38 replies to this topic

[Morris S]

Would I be correct in thinking Triple C started in earnest 50 years ago next year?  Planning to mark the occasion with a display of ex magazine sponsored competition cars/feature cars. Any thoughts?

 

Pete

[EDWARD FITZGERALD]

not sure , a great idea  , sadly missed

[Dick Dastardly]

Great mag, sadly missed.  Surely there's a market for a similar style mag to be produced nowadays?

I seem to have won a few competitions / prizes from them over the years....a trip to watch the 72 Monte.....a day at Silverstone inc rides with Steve Soper in his Eggenberger Texaco RS500 and a road going RS200...and a Polaroid camera 

Edited by Dick Dastardly, 17 November 2014 - 14:01.

[john aston]

Nice thought but no market- few people do their own 'tuning ' apart from a new chip, no road rallying , international rallying a parody of its former self and club racing not too strong except historics. I met former Ed Richard Hudson Evans a couple of times in recent years - a fund of stories...

[backfire]

Quite agree with John Aston - a fabulous institution in it's day, selling at one time 100,000 a month. However the scene changed years ago with every manufacturer building ready to go sporty cars, motorsport getting more expensive and professional. The carefree days of buying a cheap Mini (or Ford Anglia etc.), sticking on an extra carb fettling the cylinder head in the shed with help from mag regulars such as David Vizard and Clive Trickey have largely gone. The magazine tried to reinvent itself on several occasions (writing about F1 tech etc. with Russell Bulgin or track day scene with Steve Bennett), but the scene had gone all Max Power. Today probably the closest mag to the original DIY CCC concept is Practical Performance Car (a more wacky venture featuring ex CCC contributor Dave Walker ) who would be over the moon to sell 10,000 a month. Factor in the internet, which is slowly killing the printed media and it's definitely a lost cause. Just like those great old TV shows, The Sweeney and Minder - best remembered, but not recreated.

[Morris S]

I think this display will be happening at the Autosport Racing Car Show in January. Found a few Triple C cars already, will confirm details soon as I've firmed them up. Anyone confirm when Triple C first appeared, was it indeed 1965?

[BRG]

Today probably the closest mag to the original DIY CCC concept is Practical Performance Car (a more wacky venture featuring ex CCC contributor Dave Walker ) who would be over the moon to sell 10,000 a month. Factor in the internet, which is slowly killing the printed media and it's definitely a lost cause. 

Actually. there seem to be a lot of marque specific mags (Mini, Retro Ford etc) which effectively cover the old CCC ground but each only for its chosen marque.  There still seem to be plenty of people out there shoehorning big engines into Ford 100Es or Hayabusa motors into Minis.  In a way, it makes sense.  If you are  Ford fanatic, I suppose youmight not want to buy a mag that was about Rover V8 engined Imps* and Porsche engined Fiat 500s**?

 

 

* hmmmmm

 

** hhhmmmm, to the garage!

[Milan Fistonic]

I think this display will be happening at the Autosport Racing Car Show in January. Found a few Triple C cars already, will confirm details soon as I've firmed them up. Anyone confirm when Triple C first appeared, was it indeed 1965?

 

My two oldest copies of CCC are July and October 1968. July is Vol 12 No 2 and October is Vol 12 No 5.

 

Strangely the next oldest copy - May 1969 - is Vol 5 No 5.which would indicate that 1965 was Volume 1.

[arttidesco]

IIRC CCC ran a competition to win a Formula Ford car at some point during the 1980's, possibly '85 or '86, I certainly entered such a competition which I believe was won by Tim Harvey, don't remember the make of FF but I believe it was a new start up manufacturer for some reason and I'm sure the car was light green.

 

Apologies if I am barking completely up the wrong tree.

[alansart]

IIRC CCC ran a competition to win a Formula Ford car at some point during the 1980's, possibly '85 or '86, I certainly entered such a competition which I believe was won by Tim Harvey, don't remember the make of FF but I believe it was a new start up manufacturer for some reason and I'm sure the car was light green.

 

Apologies if I am barking completely up the wrong tree.

