21 replies to this topic

[ChrisD]

I see that the above is again available.

 

Does anyone have a copy?  Before I commit to yet another book to place on my already groaning bookshelves, I am interested to know whether it covers any of the (original) Mille Miglia races.

 

Sadly in these post austerity days I can no longer order new books from my local library unless they have mass appeal.

 

Chris

[cooper997]

Chris, it has been a fair while since i've been through this book. But referring to the index reveal Mille reference on page 21. Turning to that page and it shows the cockpit of the 1955 Monte Carlo MG Magnette with the toilet roll notes holder, akin to Jenks Mille Miglia item. Hence probably the only Mille Miglia reference, unless there's something buried in one of the original Secret's documents within the book. 

 

As this book's title implies it is full of various Competitions Dept records that Marcus, Stuart & Peter kept. Worth having if BMC cars are your thing. But not a lot of point regards Mille Miglia.

 

Stephen

[Belmondo]

Yes, I remember being disappointed with the lack of early/Mille Miglia material when I leafed through my copy. I haven't actually read it yet so can't comment more generally.

[Bloggsworth]

I see that the above is again available.

 

Does anyone have a copy?  Before I commit to yet another book to place on my already groaning bookshelves, I am interested to know whether it covers any of the (original) Mille Miglia races.

 

Sadly in these post austerity days I can no longer order new books from my local library unless they have mass appeal.

 

Chris

You still have a library? The one in North Finchley has been converted into a branch Of Blockbusters, with admission by card swipe and pin-number only...

[BRG]

You still have a library? The one in North Finchley has been converted into a branch Of Blockbusters, with admission by card swipe and pin-number only...

Hmm, a poignant tale, except that N. Finchley Library is still in business, whilst Blockbusters now has just one store left in the world - and that is in Oregon.

[ChrisD]

Chris, it has been a fair while since i've been through this book. But referring to the index reveal Mille reference on page 21. Turning to that page and it shows the cockpit of the 1955 Monte Carlo MG Magnette with the toilet roll notes holder, akin to Jenks Mille Miglia item. Hence probably the only Mille Miglia reference, unless there's something buried in one of the original Secret's documents within the book. 

 

As this book's title implies it is full of various Competitions Dept records that Marcus, Stuart & Peter kept. Worth having if BMC cars are your thing. But not a lot of point regards Mille Miglia.

 

Stephen

Thanks, Stephen.  My interest is purely Mille Miglia - I am researching all the British cars and drivers that competed in the original Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1957.  Race reports etc in contemporary magazines and newspapers reported on the races and the results, but I am also interested in the logistics of getting cars there, practice, support  round the course etc.  I was hoping that the book might have contained such info but clearly not.

 

So, thanks again.

 

Chris

[cooper997]

Chris, you've possibly already covered this, But if not... by pure chance I procured the 7/5/54 The Autocar with Ascari's Lancia win at Mille Miglia, over the weekend. If you'd like to see it, pm me your email and I'll try to photograph for you.

 

It shows Macklin's #550 Healey 100 and Parnell #538 Aston Martin DB3S

 

Stephen

[JohnB]

Thanks, Stephen.  My interest is purely Mille Miglia - I am researching all the British cars and drivers that competed in the original Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1957.  Race reports etc in contemporary magazines and newspapers reported on the races and the results, but I am also interested in the logistics of getting cars there, practice, support  round the course etc.  I was hoping that the book might have contained such info but clearly not.

 

So, thanks again.

 

Chris

 

Chris

 

There's a bit of info in the book The Works MGs by Mike Allison & Peter Browning (2nd edition 2011).  I don't know whether any of this will be new to you or relevant, but if you PM me your E-mail address I can scan the relevant pages and send them.

 

Just from a quick check of the index, these are the years covered:

  1932 - one paragraph

  1933 - 5 pages

  1934 - two paragraphs

  1956 - half a page

[Odseybod]

I expect you already have this but ISTR a magazine article (?) with an epic first-hand account of wrestling an MGA Twin-Cam around the MM course, plus I think the journey there (and maybe back). Wish I could remember where it was, as it was a good read - most likely in The Motor?

 

Unusually for that model, it suffered from oil pressure problems ...

 

.

[Allan Lupton]

Unusually for that model, it suffered from oil pressure problems ...

I recall the MGA Twincam used a lot of oil (even the Motor (or perhaps Autocar) road test mentioned it) so one can speculate that low oil level would give low oil pressure, particularly when cornering, braking or accelerating
 

[ChrisD]

Chris

 

There's a bit of info in the book The Works MGs by Mike Allison & Peter Browning (2nd edition 2011).  I don't know whether any of this will be new to you or relevant, but if you PM me your E-mail address I can scan the relevant pages and send them.

