40 replies to this topic

[TEJ]

I am trying to obtain backround information on an earlly British 1950s era 500cc F3 car built by Reg Bicknell, an automobile dealer from Southampton. Bicknell raced the car in the 1950 to 1954 era against the likes of Moss and Cooper. Bicknell went on to further racing and is reported to have raced at Le Mans in 1956 in a works Lotus 11.
The car is in British Columbia Canada and the owner has asked me to help track down the history of the car and Bicknell.

Any clues will be appreciated

Tom Johnston
West Vancouver, BC
Canada

[Vitesse2]

From Hodges' A-Z of Formula Racing Cars:

In 1951 Reg Bicknell built himself a car on Cooper lines but with double wishbone suspension sprung by Metalastic bushes. The Revis was soon found to be overweight so Bicknell built a new, shorter frame which put the driver further forward, and at thesame time changed the rear suspension to swing axles. In 1952 Bicknell and the Revis were one of the most successful combinations in British 500 racing and although he dallied, successfully, with a Staride in 1953 he returned tothe Revis and continued winning. He had a very good 1954 season when the car sported a full-width nose but then he became side-tracked with a Borgward-powered sports-racer which was not a success. Bicknell was a Lotus works driver for sports cars in 1956 and then he faded from the scene.

There's a picture as well, which shows a fairly conventional rear-engined 500. I'll trawl through a few Motor Sports when I have the time and see if I can come up with any more.

[Pete Stowe]

There’s a description of the early version (looks like it’s an article from the old Iota magazine) on the 500 Owners Association website http://www.500race.o...rques/revis.htm

In 1954, with the full width front bodywork, Bicknell won the 500 race at the April Castle Combe meeting ahead of Ivor Bueb, Stuart Lewis-Evans and Les Leston, all in Coopers, and had also been leading Don Parker in the Keift before Parker went off at Camp Corner and landed in the Judges enclosure. There’s a photo of the Revis in the May ’54 Motor Sport (I’ve only got a poor photocopy that’s not worth posting ).

The 500 OA registrar Duncan Rabagliati probably has more on the cars race history - his contact details are on their website.

[Vitesse2]

Thanks Pete - saved me a task!

[humphries]

Tom

I can provide a list of races ( dates, circuits, race titles, race numbers and results ) for nearly100 races that the Revis cars, JAP and Norton engined, participated in when driven by Reg Bicknell plus the couple of outings in the hands of Ken Gregory, the manager of Stirling Moss, and the young Dennis Taylor who went on to be a very competitive driver in Formula Junior before sadly losing his life at Monaco in 1962.

If you could E-mail me and supply your postal address I will send you photocopies ( xeroxes ). They are written in my fair hand which is marginally better than a doctor's. Unfortunately I have not the skill, time or patience to post them on the forum. Sorry.

John

[rbm]

Does anyone have any pictures of the Revis in 1954 aero bodywork form, in particular a rear view of the tail and rear bodywork and engine bay views?

any pictures will help with the re-build as unfortunately the bodywork did not survive its time with the scrap man in Vancouver.

Richard

[hansfohr]

Bicknell went on to further racing and is reported to have raced at Le Mans in 1956 in a works Lotus 11. The car is in British Columbia Canada and the owner has asked me to help track down the history of the car and Bicknell.

Yes, Bicknell raced at the Sarthe in 1956. He finished a terrific 7th overall and 1st in the 751-1100 cc class, sharing a works Lotus 11 with Peter Jopp. Chassisnumber: 11/120, licenseplate: XJI 802, Climax enginenumber: FWA 400/7/6793.

Sorry for the very small pic


The three works Lotus 11 at Le Mans in 1956: in the back the Bicknell/Jopp car


In model: http://www.mimodels....f1863549f0493a8

Edited by hansfohr, 31 March 2010 - 00:01.

[David Birchall]

Does anyone have any pictures of the Revis in 1954 aero bodywork form, in particular a rear view of the tail and rear bodywork and engine bay views?

any pictures will help with the re-build as unfortunately the bodywork did not survive its time with the scrap man in Vancouver.

Richard

Have you talked with Mark Wright? I seem to recall his turning up with this car-in evil condition-in the eighties.

[RWB]

Not bright enough to post it here (also unsure of the copyright position) but I have a 1954 colour shot of the Revis. It won't give you any fine detail other than the colour scheme but if you think it might help e-mail me at robert@rbarker06.wanadoo.co.uk

[Eric Dunsdon]

My copy of the 'Formula 3 Year Book 1953-1954' has a photograph and full specification of The Revis. I could do a photocopy if that would be helpful. Incidentallly Reg was also pretty handy in his Pre-Revis Erskine Staride, one of his best results being second place in the Earl Of March Trophy Race at the 1953 Easter Goodwood meeting after a hectic dice with Stirling Moss's Cooper.