Tim Harvey raced a Quest in Formula Ford. He broke his leg in it at Silverstone.

[Fatgadget]

Ah Tripple C! ..Years ago back in the early 70s while a student at the Polytechnic of Central London (remember them polys?!)..Anyway one day after lectures on my way home, just by the Post office tower;I stumbled upon huge pile of dumped magazines,turned out they were CCC.Changed my life!
Not only did I read most of them cover to cover I started buying them every month!; I swear, to the detriment of my exam results that year! I was studying electrical and electronic engineering btw.
As a previous poster just pointed out,It was a mag that was great for info about modifying Fords,Minis or whatever make car.There also features about grass roots sports..and readers adverts where one could get a bargain.And the likes of Andy Dawson and David Vizard...Ah! Memories!!
..After I graduated,my first job was .. in a garage as a trainee mechanic!
That said,the knowledge I gleaned from Triple C was without a doubt instrumental in me knowing a bit more about cars and my participation on the 1984 RAC rally in a Group B RS1800 Escort...I was car 75 should you be curious!

[Tim Murray]

You must be Patrick Butete, then, who retired his Escort with engine problems on or near special stage 4:

http://www.juwra.com...84_entries.html

http://www.juwra.com...84_results.html
 
On the entry list you were adjacent to another rallying TNFer, who posts here as RS2000.

[dwh43scale]

Memories. I seem to recall a really good expose of how Saab's F3 engine came into being. Anyone got a scan of it ?

[arttidesco]

Tim Harvey raced a Quest in Formula Ford. He broke his leg in it at Silverstone.

 

Sounds vaguely familiar, I'll see if I can find a photo of the car I'm thinking of.

[Fatgadget]

You must be Patrick Butete, then, who retired his Escort with engine problems on or near special stage 4:

http://www.juwra.com...84_entries.html


http://www.juwra.com...84_results.html

On the entry list you were adjacent to another rallying TNFer, who posts here as RS2000.

Indeed I am Tim!..Fame at last!

[Charlieman]

Tim Harvey raced a Quest in Formula Ford. He broke his leg in it at Silverstone.

The same bloke: http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Tim_Harvey

[RS2000]

Hi Patrick. Welcome. To show what anoraks we are on here (and even more so on the Historic Rallying thread of British Rally Forum), it was an "Escort RS", not an RS1800!! Both were transferred into GpB but the RS1800 was only in standard form: yours was the full spec, as re-homologated in Gp4 1977 onwards, after Gp2 was restricted.

 

Totally OT: I never ever asked further about Mick Jordache's fan problem on the 83 RAC (when you were servicing his car). The fan pulled out off its bolts/hub from making contact. I had a look at Colerne, then final service in Bath before the night halt and suggested just leave it with no fan. Mick was panicking, saying "but it'll overheat!" and I was saying "it's the end of November - it bl**dy won't unless you sit in traffic with the engine on!" (I had no mechanical fan on my RS2 on either the 82 RAC or the 84 RAC and I don't think the electric fan was ever needed).  It's bugged me ever since but I guessed later that when converting his car to a GpA RS2 Mick must have put an RS2000 rad into the original rad mounting of his existing 1600 Xflow shell, which didn't have the inset mounting for a Pinto rad.

 

Pity you didn't get to overtake the French Quattro No.73 on Knowsley too - I've dined out on it ever since! - but you had an extra minute to make up! I'd put the photo on here if I could work out how to...

[arttidesco]

IIRC CCC ran a competition to win a Formula Ford car at some point during the 1980's, possibly '85 or '86, I certainly entered such a competition which I believe was won by Tim Harvey, don't remember the make of FF but I believe it was a new start up manufacturer for some reason and I'm sure the car was light green.

 

Apologies if I am barking completely up the wrong tree.

 

Seems like I had a bit of a senior moment and had several things a bit jumbled up on my hard drive.

 

I am sure there was a competition to win a Formula Ford car in a magazine like CCC it might well have been Tim Harvey who won it and it might have been a Quest which he won. I am definitely not thinking of Tiff's Lotus in Autosport, a competition run at least ten years earlier.

