42 replies to this topic

[Auroraf1]

Hi Chaps

Looking at some stuff over the weekend brought this subject up.

British saloon racing in the 1970's was full Opel Commodores (pics anyone?), but I don't ever remember seeing one on the British roads.
Did anyone know any body who had one or even had one themselves?

Phil

[Leigh Trevail]

I had a four cylinder Rekord coupe on the road for 3 or 4 years, these shared the same body shell. Also in the shed I had a Commodore coupe which had a bit of front end damage. I was told that there were only about 60 imported into the UK in total, both of mine were sold to a member of the Opel club so hopefully they have survived.

I seem to remember that Tony Lanfranchi's book 'Down the Hatch' has photos of the ones that he raced, also Noel Edmunds raced one in Castrol colours.

[Phil Rainford]

Rather pathetic attempt at a photo of the Lanfanchi car ( I think )

PAR

[Duc-Man]

What model are you talking about?

The Mk.I (here in the Steinmetz race version)



the Mk.II (coupe)



or the Mk.III



The Steinmetz Commodore Mk.I were touring cars that were privately build-up and raced without any offical factory support AFAIK.
Walter Röhrl drove an Irmscher prepared Commodore Mk.II at the 1973 Rallye Monte Carlo. There were some other Commodore Mk.II in other rallyes as well.
I never heard of a MK.II as race car (at least not in Germany) apart from the Steinmetz Jumbo.
The Commodore Mk.III was the basis for the first Holden Commodore. But there is something about them in the Thundersaloon thread.

[alansart]

Posted on behalf of Julian Roberts.

Commodores at the 1980 Willhire 24 hours.















Obviously before Lionel Ritchie joined the band

Edited by alansart, 08 March 2010 - 20:02.

[Alan Cox]

Peter Hanson

Pete Hall

Tony Fall - Tour of Britain

Andy Rouse

Brian Pepper

Someone please remind me!

[raceannouncer2003]

I saw this race:

http://homepage.mac......el Pokal.html

Vince H.

[Auroraf1]

Once again you all amaze me with the strength of photos.

But still no one has answered the question did any one ever have one or even see one on the British roads?

[alansart]

Once again you all amaze me with the strength of photos.

But still no one has answered the question did any one ever have one or even see one on the British roads?

I honestly can't remember. There must have been some as there's one Here.

All the cars in the Snetterton and Oulton photos are also RH drive.

Edited by alansart, 09 March 2010 - 08:32.

[Leigh Trevail]

The Commodore that was in my shed had been on the road!

[Auroraf1]

Now this is interesting, fancy clubbing together fellas?

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...em=130372643708

I don't ever remember blue Mayfair colours?

[Auroraf1]

All the cars in the Snetterton and Oulton photos are also RH drive.

A discussion here seems to think that is because they were from South Africa?

[Leigh Trevail]

[quote name
I don't ever remember blue Mayfair colours?
[/quote]

Quickly looking through my copy of 'Down the Hatch' two of the b/w photos show the Mayfair car as being a dark colour and one shot of a lighter car, I assume that this was a gold colour.

[Auroraf1]

[quote name='Leigh Trevail' post='4201291' date='Mar 9 2010, 11:33'][quote name
I don't ever remember blue Mayfair colours?


Quickly looking through my copy of 'Down the Hatch' two of the b/w photos show the Mayfair car as being a dark colour and one shot of a lighter car, I assume that this was a gold colour.[/quote]
Yes the Lanfranchi car was gold and then black.

[bradbury west]

Yes, I knew a chap who had a maroon one, and Stuart McCrudden used to race one IIRC
Roger Lund

[alansart]

Yes the Lanfranchi car was gold and then black.

The Mayfair Sciroccos at the Willhire were black with red outlined gold lettering.



I remember having to help manhandle the original gold Lanfranchi Commodore to a safe place after an off at Silverstone and was surprised how tatty it appeared. Not a straight panel on it

[Julian Roberts]

My grateful thanks to Alan for hosting my images.

Also, one or two of you may be surprised to learn that Sir Stirling Moss is at the wheel of the Mayfair Scirocco.