[Eric Dunsdon]

Tom

I can provide a list of races ( dates, circuits, race titles, race numbers and results ) for nearly100 races that the Revis cars, JAP and Norton engined, participated in when driven by Reg Bicknell plus the couple of outings in the hands of Ken Gregory, the manager of Stirling Moss, and the young Dennis Taylor who went on to be a very competitive driver in Formula Junior before sadly losing his life at Monaco in 1962.

If you could E-mail me and supply your postal address I will send you photocopies ( xeroxes ). They are written in my fair hand which is marginally better than a doctor's. Unfortunately I have not the skill, time or patience to post them on the forum. Sorry.

John

Your record of 500cc Formula 3 sounds fascinating. Could you say where and when Dennis Taylor drove the Revis?. I saw Dennis race many times at Brands Hatch, usually in an Erskine-Staride.

[rbm]

Have you talked with Mark Wright? I seem to recall his turning up with this car-in evil condition-in the eighties.

I don't know Mark Wright so am unsure of his connection with the Revis 500.

The Revis was originally built between 1949 and 1950, but was poor and overwieght so was chopped about and fitted with swing arm rear suspension and a JAp followed by Norton double knocker and was quite succesful. Due to a serious off and major damage, Reg ran a Staride in 1953, before returning with the aero body work for 1954.
The car survived having had a very near miss when it got as far as being on the back of a scrap wagon.
The Revis was exported to the USA in late 1956 bought by Pierre Mion as his 1st attempt at 4 wheeled racing the car stayed in USA then Canada.

Richard

Edited by rbm, 07 April 2010 - 19:55.

[David Birchall]

Mark Wright lives in Vancouver and turned up with the remains of the Revis in the mid eighties-he may have told me a story about rescuing it from a scrap wagon but I am not sure. Mark had a very serious racing accident in a Lotus Seven type thing and is no longer in the automotive business-I can try to put you in touch if you wish.

[rbm]

Mark Wright lives in Vancouver and turned up with the remains of the Revis in the mid eighties-he may have told me a story about rescuing it from a scrap wagon but I am not sure. Mark had a very serious racing accident in a Lotus Seven type thing and is no longer in the automotive business-I can try to put you in touch if you wish.

Would help if you could, the history in Canada is incomplete.

cheers Richard.

[rbm]

Trevor Wright who was the last owner of the Revis over in Canada has been in touch after having been pointed in the direction of this thread.
Trevor used to work for Mark Wright in the 80's and 90's, and it was Trevor who had the car.

[Revis]

[quote name='TEJ' date='Jun 11 2003, 04:35' post='1299728']
I am trying to obtain backround information on an earlly British 1950s era 500cc F3 car built by Reg Bicknell, an automobile dealer from Southampton. Bicknell raced the car in the 1950 to 1954 era against the likes of Moss and Cooper. Bicknell went on to further racing and is reported to have raced at Le Mans in 1956 in a works Lotus 11.
The car is in British Columbia Canada and the owner has asked me to help track down the history of the car and Bicknell.

Any clues will be appreciated

Tom Johnston

West Vancouver,

My brother found your site and we are amazed at the detail found over the last 7 years!
Although the family split up we were around during some interesting times in the50 ties .
There is a host of information in the various Autosports of the years including the advert for the sale of both the Borgwardand 500.(photo included.
Reg was a complex person shaped by his War experiancesboth as a nightfighter pilot and his recurrent malarialillnesses.
There is a very good picture of the prototype 500 under the "silver Fox" Reg Bicknell .I believe one of your contributors worked for and wrote about him
Many memories of those days particularily my first meeting at Goodwoodwith Stirling Moss asusual totally immaculateand wearing white Kid Gloves!
Unfortunately I was eating a hot dog covered in mustard-We shook hands withStirling saying "......... Mustard"
When I think he was in his forties and racing competatively witrha car put together or at least put right with a hammer- Golden Days.
Brian Bicknell

[rbm]

A very brief archaeology of the Revis 500.

This article is a brief history of the original Revis 500, I have not included a full set of results, the UK ones are on the 500OA website

As is the usual British way, the spark that became the Revis 500 was born in a pub. Reg. Bicknell recently demobbed from the RAF had returned to his former trade in car repairs and sales and resurrected Revis Car Sales his pre-war business. According to Reg. he had seen a copy of Iota in his local and thought he would have a go, these ideas and talk hardened after a customer traded in a pre-war Norton 500 and a meeting Jack Turner at the first Goodwood race resulted in going in with getting a couple of sets of wheels cast (Jack’s set look still to be on the Bardon-Turner).
In the 1953-1954 Formula three yearbook Reg. states that the original layout was sketched up, with the following rules:

