25 replies to this topic

[EDWARD FITZGERALD]

Just read on Facebook that Chris has passed away ,the saviour of Mallory and a good driver as well.

[Richard Jenkins]

Yeah I saw that but haven't seen any other details yet but what a tremendous shame RIP

Edited by Richard Jenkins, 25 May 2016 - 05:25.

[john aston]

Oh dear , how sad. Lost of memories of him in all sorts of machinery - especially the .ahem.. Princess Ita Escort. A very quick and clean  driver.

 

His image was pure Seventies louche and remained so into the new century(I saw him a picture on the web with a suspiciously young new wife, a Ferrari and prematurely jet black hair .. )    . As a student at the University of Leeds in the early Seventies I often saw Chris Meek  poncing around in a yellow De Tomaso Pantera in the posher bits of town - usually with some 'hot piece' stunner in the passenger seat. Jimmy Savile was also a common sight in Leeds then in his Rolls but let's not go there .

 

At the first Croft Revival meeting there was talk of getting him back but I don't think he turned up- one of the organisers telling me he was insistent about only being contacted via his PR team....   

Edited by john aston, 26 May 2016 - 06:42.

[Mallory Dan]

One of my first racing heroes, after seeings that white Escort. Why the "ahem" John??

[paulsenna1]

One of my first racing heroes, after seeings that white Escort. Why the "ahem" John??

 

Same here, also enjoyed watching him later in Pantera, Europa and Panther Lima prodsports.

[JacnGille]

Sad news. Upon reading the title I thought this was the current WRC driver.

[Roy C]

http://www.brdc.co.u...th---Chris-Meek

[john aston]

Ahem because I believe that Princess Ita was entirely a product of Mr Meek's imagination - but it got good press. Cannot verify this but read it somewhere- here? 

[Tim Murray]

Princess Ita was discussed in several earlier threads here, but we never solved the mystery of who she/it was. This advert appeared in MN for 13/6/1974:



so Princess Ita was obviously something linked to Chris Meek, but it's never been resolved whether she/it actually existed.

[Charlieman]

Thanks, Chris, for keeping our local circuit open. You did a good job for bikers and club racers. VSCC folks love it for non-pretentious attitudes. Ta.

[larryd]

Long time ago I heard from a reliable source that Princess Ita was "a big black hooker from Bradford"

 

Fits Chris's image somehow 

 

     

[46700]

In the mid 50's he used to race a 250 MOV engined Velocette special That was called"The Meek Express" I see to remember it had several DNF"s at Brough

[007]

Having read some of the anecdotes members have written about their memories of Chris Meek, I have found some to be quite amusing and some not quite so. I am his youngest son from his first marrage to Tessa, perhaps there may be someone old enough to remembers her? Larry, your reliable source is not so, as he was quite a rasist back then, sorry to spoil the mystery, I could tell you who she was but I think that she should be left a mystery.  I remember the De Tomaso with the number plate 175 MPH, the "Hot Piece"may only have been my sister or her daughters but he was one for the girls. When I turned 14 he threw a set of keys at me and told me to go and play, A Ferrari Dino 308 GTB was the plaything, I recall how small it was inside and prefered my own Rover 3.5 coupe with a beautiful leather bench seat and a coctail cabinet in the back, built for comfort not speed.As a racing driver I have no doubt he had a great talent and passion for the sport, back then my mother was a model and quite a catch but ultimately he was not a one woman man, at least, as far as I know. As he aged he met Svetlana and finally settled in harmony and started another family ,adopting her son Nikita and having their own son Charlie. In conclusion I think he has had a life worth living. Which is more than most of us can lay claim to.

[kayemod]

Long time ago I heard from a reliable source that Princess Ita was "a big black hooker from Bradford"

 

     

 

Bradford eh? Famous place, nudge nudge, say no more squire! I wonder if she knew Pete Gethin's legendary "Two sisters"?

Edited by kayemod, 21 July 2016 - 22:15.

[eurocardoc]

I looked after the Rondel F2, the Princess Ita Escort as well as the yellow DeTomaso for Chris, it was a fun everyday time,  a larger than life character who enjoyed the public eye. Also a decently quick driver.

 

At one meeting at Croft, Chris arrived in his drophead Roller full of course with pretty young things, we 'suggested' to all and sundry (at Chris' urging) that one of these was indeed the mysterious Princess. As best I know, there was never a real character.

 

One time, he arrived on a new 750 Kwacker m/cycle, but after riding into the shop, as he tried to manouvre it around, fell and broke his leg. my task was then to remove the passenger seat from a Datsun of his secretary in order for her to chauffeur him sitting in back, legs out in the previously seat occupied space.

