8 replies to this topic

[RCampbell]

A few years ago I found a 1963 Fairthorpe Electron Minor Mk. 2. It had been prepared for vintage racing with the HSCC by J.R.D. Heseltine back in the early 80's, but was sold and shipped to the US before it saw much track time.

Although very few Electrons and Electron Minors were produced, and fewer still were sent the the US, I set out to find cars/drivers/owners here in the United States. Racing Sports Cars indicates that a number of Fairthorpes were actively raced in the States -- by drivers such as Dick Lord, Charlie Kolb, and even a Fairthorpe Special with a V8 engine raced by Jim Hall of Chaparral fame.

I even heard stories of a small group of racers in the Northeast who referred to themselves as the "Friends of the Fairthorpe".

I'd love to hear stories, see pictures, and maybe even bump into another car here in the US.

I've started a blog about Fairthorpes in the US, titled "Friends of the Fairthorpe". I'll add to it as I get information.

[RCampbell]

This is a photo that was sent to the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club in the 1980's. It is a Fairthorpe (Electron or Electron Minor) that was owned by Frank Maine in Southern California. The club has since lost touch with Frank.

The car looks like it has seen its share of track time. (The red car in the street is another Fairthorpe.)

[antonvrs]

I was sitting on a bus bench in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California on a busy Saturday night about 25 years ago just watching the world go by, when a car turned left on to Westwood Blvd in front of us. I turned to my girlfriend and said "look, there's a Fairthorpe Electron Minor"! A few minutes later he reappeared, having gone around the block, and parked in front of us.
How did you know what this car is? he asked. As a consummate gearhead I had seen a few pictures in books and magazines so we had a brief chat(he was parked in the bus zone) and he drove away. I later saw the car parked in an alley in Santa Monica but never saw the owner again.
I believe it was the red car in your photo below.
Anton

This is a photo that was sent to the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club in the 1980's. It is a Fairthorpe (Electron or Electron Minor) that was owned by Frank Maine in Southern California. The club has since lost touch with Frank.

The car looks like it has seen its share of track time. (The red car in the street is another Fairthorpe.)

[RCampbell]

I was sitting on a bus bench in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California on a busy Saturday night about 25 years ago just watching the world go by, when a car turned left on to Westwood Blvd in front of us. I turned to my girlfriend and said "look, there's a Fairthorpe Electron Minor"! A few minutes later he reappeared, having gone around the block, and parked in front of us.
How did you know what this car is? he asked. As a consummate gearhead I had seen a few pictures in books and magazines so we had a brief chat(he was parked in the bus zone) and he drove away. I later saw the car parked in an alley in Santa Monica but never saw the owner again.
I believe it was the red car in your photo below.
Anton

Anton,

That must have been Frank Maine's "other" Fairthorpe. Here is a better photo of it -- again, from the 80's.

[Jerry Entin]

In the Southwest Erskine Kelly took his Fairthorpe Electron Mk 2 to second overall [GM2] in Race 5 at Eagle Mountain during the SCCA National in June 1957.

In the January 1958 Regional at the same track the entry list shows:

Bob Whitcraft Jr. [St. Louis] with a #64 Fairthorpe Electron.

Result unknown

All research: Willem Oosthoek

[smeetsie]

Calling in from Adelaide, Australia.

Many years ago, when I was a Sprite Club of SA member around 1973-74, I was told of a fibreglass Sprite a chap had in Norwood. I had a look.......thought it was not a Sprite, but a very well made special. I bought it for $150.00. I sold it to a fellow Sprite club member, Phillip Brown - who had a Bug Eye with a 1600cc MGA motor for the $150.00.

The more I looked at it, the more I thought it was a professional production. The alloy cast windscreen struts, the moulding quality. So I started hunting through books. I found an article in an English Eagle magazine yearbook about Fairthorpes, and identified the car as a Fairthorpe Electron Minor.
It had Standard 8 running gear. George Thomson, an Adelaide car guru of the past, reckoned he had heard that a fellow imported it to Australia to take on the Lotus Elite/Elan brigade.... but I have not been able to track it down.

Someone had mercilessly started to chop out the bonnet etc. to make room for a Datsun 1600 motor, but I bought a Standard 10 for $45.00 to supply motor and gearbox.

Last I heard of it, an owner of Stirling Hire in the Adelaide Hills had restored it and was entering it in a Bay to Birdwood Rally. Sadly have not seen or heard of it again.

I now have a TVR Grantura Mk2 under restoration.......MGA powered.

Pete S

[RCampbell]

Calling in from Adelaide, Australia.