 

Just from a quick check of the index, these are the years covered:

  1932 - one paragraph

  1933 - 5 pages

  1934 - two paragraphs

  1956 - half a page

Thanks for that John.  I have tht book in my collection, but many thanks for taking the trouble to reply. 

 

Regards. 

 

Chris

[ChrisD]

I expect you already have this but ISTR a magazine article (?) with an epic first-hand account of wrestling an MGA Twin-Cam around the MM course, plus I think the journey there (and maybe back). Wish I could remember where it was, as it was a good read - most likely in The Motor?

 

Unusually for that model, it suffered from oil pressure problems ...

 

.

Thanks.  That is one that I don't have.  If anyone else can give me a reference I would be interested in chasing it up.

 

Regards

 

Chris

[Odseybod]

Chris,

 

On reflection, it may have been in Road & Track - memory suggests it was a bit too racy (and long) for either of our two weeklies.

[Odseybod]

Chris (again),

 

Not all of these will be helpful but ...

 

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar & Motor 22/5/91 P36

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar & Motor 24/6/92 P36

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar 21/5/86 P40

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar 3/7/82 P34

MILLE MIGLIA

Car 7/89 P149

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic & Sportscar 11/88 P76

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic & Sportscar 7/86 P64

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic & Sportscar 8/87 P40

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic cars 7/88 P36

Mille Miglia

Top Gear 8/05 p153

MILLE MIGLIA - ON THE TRAIL OF

Octane 8/04 P90

MILLE MIGLIA - THE FINAL

Classic cars 3/82 P60

MILLE MIGLIA - THE LAST

Autocar 12/8/78 P41

MILLE MIGLIA - THE LAST

Autocar 4/8/84 P37

MILLE MIGLIA - THE LAST

Car 3/67 P30

MILLE MIGLIA 1940

Classic cars 5/76 P46

MILLE MIGLIA 1954

Autocar 28/5/54 P767

Mille Miglia 1957 - the last race

Supercar Classics 7/88 p36

MILLE MIGLIA 1957 (LAST)

Autocar 12/8/78 P41

MILLE MIGLIA 1959

Autocar 5/6/59 P827

MILLE MIGLIA history

Italian cars #1/1990 P42

Mille Miglia history

Supercar Classics Summer 1986 p50

MILLE MIGLIA IN A FIAT 8V

Car 7/96 P102

Mille Miglia report

Autocar 28/4/50 p482

MILLE MIGLIA report

Autocar 7/5/48 P433

MILLE MIGLIA RE-RUN

Autocar 25/5/88 P64

MILLE MIGLIA RE-RUN

AUTOMOBILE 5/88 P78

Mille Miglia re-run

Supercar Classics 7/88 p58

Mille Miglia re-run

Supercar Classics Summer 1986 p50

MILLE MIGLIA RETROSPECTIVE

Octane 8/04 P90

 

(Sorry, formatting fell to pieces but hopefully still decipherable).

Edited by Odseybod, 05 March 2020 - 11:32.

[ChrisD]

Chris (again),

 

Not all of these will be helpful but ...

 

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar & Motor 22/5/91 P36

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar & Motor 24/6/92 P36

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar 21/5/86 P40

MILLE MIGLIA

Autocar 3/7/82 P34

MILLE MIGLIA

Car 7/89 P149

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic & Sportscar 11/88 P76

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic & Sportscar 7/86 P64

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic & Sportscar 8/87 P40

MILLE MIGLIA

Classic cars 7/88 P36

Mille Miglia

Top Gear 8/05 p153

MILLE MIGLIA - ON THE TRAIL OF

Octane 8/04 P90

MILLE MIGLIA - THE FINAL

Classic cars 3/82 P60

MILLE MIGLIA - THE LAST

Autocar 12/8/78 P41

MILLE MIGLIA - THE LAST

Autocar 4/8/84 P37

MILLE MIGLIA - THE LAST

Car 3/67 P30

MILLE MIGLIA 1940

Classic cars 5/76 P46

MILLE MIGLIA 1954

Autocar 28/5/54 P767

Mille Miglia 1957 - the last race

Supercar Classics 7/88 p36

MILLE MIGLIA 1957 (LAST)

Autocar 12/8/78 P41

MILLE MIGLIA 1959

Autocar 5/6/59 P827

MILLE MIGLIA history

Italian cars #1/1990 P42

Mille Miglia history

Supercar Classics Summer 1986 p50

MILLE MIGLIA IN A FIAT 8V

Car 7/96 P102

Mille Miglia report

Autocar 28/4/50 p482

MILLE MIGLIA report

Autocar 7/5/48 P433

MILLE MIGLIA RE-RUN

Autocar 25/5/88 P64

MILLE MIGLIA RE-RUN

AUTOMOBILE 5/88 P78

Mille Miglia re-run

Supercar Classics 7/88 p58

Mille Miglia re-run

Supercar Classics Summer 1986 p50

MILLE MIGLIA RETROSPECTIVE

Octane 8/04 P90

 

(Sorry, formatting fell to pieces but hopefully still decipherable).

