6 replies to this topic

[Giraffe]

Sad to hear of the passing of Martin Colvill of Bell & Colvill.

 

Here is a post today from the Bell & Colvill  Facebook page:

 

 

 

We are very sorry to tell our friends and customers that Martin Colvill died on Friday 4th of March after a long illness which he bore with typical humour and fortitude.

Martin co-founded Bell & Colvill in March 1970 with Bobby Bell. Before that he had been a Lotus Agent under the Purley Performance Cars banner. He was therefore immersed in Lotus and its particular folklore for fifty six years.

Martin had very catholic tastes! He worked in the Claremont Club as a student in the early sixties where he met all its famous, and notorious, customers.

He managed the 1980 Winter Olympics Bobsleigh team - he told us it was because he had access to a trailer!

Martin raced for many years in cars usually powered by his favourite American V8's. As Secretary of the BRDC he was closely involved with all aspects of its activities at and outside Silverstone.

He owned a huge motoring library and had a formidable knowledge of Chapman-era Lotuses.

Martin was a life-long a jazz aficionado, owning one of the finest and largest jazz collections in the world, from before WW1 to modern times. He and Linda visited New Orleans most years.

Martin was the organiser of Barnes Wallis' 90th birthday party music in 1977.

He was also a very keen skier.

There is much more we could say about Martin, and many of you will have your own favourite anecdotes which we urge you to share with us.

We will particularly miss him dropping in to discuss what we were up to. We called him our 'Emeritus Professor of B&C'.

He saw the Emira and was looking forward immensely to visiting Hethel once again.

Sadly, it was not to be.

We understand there will be a memorial service in due course and will share the details when known.

Our thoughts are with Linda and their close friends and family at this time.

Edited by Giraffe, 11 March 2022 - 16:36.

[Doug Nye]

Rest easy Martin.  Sincerest condolences to his family and many friends.  Martin fell heir to my late friend Geoff Goddard's considerable collection of classical and jazz 78 records, and I vividly remember him taking his GT40 to the Classic Adelaide one year, only for us to pass its wreck on the opening stage - fortunately he emerged unscathed. A great enthusiast - and one of the good guys.

 

DCN

[Doug Nye]

Weaverbird has just asked me to post this on her behalf:

 

Sad to hear of Martin Colvill’s passing.  I remember well the fun times we all had when Martin and his brother John were just starting out with Purley Performance Cars and took on the running of Colin Vandervell’s wedge-shaped Lotus 61 in 1969 - pictures show John Colvill bringing back a very bent Lotus to CV’s house (Martin in yellow shirt at the back 2nd pic) - all very dejected!

 

 

Then came the ‘Magic Merlyn’ years in ’70.  Martin inspecting Colin’s latest silverware! (It’s that yellow shirt again) -

Brands Hatch

Pic:  Vandervell, Colvill and Denis Rowland

 

 

Then the Brabham F3 in ’71 (Snetterton) - sponsored by Bell & Colvill.

 

 

Weaverbird

[Myhinpaa]

Martin Colvill's story and the company, in his own words: https://www.bellandc.../martin-colvill

[cooper997]

Spring 1984 issue of Supercar Classics ran their 'Supercars I have known' feature on the Bell & Colvill interests.

 

My condolences to the Colvill family and friends.

 

 

Stephen

[mariner]

Thanks again to Weaverbird for the pics. It's sad to see them after Martin's death but they are so redolent of the 1970's Club scene.

 

my wife and I followed club racing closely then and when i showed her these pics she said "they are so deja vu it's scary."

[Doug Nye]

The BRDC's well-earned tribute:

 

With great sadness we have to advise Members that Martin Colvill died on Friday 3 March. He was 81 and had been suffering from Lymphoma, having been diagnosed in May last year. Martin became a Full Member of the BRDC in 1989 after success in the BRDC Group C2 Sports Car Championship, the forerunner of today’s British GT Championship. 

