119 replies to this topic

[proviz]

Thanks John. That is a great article and sheds a lot of light on the man. The car however is still a bit of a mystery as it ran in 1965 and 66, is clearly the same car as illustrated in the article, but there is no mention of it in the otherwise fairly thorough timeline. I remember it as orange (I was going to build a slot car version which is why I took the photo), and it is down in the programme as being 998cc. I always thought that it probably had a Mini Cooper engine like the Unipower and Cox GTM, but it appears from the article that it must have been Imp based. The wet linered engines by Greetham and Hillthorne were 998cc.

 

Still haven't been able to check the ad in Autosport mentioned above, but having found the same website linked by John Wingfield, I first thought it was curious there has hardly been any contemporary publicity on such an ambitious car. Then memory seemed to sharpen a bit and as advertised in Autosport Desauto was likely just a rolling chassis without engine. So that leaves some doubt as to whether the twin-Imp was ever completed or installed in the chassis.

[Keith Rolleston]

The article states that the engine wasn't built as Rootes had no funds. It also states that the whole car was meant to be a Rootes car for Le Mans but they had insufficient funds so Tony Stevens funded the chassis and body himself presumably hoping to kick start the management into action to go ahead with the engine project. They didn't, so it looks as if he tried to sell the car as it was. That looks to have failed so he installed an engine and took it racing in the up to 1000cc class.

 

That engine would have been a winning unit in a 2 litre category. The 1 litre Imp engines made a lot of power and were very lightweight, so combined as a V8. . . . . F1 was 3 litres though and I doubt that it would have stretched to that. It would have made a great road car engine though, and the Desauto concept with that engine in the middle could have transformed the stuffy Rootes image and possibly its fortunes.

[BRG]

...we won't mention the M*n* - Marcos.

 

 

When returning from a Le Mans Classic a few years back, we came across a strange UK registered vehicle on the autoroute.  We were in two cars and there was some phoning between cars asking 'What the hell is that butt-ugly thing?'  It was making fast progress but that was the best you could say about the Mantis - at least people didn't need to see it for long!

 

What were they thinking?

 

That engine would have been a winning unit in a 2 litre category. The 1 litre Imp engines made a lot of power and were very lightweight, so combined as a V8. . . .

 

Wouldn't that just have been re-inventing the Coventry Climax V8?

[BarryJohnson]

Going back to the F2 meeting held on 17/05/1964 the picture of Jim Clark leading must have been lap 3 as Laps 1 and 2

were led by Brian Hart in the Cosworth Engineering car Jim Clark passed him on lap 3 and Peter Arundell passed him on lap

4 and the Ron Harris cars ran first and second for the rest of the race.

 

Jochen Rindt was actually fastest in practice at 52.4 seconds with Hart and Clark second and third at 52.6.

 

Rindt must have made a rubbish start as he didn't get into the first 6 until lap 19 and he eventually finished third.

[Bloggsworth]

[quote name='Giraffe' date='Nov 12 2012, 16:15' post='6019904']
Maurice Bruton has given me a series of photos he took at Mallory Park in the early 1960s.

Not being 17 until 1965 i didn't go to many races in the early sixties but this is Tatty Turner pretty sure it's Pat Ferguson driving it though. Warwick Banks was its next owner.

That reminds me, whatever happened to John "Turner" Miles?

[john winfield]

Barry, Mike Hayward has shots of this meeting on his site, including one of the start. Unfortunately it's rather distant, from behind the grid, so it's hard to see what Jochen's up to! Unless he had to start from the back for some reason, although I think one photo shows him taking up pole position.

 

https://mikehaywardc...limit=15/page=1

[Keith Rolleston]

Number 25 is certainly Pat Ferguson in the Tatty Turner. Here is the race entry list for that race:

 

 

For general interest, he was also at the 2000 guineas race 7 weeks later and exactly 58 years ago today - 11/6/62.

 

Here is the cover from my programme that day autographed by Pat Ferguson, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham and Mike Parkes. I have always regretted not gettng Chris Barber's autograph too for he was there racing his lime green Lotus Elite. Until recently his band was a regular on New Year's Eve at our local concert hall and I would have liked to have taken the programme there and got him to sign it - but - on New Year's Eve there has always been something else that took precedence. If anyone knows how to contact him there may still be time.

 

[BarryJohnson]

Barry, Mike Hayward has shots of this meeting on his site, including one of the start. Unfortunately it's rather distant, from behind the grid, so it's hard to see what Jochen's up to! Unless he had to start from the back for some reason, although I think one photo shows him taking up pole position.

 

https://mikehaywardc...limit=15/page=1

Thanks for that there appears to be a lot of tyre smoke from what should be Jim Clark's car so as Brian Hart was in the middle according to my grid its easy to see how he got in the lead.

 

I was sure that there was a Ford sticker on the side of Rindt's car in practice as well as the Austria but it seems to have disappeared on race day according to the Mike Hayward photo.

