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ShellSPORT Gp8 Championship of 1976 & 1977

Started by jadb1 , Sep 02 2005 13:48

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77 replies to this topic

#1 jadb1

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 13:48

Friends I look for photos of the Shellsport G8 Championship of 1976 and 1977 in Argentina there was no information of this event

Thank you Alejandro

#2 aerogi

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 18:53

I don't have much details about this one, but apparently the former European championship F5000 changed in 1976 into the English 'Formule Libre (Group 8), but it was still called 'Shellsport F5000 European Championship'. It was a bunch of all types of open wheeler racing cars, F5000, F1, F2, F Atlantic...

This race was won by Mc Guire (Williams FW04), 2nd was Magee (Penske PC3) and Musetti (March 751)

Posted Image

THe start... I think the n°21 is Mc Guire, n°7 should be Purley, don't know about the others though...

Posted Image

Wilds (Ensign) and Sutcliffe (BT44)

Posted Image

Magee with the Penske which Dutchman Hayje used in the Dutch Grand Prix F1. The car behind looks like a Mc Laren M23, but there is nothing mentioned in the (small) article about this car. Anyone has an idea? Apparently, it should be a Mc laren M25...

Posted Image

Brian Henton.

Enjoy!

Source: Auto Hebdo n°30, september 23rd 1976

#3 Twin Window

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 19:59

The car on the right-hand side of the front row is the March of Val Musetti, the McLaren is indeed the 'M25' driven by Bob Evans, and the Brain Henton car is the F2 Boxer with Divina Galica behind in the ShellSPORT/Whiting Surtees TS14.

Fantastic grid! Wish I'd been there...

#4 paulsenna1

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 20:38

Originally posted by Twin Window
Divina Galica behind in the ShellSPORT/Whiting Surtees TS14.

Wasn't Divina in a TS16 ? Whatever, the large grids the 'formule libre' concept produced was in contrast to the poor grids of the final year of F5000.

#5 Twin Window

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 20:48

Originally posted by paulsenna1

Wasn't Divina in a TS16 ?

Indeed; the 1975-spec version. I stand corrected! :up:

#6 MCS

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 21:03

Brian McGuire's finest day I imagine.

With all due respect I can remember being surprised when I read that he had won at Thruxton. Not many weeks before he had swapped ends in front of the pits at Oulton Park in practice (and I mean quite literally - I was stood in the pits and people took cover, myself included) when something broke.

Earlier in the season I remember standing on the outside of Old Hall (again at Oulton Park) when he almost completely stopped, causing Jim Crawford to take serious avoiding action in his Peter Williams Chevron. (I think that may have been his first drive in the car because it was still in the Wolf-Williams colours)

#7 Reyna

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 21:07

Originally posted by Twin Window
Brain Henton car is the F2 Boxer

F2 or FAtlantic ?

#8 philippe charuest

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Posted 02 September 2005 - 21:15

probably a F2. henton and the Boxer-HART was a regular in the f2 championship in 77

#9 Peter Morley

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 09:55

Originally posted by MCS
Brian McGuire's finest day I imagine.

With all due respect I can remember being surprised when I read that he had won at Thruxton. Not many weeks before he had swapped ends in front of the pits at Oulton Park in practice (and I mean quite literally - I was stood in the pits and people took cover, myself included) when something broke.

Earlier in the season I remember standing on the outside of Old Hall (again at Oulton Park) when he almost completely stopped, causing Jim Crawford to take serious avoiding action in his Peter Williams Chevron. (I think that may have been his first drive in the car because it was still in the Wolf-Williams colours)

Becoming the first driver to win in an F1 Williams must have been one of his better achievements!

Given that he was rated with Alan Jones when they came over to Europe together it seems that he must have done something in the lower formulae back in Australia?

Driver ability hardly has anything to do with what a car does when something fails, or were you just surprised that it held together long enough to win (which shouldn't be so surprising given the cars 2nd place in the 75 German GP)?

#10 ReWind

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 12:15

Originally posted by Twin Window
Wish I'd been there...

Don't forget it was this race that John Wingfield died in.

#11 aerogi

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 13:52

Here are some pics from the Gr8 (or Shellsport) event from Brands Hatch.

