66 replies to this topic

[bradbury west]

In addition to the Allards mentioned d by Graham above, there is also a nice little clip showing   Mr Allard himself in his Steyr engined device.  Good screen shots from the cine film squares would be interesting archive shots.

Large crowds were commonplace in those days, qv the massive crowds at the GP At Silverstone, and places like early Cadwell  and Mallory races, esp motor cycles at Cardwell in the early days. Their respective FB pages  have photographs posted which show this to good effect.

Those Javelins were quite sporty, a relative term, in their day, so with key body panels removed  that one must have gained the equivalent of quite a bhp boost.  In similar vein, I recall a photo from the off side in The Autocar in the early 60s of a wire wheeled Morris Minor at a grassy hill climb in Australia or NZ competing minus both doors, offering a weight saving. Funny what sticks in the mind..... ISTR that  driver wore a lap belt.
My father took me to the Rest when I was about 11 ,1958ish, on a touring holiday in Scotland ,just to see what it was all about, and the gates were shut, but it is only in recent years with cine films and old archive shots emerging that I know more of the layout. Until then my abiding image of that event remained the wonderful full frontal shot of  a works big Healey, XJB, driven by Pat Moss on the RAC cresting the rise out of the final corner, as shown in a period  The Autocar.  Nostalgia, pure and simple.

On TNF I think it was kennto11 who posted some period Rest photos too.

Many thanks for posting such a good link.

I always recommend Bill Henderson’s on line photo gallery for this sort of stuff.

Roger Lund

Edited by bradbury west, 18 November 2020 - 18:32.

[bradbury west]

Looking at the TVR in post 33, with the bonnet vent and what look like wobbly webs, I suspect it was the special very lightweight model built  in the late 50s with lots of  special bits.  I think we have discussed it previously here, and I am sure  my old pal sharman, John Fielden, sadly late of this parish, would have had all the info at his fingertips for us.

Roger Lund

 

edit.

please see Baron Entwistle thread, for Colin Escott and Tommy Entwistle and lightweight TVR for John’s comments.  It may be news to folk about Bunty Scott Moncrieff’s TVR involvement. RL

Edited by bradbury west, 17 November 2020 - 11:25.

[nca]

iirc in 1964 SMT, the Vauxhall Distributor in Scotland, announced that they had acquired 3 Vauxhall Victor VX 4/90s to be allocated to selected local drivers for Scottish events.

They had rallies, hill climbs and perhaps sprints in mind.

I attended an event at the "Rest' in May/June of that year, when these cars were running. The VX was clearly intended as a competitor to the Ford Cortina GT, but was no real match.

Can anyone confirm my memory of these events and in particular the drivers and their result for that early summer event on the hill?

 

nca

[BRG]

I have no memory of the SMT project, but the VX4/90 had been used to some effect already by Bill Blydenstein,

[Graham Gauld]

Only one VX490 was prepared for Bill Dryden whose father was MD of SMT. Bill ran it at Ingliston

[bradbury west]

Welcome back in person, Graham.

Roger Lund

[Graham Gauld]

Thank you Roger still a bit of a mystery but now resolved. The Rest was a great event and back then was the longest hill climb however it was narrow with metal railings at Cobbler bend and by the time the four wheel drive came along it was truly frightening.

[cooper997]

A great cover shot showing the startline area. In this case Tony Marsh about to have a run in his unsupercharged Cooper (he ran a supercharged car too) at the Sat, July 2, 1955 event.

 

If GG went under the alias of 'Aeneas' then it could be one of his photos.

 

 

Stephen

[Geoff E]

A great cover shot showing the startline area. In this case Tony Marsh about to have a run in his unsupercharged Cooper (he ran a supercharged car too) at the Sat, July 2, 1955 event.

 

 

 

A contemporary newspaper report says his own car "broke down" and he "borrowed a car from a friend".

