Felday 4 FWD sportscar
#1
Posted 16 December 2002 - 10:06
I am trying to find as much information on this car for a friend in France who hopes to produce a model. We know the car was tested by Jim Clark and we have a photograph of the car with Clark driving with numbers and Clarks name on it. This suggests he may have raced the car, if so where and when and with what result. Also the pictures we have are black and white, Anyone know the cars colour. Any pictures information towards this project would be gratefully received.
Thank you
Peter Radcliffe
Advertisement
#2
Posted 16 December 2002 - 10:13
#3
Posted 16 December 2002 - 12:22
#4
Posted 16 December 2002 - 12:32
#5
Posted 16 December 2002 - 12:41
The car was the subject of one of those cutaway drawings in Motoring News soon after it appeared, I definitely recall.
#6
Posted 16 December 2002 - 13:07
In ''Motor Racing Team Colours and Markings'' (by John Baxter, pub. Model Aeronautical Press, 1967 - a book aimed at modellers) it says:
(quote)
Felday Engineering Limited
Forest Green, Dorking, Surrey
(b&W pic. of badge)
drivers:
Peter Westbury, Mac Daghorn.
cars:
Felday 4 (no. 4001); Felday 5 Ford 7-litre V8 sports car (no. 5001); Felday 6 Formula Libre (6001).
The company was formed in May 1963 during which year Peter Westbury drone Felday ''1'' (with supercharged Daimler SP250 engine), winning the British Hillclimb Championship. In 1964 he drove the 4WD Ferguson P99 to win the British Hillclimb Championship for the second time. An attempt was also made at the European Championship in a 2-litre BRM powered Lotus 23. There were no Felday cars being raced in the1965 season but Peter Westbury drove the works BRM 4WD car twice in Britain and once in Switzerland. On Boxing Day1965 Mac Daghorn drove Felday ''4'' to win the Formula Libre race, and Peter Westbury drove the same car into second place in the sports car event.
A full racing programme is planned for the 1966 season.
colours and markings:
Felday Blue - a specially mixed dark metallic shade - (not too helpful there - many other entries in the book provide ICI or other paint reference codes)
Wheels - alloy rims with gold painted spokes and chrome caps.
There is another Felday 6 owned by Tony Griffiths of Sutton Coldfield which is painted Racing Green.
(quote ends)
#7
Posted 16 December 2002 - 14:02
Jim drove the car very impressively at the Guards Trophy - until its V8 engine drank the last drop of available oil. During practice JC had apparently said to Peter - "It's going to take some learning, this one..." - whereupon the hillclimb specialist who was also test driver for Harry Ferguson Research on 4WD said "If you don't mind me offering some advice, up at Druid's Hairpin, just try getting back onto the power impossibly early...and see what happens...". Jimmy went out again and within a couple of laps was 3secs faster. He brought the car back into the pits grinning from ear to ear, saying "That's just incredible! It went round as if on rails then came out of the corner like a rocket..."
The car was sold and subsequently 'used up' in other projects but its bare bones - the robust monocque chassis - still survive in private hands today. I was press officer at the frosty Boxing Day Brands meeting at which the car was driven by Mag Daghorn - v. pleasant Channel Islander and a very good driver. He's still around too.
DCN
#8
Posted 16 December 2002 - 17:26
Originally posted by Doug Nye
Jim drove the car very impressively at the Guards Trophy - until its V8 engine drank the last drop of available oil. During practice JC had apparently said to Peter - "It's going to take some learning, this one..." - whereupon the hillclimb specialist who was also test driver for Harry Ferguson Research on 4WD said "If you don't mind me offering some advice, up at Druid's Hairpin, just try getting back onto the power impossibly early...and see what happens...". Jimmy went out again and within a couple of laps was 3secs faster. He brought the car back into the pits grinning from ear to ear, saying "That's just incredible! It went round as if on rails then came out of the corner like a rocket..."
and what impact did that have on subsequent Lotus cars?
#9
Posted 16 December 2002 - 18:13
4WD, steering, ball races the lot, and the driver's got a beard, at least mine has.
#10
Posted 16 December 2002 - 19:20
Originally posted by Doug Nye
By coincidence I was talking with Peter Westbury just last week about - ahem - another matter.
DCN
What is his memory like?
