10 replies to this topic

[Tweddell]

Is there anybody who knows some details of this little car running at international sportcar-races in 1970,
strange name......

[raceannouncer2003]

Some results here:

http://www.oldracing...hassis=&driver=

http://www.oldracing...s...heeler (GB)

Vince H.

[proviz]

In late 60's/early 70's Jerboa's builder Jack Wheeler ran interesting little cars especially in Targa Florio, including an Austin Healey "Frogeye" which ended up not being frogeye at all.

[Ted Walker]

I know Jack still has the Sprite and I assume the Jeroba ????.I do have photos taken at N ring 1000ks but without looking dont know the year.

[petestenning]

Did anyone other than Jack ever buy or run a Jerboa.? The reason i ask is i remember that car name from racing at Snetterton in the 70.s , can not remember the driver or entrant though .



Pete

[Red Socks]

Jack sold Jerboa to Mike Darrieulat to run in the ? MN sports car championship, it was destroyed at Thruxton some time early seventies. The whole bang shooting match was thrown away-Mike only kept the motor -he was a BMC specialist at the time before going on to Lancias- and the gearbox and that was stolen from Basing Street years later

[petestenning]

Having had time to think it was Darrieulat i saw in a MN GT race or two, i know there were several small engined cars in those days like the Walker Minisprint of Wilfred Ashman and various Imp engined GT'S.
Shame it was Destroyed

Pete

[Red Socks]

Originally posted by Ted Walker
I know Jack still has the Sprite and I assume the Jeroba ????.I do have photos taken at N ring 1000ks but without looking dont know the year.

Jack actually has two Sprites-and this is a real question for us purists.
He started in 1966 with a Sprite and for the next five years he developed it until it had Elan suspension etc etc. However everything single part that came off the car he kept, so he could re create any configuration of the car over the entire gestation. When he stopped racing it-and put the motor into Jerboa -the parts and the car were left in his lock up. Now forty years on he has recreated the first Sprite that he started with-bought ex Healey via Paul Hawkins in the Strand, and that was the car he, or rahter Matin Davidson, raced at Goodwood BUT because he has still got all the parts he has also remade the car in its final format as raced in 1970. So one owner, one chassis number but two cars-
Which is the original?

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Red Socks
Which is the original?

Yes

[Simpson RX1]

Originally posted by Tweddell
Is there anybody who knows some details of this little car running at international sportcar-races in 1970,
strange name......

There are several species of Jerboa, spread across Asia and North Africa; they are members of the rodent family, about the size of a mouse but with long and very powerful hind legs, similar to a Gerbil, although they aren't directly related.

They can move extremely quickly, so I guess it's not a bad name for a small, nippy sports car.

[Red Socks]

For those curious it was a Ginetta chassis with a BMC engine and transmission.