 

According to Heinz Pruller's book Rindt was not in gear at the start and was last away. Fighting through the field he got involved in a massive incident that affected half the runners which probably explains all the damage to Bill Bradley's Lola.

[Keith Rolleston]

It must have been a great relief for Jim Clark to step into the F2 and enjoy his winning drive. In the previous race he was driving the Lotus 30 (no. 43 in the original photo set here) and I remember being genuinely worried about his safety when watching it. The car was most unstable under braking for the esses and looked as if it could fly off the road randomly at any time. He was of course as cool as ever and brought it home to win with a fastest lap too.

[RobMk2a]

I wonder if anyone reading this thread has any photos of TVRs racing at Mallory such as Chris Summers in Oakes Richards Mk2. 

 

Thank you 

 

Rob 

Edited by RobMk2a, 12 June 2020 - 07:24.

[elansprint72]

By way of a test posting, here I hope are two photo's of Paul Emery's amazing twin-engined Mini in the Mallory paddock. This is a later incarnation of the one in earlier posts and has a bulge on the front of the bonnet for the Weber intake trumpets.

 

Some info here on the twin Jag-engined Twini:

https://twiniminis.com/

Edited by elansprint72, 11 June 2020 - 20:15.

[proviz]

I was wrong! The Desauto was not offered in Autosport as a rolling chassis, instead the advert in 8 Aug 1969 issue read like this:

 

"DESAUTO 2 LITRE SPORTS PROTOTYPE

 

Alloy monocoque chassis/body with 8 cylinder O.H.C petrol injected alloy engine and Porsche transmission. Approx. 350 bhp/ton and potential for much more. Light running-in only since complete engine rebuild last year. This is obviously a waste of one of the most beautiful and technically interesting GTs in the country and it will therefore be sold complete with trailer, spare transmission, etc., to the best offer over GBP1.000

Telephone: Warwick 44527"

 

It was accompanied by a smudgy little photo where apparently the number plate and driver's name (or sponsorship sticker) had been covered up. (Sorry, I have no means to post it here.)

 

So the twin-Imp engine seems to still have been in place. The rear bodywork looks slightly different to the one that appears in Keith's photo, with a straight, flat roofline from top of windscreen to rear deck trailing edge. It also seems to be clearly recessed above the fender line making the actual engine cover perhaps a bit narrower.

[pete53]

Proviz - you are correct. My note on the back of the photo is wrong and I have been under a misaprehension for 54 years. I have consulted my old programmes again and the car is given as a Desauto GT of 998 cc driven by an A. Stevens at the1965 Boxing Day meeting. It appears again during 1966 as the Desauto Stevens, entered by A.Stevens and driven by P. Gaydon. Could this be Peter Gaydon, ex director of the BRDC? It is not shown in his records.

The car was entered in the Group 6 sports car race at Crystal Palace, Spring Bank Holiday 1967, with a 1996 engine. Peter Gaydon was down to drive, however, my youthful self has put a line through its race number so I assume it was a non-starter.

[BRG]

Some info here on the twin Jag-engined Twini:

https://twiniminis.com/

Reading that not entirely clear piece suggests that it wasn't a Jaguar-engined beast.  It was a BMC transmission, with a Ford bottom end grafted onto it, than with cut-and-shut Jag XK cylinder head on the top,  To add to the automotive soup, Vincent motorbike pistons were used with Jag con-rods - presumably the Ford rods weren't suitable?  Then multiply by two.

 

All because they couldn't source any Lotus Twin Cam heads at the time.

[dolomite]

Not quite 60's but these are from some negatives I've recently found taken by my mother at Mallory Park. There's an accompanying programme which identifies that they were taken at the Whit Monday meeting on 18 May 1959.

 

Unidentified F2 cars

Unidentified F2 cars

Unidentified sports car

Lotus 7-Climax of E Pantlin

Jaguar D-Type of M V Mackie and Lotus 11 of Pete Arundell

Edited by dolomite, 22 March 2021 - 21:43.

[nca]

During the late sixties, I got to know and became friendly with Mark Ridout of Performance Engine Services.

His garage was in the Old Hill area close to Dudley, and Mark looked after my Mini-Cooper and then my MKG Midget.

Mark by then was rallying, running a Cooper S, followed by one of the very early Escort Twin Cams.

Mark is no longer with us, but at the time of his death, I was told that he had raced a Morgan, and held the class lap record at Mallory.

Can any of the Mallory Experts perhaps confirm or deny  this, to me, intriguing suggestion?

 

nca

Edited by nca, 23 March 2021 - 11:25.

[Rupertlt1]

Mallory Park, Sunday 18 October 1964, B.R.S.C.C. Midland Centre, Seventh Clubman's Meeting

Football Post (Nottingham), Saturday 17 October 1964, preview:

COOPER CHEVROLET

With a G.T.O. Ferrari, a Zagato

Aston Martin, a Cooper Chevrolet,

a Lotus Fairlane, an Attila-Chevrolet

and several " E " type Jaguars, there

(sic) plenty of big machinery in the

BRSCC short circuit meeting at

Mallory Park tomorrow.

