8 replies to this topic

[rod]

Does anyone know anything about the mysterious entry for the 1961 Flugplatzrennen, Alan Markelson - Lister Alfa Romeo? Did the car exist? Were any single seater Listers around in 1961?

[David McKinney]

That'll be the Zeltweg Flugplatzrennen, Rod?
Lister built and raced an unpromising Climax-powered F2 car in 1957. It was sold to Gil Baird but apparently not raced by him, though the next owner, W A Jones, did get it out once or twice at 1959 British meetings. This is the car Markelson entered, with Alfa power, in the 1961 Zeltweg race. It was reported resident in the USA in the later 1960s

[Vitesse2]

The car was originally built with Archie Scott-Brown in mind as driver. He was entered in it twice in 1957: International Trophy (DNS) and Oulton Park Gold Cup (DNA). David Hodges says the car was raced at Goodwood in late 1957: Sheldon lists only one F2 race at Goodwood, the Lavant Cup on April 22nd, so it was probably an FL race.

There was a previous Bristol-engined Lister F2 car, which was entered in a couple of minor British F1 races in 1955, also with AS-B as driver. It posted two DNAs ...

[David McKinney]

I don't know if your copy of Sheldon has a Page 183, Vitesse, but mine does - including the Woodcote Cup F2 race at Goodwood on 28/9/57, with Scott-Brown (Lister-Climax) listed as a retirement

[Vitesse2]

Well, I was only two years and one day old then ....

In mitigation, I'd like to point out that the index in Sheldon is wrong though - it should say pages 182, 184 and 185, but it omits 185!

[rod]

Thanks - I thought it must be the 1957 F2 car. But why the Alfa engine, and was there just this one appearence (i.e. non-appearence) in the sixties. And where is it now?

Does anyone kow if the Archie and the Listers book mentions this car at all?

[Bumblyari]

'Archie & the Listers' describes both the 1956 and 57 cars in detail complete with pictures (but unfortunately I only have a scanner at work).

They were completely different cars, the '56 model using the single-cam Climax FWB engine and the '57 model the twin-cam FPF.

Strangely however, neither car is mentioned in the works production records in the appendix.

[rod]

Bumblyari's comments probably answer my next question - I have two pictures perporting to be of the 1957 Lister (one in Hodges, and one in an old Jenks book). They look very different. The Jenks photo shows a car with early 50's style cut-away cockpit sides, whereas the car in Hodges' photo looks much more 'modern'. I take it that the Jenks photo must be the 1956 car, and that the car which became the Lister Alfa is that in Hodges?

[Roger Clark]

THe F2 Lister was entered for the Oulton Park Gold Cup on 22 September 1956, but did not arrive. Scott-Brown drove an 1100cc elva instead. The car was pictured in the previous week's Autosport; it looked extremely light an almost flimsy; more like a Lotus 12 than anything else. Later it was said that a number of modifications were planned to combat wheelspin encountered during testing. THese included a rear-mounted gearbox. six cars were planned, to be delivered in March and April 1957.