[Gregor Marshall]

The Mk2 was the car raced in the UK but the Mk1 was very popular in Europe. I have a lovely picture of my Dad in one at Spa in '72 - not my copyright unfortunately.
Tony Lanfranchi's car was actually my Dad's and was run by Marshall Wingfield with the Mayfair sponsorship being arranged through Howard Leftley.
This car was then sold to Pete Hall and he promptly wrote it off in his first race - it was LHD and Pete wasn't used to LHD.
The car that Peter Hansen raced was also looked after by Marshall Wingfield but I think it was a DOT car.
The car that Denis Hulme had on the Tour of Britain was also Dad's and I think it was the Mayfair car.
I'm not sure if the Jock Robertson car was financed by Dad, quite possibly though.
I gave the majority of all the photos of the Mayfair car to Tony's nephew about 6 months ago but I do still have a huge scrapbook of articles and photos on the car - there was a race at Thruxton where Dad borrowed Pete Hall's Capri and beat Tony going into the Chicane on the last lap and they had an arguement over the mic on the podium and Dad sacked him as his driver!!

[Simon Arron]

Some contributions from the Altrincham exile...

Hamish Irvine a bit sideways at Lodge Corner.


Tony Lanfranchi before Gerry sacked him. Think Norris Miles is tucked in behind.


Anarchy on Merseyside. The Commodores of Alan Minshaw and Sid Harrison are just about the only cars with four wheels completely on the asphalt.


Hamish Irvine a bit more sideways at Lodge Corner. And that's definitely Norris Miles in his wake.

[Bill Harding]

I must be the only person who had one as a road car!
First a GSE Coupe with a manual gearbox and then an automatic, from memory 1974/5, they were fantastic cars.
Other Commodore trivia...Tom Pryce had one on loan from GM.

[Alan Cox]

Some contributions from the Altrincham exile...

Anarchy on Merseyside.

Good grief! What's going on in the pasture to the back of the photo??

The Oulton Park 'regulars' will know, didn't Leeds' greatest motor racing photographer, Paul Boothroyd, have a Commodore as a road car for many years?

[Simon Arron]

Didn't Leeds' greatest motor racing photographer, Paul Boothroyd, have a Commodore as a road car for many years?

That was a B-series Manta, mostly held together by Plastic Padding towards the end...

Edited by Simon Arron, 09 March 2010 - 19:06.

[Simon Arron]

I must be the only person who had one as a road car!

Mark Hughes (the Autosport version, rather than the bloke Man City sacked) would like it to be known that he owned - and cherished - an A-series Commodore coupé.

Edited by Simon Arron, 09 March 2010 - 19:24.

[David Lawson]

There was a Commodore on the road in Southend on Sea in the early 1970s, my father ran one for two or three years.



Having searched through my family photos the only picture I could find of it was this one showing a part of the bonnet.

David

[alansart]

Good grief! What's going on in the pasture to the back of the photo??

I think Gregor's dad had some influence in that

[Giraffe]

It's remarkable in that more drivers appear to be actually choosing to leave the track than to stay with it! Oh, and nobody's mowed the dandelions!

[Gregor Marshall]

I think Gregor's dad had some influence in that

That'll be Aintree then...26th July 1980, 4th overall and 1st in class.

Edited by Gregor Marshall, 10 March 2010 - 10:04.

[Pink Snail]

I had an Opel Commodore GS/E 2.8 (straight 6cylinder) 4 door saloon in Electric Blue and Navy Blue velour interior. It ranked as one of the best I have had along with a Rover SD1 3500V8 SE. The plate on the Opel was PLY 928 R and I owned it in the late 80s. I will try to scan a couple of pictures of it. As I recall, I traded it for a Vauxhall Carlton at Perrys in Doncaster who sent the Commodore for a refurb job because they had found out that only 28 RHD 4 door saloons were imported in GS/E guise with the 2.8 engine. More common were the 2.5 ltr engines or the lesser 2.0ltr `Rekord` version of the body style. I am a bit sketchy on the full story but hoope this helps!!!!