Alan Eccles' Cooper Chevrolet and

Scotsman Jock Russell with his 4.7

litre Ford V8-powered Lotus single-

seater do battle in the 10-lap

Formula Libre single-seater race with

a host of lightweight small-engined

racing cars. Among the latter are

Dennis O'Sullivan's highly successful

Brabham and Rodney Banting in his

Lotus BMC.

The Young New Zealander Ross

Greenville, who recently returned to

racing after his accident 18 months

ago, in which he lost his left foot, is

driving the Kiwi single-seater, which

he himself has constructed. He lost

a wheel in the early stages of his

race at Brands on October 4, and

will be hoping for better luck this

time.

George Drummond is driving the

Portuguese G.P.-winning G.T.O.

Ferrari, and he has also entered

Viscount Rollo Fielding in the

Zagato-bodied Aston Martin DB4GT

in which Stirling Moss once won

the T.T. In the over 2½ litre G.T.

class they are up against several

" E " type Jaguars, including the

ex-Protheroe, ex-Roger Mac car

driven by David Cunningham.

In the under 2½ litre class of the

same race, Chris Meek brings the

incredibly rapid Ginetta coupe, this

time struggling with Bill Morgan's

Diva G.T. among others.

A NEW ATTILA

Pat Hovenden has a brand new

Attila, sister car to Roy Pierpoint's

famous machine, but with a Chevrolet

engine.

In the sports car race over 1000cc

he will have to brush off a swarm

of little Lotus 23s, including Robin

McArthur and Brian Smith. Dave

Rees' Lotus 7 and Dave Preston in

the similar car with which he shone

at Silverstone recently and Peter

Dickinson's Elva Mark VII.

There are no less than four

women drivers competing. They are 

Natalie Goodwin, who drives the

special Lotus in the race 1000cc

and 1172 sports cars, Mary Taylor,

(Cooper 'S'), Liz McKechnie and

Ann Flower both driving Minis in

the 1000cc saloon car race.

The 1600 cc G.T. race is always

tremendous entertainment. With Sid

Taylor, Malcolm Wayne and Peter

Mould, of Lister-Jaguar fame, in

Lotus Elans, Chris Ashmore, Elite

and Jim Moore in his fast 1650 cc

Diva, a hot contest is assured.

Howard Fawcett's ex-Chris Craft

1650 Anglia and a host of Cooper

'S' entries promise the usual excite-

ment.

END

 

Does anybody have a programme/race report/results?

 

RGDS RLT

 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 21 April 2021 - 09:24.

[Rupertlt1]

During the late sixties, I got to know and became friendly with Mark Ridout of Performance Engine Services.

His garage was in the Old Hill area close to Dudley, and Mark looked after my Mini-Cooper and then my MKG Midget.

Mark by then was rallying, running a Cooper S, followed by one of the very early Escort Twin Cams.

Mark is no longer with us, but at the time of his death, I was told that he had raced a Morgan, and held the class lap record at Mallory.

Can any of the Mallory Experts perhaps confirm or deny  this, to me, intriguing suggestion?

 

nca

 

Curborough sprint, near Lichfield, Shenstone & District Car Club, 6 June 1965

Class 2C: 1. M. Ridout (Morgan) 41.55 secs.; 2. J. S. Prince (Cooper 'S') 41.86 secs.

 

Mallory Park, Coventry and Warwickshire Motor Club, Sunday 5 June 1966

Saloon cars over 1,001 c.c.:

1. M. Ridout (Mini-Cooper "S"), Dudley;

2. J. Bloxham (Mini-Cooper "S"), Dudley;

3. J. Hipkiss (Mini-Cooper), Dudley.

71.31 m.p.h.

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 21 April 2021 - 07:49.

[nca]

Curborough sprint, near Lichfield, Shenstone & District Car Club, 6 June 1965

Class 2C: 1. M. Ridout (Morgan) 41.55 secs.; 2. J. S. Prince (Cooper 'S') 41.86 secs.

 

Mallory Park, Coventry and Warwickshire Motor Club, Sunday 5 June 1966

Saloon cars over 1,001 c.c.:

1. M. Ridout (Mini-Cooper "S"), Dudley;

2. J. Bloxham (Mini-Cooper "S"), Dudley;

3. J. Hipkiss (Mini-Cooper), Dudley.

71.31 m.p.h.

 

RGDS RLT

Thank you RLT for the information in your post. It confirms that Mark ran a Morgan, and that he raced the Cooper S, which I was not aware of. 

I think there was a degree of rivalry between Mark and the late departed John Bloxham. 

I passed the Bloxham garage on my commute to work, and it was always interesting to note what was in the small showroom.

Prior to the London to Mexico World Cup Rally, one could study John's Twin-Cam (TUK 3F if I remember correctly), the Lancia Fulvia and the Hillman Hunter  that John drove in the World Cup.

I remember John Bloxham's cars being very smart always, while my friend Mark's vehicles were rather less so! 

 

nca

[pete53]