27 replies to this topic

[Eric Dunsdon]

On the 17th september 1955 a couple of pals and I cycled up to Silverstone for the 100 mile Commander Yorke Trophy meeting. It was a warm sunny day of good racing, the highlight for me being the Formula Libre race which we watched sitting on the counter of the old Pits just inside the exit from Woodcote Corner, a precarious vantage point at times, and we were advised n ot to swing our legs, in case 'someone took em' off'.

I recall that Bob Gerard won the race in his Cooper-Bristol with Tony Rolt second in Rob Walkers Connaught. Other runners included Duncan Hamilton's D Type, Bruce Halfords Equipe Devone Cooper Bristol and Les Leston in Peter Bells Connaught sports car. I have been unable to locate any further details of this race which was so typical of many excellent F.Libre races back then. I would be most grateful if any member could help out with any details regarding race entries and the full result. Unfortunately, the Formula Libre Black Book is financially beyond my reach!.

Any help would be appreciated by my ageing memory and I.

[Darren Galpin]

See www.dlg.speedfreaks.org/archive/book/post_1950.pdf - the meeting is covered there with the top 3 for each race.

[Roger Clark]

From the Black Book (entrant in brackets, driver unless otherwise noted)

 

Entries:

1 Bruce Halford (Equipe Devone) cooper-Bristol 23

2 Dick Gibson Connaught A4

3 P Westley MG K3 Magnette

4 Horace Richards HAR

5 Tony Marsh Cooper VIII 1.1 JAP

6 Paul Emery Emeryson

7 Tony Rolt (RRC Walker Connaught B4

8 Ted Whiteaway HWM

9 Geoff richardson RRA

10 Tom Kyffin (Equipe Devone) Cooper-Bristol 23

11 Nobby Spero (Speed models) Maserati 8CM

12 Bob Gerrard Cooper-Bristol 23

20 Peter Gammon Cooper-Climax 39

31 Les Leston (Peter Bell Stable) Connaught ALSR

50 Horace Gould Tojeiro-Jaguar

54 David (D S Boston) Jaguar XK120C

56 Gillie Tyrer Jaguar D

58 Ellis cuff miller (S J Boshier) Aston Martin

60 Duncan Hamilton (Jaguar D

61 Michael Head (J D Hamilton) Jaguar D

no number Tony Gaze HWMJaguar

 

Results:

1 Gerrard

2 Rolt

3 Richardson

4 Leston

5 Kyffin

6 Hamilton

7 Marsh

8 Head

etc

 

Apparently the course used was unusual.  At Becketts it turned down the Club Straight and almost immediately left along one of the cross-circuit runways, hairpinning right to return to the Club Straight about half way along, lap distance 2.5 miles.

[Sharman]

On the 17th september 1955 a couple of pals and I cycled up to Silverstone for the 100 mile Commander Yorke Trophy meeting. It was a warm sunny day of good racing, the highlight for me being the Formula Libre race which we watched sitting on the counter of the old Pits just inside the exit from Woodcote Corner, a precarious vantage point at times, and we were advised n ot to swing our legs, in case 'someone took em' off'.

I recall that Bob Gerard won the race in his Cooper-Bristol with Tony Rolt second in Rob Walkers Connaught. Other runners included Duncan Hamilton's D Type, Bruce Halfords Equipe Devone Cooper Bristol and Les Leston in Peter Bells Connaught sports car. I have been unable to locate any further details of this race which was so typical of many excellent F.Libre races back then. I would be most grateful if any member could help out with any details regarding race entries and the full result. Unfortunately, the Formula Libre Black Book is financially beyond my reach!.

Any help would be appreciated by my ageing memory and I.

I'll bet Geoff Richardson was in it Eric

[Eric Dunsdon]

I'll bet Geoff Richardson was in it Eric

Yes. and good old Horace Richards in his H.A.R!! Happy days eh!.