[dgs]

A contemporary newspaper report says his own car "broke down" and he "borrowed a car from a friend".

Results show that Tony Marsh recorded 1st in class with his own Cooper-JAP (1100cc) with time of 56.90".

He also transported Bertie Bradnack's . Cooper JAP (1100cc) supercharged) car and recorded 1st in class with time 56.12"

 

Details in Tony Marsh Autobiography.

 

 

Bertie Bradback has entry for event, but could not attand, so Tony Marsh took over his entry. 

[Graham Gauld]

Reference the start picture it is not one of mine. It was taken by Bill Hendersonlong time photographer for Autosport

Anaeas was the pen name of Alasdair Ford who was the second Autosport scribe in Scotland. Alex Bruce Bodach. Was the first. Towards the end of nineteen fifty five after that hill climb Which I also attended Gregor asked me to take over as the third scottishcorrespondent then sometime later I pulled out and left Bill Henderson to do the writing and photography whichever did until his passing but his son William has his own web site and offers copies from Bills unique and comprehensive record of post war motor sport in Scotland.

[nca]

The Bill Henderson Collection that Graham refers to is well worth a visit and browse.

To be found at : www.hendersondesign.co.uk/thebillhenderson collection.

 

Includes some fascinating shots from the Rest, both from hillclimbs and from cars running in the 1951 RAC Rally.

 

 

nca

Edited by nca, 20 November 2020 - 12:32.

[Rupertlt1]

Does anybody have results from R&BT from 1964?

Jun 27-Peter Boshier-Jones (GB)-Lotus-Climax

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 29 November 2020 - 21:38.

[Stephen W]

Rd 7 British Hillclimb Championship 27th June 1964

 

1. Peter Boshier Jones (1.3 Lotus 22 Climax FWB s/c) 50.09secs (Hill Record)

2. Ray Fielding (2.5 Lotus 21 Climax FPF) 51.48secs

3. Tony Marsh (2.0 Marsh-Climax FPF) 51.72secs

4. Tony Griffiths (2.5 BRM P48) 51.85secs

5. John Macklin (3.5 Cooper T56 Buick) 52.49secs

6. Agnes Mickel (2.5 Cooper T53 Climax FPF) 52.75secs

7. Peter Meldrum (1.5 Lotus 22 Ford 116E s/c) 53.57secs

8. Gray Mickel (3.5 Cooper T56 Buick) 55.47secs

9. James Payne (1.0 Cooper-JAP Mk 8 s/c) 57.43secs

DNF John Horrox (0.5 Cooper-Norton Mk 8) Engine failure

[dgs]

Peter Boshier-Jones recorded class run time 50.12" (1st in class)

[Rupertlt1]

SCOTTISH S.C.C. REST-AND-BE-THANKFUL HILL CLIMB

7th September 1963

RESULTS

B.T.D.: Mrs. A. Mickel (Cooper-Climax), 65.21 s.

Class winners:

G. Taylor (Renault R8), 82.06 s.

D. I. Fraser (Morris Mini-Cooper), 69.33 s.

S. McCracken (Ford Cortina G.T.), 72.35 s.

J. R. Calder (Morris Mini-Cooper), 72.28 s.

E. Charlton (Lolus 7), 67.53 s.

R. F. Morrison (Jaguar E), 66.07 s.

Autosport, 4 October 1963, Page 474

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 19 June 2021 - 05:35.

[Rupertlt1]

This solves the question of the two events at Rest-and-Be-Thankful Hill Climb, a week apart (Saturday 28 June 1958, Saturday 5 July 1958). Jim Clark competed at both events:

 

BERWICKSHIRE FARMER LEADS RACE

FOR SCOTTISH SPEED TITLE

WITH the conclusion of eight of the eleven qualifying events for the

1958 Scottish Speed Championship, Berwickshire farmer Jim Clark

has a commanding lead with 52 points to his nearest rival, Tom Dickson,

the well-known Lotus driver from Perth, with 39.

