24 replies to this topic

[TimR]

When I was a young lad, in the early sixties, my father garaged for several years a Jaguar engined Emeryson sports racing car. My memories of it are pretty sketchy, it was a two seater, swooping aluminium body of the Lister, Tojero style. I believe the car had a fuel injection system from a 300 SL Mercedes, but was strangely only 2.4 Litre capacity. I've never seen or heard of the car again, wondered if anyone knows of it ? I believe it was sold to a Mr. Howard, who of all things drove a WW2 Humber desert car, which ran with very small diameter wheel rims and balloon tyres, to which he had installed a Perkins Diesel engine, very unusual for the early sixties.

[Ted Walker]

I think it must have been a Tojeiro sports car or the Emeryson single seater. The name Howerd rings a bell with a Tojeiro,

[Peter Morley]

The only 1950s Emeryson sports car I was aware of was the Climax FW powered one that has been owned by Richard Falconer for years.

The single seater Emeryson Jaguar (e.g. second F1/F2 car), started out with an Aston Martin LB6 engine, then an Alta (initially 2 litre, later stretched to 2.5) and then the 2.4 litre Jaguar XK engine - the Jag engine being dry sumped and fitted with fuel injection.
The injection system was based on something somewhat duller than a 300SL - CAV diesel based, probably from a lorry!
It then went to Robert Cowell/Roberta Cowell (depending whether you are talking pre or post 1951!).

BUT, there was an Emeryson Jaguar that raced in the First Easter Handicap for Sportscars at Goodwood on the 19th of April 1954...
This can't be the single seater since that didn't receive the Jaguar engine until 1957, in 1954 it still had the Alta engine - and the 2.4 litre XK engine didn't appear until 1955.
A photo of car number 51 could be very interesting...

But there is a story about a second car that was built, with a fibreglass body and 2.5 litre supercharged Alta engine which supposedly went to America - could there be a connection there?

[Simon Thomas]

The only 1950s Emeryson sports car I was aware of was the Climax FW powered one that has been owned by Richard Falconer for years.

The single seater Emeryson Jaguar (e.g. second F1/F2 car), started out with an Aston Martin LB6 engine, then an Alta (initially 2 litre, later stretched to 2.5) and then the 2.4 litre Jaguar XK engine - the Jag engine being dry sumped and fitted with fuel injection.
The injection system was based on something somewhat duller than a 300SL - CAV diesel based, probably from a lorry!
It then went to Robert Cowell/Roberta Cowell (depending whether you are talking pre or post 1951!).

BUT, there was an Emeryson Jaguar that raced in the First Easter Handicap for Sportscars at Goodwood on the 19th of April 1954...
This can't be the single seater since that didn't receive the Jaguar engine until 1957, in 1954 it still had the Alta engine - and the 2.4 litre XK engine didn't appear until 1955.
A photo of car number 51 could be very interesting...

But there is a story about a second car that was built, with a fibreglass body and 2.5 litre supercharged Alta engine which supposedly went to America - could there be a connection there?

At the historic event at Portimao last year there was an Emeryson Jaguar sportscar entered. No idea of the entrant or the "in period" history of the car but I can confirm it did not race in Ireland at any time.
Simon Thomas

[Graham Gauld]

At the historic event at Portimao last year there was an Emeryson Jaguar sportscar entered. No idea of the entrant or the "in period" history of the car but I can confirm it did not race in Ireland at any time.
Simon Thomas

This is the Emeryson Jagaur raced by John BlakelypEdwards at Portomao



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[David McKinney]

I believe the last front-engined Emeryson (originally Alta-engined, later Jaguar 2.4) was converted to sportscar spec after its single-seater days were over. It was in France in the 1980s and 1990s (and possibly still)

If the car was ever in Ireland, it would have been between its English and French lives and, as Simon says, not raced there

Edit: or perhaps not in France now ;)

[Peter Morley]

I believe the last front-engined Emeryson (originally Alta-engined, later Jaguar 2.4) was converted to sportscar spec after its single-seater days were over. It was in France in the 1980s and 1990s (and possibly still)

If the car was ever in Ireland, it would have been between its English and French lives and, as Simon says, not raced there

Edit: or perhaps not in France now ;)

The Aston/Alta/Jag engined Emeryson was auctioned by Osenat in France in September 2005, at that time it was still a single seater fitted with a replacement chassis by Jim Testor, but it came with the original chassis that was still fitted with the injected Jag engine.
I assume it had been in the usual French racing Jaguar collection until then.
It was sold to the Lists (Austrian Emeryson fans), where it joined the first front-engined car, a 500 and a year later by the Shannon and has been raced in HGPCA events by Burkhard List.

The Emeryson Jaguar sportscar also appears in the entry list for the Stirling Moss trophy at this years Silverstone classic, with Patrick Blakeney Edwards and Burkhard List down as drivers, so it is fair to assume this also belongs to the Lists.
As to the origin of this car, who knows - it could well have been in the same French Jaguar collection since he seemingly bought every Jag engined race car he found...

