27 replies to this topic

[Kale]

Hello

Any information about the Piper GT Lotus Ford ?
How much are build ? Pictures ? Any car survived ?

[Gregor Marshall]

Good question, will be interesting to see what the answers are - I think officially there four.
I know the current owner of Piper Cars, Tony Claydon, he used to race a ModSports TVR and Lotus Elan as well as a Piper:- http://www.piperracingcars.co.uk/

[RS2000]

It was claimed at one of the Crystal Palace sprints in the 90s that 3 remained in existence and were all there. I'm not sure where the Lotus bit of the title comes from. I know Bill Quine (Manx Racing Developments) built a correct pre-Xflow Kent pushrod for one of them some years ago. Lionel Cole (co-driver to Graham Watton Cortina in 60's rallies) and Bournemouth both ring bells as linked to it.

Edited by RS2000, 03 October 2009 - 19:39.

[Gregor Marshall]

I'm not sure where the Lotus bit of the title comes from.

Did the original not have a Lotus twin-cam engine?

[Giraffe]

By giraffe138

The 1969 Piper GTR 1300cc of Tim Slack & Mark Wright pictured at the Masters event at Donington in April last year.

[Stephen W]

By giraffe138

The 1969 Piper GTR 1300cc of Tim Slack & Mark Wright pictured at the Masters event at Donington in April last year.

Nice but the original question was about the Piper GT not the GTR - different beasts!

[Giraffe]

In recent seasons I have seen Chris Atkinson campaigning his Red 1966 1600cc Piper GT, and also Anthony Goddard in his burgundy 1965 example. I presume these are two of the existing cars referred to earlier?

[Pedro 917]

Chris Atkinson was at the Spa 6H last week, competing in the Historic Sports Car club series :


Copyright Luc Ghys

[Kale]

The thread search for informations over the closed ( mid - engined ) GT Versions
How much build ? ( 3 ? )
Any survived ? Who ?
Pictures ?

[JB Miltonian]

"The thread search for informations over the closed ( mid - engined ) GT Versions"

I'm certainly not an expert on Pipers, but as far as I know the only "closed mid-engined GT version" of the Piper was the GTR. There is an article with lots of pictures in Classic & Sportscar April 2005 detailing the #134 GTR pictured above, owned by Tim Slack.

[ianselva]

"The thread search for informations over the closed ( mid - engined ) GT Versions"

I'm certainly not an expert on Pipers, but as far as I know the only "closed mid-engined GT version" of the Piper was the GTR. There is an article with lots of pictures in Classic & Sportscar April 2005 detailing the #134 GTR pictured above, owned by Tim Slack.

I thought the Piper GT was shaped more like the GTZ Alfa in the background but tubbier.

[Giraffe]

I thought the Piper GT was shaped more like the GTZ Alfa in the background but tubbier.

I also recall them having the engine infront of the driver, and gullwing doors?!?!

[2F-001]

Yes - this is what I understand to be the Piper GT
http://images.google...m...mp;aq=f&oq=
(from memory, it looks rather nicer in the 'flesh').

The astonishingly low - and quite rarely seen - GTR is, as Stephen says, a rather different machine altogether.
Even having seen pictures before, the first time saw one for real, I was still amazed at how low it looked when one is standing next to it.

Is there actually any connection between the somewhat Lotus 23-like sports racer, pictured above with Chris Atkinson, and the other Pipers discussed here? I'd never linked them in my mind - thinking of them as different marques - although I confess to not knowing a great deal about any of them.

Edited by 2F-001, 05 October 2009 - 15:56.

[Kale]

No - I meen not the Front engined Piper GT
Look at the Piper Clup Webside, You can see a picture from a yellow, mid engined Sportscar. That looks like the car
from Chris Atkinson - but with a roof !

[bill moffat]

No - I meen not the Front engined Piper GT
Look at the Piper Clup Webside, You can see a picture from a yellow, mid engined Sportscar. That looks like the car
from Chris Atkinson - but with a roof !

All very confusing - I suspect plenty of Piper (front-engined) GT's were made as, down here in Kent, I have seen quite a few over the years. The GTR's production (including the replicas) is pretty well documented but a hard-topped 23B / Merlin lookalike ?? ...never heard of it.

Incidentally Pipers were made in the Kent countryside a mile or so down the lane from my current home - having moved into Dan Gurney's AAR Eagle factory after the operation had flown home...

[rwills]

I've seen this Piper GTR out at Masters events several times over the last few years.

http://themastersser...y/WSRM_5052.jpg

This was taken at Donington in April 2008.

It appears to be the Tim Slack car and only managed 1 lap in qualifying.

http://www.tsl-timin.../2008/81691.pdf

It did better in the race, finishing 7th, one ahead of me!

Roger

[rwills]

[jph]

Hello

Any information about the Piper GT Lotus Ford ?
How much are build ? Pictures ? Any car survived ?

For a potted history with pictures of different types: http://www.thepiperclub.org.uk/3.html

[Simon Thomas]

For a potted history with pictures of different types: http://www.thepiperclub.org.uk/3.html

Was Chris Barber, the jazz musician associated with the GTR? I recall an entry for Kirkistown in the late 1960s but the car did not arrive and Chris shared a local MG Midget.
Simon Thomas

[Leigh Trevail]

Is this what you are looking for?

[Stephen W]

For a potted history with pictures of different types: http://www.thepiperclub.org.uk/3.html

According to the website the closed coupe mid-engined sports racers were a development of the open cars and pre-dated the GTR.

There was a series for GTs which the closed coupe would have been ideal (I think sponsored by STP?)

[Kale]

Is this what you are looking for?

Yes !! That´s the cars i looking for !!
Huw miuch are build ?
Any survived ?
Any other pictures ?
Any informations about racing results , engines ...

[Stephen W]

Yes !! That´s the cars i looking for !!
Huw miuch are build ?
Any survived ?
Any other pictures ?
Any informations about racing results , engines ...

The Piper Club site seems to imply that there were THREE GTs. The first a hard top conversion to one of the open cars and then the next two built specifically as coupes.

[Leigh Trevail]

The club should have some more photos that were taken at the same time!

[Kale]

Hello

Now it´s clear what cars are search !
How much are build ( 2 or 3 ? )
Have one of the cars survived - and when - who are it ?
Any results and more pictures from the Piper GT ?

regards Karl

[Leigh Trevail]

Another shot taken at the same time..

[Kale]

Who are the two cars today ???

[Alan Cox]

A rather nice photo of Bobby Bell at Crystal Palace 1967
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item1e61a9b8d0