 

However the green car I was thinking was the prize turns out to be ...

 

 

a Ray FF87 seen above at Silverstone possibly in April 1987 and below with

 

 

Justin Bell at the wheel during a test at Snetterton prior to the Willhire 24 Hours so I would guess June '87.

 

Apologies for the confusion

[RTH]

  

Like a lot of things in the late 60s/70s we didn't realise just how good it was until we lost it

 

Edited by RTH, 19 November 2014 - 17:39.

[BRG]

 

 

Come on TNFers - we can identify every car & driver on that cover!  There's Gerry for a start...

[backfire]

Mick Hill - Tricentrol Capri, Ian Richardson - blue Corvair, Tony Hazelwood - Corbeau DAF, John Pope - white Vauxhall & possibly Dennis Nott - purple Capri?

Edited by backfire, 19 November 2014 - 20:32.

[chunder27]

I remember going for an interview at CCC in the late 90's

 

Was in two parts, first part was with the editor and we talked about the job for about 5 minutes before trying to sort out project cars and some ideas so I thought I was well in there!

 

Second interview was with Fryatt who told me that they were going for the then burgeoning track day market for some reason and the other bloke was a road car bod so got the job!

 

And a few years later they were done, no-one wanted to read this months Caterham/Elise/kitcar going round Anglesey. And the editro was gone at about the same time they went that way.

 

I think IPC wanted rid, and it was run by some other lads who continued the theme, was almost as good as before but still a bit track day based.

 

Sadly no one reads magazines anymore.

 

But I can't help feeling (from working in the industry briefly) it is because of the way they are written, lack of content, lots of pictures and flannel. No real ideas. Stuff form publishers theming through content, not readers and eds. Wrong people trying to tell us what we want to read instead of listening.

 

I do think there was an appetite, but not anymore, simply noone reads magazines much anymore, maybe 1 or 2 in the car sector, the rest are struggling, no staff and content from contributirs hence its all over the place and bad to read.

 

Self perpetuating downfall really.

[BRG]

 

Sadly no one reads magazines anymore.

 

Makes you wonder why all those shops stock all those magazines then.  Hundreds of titles, go look in W.H. Smith or your local supermarket.

[john aston]

True - but with few  exceptions (and Motor Sport is the obvious one) they are light on text , heavy on pics, heavier on advertising, poorly written, frequently over specialised, sloppily edited , superficial, over-  sensationalised  and take no more than a coffee break to read  .

 

Triple C wasn't exactly Booker prize stuff (Russell Bulgin excepted )but its depth of knowledge was terrific and its sheer enthusiasm  beguiling

[alansart]

Mick Hill - Tricentrol Capri, Ian Richardson - blue Corvair, Tony Hazelwood - Corbeau DAF, John Pope - white Vauxhall & possibly Dennis Nott - purple Capri?

The yellow Skoda (68) looks like John Turner. Bill Cox with the Red Rovers Capri. Further back could be Doug Niven and the Border Reivers Escort.

[BRG]

True - but with few  exceptions (and Motor Sport is the obvious one) they are light on text , heavy on pics, heavier on advertising, poorly written, frequently over specialised, sloppily edited , superficial, over-sensationalised  and take no more than a coffee break to read.

 

Reading that, I'd have never imagined it was a post on the Nostalgia Forum!

 

Young people these days....don't know they're born...I was a desert rat, you know...slept in a jerry can.........

[RobertE]

C&CC was the flagship of Speed and Sport Publications, owned and operated (in its early days) by Ken Gregory. Ken had a torrid time in publishing, which ended badly in the ealy 1970s...

[Morris S]

By the way I did hear that the entire C&CC photo archive was binned when they shut up shop, LAT certainly don't have any of it.

Edited by Morris S, 20 November 2014 - 19:33.

[Mallory Dan]

The yellow Skoda (68) looks like John Turner. Bill Cox with the Red Rovers Capri. Further back could be Doug Niven and the Border Reivers Escort.

