73 replies to this topic

[Rupertlt1]

Going it alone. TAC — Transatlantic

Automotive Consultants, formed by

Frank Nicholls and Len Terry—has

been dissolved, and Len Terry has

formed his own design and prototype-

building company, Design Auto, based

at Balena Close, Creekmoor Trading

Estate, Poole, Dorset, with John

Lambert as works manager.

Motor Racing, January 1968, Page 3

 

RGDS RLT

[marksixman]

Going it alone. TAC — Transatlantic

Automotive Consultants, formed by

Frank Nicholls and Len Terry—has

been dissolved, and Len Terry has

formed his own design and prototype-

building company, Design Auto, based

at Balena Close, Creekmoor Trading

Estate, Poole, Dorset, with John

Lambert as works manager.

Motor Racing, January 1968, Page 3

 

RGDS RLT

Slightly off-topic, so apologies ! 

 

Prior to one of the early Goodwood Festival of Speed events I happened upon some cars being shaken down at the circuit. Pride of place for me was one of Dan Gurney's Eagle-Weslakes. Can't remember whose car it was or who was driving, but the car looked and sounded wonderful. I became aware of an older chap, in full lycra cycling kit poring over it. We got talking, and it turned out he had cycled a LONG way, from Eastbourne or Hasting I think, to see the car when he heard it would be running. There were a few "that's different", "we should have done it like that", "that's not quite the same" comments that indicated he clearly knew the car when it was first raced.

 

I eventually plucked up the courage to ask who he was, as I certainly didn't recognise him, and it turned out to be none other than Len Terry, who had designed it ! Looking at the dates he must have been 70 or thereabouts, so quite a good ride out !

Edited by marksixman, 09 October 2022 - 19:11.

[Bikr7549]

Slightly off-topic, so apologies ! 

 

Prior to one of the early Goodwood Festival of Speed events I happened upon some cars being shaken down at the circuit. Pride of place for me was one of Dan Gurney's Eagle-Weslakes. Can't remember whose car it was or who was driving, but the car looked and sounded wonderful. I became aware of an older chap, in full lycra cycling kit poring over it. We got talking, and it turned out he had cycled a LONG way, from Eastbourne or Hasting I think, to see the car when he heard it would be running. There were a few "that's different", "we should have done it like that", "that's not quite the same" comments that indicated he clearly knew the car when it was first raced.

 

I eventually plucked up the courage to ask who he was, as I certainly didn't recognise him, and it turned out to be none other than Len Terry, who had designed it ! Looking at the dates he must have been 70 or thereabouts, so quite a good ride out !

 

Didn't Len Terry offer at one time plan sets for building his cars? I have tried several times to find info about these, but with no success.

[Nigel Beresford]

A nice pic from 1962. My dad, Don Beresford, Hounslow, Bowmaker Lola Climax - probably a Salvadori car.

Edited by Nigel Beresford, 16 October 2022 - 19:37.

[Charlieman]

Didn't Len Terry offer at one time plan sets for building his cars? I have tried several times to find info about these, but with no success.

Len Terry offered plans and kits for his Leda designs. More information in the book he wrote with Alan Baker.

[10kDA]

Two pics from the hangars during the 1937 National Air Races at Cleveland Ohio - first the Keith Rider R-4 "Schoenfeldt Firecracker"

 

 

 

And the Brown B-2 "Miss Los Angeles"

 

[Rupertlt1]

I found a reference that says Ian Walker Racing was located "in a garage near Golders Green" early May of 1962?

Where was this?

 

https://forums.autos...dpost&p=3465099

 

"...he ran 'Ian Walker Racing' from the linked lock up garages behind a Garage in Temple fortune, Golders Green."

 

Can anybody locate it?

 

Advertisement in Autosport, 25 January 1963

Maintenance, tuning and Competition Preparation of all Lotus types. It costs no more to have racing-experienced mechanics carry out your routine or specialist requirements. IAN WALKER RACING LIMITED, rear of 1089 Finchley Road, London, N.W.11. Telephone: MEAdway 2829

 

Is this the same place?

 

IAN WALKER RACING, LTD.

IAN WALKER will run a team of cars this

season-a Lotus 23, the ex-U.D.T.-

Laystall Lotus Elite and perhaps a Marc-

os. Paul Hawkins is in charge of the

preparations and the team's headquarters

will be in North London. Ian Walker,

Paul Hawkins, Richard Melville from

Jamaica and others to be decided, will

race the cars in most of the British trade-

supported meetings and in a few meet-

ings abroad, with an eye on the G.T.

Championship.

Autosport, 9 February 1962, Page 212

 

Racing bachelors

Three names to watch for

in the tough world of

motor racing are Mike

Spencer (sic), Paul Hawkins and

Peter Ryan. All are in their

early 20s and ready to make

the most of their chances.

These three bachelors are

team-mates in Europe’s latest

independent motor racing ven-

ture, the Ian Walker racing

team which came into being

this month.

Patron of the team is 36-year-

old Ian Walker former rac-

ing and rally driver, who will

operate from North London

with a fully-equipped trans-

porter and four brand-new

cars.

The cars will be painted bright

yellow with green bands

down the centre of the body.

This colour scheme was chosen

as Mr Walker made his name

as a driver on the ex-Graham

Hill Lotus XI popularly

known as Yellow Peril.

Hull Daily Mail, Saturday 26 May 1962, Page 10

 

An address in October 1962:

lan Walker, 15/17 Brunel Road, East Acton, London, W.3 Telephone: SHEpherds Bush 7022

 

THE Ian Walker Racing Team have dis-

posed of the three cars they have been

racing this year. Both Lotus 23s have been

sold to Americans; one to Chevrolet driver

Peter Sachs, and the other to Karl Meyer.