There is no doubt that Dickson will

try his best to make up the leeway in

the remaining three events, at Win-

field on July 27, a Scottish Sporting

Car Club Sprint in mid-September

(at which Clark will not be compet-

ing), and at Charterhall on September

28.

There is equally no doubt that the

past month has been the most suc-

cessful in the seven years' history of

the Borders' own motor racing team,

the Border Reivers, with 10 firsts and

three seconds, at six different meetings.

Starting with a visit to the delight-

ful little circuit at Crimon in Aber-

deenshire on June 21, Jim Clark set

the ball rolling with a first place in

the Jaguar D-Type in the main event,

the 12-lap scratch race for unlimited

sports cars, and was backed up with

a first in the invitation handicap by

Ian Scott Watson, driving the Porsche.

In the production sports cars class

for cars from 1500 to 2000 c.c. at the

National Hill Climb at Rest-and-Be-

Thankful, the following Saturday Jim

gained a 1st and 3rd respectively in the

Porsche and his Triumph TR3, Ian

being second in the Porsche.

At Charterhall, the following day

both the sports cars over 1500 c.c. and

the unlimited racing car classes fell to

the driving of Jim Clark in the Jaguar,

the latter after a thrilling race with

Tommy Dickson. The next weekend

found the Reivers returning to both

venues and at the National Open

Rest-and-Be-Thankful Hill Climb Jim

secured both first and second places

in his class with the Porsche and

Triumph, to the embarassment of

many much faster cars.

The B.M.R.C. Members' Handicap

Race Meeting at Charterhall on July

6, found some very good racing and

the Jaguar came right through the

field from scratch to win the racing

car race and the Porsche through the

filed from scratch to finish second in

the saloon car race.

Last Saturday the team re-visited

Full Sutton, the very fast Yorkshire

circuit, where the unassuming young

Scot from Chirnside scored his second

hat-trick — a notable achievement,

proving his mastery of a very wet

track by winning the 50-mile sports

car race and the racing car race in the

Jaguar and scoring a win in the up to

1600 c.c. production sports car race

with Ian Scott Watson's Porsche,

after a thrilling race with the winner

of the over 1600 c.c. class, Ian Smith,

in an A.C.-Bristol.

This brings to a total of 18 firsts,

six seconds, and two thirds by the

Border Reivers this year and although

harvest-time will interrupt this very

“agricultural” team's programme be-

fore long, they can certainly feel proud

of a very good record to date.

The Berwick Advertiser, Thursday 17 July 1958

 

The above article appears here (hiding in plain sight):

 

https://charterhall....y.com/1958.html

 

So what was the "Scottish Sporting Car Club Sprint in mid-September (at which Clark will not be competing)" — presumably missed due to the harvest?

Could it be 15 September 1958: Scottish Sporting C.C., Heathfield Aerodrome, Ayr, Sprint R. (See Motor Sport, September 1958, Page 582.)

 

Jim Clark also spotted here:

 

"Motor car trials

Berwick and District Motor Club

held a demonstration driving test in

conjunction with Festival Week on

the parade ground, Magdalene Fields,

Berwick on Saturday evening."

"The best individual performance

was by Jim Clark, of Berwick. The

Festival Trophy, held last year by the

Scottish M.G. Car Club, was pre-

sented to the Berwick team by "Miss

Berwick," the Festival Queen, at a

dance held after the event in the

King's Arms Hotel, Berwick."

The Berwick Advertiser, Thursday 14 August 1958, Page 3

 

Photo caption:

BERWICK MOTOR CLUB were winners of the driving test on Saturday evening. "Miss Berwick" presented the trophy.

In the picture, from left to right, are :

Frank Buglass, Ean Brown, Oswald Brewis, "Miss Berwick" Irene Pierce, Jim Clark, Douglas Wilson and T. Thompson.    

 

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 18 June 2021 - 08:06.