7 replies to this topic

[Davidsgems]

Started a few months ago a Facebook page on E.R.A race cars for fun and would welcome any photos - drawings and or articles that can be posted as there is so much more to be told and shown.  Make the occasional boo boo and appreciate it when someone with more knowledge than I corrects any mistakes made.

 

Launching a collection of products shortly aimed at the younger generation to discover and appreciate the cars from Bourne that still today bring pleasure to anyone who hears and see's the cars at events. 

 

They were the Grand Prix cars in the thirties and were then and are still driven by the finest elite drivers around

 

Thank you for reading above any thanks for any comments. Please see the link below.

 

www.facebook.com/ERA-899161996866451/

[D-Type]

Ahem!  

In the thirties the ERAs were "voiturettes" not Grand Prix cars although they did sometimes run in pukka grands prix, eg at Donington.  Immediately postwar when racing cars were in short supply, ERAs made up the fields but they were never competitive with the Alfettas, Ferraris and new postwar model Maseratis.

[Vitesse2]

Since they weighed under 750kg and conformed to the bodywork regulations it can be argued - and I would! - that the ERAs were indeed 'Grand Prix cars' under the 1934-37 regulations. There was no rule which specified engine size (minimum or maximum).

 

Similarly, the ERAs were eligible under the 1938-40 regulations. The bodywork rules were essentially unchanged and while the sliding weight scale meant that they were theoretically overweight when compared to the newer 158s and 4CLs they were still 'pukka Grand Prix cars'.

 

I actually have a locally-published report of the 1939 South African GP which calls the 1500cc cars of the visitors - mostly Maseratis, but including Whitehead's ERA - Grand Prix cars.

[Stephen W]

There was already an E.R.A. group on Facebook, why open another?

[Davidsgems]

Don't quite understand why the comment above was posted but will try to explain below.

 

I started the E.R.A page firstly for fun - spurred on during research that I was doing into my Raymond Mays V8 prototype that is under restoration - which was manufactured in the E.R.A workshops in Bourne - Lincs during 1938-39 and after talking to many people I know and clubs  including two historians ,  former mechanics and owners associated with the same and because I love the cars - having helped Donald Day over twenty years ago start his car and enjoyed dinner with Humphrey's owner after an event in Switzerland then after being a sponsor for an E.R.A anniversary race at Donington several years ago . then after presenting my trophy to the winner of the race , with fleece jackets to the owners/drivers.

 

The Facebook site with the number of visits daily ( sometimes 10,000 and for scores of countries ) shows there are people interested and   many current and several previous E.R.A owners  - along with current and past engineers and their family members related to owners and engineers who have worked over the years on the cars and who have posted comments and  mention that they like various photos and items in regard to the cars they have owned or cars they have worked on and who now in some cases are known to me or Facebook friends.

 

After a period I decided to trademark several categories ( Which I was involved in prior to my forced retirement through a condition ) as identified a way of taking certain products to the attention of the younger generation . Currently few of them are interested in pre-war cars and its not really for profit as I am  bleeding bored and if I can start something to pass on to my five year old Grandson who at an early age shows signs of being interested in race-cars then the time, money and joy put into the projects will all have been worthwhile. 

 

So Stephen I hope this explains why and it can only have a positive effect on any other E.R.A sites on Facebook and others on the web. Interested browsers look for more information and I found this site whilst looking for ERA information but unfortunately it is in a part of the site that's locked to me until I have posted 30 posts , so cannot access , so I decided to join and started this subject. 

 

I also am negotiating on two separate kits of parts with the intention of building an E.R.A special should I manage to acquire either of them. Now that will be fun.

 

Thank you.  

Edited by Davidsgems, 14 March 2016 - 11:20.

[Roger Clark]

Since they weighed under 750kg and conformed to the bodywork regulations it can be argued - and I would! - that the ERAs were indeed 'Grand Prix cars' under the 1934-37 regulations. There was no rule which specified engine size (minimum or maximum).

 

Similarly, the ERAs were eligible under the 1938-40 regulations. The bodywork rules were essentially unchanged and while the sliding weight scale meant that they were theoretically overweight when compared to the newer 158s and 4CLs they were still 'pukka Grand Prix cars'.

 

I actually have a locally-published report of the 1939 South African GP which calls the 1500cc cars of the visitors - mostly Maseratis, but including Whitehead's ERA - Grand Prix cars.

And, of course, they did occasionally race in Grands Prix, often fitted with 2-litre engines which would make them ineligible for Voiturette races.  The first example, I believe was the 1935 German Grand Prix with Raymond Mays and Ernst von Delius in R4B.

 

Good luck with the new site - we can't have too much about ERAs!

[Stephen W]

Sorry Davidsgems, I followed the link and thought it was another group. Hadn't realised it was a commercial Page although the thread title was a clue (mind you so many people refer to pages as groups it does in my defence get a tad confusing!)

 

Best of luck.

[Davidsgems]

Hi Stephen.

 

Thank you - It will not be a commercial page and I wont be offering anything for sale on it.

 

I will offer some form of sponsorship similar to what I have been doing for over the last decade or so.

 

Yesterday made a decision to give the webpage  priority and there is an opportunity to send in stories - details - links and photographs so that your work can be shown and  be recognised as you work. 

 

If this interests you then send details to info@englishracingautomobiles.co.uk  and it will be passed on to my developer for consideration.

 

Thanks

 

Stewart

Edited by Davidsgems, 16 March 2016 - 08:53.