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Piper GT Lotus Ford


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#1 Kale

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Posted 02 October 2009 - 17:52

Hello

Any information about the Piper GT Lotus Ford ?
How much are build ? Pictures ? Any car survived ?

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#2 Gregor Marshall

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Posted 03 October 2009 - 11:18

Good question, will be interesting to see what the answers are - I think officially there four.
I know the current owner of Piper Cars, Tony Claydon, he used to race a ModSports TVR and Lotus Elan as well as a Piper:- http://www.piperracingcars.co.uk/

#3 RS2000

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Posted 03 October 2009 - 19:37

It was claimed at one of the Crystal Palace sprints in the 90s that 3 remained in existence and were all there. I'm not sure where the Lotus bit of the title comes from. I know Bill Quine (Manx Racing Developments) built a correct pre-Xflow Kent pushrod for one of them some years ago. Lionel Cole (co-driver to Graham Watton Cortina in 60's rallies) and Bournemouth both ring bells as linked to it.

Edited by RS2000, 03 October 2009 - 19:39.


#4 Gregor Marshall

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 07:35

I'm not sure where the Lotus bit of the title comes from.


Did the original not have a Lotus twin-cam engine?

#5 Giraffe

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 08:44

Posted Image
By giraffe138

The 1969 Piper GTR 1300cc of Tim Slack & Mark Wright pictured at the Masters event at Donington in April last year.

#6 Stephen W

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 08:51

Posted Image
By giraffe138

The 1969 Piper GTR 1300cc of Tim Slack & Mark Wright pictured at the Masters event at Donington in April last year.


Nice but the original question was about the Piper GT not the GTR - different beasts!

:wave:

#7 Giraffe

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 09:26

In recent seasons I have seen Chris Atkinson campaigning his Red 1966 1600cc Piper GT, and also Anthony Goddard in his burgundy 1965 example. I presume these are two of the existing cars referred to earlier?

#8 Pedro 917

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 12:13

Chris Atkinson was at the Spa 6H last week, competing in the Historic Sports Car club series :

Posted Image
Copyright Luc Ghys

#9 Kale

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 12:18

The thread search for informations over the closed ( mid - engined ) GT Versions
How much build ? ( 3 ? )
Any survived ? Who ?
Pictures ?

#10 JB Miltonian

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Posted 04 October 2009 - 18:58


"The thread search for informations over the closed ( mid - engined ) GT Versions"

I'm certainly not an expert on Pipers, but as far as I know the only "closed mid-engined GT version" of the Piper was the GTR. There is an article with lots of pictures in Classic & Sportscar April 2005 detailing the #134 GTR pictured above, owned by Tim Slack.



#11 ianselva

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 11:53

"The thread search for informations over the closed ( mid - engined ) GT Versions"

I'm certainly not an expert on Pipers, but as far as I know the only "closed mid-engined GT version" of the Piper was the GTR. There is an article with lots of pictures in Classic & Sportscar April 2005 detailing the #134 GTR pictured above, owned by Tim Slack.

I thought the Piper GT was shaped more like the GTZ Alfa in the background but tubbier.


#12 Giraffe

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 15:18

I thought the Piper GT was shaped more like the GTZ Alfa in the background but tubbier.

I also recall them having the engine infront of the driver, and gullwing doors?!?!


#13 2F-001

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 15:37

Yes - this is what I understand to be the Piper GT
http://images.google...m...mp;aq=f&oq=
(from memory, it looks rather nicer in the 'flesh').

The astonishingly low - and quite rarely seen - GTR is, as Stephen says, a rather different machine altogether.
Even having seen pictures before, the first time saw one for real, I was still amazed at how low it looked when one is standing next to it.

Is there actually any connection between the somewhat Lotus 23-like sports racer, pictured above with Chris Atkinson, and the other Pipers discussed here? I'd never linked them in my mind - thinking of them as different marques - although I confess to not knowing a great deal about any of them.

Edited by 2F-001, 05 October 2009 - 15:56.


#14 Kale

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 16:43

No - I meen not the Front engined Piper GT
Look at the Piper Clup Webside, You can see a picture from a yellow, mid engined Sportscar. That looks like the car
from Chris Atkinson - but with a roof !


#15 bill moffat

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 17:09

No - I meen not the Front engined Piper GT
Look at the Piper Clup Webside, You can see a picture from a yellow, mid engined Sportscar. That looks like the car
from Chris Atkinson - but with a roof !


All very confusing - I suspect plenty of Piper (front-engined) GT's were made as, down here in Kent, I have seen quite a few over the years. The GTR's production (including the replicas) is pretty well documented but a hard-topped 23B / Merlin lookalike ?? ...never heard of it.

Incidentally Pipers were made in the Kent countryside a mile or so down the lane from my current home - having moved into Dan Gurney's AAR Eagle factory after the operation had flown home...



#16 rwills

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 17:25

I've seen this Piper GTR out at Masters events several times over the last few years.

http://themastersser...y/WSRM_5052.jpg

This was taken at Donington in April 2008.

It appears to be the Tim Slack car and only managed 1 lap in qualifying.

http://www.tsl-timin.../2008/81691.pdf

It did better in the race, finishing 7th, one ahead of me!

Roger



#17 rwills

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 17:26

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#18 jph

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 18:50

Hello

Any information about the Piper GT Lotus Ford ?
How much are build ? Pictures ? Any car survived ?


For a potted history with pictures of different types: http://www.thepiperclub.org.uk/3.html

#19 Simon Thomas

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Posted 05 October 2009 - 21:10

For a potted history with pictures of different types: http://www.thepiperclub.org.uk/3.html


Was Chris Barber, the jazz musician associated with the GTR? I recall an entry for Kirkistown in the late 1960s but the car did not arrive and Chris shared a local MG Midget.
Simon Thomas


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#20 Leigh Trevail

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Posted 06 October 2009 - 08:18

Posted Image

Is this what you are looking for?

#21 Stephen W

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Posted 06 October 2009 - 08:29

For a potted history with pictures of different types: http://www.thepiperclub.org.uk/3.html


According to the website the closed coupe mid-engined sports racers were a development of the open cars and pre-dated the GTR.

There was a series for GTs which the closed coupe would have been ideal (I think sponsored by STP?)

:wave:

#22 Kale

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Posted 06 October 2009 - 17:04

Posted Image

Is this what you are looking for?


Yes !! That´s the cars i looking for !!
Huw miuch are build ?
Any survived ?
Any other pictures ?
Any informations about racing results , engines ...

#23 Stephen W

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Posted 06 October 2009 - 17:27

Yes !! That´s the cars i looking for !!
Huw miuch are build ?
Any survived ?
Any other pictures ?
Any informations about racing results , engines ...


The Piper Club site seems to imply that there were THREE GTs. The first a hard top conversion to one of the open cars and then the next two built specifically as coupes.

:wave:

#24 Leigh Trevail

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Posted 06 October 2009 - 18:14

The club should have some more photos that were taken at the same time!

#25 Kale

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Posted 25 October 2009 - 11:29

Hello

Now it´s clear what cars are search !
How much are build ( 2 or 3 ? )
Have one of the cars survived - and when - who are it ?
Any results and more pictures from the Piper GT ?

regards Karl

#26 Leigh Trevail

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Posted 25 October 2009 - 18:57

Posted Image


Another shot taken at the same time..

#27 Kale

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Posted 22 November 2009 - 20:59

Who are the two cars today ???

#28 Alan Cox

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Posted 01 March 2011 - 10:01

A rather nice photo of Bobby Bell at Crystal Palace 1967
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item1e61a9b8d0