Edited by Peter Morley, 15 October 2011 - 09:03.

[David McKinney]

I assume it had been in the usual French racing Jaguar collection until then.

The one I referred to was with Roland Urban for many years...

[TimR]

Thank you Gentlemen, I'm certain that somewhere amongst the thousands of negatives left by my father, there must be some further evidence, a long winter task, hopefully I'll be back with more information.

[Simon Thomas]

This is the Emeryson Jagaur raced by John BlakelypEdwards at Portomao



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Let me say the car looks fantastic at Portimao. But I wonder why these colours were chosen? Is there any evidence Paul Emery actually sat in it in this configuration? The fate of many of his racing cars built in England still confuses me as so many had changes of chassis, engines and bodywork. Is there a definitive list (!) of those built by him for clarification?
Simon Thomas

[David McKinney]

I don’t mind being the guinea-pig to get the ball rolling

Front-engined
1-2. GN-based Gwynne-powered cars built by George Emery 1936, one driven by son Paul Emery, the other by Eric Winterbottom

3. tube-framed car fitted with 1100s/c Rapier engine and raced 1947 by Winterbottom, later Bobbie Baird. Subsequently fitted with Duesenberg engine

4. F2/F1 car raced by Paul Emery 1953-58, using in turn 2.0 Aston Martin, 2.5 Alta and 2.4 Jaguar engines. Apparently the subject car of this thread

5. reported in USA 1950s with s/c Alta engine – unraced UK

6. allegedly built 1970s from front half of (3)

Rear-engined
7. Connaught-powered T51 Cooper 1959 (sometimes entered as Emeryson)

8. 1960 F2 car (Climax)

9. works F1 car 1961, to ENB later in year – possibly (8) rebuilt

10. Climax-powered sportscar for hillclimb use – possibly (8) rebuilt

11-14. 1961 FJ cars

15-17. New ENB F1 cars 1961

18. works Mk2 FJ 1961

19. works Mk2 F1 1961-62

20. Mk3 F1 for ENB 1961, works 1962

22. works Mk3 F1 1962

[Vitesse2]

Wasn't there an early post-war Emeryson based on the remains - sans Delage engine - of Reg Parnell's Challenge/Challenger? Or is that #3?

And what happened to #21?

[David McKinney]

I haven't heard of any connection between the Challenge( r ) and the Emerys (which doesn't mean it didn't happen)

And the last car on my list suffered a slip of the finger...

[Simon Thomas]

I don’t mind being the guinea-pig to get the ball rolling

Front-engined
1-2. GN-based Gwynne-powered cars built by George Emery 1936, one driven by son Paul Emery, the other by Eric Winterbottom

3. tube-framed car fitted with 1100s/c Rapier engine and raced 1947 by Winterbottom, later Bobbie Baird. Subsequently fitted with Duesenberg engine

4. F2/F1 car raced by Paul Emery 1953-58, using in turn 2.0 Aston Martin, 2.5 Alta and 2.4 Jaguar engines. Apparently the subject car of this thread

5. reported in USA 1950s with s/c Alta engine – unraced UK

6. allegedly built 1970s from front half of (3)

Rear-engined
7. Connaught-powered T51 Cooper 1959 (sometimes entered as Emeryson)

8. 1960 F2 car (Climax)

9. works F1 car 1961, to ENB later in year – possibly (8) rebuilt

10. Climax-powered sportscar for hillclimb use – possibly (8) rebuilt

11-14. 1961 FJ cars

15-17. New ENB F1 cars 1961

18. works Mk2 FJ 1961

19. works Mk2 F1 1961-62

20. Mk3 F1 for ENB 1961, works 1962

22. works Mk3 F1 1962

Number 3 had been fitted with a Jaguar engine in Belfast in the late 1950s due the complexity and wear to the Duesenberg engine. This was fitted when DSJ bought the car and the Duesenberg engine in the early 1960s. It was not raced in Ireland in this form.
Simon Thomas

[Sharman]

This is the Emeryson Jagaur raced by John BlakelypEdwards at Portomao



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

It would be interesting to know who built the body and where the inspiration came from. Do I assume it is alloy?

[GIGLEUX]

Wasn't there an early post-war Emeryson based on the remains - sans Delage engine - of Reg Parnell's Challenge/Challenger? Or is that #3?

And what happened to #21?

Challenger was bought by Paul Emery at the end of the 40s less the Delage engine. He put a sports car body on the chassis and fitted a V12 4.5 Lagonda engine. The car went in USA and was rediscovered, less the body, some 10 years ago. (source Historic Motor Racing vol.1 nbr 2).

[TimR]

The car pictured at Portomao, is not the shape of the car my father garaged, I would certainly have remembered the pontoon style mudguards and the Oscar style grill. I have however started to look through the mountain of negatives left by my father, so hopefully there will be a photograph of the car. The negatives seen so far might be of some interest in the future as they include hundreds of photographs of racing and paddock scenes of Donington and Brooklands, and more amazingly ( to me ) of the just pre war Monaco Grand Prix !