Blue Escort near the back is Geoff Wood's ultra low car. More normal Escort next to it maybe the Wray brothers? The red thing next to Wood is the Martin Kent Rapier, and the old mk1 Cortina at the back is Pete Shelton, next to Sugden's Escort. Anglia right at the back, dunno, nor the dark 'thing' between the Rapier and the Corvair, unless its Strawberry with the ex-Hill Capri??

[alansart]

 unless its Strawberry with the ex-Hill Capri??

I agree with Tony Strawson. The car looks right, he had an orange helmet and he's looking the part although he's not wearing his customary sandals

Sad to hear the news of Mick Hill's death today. He took Special Saloons to another level and is rightly on pole in the Triple C photo.

 

Edited by alansart, 21 November 2014 - 15:36.

[backfire]

Yes the Strawson (ex Mick Hill) Capri was a sort of metallic brown, if I remember correctly - but Strawberry is in disguise without the open toed sandals (no socks but plenty of engine oil between the toes). The picture is a great memorial to Mick.

[alansart]

Yes the Strawson (ex Mick Hill) Capri was a sort of metallic brown, if I remember correctly - but Strawberry is in disguise without the open toed sandals (no socks but plenty of engine oil between the toes). The picture is a great memorial to Mick.

I believe the Strawson Capri, purchased from Gerry Marshall, was painted by Anthony Davidson's Dad

[Morris S]

Look out for the Triple C display in the Festival Hall at the Autosport Show 10th/11th January.

[arttidesco]

Seems like I had a bit of a senior moment and had several things a bit jumbled up on my hard drive.

 

I am sure there was a competition to win a Formula Ford car in a magazine like CCC.....

 

Was relieved to find my memory is not completely on tilt when I saw this at Race Retro ....

 

 

The competition for a Ray FF was run in April 1985, still not sure who won ....

[chunder27]

But look at all the stuff on that fornt cover

 

Winning a FF1600 is cool obviously.

 

But A feature on Allan Edwards Escort, a nic new Porascghe road car

 

Endeans Xtrac system that revolutionuised rallycross and rallying.

 

And it would be in features thousands of words long, nit a bunch of pictures and sidebars and arty looking nonsense that publishers think we like rather than anything of any substance.

 

Anyone think the reasons why magazines do not sell anymore is because theya re largely garbage!

 

One example, I used to buy Motorcycle Racer magazine, got everyone from first to about 100, then stopped as columnists had bene the same for years, told you about the decorating, were friends of the editor etc etc.  Got boring, tired, race bike tests were condensed to a few pages instead of 5 or 6.

 

And the price was a fiver

 

Got a Motocross mag the other week, 3.80, full of features, good pcis and high quality ones. Only crit was a lack of interviews with people, but other than that decent value, good content.

 

We are our own worst enemy for still buying, not complaining and not letting them know.

 

I mean look at MN now, it is an embarassment to think I ever worked there!

[JAPMagna]

  

Like a lot of things in the late 60s/70s we didn't realise just how good it was until we lost it

 

 

That's Jeremy Walton (motoring journalist and author) in the CCC-sponsored Emery GT. The big triangular sticker on the side was promoting the JAP Magna wheels that were fitted to it. J.A.Pearce Engineering advertisements frequently dominated the back page of CCC. Tony Tobias, who was the CCC adverertising manager, dealt with John Pearce for several years.

[LittleChris]

Was relieved to find my memory is not completely on tilt when I saw this at Race Retro ....

 

 

The competition for a Ray FF was run in April 1985, still not sure who won ....

Always trust your instincts !!- See highlights of the 80's.

 

http://www.rayformul...uk/history.html

[mikeC]

... Anyone confirm when Triple C first appeared, was it indeed 1965?

 

Yes, Pete, CCC first appeared in 1965; it grew out of Cars Illustrated:

 

 

This is the February 1965 issue, which was titled Cars Illustrated incorporating Car Conversions:

 

[bigears]

Does anyone have copies of the magazine from 1986-1990?

 

As I am wondering if the magazine covered anything from the Birmingham Superprix during the August Bank Holiday weekend?

 

I know Steve Soper did an article in October 1988 reflecting on the farce of the time constraits that resulted the BTCC and other support races being cancelled.