[Eric Dunsdon]

From the Black Book (entrant in brackets, driver unless otherwise noted)

 

Entries:

1 Bruce Halford (Equipe Devone) cooper-Bristol 23

2 Dick Gibson Connaught A4

3 P Westley MG K3 Magnette

4 Horace Richards HAR

5 Tony Marsh Cooper VIII 1.1 JAP

6 Paul Emery Emeryson

7 Tony Rolt (RRC Walker Connaught B4

8 Ted Whiteaway HWM

9 Geoff richardson RRA

10 Tom Kyffin (Equipe Devone) Cooper-Bristol 23

11 Nobby Spero (Speed models) Maserati 8CM

12 Bob Gerrard Cooper-Bristol 23

20 Peter Gammon Cooper-Climax 39

31 Les Leston (Peter Bell Stable) Connaught ALSR

50 Horace Gould Tojeiro-Jaguar

54 David (D S Boston) Jaguar XK120C

56 Gillie Tyrer Jaguar D

58 Ellis cuff miller (S J Boshier) Aston Martin

60 Duncan Hamilton (Jaguar D

61 Michael Head (J D Hamilton) Jaguar D

no number Tony Gaze HWMJaguar

 

Results:

1 Gerrard

2 Rolt

3 Richardson

4 Leston

5 Kyffin

6 Hamilton

7 Marsh

8 Head

etc

 

Apparently the course used was unusual.  At Becketts it turned down the Club Straight and almost immediately left along one of the cross-circuit runways, hairpinning right to return to the Club Straight about half way along, lap distance 2.5 miles.

Thats brilliant. Thanks very much for the help.  I'd forgotten the different circuit layout for the 100 mile Formula 3 races.

[Sharman]

The most interesting position is Leston in a (I think 1700 cc) sports Connaught, the one with the Rochdale body. faster than the Ds on an airfield circuit.

[Trevail]

It is possible that car 58 would have been Stanley Boshier's Aston Martin DB3 (chassis number 10) registered TPB 641, originally owned by Graham Whitehead. Ellis Cuff Miller shared this car with Tony Hind a month earlier in the Goodwood 9 Hour race, they finished a credible 15^th. Boshier was a well known car dealer from Norwich and Hind was one of his salesmen, I know nothing of Cuff Miller.

 

 

 

Leigh Trevail.

[Allan Lupton]

The most interesting position is Leston in a (I think 1700 cc) sports Connaught, the one with the Rochdale body. faster than the Ds on an airfield circuit.

I've just seen this and don't understand the "Rochdale body" part of it.

The Connaught AL/SR was made by Connaught and now looks like this:

much as it always did.

[nicanary]

I've just seen this and don't understand the "Rochdale body" part of it.

The Connaught AL/SR was made by Connaught and now looks like this:

much as it always did.

It's rumoured that the car was taken to Rochdale Motor Panels for repair work, and whilst it was there they took a mould and developed the result as one of their styles (Type F ?). That body shell was introduced in 1954, if that's any help.

[Eric Dunsdon]

It's rumoured that the car was taken to Rochdale Motor Panels for repair work, and whilst it was there they took a mould and developed the result as one of their styles (Type F ?). That body shell was introduced in 1954, if that's any help.

I am delighted to see that VPF272 is still being put to good use. That was a cracking little car and I have many fond memories of Les Leston driving it so well on many occasions.

[Trevail]

Forgive me for digressing but is VPF 272 the car that Les Leston & Archie Scott Brown drove to 6^th place in the 1955 Goodwood 9 Hour race ?

 

 

Leigh Trevail

[Tim Murray]

That's the registration shown for it on the WSRP site:

http://www.wsrp.cz/intgb1955.html#21

[Eric Dunsdon]

Forgive me for digressing but is VPF 272 the car that Les Leston & Archie Scott Brown drove to 6^th place in the 1955 Goodwood 9 Hour race ?

 

 

Leigh Trevail

Yes it was, and I was lucky (and old enough!) to see that as well.. Thank you for that link Tim. I found it really interesting.

[DUFFY]

The story about VPF 272 having a fibreglass body fitted is true.
Rochdale Motor Panels was formed in 1948 by Harry Smith and Frank Butterworth who were both skilled Alloy Panel makers. In the early 1950s

through their association with the 750 Motor Club they built up a very good reputation for building and repairing alloy bodies for Racing Cars.

 

Sometime in late 1954 or early 1955 VPF 272 alloy body was damaged at a race meeting (possibly Oulton Park or Aintree) VPF 272 was taken to

RMP for repair. At this time RMP had also started to produce Fibreglass bodyshell,s as well as Alloy, so while VPF 272 was there RMP took a mould

of the Connaught ALSR body and produced a new fibreglass body called the Rochdale Type “C”.

 

Around June 1955 the alloy body was removed from VPF 272 and replaced with a fibreglass Rochdale Type “C” body, properly because it is easer,

faster and cheaper to repair racing accident damage on a fibreglass body than on a alloy body.