Posted Image

The start of the race. A very coloured and interesting grid!

Posted Image

Winner K. Holland with the Lola T400 Chevy.

Posted Image

G. Edwards in the Brabham BT44, he finished 5th.

Source: Auto Hebdo n° 35, October 28th 1976

#12 ReWind

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 15:36

Originally posted by aerogi
A very coloured and interesting grid!

1st row:
Keith Holland (GBR,40) # 25 Lola T400-Chevrolet
Derek Bell (GBR,34) # 3 Penske PC3-Ford Cosworth
2nd row:
Brian Henton (GBR,30) # 30 Boxer PR76A-Ford BDA
Richard Robarts (GBR,32) # 27 March 762-Hart
3rd row:
Ray Mallock (GBR,25) # 14 March 742-Ford BDA
Brian McGuire (AUS,30) # 21 Williams FX4-Ford BDA
4th row:
Ian Grob (GBR,?) # 65 Chevron B35-Hart
David Purley (GBR,31) # 7 Chevron B30-Ford Cosworth
5th row:
Bernard de Drijver (BEL,23) # 46 March 752-BMW
Divina Galica (GBR,30) # 13 Surtees TS16-Ford Cosworth
6th row:
Derek Cook (GBR,?) # 31 Chevron B27-Ford BDA
Emilio de Villota (ESP,30) # 32 Lyncar 007-Ford Cosworth
7th row:
Val Musetti (ITA/GBR,33) # 15 March 742-Ford BDA (out of the picture)
Tony Rouff (GBR,29) # 61 Boxer PR276-Ford BDA
8th row:
John Nicholson (NZL,35) # 40 March 752-Chevrolet
Nick May (?,?) # 51 Sana-Ford BDA (unfortunately nearly invisible)

AFAIK 14 of these are still with us, the exceptions being Purley (died in 1985) and Cook (died recently in 2005).
EDIT: In fact 13, because McGuire died nearly exactly one year later at this very circuit.

#13 Twin Window

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 16:07

Brian McGuire's no longer with us...

Originally posted by ReWind

Don't forget it was this race that John Wingfield died in.

I didn't realise that. Where did he crash? I don't think I've ever known.

#14 Andrew Kitson

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 16:23

Didn't poor John crash on the long bumpy right hander out the back and hit a marshals post?
Just as Brian Hough did in his modsports TVR. On the Brands grid, Derek Cook ( the car dealer D.C.Cook and father of former F3 driver Paula Cook) is no longer with us either, killed in a road accident outside Monaco earlier this year.

#15 SEdward

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 16:46

A race to remember mainly because it tool place on the day that James Hunt won the 1976 world championship on the other side of the planet! I could have sworn that Derek Bell won...

Edward

#16 ReWind

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Posted 03 September 2005 - 16:47

According to Motorsportmemorial the accident happened at Village.

Originally posted by Twin Window
Brian McGuire's no longer with us...

Of course, yes. Sometimes the obvious ones escape one's mind...

#17 MCS

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Posted 04 September 2005 - 20:44

Originally posted by ReWind
1st row:
Keith Holland (GBR,40) # 25 Lola T400-Chevrolet
Derek Bell (GBR,34) # 3 Penske PC3-Ford Cosworth
2nd row:
Brian Henton (GBR,30) # 30 Boxer PR76A-Ford BDA
Richard Robarts (GBR,32) # 27 March 762-Hart
3rd row:
Ray Mallock (GBR,25) # 14 March 742-Ford BDA
Brian McGuire (AUS,30) # 21 Williams FX4-Ford BDA
4th row:
Ian Grob (GBR,?) # 65 Chevron B35-Hart
David Purley (GBR,31) # 7 Chevron B30-Ford Cosworth
5th row:
Bernard de Drijver (BEL,23) # 46 March 752-BMW
Divina Galica (GBR,30) # 13 Surtees TS16-Ford Cosworth
6th row:
Derek Cook (GBR,?) # 31 Chevron B27-Ford BDA
Emilio de Villota (ESP,30) # 32 Lyncar 007-Ford Cosworth
7th row:
Val Musetti (ITA/GBR,33) # 15 March 742-Ford BDA (out of the picture)
Tony Rouff (GBR,29) # 61 Boxer PR276-Ford BDA
8th row:
John Nicholson (NZL,35) # 40 March 752-Chevrolet
Nick May (?,?) # 51 Sana-Ford BDA (unfortunately nearly invisible)

Quite an unusual field really - two (!) Boxers, a Lyncar and a Sana... :eek:

#18 MCS

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Posted 04 September 2005 - 20:48

Originally posted by Peter Morley

Becoming the first driver to win in an F1 Williams must have been one of his better achievements!

