10 replies to this topic

[Rainer Nyberg]

Does anyone have information about the engine size for the Ford Twin Cam installed in the #48 Brian Sherwood/Piper Cars entry driven by Tim Lalonde and John Burton at the 1969 Le Mans (non-qualifiers)?

Was it 1300cc or a larger unit?

[Roger Clark]

Autosport said it was a 1300

[Frank de Jong]

From the top of my head a 1300 (I´ll look it up tonight) but a 1300 cc twin cam seems unlikely, I would guess a 1300 GT Escort engine, like broadspeed used for the 1300 touring cars.

[Udo K.]

Yes, definetely a 1300 and I also think it was the Escort unit.

[Frank de Jong]

Rennreport 3 (1969) by Guba confirms it's a 1300 cc car.
Interesting enough, my own files has a "?" entry for number of camshafts and refers to the engine as a "Cortina" unit.
Now the 1969 1300 Cortina has the same OHV engine as the Escort 1300.
Most likely it's not a twin cam unit, but I have no evidence!

[Frank de Jong]

It becomes more interesting.
Encyclopedia of motor sport, GN Georgano.
"In 1968, the rear-engined GTR was introduced for group 6 racing, with multi-tubular chassis and Mallite (!) undertray, and Piper-tuned twin-cam Ford engine. BMW and BRM power units were to have been available also."
The 68 car looked rather different from the 1969 car. This book doesn't give any details about the 69 version.
Earlier Piper cars (from 1965) have had 1600 cc Ford units.

[Paglesham]

What a big bump for a thread, but I've only just seen it.
The 1300 engine was indeed a twin cam and it broke all lap records for that class with a timed top speed down the Mulsanne of 164 mph.

I was privileged to know a previous owner of the car and I made a very accurate 1/43rd scale model of it.
I am now planning a 1/32nd scale model for slot racing and have asked for period pictures on another thread.

Martin

[elansprint72]

It was back at the Le Mans Classic a while back..... you can even buy a new one!

Piper

[Paglesham]

Yes, I know the guy! I was amazed to see it's still Tony Claydon running it. He had an original one of the four built.
I used that to make my 1/43rd scale model of the car, an example of which just sold on ebay for nearly 60 quid!!

But the new one is a spaceframe and has some nasty modern engine.
Nonetheless I've mailed him. He still runs it from Maldon, where he always was.

I think he sold the original car.

Martin

[2F-001]

Another big bump for an old thread...

 

Am I correct in thinking that the monocoque of the original GTR was made from a balsa/fibreglass laminate ? ( A sort-of non-metallic version of Mallite? )

I feel that I read that somewhere... and once saw one close up, but its construction wasn't outwardly obvious.

[Rupertlt1]

Brands Hatch, B.A.R.C. Clubman's Car Races, 20 August 1967

Event 6: #5 R. H. Bell (1st Reserve), Piper GT, 1598 c.c., green

See also 1969: https://forums.autos.../#entry10741679

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 22 October 2024 - 04:22.