1955 May 29th. Crystal Palace with Alloy Body.

1955 July 16th. Aintree with Fibreglass Body.


1955 Aug 20th 9hr Goodwood with Fibreglass Body.


At the race meeting at Brands Hatch on the 9th October 1955 there was a Concours D’Elegance and a parade lap for fibreglass bodied cars

and also Race 4 The Fibreglass Trophy Race for 10 laps for fibreglass bodied cars included Les Leston in car number 53 a Connaught ALSR reg VPF 272.

Tony Stanton, Compiler of the Rochdale Olympic History Archives.

[Sharman]

There I was wondering if I should tell Allen that he was wrong and somebody does it for me! 

My original comment stands, quicker than the Ds on an airfield circuit

[Allan Lupton]

There I was wondering if I should tell Allen that he was wrong and somebody does it for me! 

My original comment stands, quicker than the Ds on an airfield circuit

Funny that I didn't know that tale, and I don't remember a plastic body when Gerry Walton resurrected the car in the 1980s - can't have been paying attention.

[Tim Murray]

Roger Lund has forwarded me this mystery photo, wondering if it might be another Rochdale-bodied Connaught:



Does anyone know who - what - when - where?

[bradbury west]

Many thanks, Tim. The type of fir trees and the stylish driver made me think of Les Sables d'Olonne, for some reason. Exits stage left. Photo source was  uncredited  on  Jalopyjournal.com

Roger Lund

[nicanary]

The trees made me think straight away - Australia. But then the car's LHD. It looks for all the world like a c.1956 Dante Clubman GRP shell which was made to fit the Austin 7 running gear. Is that the Halseylec behind and to the left?

[Sharman]

The trees made me think straight away - Australia. But then the car's LHD. It looks for all the world like a c.1956 Dante Clubman GRP shell which was made to fit the Austin 7 running gear. Is that the Halseylec behind and to the left?

 Think it looks too tall for the Halseylec, you may be right about Austin 7 base as the wheels don't seem man enough to cope with very much poke though it does not immediately say Dante to me. But where is it and who is it, she looks fairly chic so Roger may be right with France

Edited by Sharman, 17 September 2015 - 13:57.

[Michael Ferner]

Why does this photo make me think of a certain type of bra, very popular around that time...

[Sharman]

Why does this photo make me think of a certain type of bra, very popular around that time...

Thre were quite a number of sports racers in that era which had bullet headlamp covers, but I'm damned if I can remember what they were.

Sabrina was rather later.

[Vitesse2]

Why does this photo make me think of a certain type of bra, very popular around that time...

Because you have that sort of mind?

 

FWIW, all those yellow advertising boards in the background are for Energol. But not for BP. The one that looks like an S is actually a snake and seems to have been a logo used by AGIP to advertise it.

 

 

So, especially with all those red cars, I'm thinking Italy: the car in the distance looks like it may even have one of those tiny Italian front number plates.

[Henk Vasmel]

My suggestion: Anna-Maria Peduzzi, driving a Stanguellini. In my (rather incomplete) database, only one race matches the starting number 8, which is Gran Premio Di Roma, Castelfusano, 21 October 1956. Googling on Ms. Peduzzi indeed brings up this photo again.

 

Edit: My Stanguellini book confirms this on P.123 where it shows the same picture and gives the race as indeed Castelfusano, 21-10-56

Edited by Henk Vasmel, 17 September 2015 - 17:46.

[Tim Murray]

Thanks Henk, nice work
 

Googling on Ms. Peduzzi indeed brings up this photo again.

... including in TNFer Lotus Elise's profile of Anna Maria on her Speed Queens site:

http://speedqueens.b...ia-peduzzi.html

[Eric Dunsdon]

Thanks Henk, nice work
 

... including in TNFer Lotus Elise's profile of Anna Maria on her Speed Queens site:

http://speedqueens.b...ia-peduzzi.html

I started this off by  asking for help with details of a fairly obscure Formula Libre race at Silversone in 1955. Here we are now with Stanguellini and the Roma Grand Prix

with stop offs at Connaught, Halseylec and even Sabrina along the way......wonderful!. My thanks to all.

[Doug Nye]

Dammit - just saw the photo in question, instantly thought Castelfusano, and then find Henk's beaten me to it...

 

DCN