Does any one recognise the folowing cars? All are period shots from 1960/1961, even the last one which looks a bit more modern kit car like!

The name "Puddle Jumper" on the side of the first car would indicate it belongs to Ian Raby

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?show...l=puddle+jumper

Small 50s sports cars aren't my bag though. Early Lola?

Is
#2 an Elva?
#4 a very blurred U2?
#5 a "Dutch Clog" Austin 7?

But I'm really just guessing

The red car at speed - pictured at Prescott - is the Williams Special, an Austin 7 built in the late 1930s by Bill Williams for RR Willis. Same car is pictured at Markyate in 1938 in Canning Brown's book. It appears to have been white then.

Isn't the first one a T39 Cooper ?

I would have thought so

Is No 2 a Berkely (sp?)?

I've never seen one, but there seem to be some features that fit with a picture I've seen somewhere.

First one must be Bobtail Cooper (T39) with side-by-side cockpit. Ian Raby's XPG-2?
Second one looks very much like an Elva Mk1 with Ashley Laminates body - only it looks so small...

No 4 (blurry, pale green, No. 60) may well be a Mezzolitre , with the original layout of the photos at the top and bottom of this link. General shape, wheels look right.

The venue in the photo is Prescott, I presume. In 1958-9 I have a Mezzolitre appearing at Shelsley, listed to B March and G March respectively (presumably a typo or related). As it appears only two Mezzolitres were built up, it may well be that this is chassis ML02 that was auctioned for the Shelsley Trust a couple of years back.

I agree Rich that it's a Mezzolitre and the venue Prescott. I'm not sure which one of the two it is as although this one looks very like the Shelsley Trust Auction car the other one was much modified more recently.

I'm intrigued by the car in picture 3. I think the venue is Stapleford and by the colour of the car and driver's attire I would suggest a River-Fletcher connection. However I don't think it's the Buckler as that had very small wheels. And what is the motor with that dirty great short bore exhaust pipe? Could it be a 2 stroke perhaps although by this time (1960 ish) I would have thought an expansion chamber would have been used.

I don't think has any particular relevance to this thread but here's a link to the Buckler Register http://www.bucklercars.com/

I too am intrigued by picture 3. There are two more cars in the far background - which suggests a race rather than sprint. If so the only place I can think of is Eelmore Plain where 250cc cars raced. Eelmore was army land near Aldershot and th background looks generally right for that part of the world.

Ze leetle grey cells are letting me down here...
...but I'm sure I've seen that venue before, possibly on YouTube
The relevant link would have come from TNF though

I hate to disagree with the experts on here who have more knowledge than I do. But I can't accept the identification of the 3rd photo as a Mezzolitre. Those cars were front engined but the pale green car in the phot is clearly rear engined.

My first thought when I saw the picture was a Deep Sanderson Formula Junior but the shaps of the radiator is not right. I think it is an FJ race. The date would fit and the red car just visible in the background appears to be a front engined FJ, possibly a Strangellini but where and what is the vintage car behind the marshals doing there?

I suspected that the last one was Oulton Park, but happy to be corrected
Roger Lund

Thanks everyone so far for replying, amazing knowledge on here, any additional information would be much appreciated, so keep posting.

The Mezzolitre was suggested as the dark green car running at Shelsley in picture 4, not the apparently pale blue/grey one in picture 3.

That'll be because Dutchy and I are referring to the 4th photo...

Bill Needham was telling me at Cadwell the other week that one Mezzolitre went via the scrapyard through his hands (along with his own Cooper Mk IV) and survives in France. This happened over a couple of years, perhaps 1962-4. If his story is up to date, that would tend towards this photo being the March car, being ML02.

These two photos were given to me by Malcolm Buckler and came from Rivers Fletcher. They are of the BBS built by Buckler’s for Rivers, originally with a 250cc motor and later a 650 Triumph engine. Is it the same as the car in the third photo, draw your own conclusions!!

Leigh Trevail
Very interesting, the rear cowling is different and the front suspension on my photo seems to show a damper and the rear suspension on my photo has a semi trailing arm, but the front nose looks remarkably similar.