 

Another time, when the fuel crisis was on (72?) and restricted I installed an additional fuel tank in the trunk of his XJ12, that thing could drive from Leeds to London and back without refuelling and at a vastly greater speed then legal.

 

The '175 MPH' license plate on the white Pantera necessitated a certain individual to accompany Chris in order to photograph the car's speedometer reading 175mph, said picture being leaked to the local rag.

Edited by eurocardoc, 23 July 2016 - 22:09.

[john aston]

I always assumed that Titan Property- CM's outfit - was the inspiration , with perhaps a subconscious nod to Prince Chula

[007]

Not sure I can understand the subconscious nod to Prince Chula John, back in the day he was inclined toward the beauty of Ceylon rather than Siam. However, It has been mentioned a biography of my dad may be quite an  interesting read, although someone did comment  it would be quite short, I believe it could be an interesting read not just for motorsport interest but the whole spectrum of a life that balanced racing , property development, the love of being in the spotlight and hiding his children from view, so not to tarnish his playboy image. Your comment of you spotting him poncing around  Leeds in his De tomaso at the same time Jimmy Saville in his Rolls was fascinating, and you are right , "we probably shouldn't go there!" but at least I'm not on my own with those thoughts, no matter how off the cuff they are.

 

Eurocardoc, it sounds like you knew the old man quite well and shared some fun times. The day you mention at croft when he arrived in the drophead roller full of pretty young things and suspected one must have been the mysterious Princess, was in fact my elder sister and her two daughters, all wearing not much more than mini skirts and a smile. He had forbidden them to call him anything but Chris, he liked to have them around as arm candy inbetween dating, Not all is what it seems in this life and I think he liked to play on that. He let you see what he wanted you to see and over his life he perfected it. I do draw the line at the fiendishly black hair though.

[john aston]

There's  a project for somebody - a biography of two of Yorkshire's most famous racing drivers . I know all about Messrs Lanfranchi, Taylor and Hanson but - seriously - I'd love to see a work on Messrs Chris Meek and Tony Dean. What more could you want - pretty girls. Seventies glamour and flash sports cars in the case of the former and  cigar smuggling , Porsche 908s . Chevron B24s , Dino 206S ,  clink and a Can Am victory for Cas Vegas ' favourite son AG DEan ? ( Cas Vegas is of course Castleford, to those unlucky not to live in God's Own County. See also Ponte Carlo)     

Edited by john aston, 28 July 2016 - 06:06.

[philippe7]

Two lo-fi pics of two aforementioned vehicles, which I took at Llandow in 1973 or 74.

 

 

Edited by philippe7, 28 July 2016 - 21:41.

[007]

I think there would be some mileage in that, may work out better in film format and done in the "Carry On" style !  Leeds/ Yorkshire was a different place back in the seventies . Many interesting charectors such as Peter Stringfellow, the Leeds United Football Club in full flight. The place had a buzz of excitement then, morphing from grubby industrial treadmill to so  adeptly put as "Cas Vegas and Ponte Carlo".  Where have  all The Characters gone? One major drawback to a Biography of two of Yorkshire's most famous drivers is Chris was not born in Yorkshire!

Edited by 007, 01 August 2016 - 21:17.

[kartman24]

I have just bought a car raced by Chris at the 1959 Autosport 3 hour at Snetterton, the car is probably one of the more unusual that he raced. The car in question is a 1959 Fairthorpe Atom Major which is fitted with a twin carb Standard Ten 948cc engine, it had a Supercharger bolted on for the race. There are pictures of the car in the event on the web but if I try to ad the link this page jams on my lap top. Also I don`t have a url site to post the current pics of the car, I usually just post them from my laptop but I can`t seem to do that on this forum
I have a Fairthorpe blog which has pics and the link to period shots at www.fairthorpe.blogspot.co.uk
Could someone add a pic of the car and a link to the Revs digital web site where the period shots are, many thanks..............Martin

[Tim Murray]

Could someone add a pic of the car and a link to the Revs digital web site where the period shots are, many thanks..............Martin

Here are a couple of the photos from Martin's blog:





and here's the direct link to the blog:

http://fairthorpe.blogspot.co.uk/

and to the period photos on the Revs site:

https://revslib.stan...irthorpe&utf8=✓

Looks as though you've got quite a job on your hands, Martin - best of luck!

[kartman24]

Thanks for that Tim...............Martin

[E1pix]

That is one cool car!

[john aston]

It looks as though even Kylie MInogue would struggle to get in it - although I would like to see her try.Did Fairthorpe ever make a car which didn't look bonkers? I recall the TX GT which looked fab , but am still trying to erase the memory of the Tripper... 

[elansprint72]

Chris at Longridge in a Formula Libra race.