Thanks for that!!!  Quite a list of references to be going through.

 

The one magazine that I have been trying to get is the Autocar from 18 March 1938.  I have had a search on eBay for months.  I think just about every issue for 1938 has come up except that one. 

 

Thanks again for the reference list.  And if the article about the MGA does come to light I really would appreciate a copy.

 

As an aside - I have found stuff in the most unlikey of places.  At a motor race meeting a few years back I bought a nice little article that was a first hand account by Jack Reece of of driving a works Sunbeam Rapier in the 1957 Mille Miglia.  It was cut out from a copy of The Meccano Magazine of all things.  If it's of any interest to you (or anyone else) I'm happy to scan it.

 

Chris

[Odseybod]

I don't know how close you are to London but the British Library (near St Pancras) now houses the Newspaper Library that was formerly at Colindale - and that had bound volumes of The Autocar (and lots more titles) going back to Issue 1, so I assume they still have them in its new home. May be worth applying for a Reader Pass at  https://register.bl....px?ServiceId=1

[Belmondo]

Chris – what an excellent project, good luck with it.

 

Someone raced a Lotus XI in the MM. There's a very entertaining account of it online somewhere that I might be able to dredge up if you haven't seen it already.

 

Phil

[ChrisD]

Thanks to all who have responded.

Odseybod: I have found the article on the MGA! I thought it rang bells: I had mis-filed it. (Note to self : I must now create some sort of searchable database so this doesn't happen again). It was entitled 'The Crazy Thousand' written by Mike Reid and printed in two parts in Thorougbred & Classic Cars, March and April 1982. It details his drive with Jeff Sparrowe in the 1957 race. They took 9th in class. (And yes, the article mentions the oil pressure issue.)

Belmondo: There were two Lotus XIs in the 1957. One was driven by Gregor Grant. He failed to finish, but wrote up his solo drive. It was entitled ‘One Man’s Mille Miglia' and appeared in Autosport (I don't have the date …. the full article including pictures are here: http://www.lotuselev...MilleMiglia.htm)

The other Lotus XI was driven by Bruno Ferrari (the British one .... in the 1955, 1956 and 1957 editions of the Mille Miglia, there were two different drivers with the name Bruno Ferrari: one British, who drove his AC (1956) and his Lotus (1957), the other an Italian who drove Austin Healeys (1955 and 1956) with an American, Georges Verrilli.

Gregor Grant also wrote up his solo drive in the 1956 Mille Miglia. Called 'Lonely Journey' it appeared in High Performance Cars, June 1957. I also have a copy of this article.

Chris

[Belmondo]

Thanks Chris. The story I read involved a fuel line failure and a local mechanic near the finish in Brescia rigging up a temporary fuel tank on or under the bonnet.

[Odseybod]

Great detective work, Chris! Glad I hadn't 'mis-remembered' too much.

 

I should imagine Gregor Grant's MM drives needed extensive refuelling stops afterwards, maybe also before ...

[cooper997]

Chris, Unless Gregor Grant slipped the Lotus 11 feature in a 'slow' week, I'm beginning to wonder if the feature you link might be him moonlighting in another magazine. An issue of Sports Car and Lotus Owner perhaps??

 

Grant's The 24th Mille Miglia feature appears in 17/5/57 Autosport and then his Mille Miglia musings piece appears the following week (showing a photo of the GG Lotus). then other events took his attention in following weeks.

 

There's also a preview about the record number of British Mille entrants in the 10/5/57 Autosport editorial and a bit more preview info in Sports News headed 'Maserati challenge in Mille Miglia' that also references the British entries and GG and Bruno Ferrari Loti. 

 

Let me know if these Autosport pieces are required.

 

Stephen

[ChrisD]

Chris, Unless Gregor Grant slipped the Lotus 11 feature in a 'slow' week, I'm beginning to wonder if the feature you link might be him moonlighting in another magazine. An issue of Sports Car and Lotus Owner perhaps??

 

Grant's The 24th Mille Miglia feature appears in 17/5/57 Autosport and then his Mille Miglia musings piece appears the following week (showing a photo of the GG Lotus). then other events took his attention in following weeks.

 

There's also a preview about the record number of British Mille entrants in the 10/5/57 Autosport editorial and a bit more preview info in Sports News headed 'Maserati challenge in Mille Miglia' that also references the British entries and GG and Bruno Ferrari Loti. 

 

Let me know if these Autosport pieces are required.

 

Stephen

Many thanks for that, Stephen.  I have copies of all the articles you mention except for the Autosport editorial 10/5/57 (I have a copy of the 'Maserati challenge' article from the same issue). 

 

A copy of the editorial would be graet.

 

Regards

 

Chris