Given that he was rated with Alan Jones when they came over to Europe together it seems that he must have done something in the lower formulae back in Australia?

Driver ability hardly has anything to do with what a car does when something fails, or were you just surprised that it held together long enough to win (which shouldn't be so surprising given the cars 2nd place in the 75 German GP)?

Yes, having seen the car and having witnessed first hand its reliability problems, I was surprised it won at Thruxton.

I seem to recall a lot of people were.

#19 ReWind

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Posted 05 September 2005 - 21:33

Originally posted by MCS
Quite an unusual field really - two (!) Boxers, a Lyncar and a Sana...

And there were more (outside of the picture in post # 11).

Rest of the grid (containing a McRae and a Trojan) looked like this:

9th row:
Mike King (?,?) # 47 Lola T360-Ford BDA – non-starter
Geoff Friswell (GBR,31) # 24 March 732-Hart
10th row:
José de Uriarte (?,?) # 49 March 762-Ford BDA
Roy Baker (GBR,40) # 18 March 75B-Ford BDA (- driver died in 2002)
11th row:
Chris Featherstone (?,40) # 5 McRae GM1-Chevrolet
Peter Wardle (?,?) # 208 Surtees TS15-Ford BDA – non-starter
12th row:
Brian Robinson (GBR,?) # 4 Lola T360-Ford BDA
Guy Edwards (GBR,33) # 2 Brabham BT42-Ford Cosworth
13th row:
Philip Guerola (?,?) # 37 Brabham BT30-Ford Cosworth
Chris Choat (?,?) # 41 Trojan T101-Chevrolet

Some photos from 1977 here.

#20 Bonde

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Posted 05 September 2005 - 22:26

ReWind,

The link appears to be broken.

#21 Mallory Dan

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Posted 06 September 2005 - 12:32

Originally posted by Twin Window
Indeed; the 1975-spec version. I stand corrected!

The car went to the late David Prophet the year after, then seems to have disappeared, which is quite unusual for F1 cars that had a 'British National' career after GPs.

#22 Jhope

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Posted 06 September 2005 - 13:23

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson
Didn't poor John crash on the long bumpy right hander out the back and hit a marshals post?

That was McGuire.

#23 Twin Window

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Posted 06 September 2005 - 13:36

McGuire died at Brands - do you mean another accident of his?

#24 Jhope

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Posted 06 September 2005 - 13:59

I was under the impression that it was McGuire who went backwards into a marshall's post, killing one marshall and severly injuring another two.

Please, by all means, correct me if I'm wrong.

#25 Jhope

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Posted 06 September 2005 - 14:02

In the meantime the Shellsport International Championship continued to be McGuire’s main focus of attention. A month and a half after the frustrating experience at the British Grand Prix McGuire was practicing at the warm-up session for a round of the Shellsport series at Brands Hatch when the BM1 – possibly due to a half-shaft failure – flipped and crashed unduly hard against the barriers at Stirlings. The car landed backwards in a marshals’ post, striking it violently: parts of the car and of the post were scattered in all directions, and three marshals were dragged some one hundred meters through trees and bushes surrounding the track.

http://www.motorspor...php?db=ct&n=166

This is where I got my information from Twinny.

#26 ReWind

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Posted 06 September 2005 - 19:17

Originally posted by Bonde
ReWind,

The link appears to be broken.

The link works for me. Anyone else having problems with that link?

#27 Andrew Kitson

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Posted 07 September 2005 - 06:12

John Wingfield did sadly die at Thruxton, Sept 12th 1976.