[Leigh Trevail]

I worked in Dublin in the mid eighties, I remember seeing diesel 4 door Rekord saloons in the street. These had a "Power" bulge in the bonnet to accomodate the taller diesel engine. Someone told me that they were assembled in Ireland, but I don't know how much truth was in this. As well as my two coupe's I also ran a 4 door Rekord (petrol) saloon, this was in the early nineties and in the three years that I had it I never saw another.

[hansfohr]

The director of my boardingschool (way back in the late 60's) owned an Opel Commodore GS/E, here parked next to a cute 2CV.

[hansfohr]

The Commodore GS/E was quite popular in Holland, both on and off the racetrack. This is Fred Frankenhout's Group 1 Commodore GS/E at Hunzerug corner, Zandvoort 1977.

[Phil Rainford]

Yes, I knew a chap who had a maroon one, and Stuart McCrudden used to race one IIRC
Roger Lund

I have a poster of the McCrudden car which is still on the wall of my Mum's loft....don't think she has been up there since the mid -1970s ( Which is good news as the poster is semi pornographic )


PAR

[Phil Rainford]

This has recently appeared over at 10/10ths

Alan it is further down the page on this Forum

PAR

[alansart]

Alan it is further down the page on this Forum

PAR

I've just noticed that

[Gregor Marshall]

Luckily I realise I'm an idiot sometimes and thought I might not have pictures of Dad in Commodores but I do of him racing against them, plus one I'm posting features prominently in one of the stories in the new book - doh!!



July 1978, Pete Hall and Norris Miles following. I think this might be the ebay car as was certainly built by Andy Rouse. I'll ask Pete if he can remember what happened to it.



Tony in the second Mayfair Commodore - the original being the LHD one sold to Pete Hall and written off. This second car was definitely owned by Dad and was the one driven by Denis Hulme on the 1976 Tour of Britain.



The Mk1 Commodore Dad raced at the Spa 24 hours 1974 - copyright unknown so I will removed if necessary.

[Phil Rainford]

I have a poster of the McCrudden car which is still on the wall of my Mum's loft....don't think she has been up there since the mid -1970s ( Which is good news as the poster is semi pornographic )


PAR

Found it.....




PAR

[Duc-Man]

Found it.....




PAR

Suites the clichee about racedrivers being playboys...

And now for something a bit OT: does anybody know what the story was with the 'Cunningham Comodore'?
The web doesn't say a lot about it.

[elansprint72]

Mallory Park.

[elansprint72]

Who's that bloke in the background Gregor?



He's clearly decided that the bearded one is an idiot and gone the long way round.

[elansprint72]

Mayfair car in background.

[Alan Cox]

He's clearly decided that the bearded one is an idiot and gone the long way round.

I had quite forgotten that the host of the breakfast show had driven a Commodore. Nice photos, Pete - glad you haven't pulled them all from t' interweb.

Edited by Alan Cox, 07 April 2010 - 08:15.

[elansprint72]

I had quite forgotten that the host of the breakfast show had driven a Commodore. Nice photos, Pete - glad you haven't pulled them all from 't interweb.

I remember him tooling round in a Mk4 Cortina too!


I'm investigating indelible "water-marks" for the web; wouldn't it be good if you could infect your images with a virus which trashed the hard drives of image thieves?

[voxadd]

Commodore GS/E models were available in the UK and were popular as company cars by director level personnel at GM Opel (at that point, still a separate organisation to Vauxhall) and other GM companies such as AC Delco. There were always a few parked outside the offices of Delco on the A5 at Dunstable.

When John Handley took over the Dealer Opel team organisation he had a rather special black road car and later that filtered down through Opel associated people. I think Tim Ashton (now running his own rally business, but then working for Opel through Tony Fall at Russelsheim) had the car. I wonder if it still exists?

Anorak moment: The subsequent model of Commodore which was essentially a six cylinder Rekord was also available as a Vauxhall Viceroy. The Viceroy and Commodore were only available in the UK as a saloon model. However, Vauxhall-Opel UK built just one estate version as a Vauxhall Viceroy for the Queen to carry on a long tradition of a six cylinder Vauxhall Estate being used by the Royal Household at Sandringham.

Andrew Duerden
Vauxhall Heritage Centre Archivist