Nope - not even similar! Although I was going to suggest it might have a DKW engine, based on the exhaust diameter and position: compare some of the German FJs in Hodges' A-Z - the TCA and Zimmermann for example.

The picture below appears to be taken at the same venue, does this help?

Certainly has that North Hants/Surrey "blasted heath" look!

Red car: Cooper Mk IV? But what's that thing in front? The wheels are so small they look like they're off a forklift!

We can now cross BBS off the list!

The red car's not a Cooper - but I don't know what it is

Elva Mk1 had bolt on wheels, the second car has knock offs.
Mk2 had centre lock/knock off wheels and at least one had an Ashley body - described as Dennis Taylor with extended nose on the chassis register, which doesn't seem to fit this one?
They are pretty small so size might not matter (in this case) so it could well be a Mk2 Elva.

I had thought that too when I saw it Leigh but defo different car, well, I say that, the nose is different but it did have a removeable engine cowling and runs on 10 inch Mini wheels but I don;t thinks it's the same car but all of River's car ran in a pale blue colour which picture number 3 could be - maybe I should start a new thread on it and it's current "state".

This convinces me they are 250cc cars. I've seen a pictire of the fronnt car with small wheels - Birsay comes into my head.

RAP

Just had my attention drawn to this, identity quite correct but to add;
note the rear wheels are "Aerolite" alloy wheels. At one point the car was shod with four off 16" alloys like this, of pre war origin, but they gradually disappeared from it; when I saw it circa 1970 the last two were on its trailer! I am sure its new owner (it has just changed hands) would be very pleased to learn if anyone has some strange alloy A7 wheels with integral brake drums and steel rims, very like Big 7 steel wheels at first glance. Come to think of it, I'd like to know as well, since my car is currently fitted with a set.

Was this photo taken at a VSCC meeting or a BOC event? I'd quite like to know who was driving.

Regards, Stuart

The swing axle rear ssupension on the red car suggests Kieft to me.

Also Rich both Mezzolitres are well known to the 500 OA and I believe the Triumph engined car (01) has recently chnaged hands. Without knowing when it went to France it will be hard to say which car it is in the photo.

The pale blue or green car in picture 4 is not the Rivers -Fletcher Buckler and having looked at the photo more closely and seen the other one I'm inclined to think its a F250 car. I'd still like to know what the motor is.

The 2 photos in RF's book More Motor Racing show it is not the BBS, several clear differences, cockpit, nose, wheels and diameter etc. It started with a 250 Bultaco and performed poorly at Prescott, then was entered after re engineering with a Triumph Tiger Twin for Gt Auclum but was destroyed in a garage fire before that event.
Roger Lund

Personally I am convinced that the first picture is Ian Raby's Bobtail Cooper, could the fourth picture be the original Mallock? It looks very similar.

I think the last one is Oulton Park, and that the car is probably an 1172/F1200 - looks just like my old 'mysteron' (ugly, and home made)

The Rivers Fletcher Buckler started life with a 250 engine.

It looks as if it was built to specific regs as it has a screen wiper on it with such a token screen
Roger Lund

Duncan has seen the "Mezzolitre" photo and filled in the background for me. Mezzolitre remains favourite, but he also suggested the Mono Opus (a car I've not heard of) as a possibility.

As for Shot 3 and the bonus photo, I would tend to agree with the 250 Formula suggestions. IIRC, the Birsay was at Bonhmas GRM auction 2008 (or was it 2005?). I recall it as similarly proportioned, but a cleaner shape (also, I remember no visible dampers).

The red car in the bonus shot reminds me of a 4-tube Cooper (1952-onwards), clearly heavily modified, but I've seen that style of flank before on such cars and the general proportions look Cooper-like. I think the wheels are Cooper as well, but could they be rim-only like the Petty (I don't know the make of wheel). And of course there is that swing-axle, and Kieft-like engine cover...
The yellow & blue car looks like a true Special. As to venue, didn't the 250MRC have their own venues - Rushmoor?

Rushmoor still exists http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/106555

Just add 50 odd years of tree growth to the mystery picture ...