Many years ago, when I was a Sprite Club of SA member around 1973-74, I was told of a fibreglass Sprite a chap had in Norwood. I had a look.......thought it was not a Sprite, but a very well made special. I bought it for $150.00. I sold it to a fellow Sprite club member, Phillip Brown - who had a Bug Eye with a 1600cc MGA motor for the $150.00.

The more I looked at it, the more I thought it was a professional production. The alloy cast windscreen struts, the moulding quality. So I started hunting through books. I found an article in an English Eagle magazine yearbook about Fairthorpes, and identified the car as a Fairthorpe Electron Minor.
It had Standard 8 running gear. George Thomson, an Adelaide car guru of the past, reckoned he had heard that a fellow imported it to Australia to take on the Lotus Elite/Elan brigade.... but I have not been able to track it down.

Someone had mercilessly started to chop out the bonnet etc. to make room for a Datsun 1600 motor, but I bought a Standard 10 for $45.00 to supply motor and gearbox.

Last I heard of it, an owner of Stirling Hire in the Adelaide Hills had restored it and was entering it in a Bay to Birdwood Rally. Sadly have not seen or heard of it again.

I now have a TVR Grantura Mk2 under restoration.......MGA powered.

Pete S

Pete,

There is a great article on the Fairthorpe Restoration Blog about a Fairthorpe currently being raced in Australia. Les Whelen, the owner/driver has plans to enter a number of events in 2011. Maybe you can catch him at one of them.

[erkelly2]

A few years ago I found a 1963 Fairthorpe Electron Minor Mk. 2. It had been prepared for vintage racing with the HSCC by J.R.D. Heseltine back in the early 80's, but was sold and shipped to the US before it saw much track time.

Although very few Electrons and Electron Minors were produced, and fewer still were sent the the US, I set out to find cars/drivers/owners here in the United States. Racing Sports Cars indicates that a number of Fairthorpes were actively raced in the States -- by drivers such as Dick Lord, Charlie Kolb

The Fairthorpe driven by Charlie Kolb and Dick Lord was probably my car as the first owner.

I was managing Motor Imports, Ltd., in Rockville, Maryland with Frank Baptista as my shop manager.

Once we determined that the Morgan was not competitive against AC Bristols, Frank suggested that I get the new Fairthorpe Electron. It was basically a Lotus 11 in a fiberglass coat.

It was fast and fun, but very poorly made. The first race I drove in it was at the "Texas Regatta" near Ft. Worth. It had a persistent miss and loss of power when turned left. It took forever to find the problem - rubber fuel line into the Webers. Gas caused the rubber to swell, and in a left turn the fuel would be pinched off from the Webers.

By the time we fixed the problem, one of the pistons was burnt. Even on three cylinders it was still competitive and came in second place in two points races - Val Scroggins (sic?) won both races in an Alfa Romeo.

Frank had stayed in Maryland to work on his Lotus Mk 11. When I got back from Texas he took the Fairthorpe engine apart, polished and balanced everything, and I took the car to Marlboro for a preliminary G & F Production race and the featured six hour race.

In spite of a spinout, I was able to easily earn a GP winners pot, with my co-driver for the six hour, Arthur Tweedale, the only car ahead of me - he was the FP winner. Frank was pissed off that I didn't pass Arthur, but my notion was to protect him from his other FP competitors since we were "teammates".

I started the six-hour, and had gotten up to third place overall after 45 minutes. Getting gas I turned the car over to Arthur. He got up to second overall, and came into the pit after 20 minutes with a shattered gear box.

The Fairthorpe was equipped with a Morris Minor gearbox, and it was clearly not strong enough for the power of the Coventry Climax engine. I had to fly to Montreal to get the only MM gearbox in North America. It was installed, but I reached the conclusion that it wasn't worth the risk of more broken gearboxes to try for the GP National Championship. I decided to go back to college. Frank made a deal with Dickson to buy the assets of Motorsport Memorial and the Fairthorpe, after which Frank agreed to become Dickson's service manager at Continental Motors. A good deal for all - we thought.

Charlie Kolb, Dick Lord, Frank Baptista and Arthur Tweedale, among others, drove for Dickson's company. Frank won his third GM National Championship in an Elva.

The rest of the story is bad news - see http://www.motorspor...f...db=ct&n=482

Rick (E. R.) Kelly
Oklahoma City

[Frank S]

Third entry-list page, last listing, car No. 190, on this page.

Jack Brabban has a Facebook page. If you can't raise him there, I'll try locally.