A week or so ago I was rummaging through some anorak junk...and came across something I just cannot resist producing at this juncture.
As a spotty teenaged oik in the mid sixties, I used to spend a lot of time imagining I was a car stylist and sending off my doodles to various people. When the cutaway drawing of the Felday 4wd sports car appeared in Motoring News I traced over it and converted it to a closed GT car..unusually, I somehow made a copy of my efforts. You can't really tell what I've based my creation on, but I have also still got the reply I received from Peter Westbury to prove it!
!
#11
Posted 16 December 2002 - 21:33
#12
Posted 16 December 2002 - 22:10
#13
Posted 17 December 2002 - 10:15
Any pictures anyone might have would also be a great help.
Regards
Peter
#14
Posted 17 December 2002 - 13:39
#15
Posted 18 December 2002 - 09:17
#16
Posted 25 October 2005 - 12:14
Just south of Forest Green (maybe a mile or so) is the hamlet of Walliswood. There is a racing team based there - currently it is the Gruppe M team who race Porsches very successfully in the FIA GT championship. Certainly, GT cars have been run out of there for quite a few years. Was this site either Felday or Rob Walker?Originally posted by mickj
How far was Felday Engineering from Rob Walkers Racing Team. By their addresses they would have been close.
#17
Posted 25 October 2005 - 12:34
#18
Posted 19 December 2005 - 08:59
Tony Griffiths advertised "Felday VI single seater March 1966 used hill-climbs, Ford 4.7" from Sutton Coldfield, Warks in Autosport 19 May 1967 p808.
#19
Posted 19 December 2005 - 10:12
Advertisement
#20
Posted 05 May 2013 - 16:50
We were walking around the paddock when we were stopped by this lady who asked us if we knew anything about Felday cars. We certainly did know a little and we all contributed something. Having captured our attention she handed us a flyer with a photo of Jim Clark in the Felday 4 on one side and this one the other:
"WANTED TRANSMISSION - FERGUSON GEARBOX INCORPORATING TRANSFER BOX FOR 4WD
"FELDAY 4 AND 5 WERE BUILT BY PETER WESTBURY UNDER HIS COMPANY NAME FELDAY ENGINEERING. BOTH WERE 4WD THE FELDAY 4 WITH THE MID MOUNTED FERGUSON GEARBOX DRIVING FOR[E] AND AFT WITH THE 5 THE LATER THINKING FERGUSON GEARBOX ON THE BACK OF THE ENGINE DRIVING THE REAR WHEELS AND IN TURN SENDING A SHAFT FORWARD TO DRIVE THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. ADVANCING TYRE COMPOUND TECHNOLOGY BEAT THE EXTRA WEIGHT AND COMPLEXITY OF THE SYSTEMS. BOTH CARS, WHICH I NOW OWN, WERE BROKEN UP IN 1971-1972 AND I AM STILL SEARCHING FOR THE FERGUSON CENTRAL MOUNTED GEARBOX SYSTEM FOR THE FELDAY 4. I AM CERTAIN THERE ARE ABOUT THREE SYSTEMS OUT THERE UNDER SOMEONE'S BENCH.
"AN AMERICAN MECHANIC (Rob Thurman) I BELIEVE TOOK THE COMPLETE SYSTEM HOME WITH HIM OUT OF THE FELDAY 4, TO THE USA IN APPROX 1973.
"DO YOU KNOW HIM? IS HE STILL ALIVE? DID HE USE IT? DO YOU KNOW ANY OF THESE ANSWERS?
"PLEASE HELP ME TO BRING ANOTHE RHISTORIC CAR BACK TO LIFE. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT ME:
"J. GRAHAM GALLIERS"
If you can help, please let me know and I will put you in touch.
Edited by fuzzi, 05 May 2013 - 16:53.
#21
Posted 05 May 2013 - 17:09
http://www.ggalliers...5felday5brm.htm
http://www.ggalliers...4felday4brm.htm
#22
Posted 05 May 2013 - 17:53
I think I also sent him a lead on an FF Interceptor project I came across as a possible source of components to get the car running, but apparently (and I found very surprising, given it is a one off car) there was insuficient similarity to make this worthwhile
Al
#23
Posted 05 May 2013 - 18:04
"Motor Racing - the BRSCC mag - May '64 has an interview with Westbury and shows him in chassis and a shot of engine/rear diff
Motor - W/E March 27 '65 caried a full article on the car, with a lovely Hatton sectional drawing as well as a fairly full tech spec. and photos of the chassis. many components seem to be taken from BRM or Ferguson -i.e the 'sensing' unit and many are shared with the car Wizzo / Moss drove at Goodwood this year.