The remaining Formula Junior car has

gone to hill-climb specialist Peter Boshier-

Jones, who, it is supposed, will use it for

both racing and climbing hills. Next

year's plans are as yet not finalised, but

Formula One is certainly not out of the

question.

Autosport, 23 November 1962, Page 707

 

The transporter was a Commer Ventura:

 

https://twitter.com/...4009600/photo/1

 

Replaced for 1963 by the Ford transporter, BMX 58A.

 

There is a potted history of IWR to date in Autosport, 22 November 1963, including picture of BMX 58A; John Pledger, IWR chief mechanic. 

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 07 January 2023 - 09:30.

[Rupertlt1]

Is this John Pledger talking to Graham Hill at Laguna Seca, 1963?

 

https://library.revs...and-prix/315256

 

RGDS RLT

[Rupertlt1]

Jubilee Clips:

 

https://www.jubileec...out-us/history/

 

RGDS RLT

[Sterzo]

^ Oh for the days when any proud Briton would expect the manufacturer of his hose clips to have a name like "Commander Lumley Robinson".

[Allan Lupton]

I found a reference that says Ian Walker Racing was located "in a garage near Golders Green" early May of 1962?

Where was this?

 

https://forums.autos...dpost&p=3465099

 

"...he ran 'Ian Walker Racing' from the linked lock up garages behind a Garage in Temple fortune, Golders Green."

 

Can anybody locate it?

 

Advertisement in Autosport, 25 January 1963

Maintenance, tuning and Competition Preparation of all Lotus types. It costs no more to have racing-experienced mechanics carry out your routine or specialist requirements. IAN WALKER RACING LIMITED, rear of 1089 Finchley Road, London, N.W.11. Telephone: MEAdway 2829

 

Is this the same place?

 

IAN WALKER RACING, LTD.

IAN WALKER will run a team of cars this

season-a Lotus 23, the ex-U.D.T.-

Laystall Lotus Elite and perhaps a Marc-

os. Paul Hawkins is in charge of the

preparations and the team's headquarters

will be in North London. Ian Walker,

Paul Hawkins, Richard Melville from

Jamaica and others to be decided, will

race the cars in most of the British trade-

supported meetings and in a few meet-

ings abroad, with an eye on the G.T.

Championship.

Autosport, 9 February 1962, Page 212

In case you are still unsure, I can say that Temple Fortune is the "gateway" from Finchley Road, Golders Green, into Hampstead Garden Suburb and is about a mile north of Golders Green station.

 

As for Jubilee Clips I had assumed they were named after the Silver Jubilee of George V on 6 May 1935. Since the history starts in 1921 it must have been some other Jubilee.

Edited by Allan Lupton, 06 October 2023 - 10:44.

[10kDA]

 

 

 

 

[10kDA]

 

 

 

 

 

[10kDA]

 

Edited by 10kDA, 08 October 2023 - 00:27.

[10kDA]

Ted Halibrand

 

[10kDA]

Sometimes a shop is... where you shop.

 

[10kDA]

Outside

 

 

 

Inside

 

 

 

 

More great pics here:

 

https://theaccelerat...hillips_01.html

[10kDA]

Duesenberg factory & workshop, Tommy Milton record car behind #6

[10kDA]

Craig Breedlove's Spirit Of America. Technically, just leaving the workshop.

 

[Lee Nicolle]

Craig Breedlove's Spirit Of America. Technically, just leaving the workshop.

 

What could possibly go wrong?

[Garsted]

They are not mine to share, but there are pictures of the Alta and Connaught workshops on the Revs Institute site if you search under Alta

[10kDA]

What could possibly go wrong?

[Henk Vasmel]

Duesenberg factory & workshop, Tommy Milton record car behind #6

 I try to keep my post small, so I don't repeat the picture from post #68.

 

The first thing that struck me in this picture were the "French style" registrations on two of the cars. This would imply that we are looking at 3 of the 4 (or 5) cars entered for the Grand Prix at Le Mans, in 1921.

The starting numbers match. They were 6, 12, 16, 19 and 17 as entered but quite probably DNA (or DNS).

As the cars look rather used, I would suggest somewhere after the race, when they returned to the states. With the race at 26 July, that would date it somewhere around mid-August.

By the way, the (6) and (19) were the two cars driven by French drivers, Albert Guyot and André Dubonnet. (12) was Jimmy Murphy and (16) Joe Boyer. For (17) I have L. Inghilbert, but, as I said, DNA/S

[Michael Ferner]

Good detective work, but there were only four Duesenbergs entered at Le Mans - #17 was a Fiat that DNA. Inghibert was to have driven #19, but was injured in practice.

 

More difficult (and interesting for me) is what became of the cars upon their return to the States. What I can piece together is that Murphy bought #12, and later in 1922 put the Miller engine in it to win Indy. #19 was apparently sold to Eddie Hearne, who put his riding mechanic Harry Hartz into it for a couple of races, then sold the car to Jerry Wonderlich, while Hartz bought #16, which was also later fitted with a Miller engine. That leaves the Guyot car (#6) to go to Ralph de Palma and later Ralph Mulford and Wade Morton, however there's a conflicting claim already. Sadly, those things are not often straightforward. 

 

 

Btw, the car at the very front, I'm thinking it's the O'Donnell death car, now being renumbered #3 for Red Fetterman at Uniontown on Labor Day and given a (presumably) grey coat - for a time, the Duesenberg factory got really busy respraying the cars every once in a while, some in quite garish colours (including pink (!) for the original 1920 car, extremely successful in the hands of Tommy Milton and Roscoe Sarles).

Edited by Michael Ferner, 16 February 2024 - 23:18.