 

Martin will be probably best remembered as one of the founders, with the late Bobby Bell, of Lotus specialists Bell & Colvill based initially in West Horsley, Surrey. While qualifying to be a Chartered Accountant, Martin’s mechanical aptitude and enthusiasm for Lotus had resulted in him developing a profitable side line assembling Lotus cars at a time when these were supplied by the factory in kit form for DIY assembly, thereby quite legitimately avoiding purchase tax. According to Martin: ‘One skilled person with a hoist, a box of tools and a helper could build an Elan in an evening’. The Bell & Colvill partnership opened for business in 1970 and went from strength to strength. The emphasis was on enthusiasts’ cars and they became dealers for Alfa Romeo, Jensen, Maserati, Saab, Subaru and AC in addition to Lotus, becoming the longest continual dealership for Lotus and one of the UK’s largest Alfa dealerships.

 

As the business prospered so Martin was able to start racing. His first event was at Silverstone in August 1977 with his 7-litre  AC Cobra Mk 2. Sufficiently encouraged he embarked on a full season in the Historic Sports Car Club’s Classic Sports Car Championship, winning the class for front-engined cars over 3000 cc. At the same time Martin also ventured into more modern machinery by acquiring a Sports 2000 Lola T492. Continuing with the Cobra in the Classis Sports Car Championship in 1979, Martin had to give best to the late Amschel Rothschild’s Cobra Coupe but he was back in winning form in 1980, taking six class wins including one first overall and again winning his class in the Classic Sports Car Championship.

 

Martin then acquired, from the estate of Rodney Clarke of Connaught fame, an ex-JW Gulf Ford GT40 (#1084/P1004)1which he raced extensively both in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and the USA. From 1982 to 1987 Martin and his GT40 became regular features of the major historic sports car races, the orange and blue car distinguishable by the roof blister devised to increase headroom for Martin’s height. The idea had been pioneered by the equally lofty Colin Crabbe whose GT40 (# 1021) had passed through Martin’s hands a few years earlier. The GT40 was joined in 1985 by a Lola-Chevrolet T222 Can-Am machine to enable Martin to run at the front of the David Piper/Mike Knight Super Sports races against the likes of Mike Wheatley’s BRMP154, John Foulston’s McLaren M8C/D and the March 707 of Ted Williams. A particular highlight was the support race for the 1986 Austrian Grand prix on the full strength Osterreichring which Martin won, setting fastest lap in the process.

In 1988 Martin shared one of the Ecosse Group C2 cars in the final round of the BRDC national Group C2 championship. With Ray Mallock as his co-driver Martin finished third and resolved to embark on a full season in the 1989 series. With Mike Wilds, Ray Mallock and John Brindley as alternating co-drivers Martin enjoyed a very successful season, starting with victory in a Thundersports race at Oulton Park although the Thundersports campaign ended after engine failure during qualifying for the second round at Brands Hatch. In the BRDC series Martin invariably finished second or third overall which brought him third in the Championship. These results enabled Martin to fulfil his ambition of becoming a BRDC Full Member.

 

No sooner had Martin paid his joining fee than he had near neighbour Ken Tyrrell knocking on his door encouraging him to become a Board member. The Club was about to plunge into the difficult period of the Silverstone Motor Group controversy which culminated in the BRDC having to sue its former Solicitors; Martin, with his business and accountancy experience, shouldered much of the responsibility for guiding his fellow Board members through the process to an ultimately successful outcome. In recognition of his tireless efforts Martin was deservedly awarded Life Membership.

 

In addition to his other responsibilities Martin was a member of the Board’s remuneration and charity committees and was BRDC Company Secretary for many years. After leaving the Board in 2000, Martin maintained his long-standing involvement in the BRDC Golf and Clay Pigeon days in addition to regularly attending the Annual Awards and Members’ Track Days. It is no exaggeration to say that Martin truly represented all that is best in BRDC membership. To his wife Linda, a regular at BRDC events with Martin, the Club extends its most sincere condolences.  

 

DCN