here at TNF.

[Kvadrat]

I have birthday tradition to take picture of myself with something which shows my new age. Yesterday, I turned 31, and here's 2005 picture from birthday gallery.



3.1 isn't completely suitable, but I couldn't find better solution. I try to use new number subject (I already had: coin, car registration number, bus number, building address number, flat number, 28 co-workers, self-made number plate on kart and others) every new time.

[D-Type]

Belated birthday greetings, Vladimir.

[Kvadrat]

Thank you!

[ADW]

Just joined, having been directed to this forum by another devotee (user doesn't sound QUITE right!!).
Anthony by name, living in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia.
Long-time car knut and old(er) Swedish-car enthusiast (both breeds!) with eleven over last 23 years. Currently 3 on the driveway, ranging from 1974 to 1992.
Have recently discovered the joys of a turbo-car, but one set up for maximum torque rather than top-end power - luvverly!!
Might just enjoy a little more exploration of this forum!!
Cheers

[Ray Bell]

Even people from Lapstone are welcome here... though if you're from Blackheath you'll fit in better... and if you look for a recently dug up thread on Catalina Park you'll feel right at home...

Welcome, hope you get well involved.

[maczippy]

Well, I thought it was time to introduce yours truly!

My name is Andrew Wheeler and my wife and I reside on the Central Coast in California about a 20 minute drive from Laguna Seca.

Our long term plans may include returning to Europe to allow me to work more closely in the motorsport field

As some of you may (or may not know) I am a professional motorsport and equestrian photographer who is currently working with (on occasions) LAT, and currently shooting/under assignment for CycleWorld here in the US and for MCN in the UK and I am always available for assignments.

I truly enjoy this forum and certain threads as they bring back lots of lovely memories of a time when I was little and had the coolest parents in the world when it came to anything involving motorsports.

Andrew

[Ray Bell]

Welcome into this corner of Atlas F1, Andrew... we're all looking forward to you dredging up some nice nostalgic photos from your father's albums.

Or yours, of course...

[Bill Wagenblatt]

Hello,

I have been reading from the sidelines for a while and have finally decided to join the forum and introduce myself. No translation required between my user name and my real name. I have lived in Portland, Oregon USA for the past 25 years after moving from Connecticut.

I spent 3 years in Wiesbaden Germany in the 1970s while serving in the Air Force. It was a wonderful opportunity to attend races at the Nurburgring and Hockenheimring. I also was lucky enough to attend the Spa 1000km in 1973 and 1974. After experiencing motor racing at the Ring and Spa its all been down hill from there. Also managed Monaco, Le Mans and Zandvoort.

Lately I have been scanning my archieve of motor racing photos dating back to 1970. Some have been posted on Barchetta.com After I get the hang of posting photos I'll upload some.

Looking forward to meeting other forum members.

[Ray Bell]

Nice to see you check in, Bill...

As for your pics, the sooner the better. But it's best if you try to include them as threads come up on that subject, adding to the subject. Though there's nothing to stop you posting them on one of the photo threads and repeat posting them when the matters arise.

Using the Image Shack setup is easy... www.imageshack.us ... just follow the instructions.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by ADW
Just joined, having been directed to this forum by another devotee (user doesn't sound QUITE right!!).
Anthony by name, living in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia.
Long-time car knut and old(er) Swedish-car enthusiast (both breeds!) with eleven over last 23 years. Currently 3 on the driveway, ranging from 1974 to 1992.
Have recently discovered the joys of a turbo-car, but one set up for maximum torque rather than top-end power - luvverly!!
Might just enjoy a little more exploration of this forum!!
Cheers

Cheers ADW....so glad you didn't call me a user ...those old(er) Swedish-cars are as easy as 123!!

[sandy]

Looking back at my entry of no. 503, p22, 12 Sep 03 and having finally grasped image shack I show a pic of one of the mentioned Victorian Railways streamlined Pacifics, painted Royal Blue with brass lettering, (although the shot is BxW). How about that enormous coal tender? The locomotive is not that much larger than Flying Scotsman, but ran 200 miles non stop, to the state border.

[Ray Bell]

The Spirit of Progress... later to be usurped as a name to be the co-runner with the Southern Aurora on the standardised Sydney-Melbourne line with modern diesel locos.