1. Be as unlike a Cooper as possible.
2. Have a simple ladder tubular frame with towers at each end for independent suspension all round.
3. Have unequal length wishbones top and bottom but with the same front and back to allow the same jig to be used.
4. Make all the bits and pieces from scratch rather than convert thing from the breaker’s yard.
5. Have rack and pinion steering.
6. Have twin leading shoes brakes, twin master cylinders.
7. Design laminated torsion bars for fitting between the wishbones.
8. The engine, gear-box and rear axle centre hub to be held in complete length dural plate sub-frame, chain adjustment to be made by gear-box movement and rear hub swing, allowing limited off-centring of rear universals.
9. The car to be built as much as possible around an air duct from the nose to the engine bay and thence to the tail,

According to Brian Trew in New Zealand, Reg’s then teen neighbour, the Revis was built mainly over the autumn / winter of 1950, whilst Reg. states “I thought it was too easy and reckoned the whole thing should take about six months’ spare-time work, but it was not until two years later, after many heartbreaks, that it ran for the first time.” Brian whilst waiting to go into the fleet air arm helped with the construction mainly in the evenings and Sundays as he says Reg. was definite that he would not allow his hobby to interfere with the working week at Revis Car Sales, Southampton.
The original chassis was of a ladder construction with two large diameter parallel tubes seven foot long with towers at each corner to support front and rear unequal length double wishbone suspension with four short leafs providing the springing. The home made leaf springs didn’t work as the leaves proved to be too thin to temper successfully so were replaced by 3 ½ inch metalastic bushes.



The original Revis layout using front and rear double wish bone suspension

The Revis made its début in the 1951 season and proved to be uncompetitive being far too heavy and the pre-war Norton having no power with a best of 4th at Brands Hatch in the October.
Towards the end of the 1951 Season, Reg. mentions in an article in Iota that he intends to build a new chassis utilising swing arm rear suspension with the aim of being some 70lb lighter. However later in the 1953/1954 Formula 3 Yearbook he states that the front of the original chassis and six inches behind the back of the front wish bone towers were retained. The chassis shows how the new rear tubing, which narrow towards the rear, was grafted on using a combination of seam and plug brazing, supporting the yearbook article and following the usual Revis format of make it a light as possible. The front suspension was modified from rubber bush to coil over shock, by acquiring a set of empty damper casings from Girling, brazing on spring seat and returning them to Girling to be built up. The rear suspension was altered to swing arm configuration minimising the roll centre too quarter of an inch between the inboard ends of the drive shafts. Rear springing was provided by two alloy push arms to connect to a vertical bungee cord spring assembly sat in front of the rear drive housing. Rear braking was provide by a single in board nine inch drum using the same Girling twin leading shoe set up as at the front, as the rear wheels no longer needed cast-in drum they were replaced by Dunlop racing wheels. A JAP speedway was acquired and fitted to give the car more power. The whole modifications saved about 100lbs and took only six weeks to complete. The 1952 opener at Goodwood justified the exertions with a third on grid before a dropped valve curtailed the race.


1952 swing arm set up



During 1952 the J.A.P was replaced with a twin cam Norton in the search for more reliability after a crank failure in the J.A.P, resulted in a period of engine failures. In the article in Iota from December 1952, Reg looks back on the modifications carried out with the switch to rear swing arm etc. and comments on the braking “is absolutely 100%. I had some trouble at first keeping the inboard drum free of oil, but this is no problem now that I am using a Norton engine, which does not throw the oil about like the J.A.P”

For 1953 Reg became a semi-works driver for Mike Erskine’s in a Staride only venturing out in the Revis for a win in the Silverstone non-production car race in August.

When the Revis re-appeared in 1954 with the full width aero front which was as Ian Frost stated in 2010, “What I do recall about the car’s distinctive plastic streamlined front section was how it looked. Rather as if it was homemade with a roughish finish…”

The 1954 season again produced good results with 10 firsts but this was to be the last successes for the original Revis with Reg as he was in a new car (see later) for 1955 and by the end of 1956 the Revis would be across in the USA.


Pierre Moin, who was racing motor bikes on grass tracks on the east coast of the USA had decided to make a move into four wheeled racing, with the obvious choice of formula 3, being in his words like a 4 wheeled bike. Pierre arrange to buy the Revis (he thinks direct from Reg.) after seeing an advert for the car in Autosport. So the Revis minus engine and with the fibreglass aero nose cut down headed state side.

The Revis was stripped and modified to suit the regulations in the states, by Pierre with help from ‘Lex Dupont. They fitted a Triumph twin race engine from Pierre’s last racing bike and had a new alloy nose made, a new light weight seat, light weight dash, a few other minor odds and bods and a roll hoop completed the job.