Again my thanks for your interest.


Tim.

[D-Type]

I don’t mind being the guinea-pig to get the ball rolling

Front-engined

~

There was also the front wheel drive 500cc F3 Emeryson which went into limited production (half a dozen or so). It's probably not relevant to this discussion, but one of the chassis may have been modified into something else either by one of the Emerys or by someone else.

[hatrat]

Here is a link to a six part history on the Emery family from 1914 to 1963 which Nigel Russell put together : http://www.hrscc.co.nz/emerysons.html

[Simon Thomas]

Here is a link to a six part history on the Emery family from 1914 to 1963 which Nigel Russell put together : http://www.hrscc.co.nz/emerysons.html

All very detailed and interesting. However there appears to be no mention of a Jaguar powered sports car similar to the car pictured in Portugal last year. Who commissioned the construction of this I wonder? Again, and in so many cases what was found, when and where are the photos?
Simon Thomas

[PhilippeJunior]

Here are two photos of Emeryson 56 Jaguar powered
Philippe Renault on the Monoplace F1 EMERYSON JAGUAR. This car made only one F1 GP race on 1957 with Paul Emery at the Glover Trophy in Goodwood where he broken the engine at 4th lap. Before, in 1956, this car was powered by an Alta engine and was racing on Formula Libre races by the same Paul Emery. After Goodwood, Emery sold the car to Roberta Cowell for good results on Ladies Class hill-climbs. At that time, in 1958, the car was fitted with a fuel injection system modified from a diesel lorry.
The EMERYSON JAGUAR was bought in 1980 by French collector Philippe Renault and has been rebuilt by ORECA in France with webers. Here is the car in 1982, racing for the Historic Single Sitter Class in France and Germany.

 

the photos are there!! on this link: Hope you can see them (i don't know how to put them here in another way!!!, sorry)

 

 

https://www.facebook...&type=1

 

https://www.facebook...&type=1

 

 

Edited by PhilippeJunior, 29 January 2014 - 13:46.

[galro]

BUT, there was an Emeryson Jaguar that raced in the First Easter Handicap for Sportscars at Goodwood on the 19th of April 1954...
This can't be the single seater since that didn't receive the Jaguar engine until 1957, in 1954 it still had the Alta engine - and the 2.4 litre XK engine didn't appear until 1955.
A photo of car number 51 could be very interesting...

 

 

A come across this thread while googling, so sorry for late answer. From what I understand the car you speak of was re-bodied Aston Martin Db3s fitted with Jaguar C-type engine. It was sold to R.H.Dennis who raced it at Goodwood undert the name "Emeryson". It was later known as the Aston Martin-Jaguar Saloon. The car lived on in this configuration until 1965 when it was re-bodied back as a DB3S roadster. A image of the car have been made available through Getty Images:

 

http://www.gettyimag...cense/567807383

 

Btw: If anyone have any more inforation about the car, then I would be grateful to know it. 

[galro]

Some more information:

 

The coupé roof was actually the hardtop from the 1952 DB3/1 Le Mans coupé.

 

Emeryson Jaguar:

 

Le Mans coupé:

 

 

The bodywork of the car was gradually changed during R.H.Dennis ownership. First it got flaired headlights, seen here.

 

Then it recieved a throughout re-design with wrap-around windscreen:

 

A flare above the wheelwells and chrome strips were added:

 

 

 

It then got its final look, which it had until 1965 when the car was completely re-bodied. 

 

The body itself was later offered by Chrisie's in 2003.

 

Which is how far I have bene able to track the Emeryson Jaguar online.

 

Picture source: http://astonuts.free...ES/DB3FHCE.html

Edited by galro, 04 April 2016 - 18:29.

[Paul Parker]

Some more information:

 

The coupé roof was actually the hardtop from the 1952 DB3/1 Le Mans coupé.

 

Emeryson Jaguar:

 

Le Mans coupé:

 

 

The bodywork of the car was gradually changed during R.H.Dennis ownership. First it got flaired headlights, seen here.

 

Then it recieved a throughout re-design with wrap-around windscreen:

 

A flare above the wheelwells and chrome strips were added:

 

 

 

It then got its final look, which it had until 1965 when the car was completely re-bodied. 

 

The body itself was later offered by Chrisie's in 2003.

 

Which is how far I have bene able to track the Emeryson Jaguar online.

 

Picture source: http://astonuts.free...ES/DB3FHCE.html

 

This car, or one with very similar bodywork and wheel trims used to live in Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London SW1 in 1967/68/69 when I worked there for H. R. Owen, it was then an Aston Martin of some sort and much ridiculed by all and sundry.

 

If I recall it was the property of someone eccentric whose name I can no longer recall. 

[Dutchy]

The Aston Martin in question is not a DB3S but is a DB3, chassis number 6. Mr Dennis also owned DBR2/1 and the bodies of the two cars were swapped for a time. The DB3 was sold minus engine and body in 1989 at Christies. It was later rebuilt and regained its original registration FHH 534.