Rear Hubs are brabham, fronts are.... BMC ADO17 (Austin 1100!!!!)"
#24
Posted 05 May 2013 - 18:17
Clark raced the Felday once, in the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch on August 29th 1966. He was first in his class in the first heat, but retired in the second heat.
I was at the race, the BRM engine was losing oil in the 2nd heat and Joim was Black flagged IIRC.
#25
Posted 06 May 2013 - 03:09
ADO17 is the 1800.Rear Hubs are brabham, fronts are.... BMC ADO17 (Austin 1100!!!!)"[/i]
The 1100 is the ADO16.
#26
Posted 06 May 2013 - 11:37
#27
Posted 06 May 2013 - 11:40
ADO17 is the 1800.
The 1100 is the ADO16.
Ah that makes sense - the 1800 was so much 'sportier'!
#28
Posted 02 September 2016 - 19:30
I have wondered for a long time about the Felday 4 front suspension layout.
The earliest photo I have seen (below), has two angled radiators in the nose and coil over dampers between the wishbones, as drawn by Brian Hatton in his cutaway.
This cutaway and photo is from a 1965 article out of Motor magazine.
The Bill Bennett cutaway (Motoring news 18-01-1966) shows a single slanted radiator, and the springs (operated by triangle shaped upper “rocker wishbones” ) lying horizontaly
above the front differential. The dampers are operated from the lower wishbone.
A photograph in MotorSport August 2014 accompanies Doug Nye’s “From the Archives” piece about the car’s racing history. This photograph ( of the remains of the car
sold by Bonhams – Lot 306 ) clearly shows the car’s suspension in the Bill Bennett configuration.
Every descriptive piece I have read about the car, notes the horizontally mounted springs.
This would mean that there was a redesign sometime late 1965.
Does anyone have more info for me on this car, or can you refer me to a book or other magazines?
Bill Bennett’s cutaway from Motoring News of 18th January 1966.
Brian Hatton’s rendering from Motor of 27th March 1965.
Photograph of chassis under construction (photo is from internet and credited as being part of the
Motor magazine original article). The Brian Hatton cutaway is based on this build.
macoran
Edited by StanBarrett2, 02 September 2016 - 19:32.
#29
Posted 02 September 2016 - 21:28
Pete, is there any chance of a copy of the MR article on the Felday, please, to top p my Felday file ? I bought a job lot of 60 odd MR mags earlier in the year but they are mainly 1950s, good though that is, and only half a dozen in the 60s.
Many thanks
Roger Lund
#30
Posted 03 September 2016 - 04:11
Roger & pete53, I think the article on the Felday was in the October '67 Motor Racing. there is a thread on "Autodiva" out of France titled "Peter Westbury et les Felday" where two pages from the article are reproduced. there are also a couple of pictures of the car sans bodywork driven I think by John McCartney at Prescott and one other venue in 1968. these are Mike Hayward photos. I cannot do a link because one has to subscribe to see them. if you can't access the site pm me and I can pull the images and send them to you.
Michael Scott
#31
Posted 03 September 2016 - 11:46
There was a copy of the MR issue on Ebay the other week - I know 'cause I was sending copy of various articles I have on the cars to Hepworth International who have the car (it's currently for sale, along with the 5) and I had given them to Graham Galliers, but they'd not received them with the car.
Lots of period and detail photos of the car can be found in the Bonhams on-line catalogue from Goodwood when they sold it last year
Al
#32
Posted 03 September 2016 - 13:48
Pete, is there any chance of a copy of the MR article on the Felday, please, to top p my Felday file ? I bought a job lot of 60 odd MR mags earlier in the year but they are mainly 1950s, good though that is, and only half a dozen in the 60s.
Many thanks
Roger Lund
Roger I don't have a scanner, but I could do a photocopy and send on if that's any use to you? Just to clarify, the article I have is on the Felday 5 7 litre car not the Felday 4.