[sandy]

Ah yes, The Spirit of Progress, Australia's crack express train. Fully streamlined, air conditioned, luxurious. You boarded it at Melbourne and raced along at high speed to the state border en route to Sydney. A slight hiccup then occured. At the border it was necessary to change trains as the Victorian Railways used 5 foot 3 inch gauge but the next state used 4 foot 8 and a half inch gauge.
So in the middle of the night you had to clamber out of the warm and cosy Spirit and cross the platform in the face of those icy cold winds up there and into the NSW Government Railways express and off again. And this up to the 60's too. There were 4 Pacifics designated to just haul the Spirit, they were the glamor locomotives of the VR and they were all accidentally scrapped one afternoon. There is at least one preserved of every type of loco ever used on the VR with one class exception, the 4 S class streamlined Pacifics. Tragic beyond belief.

[Button's Angel]

Hello, i'm Katie and im 20 years old and have been a F1 fan for 9 years now.

[Ray Bell]

Hi Katie...

We're a generally 'more mature' group here, so we definitely welcome your presence... and if you have an interest in racing in days past please ask your questions. It's highly probable you'll get an immediate response.

[WHITE]

Hello,
I have been a pasive visitor since long ago. This is a nice site where I have learnt a lot from you all.
I have been a F1 fan since the early seventies and, if you do not mind, I may even dare to send my opinions too.
My interest for car races start at the end of the sixties but it really grew up from 1970 on basically due to E. Fittipaldi. I was born in Brazil though I live in Spain.

Regards, White

[Pils1989]

Henry suggested I should recall why I'm so passionate about Motor Sport history.
This Forix article does a quite good summary about my family's racing enthusiasm and history: http://8w.forix.com/pilette.html
Teddy is my uncle, Andre is my grand-father and Theodore is my great-grand-father.

[edelweiss]

Hi, I'm edelweiss.
Looking at F1 since 30 years now (since 1975), I always have been an Alan Jones-fan (became one around lap 17 Zeltweg Austria GP 1977). Love all kind of Trivia-questions about F1. Have some knowledge of other racing series.

On a personal note: I am very interested in Swiss trains and will become a daddy for the first time in november.

[mercw125]

Hello,

My name is Paul Butler and I've been a motor sport fan for more years than I care to recall now! I never quite worked out how I became such a fan as no-one in my family were in the slightest bit interested in motor sport at all. I have have variously credited it with walking past David Prophet's garage in Kings Norton every day on my way to Infant & Junior school and having Dave Preece as my dentist!

I can remember seeing some exotic machinery in the garage (and been driven down the road!) and the man himself was always relatively happy to let kids who were interested look at the cars.

At senior school I had some interesting conversations with the physics master who seemed quite impressed that a 12 year old could talk knowledgably about Seaman , Caracciolla and pre-war racing cars!

Being a forward chap in those days I wrote to Raymond Mays and was invited to afternoon tea with him in Bourne - quite a journey on a train in those days!

I spent many happy years in the 70's and 80's trawling around Europe to various GP's and rallys - I often tell my oldest son how I could do a long weekend in Monaco for about the cost of a grandstand ticket to the British GP!

I still follow F1 out of some misguided loyalty but enjoy much more visiting places like Loton Park , Shelsley Walsh , Donington and of course Goodwood!

I'm happy that my son gets to see the classic cars going around courtesty of TGP , VSCC etc. I have never forgotten his reaction at a touring car race a few years ago at Silverstone when he'd been enchanted by the sound of the cars. Then onto the grid came the "old" GP cars and the noise of the Ferrari starting up stunted his growth by a few inches!

[eldougo]

Welcome both Edelweiss and mercw125.It good to have you on TNF and as we always ask ,please do not be backward in telling us stories about you motor racing memories.

Edelweiss.........Alan Jones fan well you got off to a great start with this Aussie TNFer

Paul surely after all those trips to GP you could come up with the odd photograph or two to show us TNFers, that it was the time when F1 was F1 and not a show case for FAST mobile billboards that we have today.

[frogeye59]

Hi,

My name is David Richardson.

Despite my considerable youth .... I've been following motor racing since James Hunt/Hesketh/Lauda/The Lotus "Train" of Mario & Ronnie and of course the spectacular Gilles Villeneuve.

Though, being a Northern Lad, rallying was my main fare for many years from Mk1 'scorts to the end of the GpB (when the Lombard RAC was a proper Rally !!), Vatenan being the man for me during much of this time.

Vatenan and Villeneuve, hope your getting the style of driving I like to see.

Along wth a small and happy band of mates I have had the privilege to attend 4 GP Historique at Monaco, including the 7 out of 7 British Wins ( what a day that was, we even had french & german spectators standing, caps off of course, for "the queen" at the end of the day.......)

