112 replies to this topic

[Nordic]

Tony Lanfranchi has lost his fight against cancer. A great driver in period but also a great stalwart of the historic scene.

[Vitesse2]

[Frank de Jong]

That's bad news

[petefenelon]

Sad news

[HEROS]

Dirt of cancer. Goodbye Tony.

[Twin Window]

How sad...

[Doug Nye]

Another colourful racing character enters the great saloon bar in the sky...in comfort at last...

DCN

[Alan Cox]

Another link through umpteen decades of motor racing sadly gone. Was there any category that Tony hadn't driven in his career, from Formula 1 downwards (or, conversely, from F100 upwards!)? Like so many great enthusiasts, his latter career spent doing a bit of historic racing.

Condolences to brother Peter and the rest of the family.

[paulsenna1]

This is such sad news... such fond memories of him on and off the track and in the bar.

Paul.

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Another link through umpteen decades of motor racing sadly gone. Was there any category that Tony hadn't driven in his career, from Formula 1 downwards

Even the Moskvitch......

[Vicuna]

Colourful guy with one-off helmet.

RIP

[MCS]

Great bloke, brave bloke - he will be missed.

I remember him winning a saloon car race at Snetterton. I asked him why he was walking so slowly and he admitted to having slipped a disk in his back. He was clearly in some pain, but I somehow doubt he would have even mentioned it had I not asked.



MCS

[Rob Ryder]

Sad news indeed

As a fan looking in from the outside he seemed like a great bloke and was definitely a great racer.

'Down the Hatch' Tony..

[SEdward]

Very sad. And surely one of the greatest helmets ever.

Edward.

[RTH]

I'm very sorry to hear this news, we did a number of Willhire 24hr races that he was taking part in he was always good value in the pitlane and a pleasant jovial bloke, as well as a very fine driver who could turn his hand to anything. He will be sadly missed.

[Mark Bennett]

RIP

I watched him race so many times. Great memories.

[Gav Astill]

This makes me really sad. It's like a big link to the original reason I got into racing has been severed.

If anyone is not familiar with Tony, they should seek out his autobiography "Down the Hatch", it's still the funniest motor sport book I've ever read.

Farewell Tony, we'll have a drink for you.

[Richard Jenkins]

Sorry to hear. RIP

[bill moffat]

Dreadfully sad that the big C has nobbled another racer. It's very correct to apply the term "a true character" to anyone after their death but, in TL's case, it is so very very apt.

I'm sure we will all raise a quiet glass to his memory but as a TNF tribute how about identifying every type of competition car that TL drove. 150 plus I reckon.

One car per posting, no repetition and no guessing !



I'll start with one of the more unusual, the Grid S1....

[Reyna]

What about his possible entry for the 1969 Canadian GP with Cooper T 86B (ex-Roy Pike?) ???

[Twin Window]

The Group 1.5 Satra Motors Moskvich...

I hope that's all correct

[bill moffat]

I'll keep this running with the Nomad Mk 2 BRM.

[D-Type]

Opel Monza

[Twin Window]

The 4WD Hepworth, as featured on a recent thread...

[Reyna]

Elva-BMW ('65 Le Mans 24 Hrs.), Ford Anglia ('66 Spa 24 Hrs.), Nomad MkI, II and III.

[Vitesse2]

Brabham BT15

http://forums.atlasf...ight=lanfranchi

[Alan Cox]

B.R.M. P261 (Oulton Park Gold Cup 1966)

[Criceto]

BMW 3.0CSi, 1974 Castrol British Saloon Car Championship.

[bill moffat]

The gorgeous Fraser Imp..that's 15 chaps.

[David Beard]

The programme for the Historic Kodak Trophy Race at Silverstone 14/05/66 has Tony down to drive the Lotus 16 then owned by John le Sage. (That's the one that's now in the Donington Museum)
I would be interested to know if he actually did race it.

[Alan Cox]

F3 Merlyn Mk10a for Ken Bass Racing

[bill moffat]

Attila Mk 3 Ford ..and we haven't even started on the Lolas yet...

[paulsenna1]

Group One Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda... brakeless

[bill moffat]

Colin Crabbe's Ford GT40

[Gav Astill]

Ford Thames van (with Supercharger!!!), Rufforth, late 1950's.

[MCS]

Originally posted by paulsenna1
Group One Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda... brakeless

Oh yes! I remember him practising for the Group One race at the Oulton Park Good Friday meeting in 1975 - in the snow that had just started

And I have a picture (and when I finally get organised, I promise to post it).

Anyone said F5000 Lola T142 yet? Fearsome stuff.

Mark

[bill moffat]

..and keeping the F5000 theme going, Lola T190 and..

[conjohn]

...digressing to sports cars - Gropa CMC , 1972 BOAC 1000...

[bill moffat]

McLaren M18

[Alan Cox]

Lotus Cortinas in his later historic racing days - including with his brother Peter.

[conjohn]

Porsche 911 SC, 1978 Brands Hatch 6Hr.

[bill moffat]

a Dolomite Sprint shared with fellow introvert Gerry Marshall at the Spa 24hrs of 1979...

[bill moffat]

and is he the "T. Lanfranchi" who non-started Le Mans 1960 in an AC Ace ?

[Twin Window]

I saw him in a few ShellSPORT Escort Mexico races during the early 1970s...

[bill moffat]

..and with AFN driving a Porsche 924 in the 1982 Prod Sports championship.

[glyn parham]

Blast you Mr Moffatt, I was hoping that no one would remember the Fraser Imps.

How about Opel Monzas in Production Saloons and BTCC between 1984 and 1988, Vauxhall Astras in Prod saloons in the late eighties.

Someone else got the Elva which he also raced at the Guards meeting at Brands in 1966, and did he also drive a Merlyn in F3? He may have been driving this when he tried a new aerodynamic aid on his crash helmet, a wing which practically ripped his head off when traveling at more than 50mph.

Mini Cooper S in 1966 BTCC

Thats all at the moment

Glyn

[Tweddell]

1000km race nurburgring 1964 and 1965 in an Elva for equipe Elva, 1968 in the Nomad with Konig.

[humphries]

Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica, when he were just a lad.

[Alan Cox]

First race - Brands 1957, Healey Silverstone.

One of his many wins with the Elva Mk7 was the Ouston Gold Cup in 1963. Do any TNFers remember Ouston? I drove past a sign to the village once on a foray to the north-east but never pursued it.

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Lotus Cortinas in his later historic racing days - including with his brother Peter.

Does he have a son that races? (Tony or Peter for that matter)