#28 Peter Morley

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Posted 08 September 2005 - 09:59

Originally posted by Jhope
[/smallfont]

http://www.motorspor...php?db=ct&n=166

This is where I got my information from Twinny.

I'm not sure why they got it wrong, but Mc Guire's fatal accident occured when the brake pedal fell to pieces, that was known at the time and was confirmed some time ago by the relevant mechanic.
(Given that the pedals are rather lightweight you wouldn't have been surprised if the pedal itself had failed, rather than the balance bar coming loose).

As with most under-funded (you can only sell so many used caravans/motorhomes) teams most of his retirements were due to mechanical failure. Comments about him crashing a lot are new to me, and certainly weren't widely reported/suggested in all the period documents I've been through.

1st, 3rd & 5th aren't bad results in such a competitive series - especially when you consider that most of the competing cars tended to be at the other end of the grid in F1.

#29 Andrew Kitson

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Posted 08 September 2005 - 11:15

I met Brian a couple of times in '74, when I was a teenager 'gofering' on Nicholas Wattiez' F5000 T330. Nice bloke I recall, even had time to talk to me, the long haired lay-about in the background!

One occasion I remember we all got in Nick's Roller ( Brian too) to drive the short distance from the paddock at Snett to the 'then' new Esses section when they cut the track in half. The new road surface was breaking up in practice and there were fears about the fast left/right flick with the vehicle bridge right on the exit of the right hander. All of the F5000 drivers were there milling about with the officials discussing what to do. I particularly remember seeing Peter Gethin there. It was decided to run the race with a temporary chicane made of piles of tyres.

At a meeting soon afterwards a club single seater driver died when he lost it against the bridge. The Esses were then tightened up as we have it today.

#30 ShadowF1

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 00:55

Great photos aerogi! Do you have any photos of the Shadow DN-3 Mike Wilds drove in the '76 series? It was sponsored by PR Reilly- which I have would be interested in knowing who he was, and what other series he entered(?).

I believe Mike actually achieved the highest placing for this chassis in a F1 race (IIRC 2nd, not sure where though)....

#31 Mallory Dan

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 12:18

The PR Reilly team was always a bit of a mystery I thought. They appeared pretty much from nowhere in early 76 for the G8 series, and were the 1st, I think, to commit to running an F1 car. At that time the new F5000/G8 series was vaguely exotic, as it promised to bring out GP cars to a National audience for the first time in years - non-Champ GPs aside.

From memory a chap called Roger Springett was involved, he'd previously had a 1-litre Special Saloon Imp, so a bit of a step-up to Shadow F1s! The sponsor was an Irish chap/firm called PR Reilly, which from memory, was an STP-like 'Oil additive' product.

They used a variety of Shadows, also Ensign MN02 later on, with drivers including Wilds, Lombardi, Antonio Bernardo, John Lepp, Edwards, maybe others I've forgotten.

The team seemingly disappeared after '76.

#32 2F-001

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 15:50

Going back, briefly to the very first picture in post2 - does anyone know who Norman White is/was and why his longevity was being championed at that meeting?

#33 MCS

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 17:14

Originally posted by 2F-001
Going back, briefly to the very first picture in post2 - does anyone know who Norman White is/was and why his longevity was being championed at that meeting?

http://www.normanwhi....uk/profile.htm

#34 Twin Window

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 20:27

Originally posted by Mallory Dan

The PR Reilly team was always a bit of a mystery I thought...

The sponsor was an Irish chap/firm called PR Reilly, which from memory, was an STP-like 'Oil additive' product.

It always sruck me as being odd too.

The additive to which you refer was called '+1' which, as you rightly say, was very much cloned on STP's style of branding (white lettering with a dark blue drop-shadow on a red teardrop background, as opposed to the red lozenge shape STP use).

I think it might have been an Italian company/product, but I'm not really sure.

#35 MCS

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 20:48

Originally posted by Twin Window
It always sruck me as being odd too.

The additive to which you refer was called '+1' which, as you rightly say, was very much cloned on STP's style of branding (white lettering with a dark blue drop-shadow on a red teardrop background, as opposed to the red lozenge shape STP use).