All bar one Revival, a few festivals, Oulton Park, Snetterton, Mallory, Brands, Thruxton, Castle Combe, Silverstone, Loton Hill, Shelsley Walsh (probably rubbing shoulders with mercw125 !!) Havent been to Prescott yet but will rectify that on Sunday all being well.

As a member of a classic car club I've had the opportunity to drive (not at speed) Many of the circuits noted above in our 1965 Morris Mini, I also have a Frogeye Sprite.

I still keep up with modern F1 but my passion for the history of the sport has drawn me in further and further over the years, but I'm sure none of you would understand that though !!!!!!!

I'd far rather read about Peking Paris (1st time), Birkin, Barnato, Moss, Jenks, Clark and the rest, than Priaulx, Massa, et al, any day.

Steam, Vintage Aircraft and Land Speed Records also hold a fasination for me, but I'm not an anorak HONEST..

Cheers

David

[David Beard]

Welcome, David.

Just had a look at your website. The Monaco photos are really excellent

[frogeye59]

Thanks David,

We're already planning next years Monaco, wouldnt miss it for the world plus I have a new camera so the pics should an improvement next time too.

Our web site is a little out of date, I really must extract the digit and bring it back up to speed.

Cheers

David

[Dennis David]

We're so mature here I fear that rot is starting to set in.

[Barry Boor]

Dennis, please do not confuse age with maturity!!!!

[Terry Walker]

Hi, I'm Terry Walker and I've been lurking around off and on for a year or so, and I've occasionally put my oar in, usually too late. I hope to put my oar in a little more often.

Born Kalgoorlie Western Australia, end of WW2, watched races at Caversham, had had a brief and unsuccessful go at Wanneroo Park (101 laps in the 1970 Six-Hour before a piston broke). Wrote a book about racing in Western Australia which Ray Bell, then with Racing Car News, edited and laid out ("Around the Houses", 1980, a bit of a legend here in Western Australia). Ray also introduced me to air survey photos of old racing circuits and showed me what was left of Mt Druitt circuit, a great day out!

I seem to remember Ray prying up a chunk of the sacred tarmac and taking it home!

Then spent the next few years' spare time in the National Library in Canberra digging up old air photos and making up an atlas of all of Australia's circuits from 1904 ("Fast Tracks"), newly drawn and to the same scale except for places like colossal Lobethal. A very odd little book, still on sale here in Australia. I drew the maps using a great program called Aldus Intellidraw; then Aldus was taken over and Intellidraw vanished from the market. Alas, it only runs on Windows 3.1, so if I decide to update "Fast Tracks" I'll have to dig up an 386 PC from somewhere.

After a long gap of no interest in motor sport, but having lots of fun with interesting second hand cars (Alfa GTV 1750, Rover 2000TC, RX-7, RR Silver Shadow, BMW R100S (2 wheels), and stuff like that) I finally stirred into motor racing life again recently with an adaption of "Around the Houses" to CD-ROM form with lots of extra photos. Now I'm doing the sequel, picking up roughly where "Around the Houses" left off. It will probably only be on CD ROM, because a proper book with say 1800 colour photos and 300 encylopedia style articles would be - er - expensive to produce. And only sell maybe 300 copies!

In my spare time I worked for Australian Customs for 30 years.

As a nut photographer since my box brownie days, I greatly enjoy the old race pics. Recently a mate of mine having a clean-out gave me several boxes of colour slides of racing from the 1960s - AGP 1962, Caversham, Longford Tasman meeting, Lakeside, Bathurst 1969.

This is a fascinating, hell no, hypnotic, site. And of course a wonderful time waster. Trouble is, my connection is the baked bean can and damp string type, so I'm always way behind you blokes.

I think this is a very dull intro!

[Terry Walker]

And here's my first racer, with interesting neg camber.



and my last:




This posting pics is not intuitive. Except maybe to under-10 year olds.

[Ray Bell]

Actually, Terry, if you go back through this thread (I'm sure it's this thread...) you'll find a whole bunch of that type of 'first car'...

[Darren Galpin]

Not dull at all Terry - it's nice to know who is behind the books I have bought!

