14 replies to this topic

[David Beard]

I have a little research project...
Creetown in Dumfries and Galloway has a little museum they call their "Heritage Centre". A friend would like to see something about Jack Slater included there.

Jack Slater was apparently the boss, or owner, or founder of Solway Precast, a company which was successful in producing large pre-cast concrete sections and which was originally based in Creetown. He owned and raced a Lotus 20 FJ and a Lotus 23, often at Kirkistown, in the early 60s.



Can anyone provide any further information on the man and his cars?

[David Beard]

Jack Slater is mentioned in this Charterhall report...
http://news.google.c...pg=2817,3611359

[PaulieG]

Hi David,

I have found through my research of my Lotus 20 ex M. Templeton, the chassis number and owner of the ex Jack Slater car, if you would like I can PM you these and then maybe track down the current owner who more than likely will have a bit of history on the man and his machine. Let me know and I'll send it to you.

Paulie

[Graham Gauld]

Hi David,

I have found through my research of my Lotus 20 ex M. Templeton, the chassis number and owner of the ex Jack Slater car, if you would like I can PM you these and then maybe track down the current owner who more than likely will have a bit of history on the man and his machine. Let me know and I'll send it to you.

Paulie

Sorry for the delay: problems with image shack again. However, Jack did a lot of his racing in Ireland and was a great friend of Malcolm Templeton who was the Lotus dealer in northern ireland who also raced a lot in Scotland. Jack lived in the South of Scotland as mentioned and there were a number of drivers from down there, like Ronnie McCutcheon, who was an ace with Minis and raced at Charterhall in the early sixties. I have attached a photo I took in 1962 of Jack in his Lotus 23 passing Bill Turnbull in the LWS Special Formula Junior.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Ted Walker]

Graham it looks like the F2 Lister?????

[Graham Gauld]

Graham it looks like the F2 Lister?????

I can assure you it is not. It is the Leith Walk Special Formula Junior built by Douglas and David Bertram with their mechanic Peter Beaton.

[Ted Walker]

was it built from scratch ??? I only wondered because the F2 Lister vanished.

[Graham Gauld]

was it built from scratch ??? I only wondered because the F2 Lister vanished.

Ted

No it was original. Peter Beaton designed and built the chassis at the Garages of the family company, James Bertram and Sons who designed and built printing machinery and so they had the equipment available.The car was built in the company's garages where Peter Beaton was chief mechanic. He was assisted in this by Jack FIsher - who had the Alfa Romeo agency in Edinburgh and built a number of Fisher Specials. It had a box section chassis and front mounted Ford engine. Eric Broadley sold the Bertrams a front and rear suspension system as well as a Lola diff with inboard drum brakes. The car was later converted to a sports car with cycle wings and then sold. The new owner in the South West of Scotland had a monumental accident with it and it was destroyed. The reason for the Lola link was that the Bertram brothers had previously raced a new Lola sports car and prior to that raced the ex-Keith Hall Lotus 11. Even earlier David created a monster by fitting a Jaguar 3.8 racing engine into a Jensen 541. I tested this car at Charterhall and when it hit the notorious bump in the middle of the mile long main straight the car leaped up in the air with the wheels and suspension hanging down like the balls of a moose ( As my old pal Henry Manney once described a similar incident he had going over tha bump at high speed).

[Ted Walker]

Thanks Graham very interesting (as always)

[vintageant]

All - As a teenager, I knew Jack Slater quite well.

 

Here's a Facebook post of me sitting in his Lotus 20 in 1961:

 

https://www.facebook...er&notif_t=like

 

Hope it works!

[vintageant]

Should also add that Jack Slater test drove the Lotus 23 ESW 822 (picture above) at 140 MPH on a dead straight part of the A75 called "The Flow" between Creetown and Palnure, SW Scotland, with me, at 14 years of age, beside him.  I mistakenly was watching the rev-counter and felt we were going a lot faster than 70.  Good memories!

[andybrad]

Malcolm tempelton and jack slater shared my old lotus eleven series one RZ 5898. chassis number X1 185 engine number fwa climax 6357. if memory serves  that was 1956 in 1957 they had there own series 2 elevens can't remember the reg on  Tempelton car but jacks was BSW 775 blue in colour  RZ 5898 was sold to ron Mcutchen scotland.

Try getting a copy of Irish racing on two wheels and four by basal brindly he wrote a few books over a few years on irish racing.

Its late and i have had a guinness or two i will check my records and update when i get a bit of time.

andy

PS i done a deal with paul matty with the eleven RZ5898  I had owned it for 20 plus years. for the  lotus thirty as per my post 30/L/12

 

PPS RZ 5898 was re reg by Ken Pearce Iron bridge reg no  1627NT now in France. The last picture i saw of it the chap was trying to convince every one NT was run at Le Mans He fudged a picture with the licence plate 1627 NT on a picture of a works Le Mans car what some people do.

andy

Edited by andybrad, 07 August 2015 - 08:20.

[Simon Thomas]

I recall Jack Slater racing his Lotus 20 and Lotus 23 at Kirkistown. He seemed to be a good friend of Malcolm Templeton, invariably their cars were cars and trailers were parked beside one and other in the paddock. He always seemed to be leaning well forward in these cars, not looking really comfortable. Only recently I read Slater had also raced motor bikes in the TT and was a mentor/adviser to Bob McIntyre. Many years ago I saw his trophies  in an old hotel Coleraine run by his neice..............already checked this out again! Nothing!

SImon

[milestone 11]

He did 3 Manx GP's in '46 and '47, the one in '46 on an Excelsior and two in '47 on a Norton. Four Junior TT's followed '49-'52 inc, on an AJS.

[Simon Thomas]

Very interesting, thank you about The Isle of Man. I will check the car race programmes but I think he last raced here in 1963?

Simon