I think it might have been an Italian company/product, but I'm not really sure.

Forgive me, another url via a search engine.

I've been doing some "research" (whatever that means) at work recently and have become er, :blush:

quite adept apparently...

Here we go then....

http://www.prreilly.ie/

...and it'll probably be completely wrong :rolleyes:

#36 Twin Window

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Posted 16 September 2005 - 21:18

Originally posted by MCS

...and it'll probably be completely wrong

I don't think so, Mark; the P. R. Reilly logo looks spot-on from the one I remember. :up:

And, having skimmed through their blurb, it would also seem entirely logical that '+1' was one of their (imported?) lines thirty-or-so years ago...

#37 AAA-Eagle

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Posted 06 March 2007 - 10:08

Richard Robarts in March-Ford 752 at Mallory Park, the first round of 1976 championship. Richard took a remarkable second on the grid but retired in the race with an ignition problem. Later that year the chassis would be destroyed at Vallelunga F2 race, when Robarts survived a huge accident in practice.

#38 Twin Window

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Posted 06 March 2007 - 11:30

(Source for all images: Autosprint)

#39 ensign14

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Posted 06 March 2007 - 11:44

"One careful owner. Suitable restoration project."

#40 David M. Kane

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Posted 07 March 2007 - 00:30

AAA-Eagle:

Describe a "small" accident to me? :eek:

How did he survive that shunt with nothing but cuts? He does look fit and flexible; but wow!
Looks like he never let go of the steering wheel.

#41 jadb1

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Posted 07 March 2007 - 01:18

Tanks friend!!!!!

#42 Mallory Dan

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Posted 09 March 2007 - 17:13

Quick Group 8 Quiz question, devised during a Programme review at the Northen TNF meet last night. There was an intrepid chap who entered his FSV in a G8 race, anyone know who, where, when and which car??? Don't think he started (and it was a genuine FSV car).

#43 paulsenna1

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Posted 09 March 2007 - 21:20

Complete guess... Ronnie Grant in his Taurus??

#44 Mallory Dan

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Posted 12 March 2007 - 12:16

Originally posted by paulsenna1
Complete guess... Ronnie Grant in his Taurus??

Sorry Paul, not Ronnie.

#45 Phil Rainford

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Posted 12 March 2007 - 21:11

First attempt at a post

Some black and white images from Oulton Park (1977)

Sorry about the quality

[IMG]http://img239.images...mg050zh9.th.jpg[/IMG]

Derek Bell

[IMG]http://img339.images...mg051db9.th.jpg[/IMG]

Brian McGuire

#46 Alan Cox

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Posted 12 March 2007 - 21:20

Welcome, Phil.

Oulton Park "regulars" are pretty well represented (quite rightly!) on TNF - looking forward to more pics.....

Have you any colour shots of the McGuire? I don't have any of it in that colour scheme, which was a bit of a hotch-potch of colours IIRC.

#47 antony duprat

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Posted 12 March 2007 - 22:00

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Welcome, Phil.

Oulton Park "regulars" are pretty well represented (quite rightly!) on TNF - looking forward to more pics.....

Have you any colour shots of the McGuire? I don't have any of it in that colour scheme, which was a bit of a hotch-potch of colours IIRC.

Yes there were few pics here ;)
http://www.peter.bry...PAGER_section=1

#48 Alan Cox

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Posted 13 March 2007 - 08:06

Thanks for that, Antony.

#49 William Taylor

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Posted 11 April 2007 - 03:03

The McLaren mentioned in an early image on this thread is correctly identified as an M25. It was a one-off F5000 car that was later turned into an M23 by the fitting of a DFV. It competed in 2 races in 1977 as a proper F5000 car, driven by Bob Evans. The first at Brands where he finished 2nd and the other here at Thruxton where he retired with a blown engine. The car never raced as a F5000 again, it was bought by Emilio de Vilotta, turned into an M23 and used as his backup car in various attempts to qualify for several GPs in 1978.

I am working on a book covering the history of every McLaren model and am desparate for any good period pics of the M25 racing at these two events. Colour would be great since I beleive this was the last car to race in traditional McLaren 'Orange'

Can anyone help?

WT