[Terry Walker]

Hi Ray, Darren: You're right about the other "old" racers, I've had a look through the thread. My little pedaller looks like it's been in V8 Supercars for a few years, lots of corners knocked off, wheels every which way and a headlight missing.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by Dennis David
We're so mature here I fear that rot is starting to set in.

that would be a noble rot though

[macoran]

Hello all,
My name is Marc Fenijn, I live in Capelle aan den IJssel a satelite town of Rotterdam.I became a Formula 1 fan when I started to read newspapers a bit moer than just glance through them.What really got me hooked was when Pedro Rodriguez won the 1967 South African Grand Prix.
Since then I have been collecting everything about F1.Presently I am scanning in all my pictures into Power Point presentations (per marque).
I have been visting the nostalgic forum for more than half a year now, but have been so busy reading all the threads and..................stealing the beautiful photos posted....................that only now have I found the time to register!!!!
I know I will enjoy joining in the discussions with you all.
Just for your info Connew and Amon are my favourites, if only because I always go for the underdog, which would mean Minardi are my modern day underdogs.

[Ray Bell]

Hi Marc...

Don't you think it's wel past time that you started posting? Surely you have little bits you can add here and there?

Glad to have you on board.

[Barry Boor]

As part of the Connew Lunacy, may I welcome you to TNF, Marc.

[macoran]

Thanks Barry,
I can still remember I was living in Thailand and got hold of a copy of the Japanese Car Graphic magazine (at least I think that's what it was called) and being absolutely stunned at the photo of the rivetted suspension carrier over the transmission.That also really trigerred my interest in the technical side of F1.
I have now collected all the photos of the PC1 I could find and put them in a powerpoint presentation.

[eldougo]

Welcome aboard the the good ship TNF. I guess Dave Charlton would have one of your FAV drivers and Kyalami the best track.Hope your memory of those days spill over onto these pages at some time .
If you have a job that give you fulfilment your one of the lucky one's like .Most people don't .I have always tryed to get jobs ,and still do life to short to spend half your lifetime doing something you hate.
Hope fully you have some old PICs that your Dad might have taken back in the good old days.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by LotusFlower73
[B
I live in two places.I have a home in Long Island,NY and a home in my counrty of birth in South Africa. I speak 6 languages and Im a teacher for children who are Legally Deaf and or Mute.A job I really enjoy.

[/B]

A Springbok-Yankee...or is that a Yankee-Springbok??

If you can speak 6 languages, "dan neem ek aan dat Afrikaans darem ook nog een van hulle is".

[woodman40]

Hello. Just discovered this forum while doing some research on post WW II sports car racing. Research is what you do when your memory doesn't work as well as it used to.

My name is Michael Woodill and I live in Santa Barbara, California. I come from a family of California automobilistes and car nuts. My grandfather and his brother used to race great wooden wheeled monsters on dirt and board tracks in places that are now downtowns. Grandpa was also Chrysler products dealer as was my dad who drove the wheels off everything he ever owned or raced. Dad had a two digit membership in the NHRA and thought that driving ex Air Force fuel tanks on dry lake beds was the nuts for a while.

Some of my first words were mama, dada, flathead, Hemi and Ardun. My dad soon caught the sports car bug which was going around here in those days. Enthusiasm prevailed over common sense, and he produced the first production fiberglass sports car and kits to build them in your very own garage. Imagine how many wives had to learn to do their own lawn cutting and plumbing as a result of that innovation? The metal mistress is in the garage, a hanger or on a trailer.

Before he passed away, he and I made a list of all the cars that three generations of us had owned. Using today's valuations, the list beat any investment we every made. And, we didn't have one of them anymore.

In my youth I liked driving real fast, louvres, header plugs and 'cycle fenders. As I matured, I added things like race car and engine prep, welding, measuring things, the ins and outs of lying to sanctioning organizations and tech inspectors. I also leaned the value of keeping automotive projects in other people's garages.

More often than not, I have been able to keep the greasy side facing down and the flames surpressed. Several racing organizations think I am older than I am by several years since I learned how to hornswaggle them at my father's knee. He thought that if you could press the slanty board hard, wiggle the noise modulator in the proper patterns and exit corners with most of the tires still providing contact patches; well, it was your god given right to tape the headlights, put in the cold plugs, take out the picnic basket and go be a hero driver. Did I mention, the girlfriend, aka: pit poopsie or crumpet (if you you were pitted close to Ken aka Teddy Treebagger), waving her hankie? Like I said I'm an Old Fart (Registered Trademark).

I like dyno rooms, Small Blocks, Thin Walls, Holleys big enough to carve a Thanksgiving turkey on, Castrol R in MG T series shocks, late closing apexes, having enough power to steer with the throttle, power on oversteer and ever so delicately balanced drifts with just a soupcon of countersteer.

I am an early primate in a world full of metrosexuals. Hi, all.

[ian senior]

Originally posted by woodman40
Hello. Just discovered this forum while doing some research on post WW II sports car racing. Research is what you do when your memory doesn't work as well as it used to.

My name is Michael Woodill and I live in Santa Barbara, California. I come from a family of California automobilistes and car nuts. My grandfather and his brother used to race great wooden wheeled monsters on dirt and board tracks in places that are now downtowns. Grandpa was also Chrysler products dealer as was my dad who drove the wheels off everything he ever owned or raced. Dad had a two digit membership in the NHRA and thought that driving ex Air Force fuel tanks on dry lake beds was the nuts for a while.

Some of my first words were mama, dada, flathead, Hemi and Ardun. My dad soon caught the sports car bug which was going around here in those days. Enthusiasm prevailed over common sense, and he produced the first production fiberglass sports car and kits to build them in your very own garage. Imagine how many wives had to learn to do their own lawn cutting and plumbing as a result of that innovation? The metal mistress is in the garage, a hanger or on a trailer.

Before he passed away, he and I made a list of all the cars that three generations of us had owned. Using today's valuations, the list beat any investment we every made. And, we didn't have one of them anymore.

In my youth I liked driving real fast, louvres, header plugs and 'cycle fenders. As I matured, I added things like race car and engine prep, welding, measuring things, the ins and outs of lying to sanctioning organizations and tech inspectors. I also leaned the value of keeping automotive projects in other people's garages.

More often than not, I have been able to keep the greasy side facing down and the flames surpressed. Several racing organizations think I am older than I am by several years since I learned how to hornswaggle them at my father's knee. He thought that if you could press the slanty board hard, wiggle the noise modulator in the proper patterns and exit corners with most of the tires still providing contact patches; well, it was your god given right to tape the headlights, put in the cold plugs, take out the picnic basket and go be a hero driver. Did I mention, the girlfriend, aka: pit poopsie or crumpet (if you you were pitted close to Ken aka Teddy Treebagger), waving her hankie? Like I said I'm an Old Fart (Registered Trademark).

I like dyno rooms, Small Blocks, Thin Walls, Holleys big enough to carve a Thanksgiving turkey on, Castrol R in MG T series shocks, late closing apexes, having enough power to steer with the throttle, power on oversteer and ever so delicately balanced drifts with just a soupcon of countersteer.

I am an early primate in a world full of metrosexuals. Hi, all.

Hi Michael!

Am I right in thinking there must be a family connection with the Woodill Wildfire? Yes, some people here in the UK have heard of it!

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by ian senior
.....Am I right in thinking there must be a family connection with the Woodill Wildfire? Yes, some people here in the UK have heard of it!

Well I haven't... tell us more!

I must say, that introduction makes me think that we've got another potential Buford in our ranks. This is someone we will have to quickly teach how to post photos, how to tell family racing stories and how to post very often.

A very big welcome to you, Michael, maybe you can finally add something to the many requests I've posted here for details on cars that ran in road racing in the USA between the wars?

[TheFacts]

Hi everyone i'm a newbie round here but long time lover of f1 since the mid 80s. Really looking forward to meeting you all!

[ian senior]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ray Bell
[B]

Well I haven't... tell us more!

QUOTE]

Just for you, Ray....

The Woodill Wildfire was indeed the first American production sportscar with a GRP body - in advance of the Corvette. I think it first appeared in 1952. It consisted of a ladder frame chassis with front suspension from the Willys Jeepster, and other Willys parts in the drivetrain (Woody was a Willys dealer). The body was a modified version of a shell available over the counter from Glasspar. The car was actually considered for production by Willys themselves, but they were taken over by Kaiser who came along with the Kaiser Darrin thing, so that was that.

The Wildfire was then modified to accept Ford transverse leaf suspension, and to be able to accept other engines including V8s, and offered for sale as a complete car (using Willys power) or as a kit. The kit was of high quality and included all the parts you needed to build the car, so you didn't have to go through the agonies of finding small stuff such as door hinges, etc. Frank Kurtis put together at least one Wildfire with a Cadillac V8, which must have had startling straight line performance aligned with "interesting " handling. The flathead Ford V8 was a popular engine choice.

It was an attractive looking car, and with the optional hard top made quite a nice GT coupe. I think it was around from 1952 to 1956. It actually appeared in some films, including "Knock On Wood with Danny kaye, and Written in the Wind with Rock Hudson.