Pierre’s racing career with the Revis was to be a fairly short lived affair. “I only raced the Revis 5 or 6 times with a 3rd place the best I could do against the Cooper Nortons. Everything kept vibrating off the damned car during each race “stated Pierre in an email in 2010 “after the season I sold the car to someone in Pennsylvania”. Pierre went on to race Triumph TR’s formula Juniors and other peoples Ferrari’s and winning SCCA national championships.

At the Duryea hill climb on 7-8 of June 1958 the Revis re-appears in the hand of Len Seifert and Mickey Warner recording a straight brace of DNF’s. Springtown hill climb 6 September Seifert was only bettered by two corvettes (with the base model corvette having 230hp) at the end of the season the Revis changed hands once more.


Gary Jones, recollects going with his late father, R Vernon Jones on a very snowy day at the beginning of 1959 to swap a race prepared Jaguar XK120 for the Revis. After a bit of fettling the Revis was entered at Watkins Glen in September 1959 but again was a DNF.



R. Vernon Jones with the Revis at Watkins Glen 1959

Finishes at Lime Rock and Montgomery followed in 1960 before R Vernon Jones and family headed west to California.
Gary Jones remembers that in 1961 “The racing community in Los Angeles was very different and we never raced the car, my father traded it to Bill Krause” and he further mentions in a letter that the Revis was swopped for two Honda motorbikes.

Bill Krause ran a number of car and motorbike dealerships in California and was a successful sports car racer running a Maserati Birdcage and D type Jaguar, he didn’t race single seaters so it is assumed this was just a deal. (anyone have contact with Bill?)

The recent history.

At some point of time in the 1980’s John Simpson a scrap dealer called in at Ian Wood’s garage in Burnaby, near Vancouver and offered him the remains of a Revis off the back of his scrap lorry. In Ian’s words “One sunny day there was John with what he had been told was a race car, I am not sure he paid anything for it, but the guy who gave it to him said don't junk it, someone will know what it is. John knowing my weakness for anything racy, come straight to my shop”. Ian sold the car through the local version of exchange and mart to a chap called Mike, who never had the funds to do anything with the car but did identify it as the Revis. The car was purchased by Trevor Wright of Kalowna in British Columbia with the aim of restoring it back to its original condition, but after many years of storing the car and with a fair amount of arm twisting he agreed to sell the Revis on to Karen and Richard (there goes the kitchen again!) on the weekend of the 2009 Oulton Park Gold cup and by Christmas the car had arrived back in Great Britain only 53 years after leaving.

The 1955 Revis – a second Revis 500?

The car run by Reg in the 1955 season is a different car, is this car a 2nd Revis 500? Or something he bought and modified?



the 1955 car has parallel chassis main tubes steering in front of the front axle line and more sophisticated cast front suspension top mount, different trailing arms and steering rack in front of the axle line.

Does anyone know any more about this car?


Reference:
Formula III year book 1953-1954 edited Roy Pearl and Douglas Armstrong
Motor Sport magazine 1950’s archive cd
Iota magazine archive cd
Autosport magazine 1954
Formula III racing in North America by Harry Reynolds
www.500race.org

Correspondence with : Harry Reynolds, Gary Jones, Pierre Mion, Brain Trew, Ian Wood, Trevor Wright, Richard Hodges and Ian Frost amongst others


December 2009 just out of the container from Canada



December 2010

[David Birchall]

The "Mike" referred to was Mike Saunders, an Englishman resident in Vancouver at the time who was friends with Trevor and Mark Wright. I recall Mike, Trevor and Mark bringing the car to the shop where I worked just after they had picked it up. Mike made a new fibreglass mould and nose for my racing car. Mike never had any money despite being incredibly creative. He returned to England (Southampton?) in the nineties.

Edited by David Birchall, 15 December 2010 - 22:21.

[HiRich]

Most importantly, Richard, is she going to out to play next season?

On the 1955 car, I tend towards it being a second Revis special. It seems to merge Revis Mk 1, Staride and Martin styles, without matching any one in particular. I don't think we know what happened to his 1953 Staride, and we have this gaping lack of reporting of the 1955 car so far.

But as a SWAG, I wonder if it might be a crashed & rebuilt Martin chassis?
- Chassis rails about right
- Swing arm mounts about right. But rather than rubber bands, Reg would logically have gone with the pushrod he knows so well?
- The front end proportions are very similar to the Roy Hunt/Mike Trackman car.
- But everything about the front suspension (wishbone angles, steering mount, damper mount/bulkhead) seems unique.
which might fit a theory of a front-end smash car. Take the Martin concept and upgrade it with the best of the Staride and '54 Revis. Conceivably, it could be sold on as a Martin and its history lost. The biggest question would be why - why not use the '54 chassis again in '55? Why was the '54 chassis not sold until '56? Why the complete lack of any reference to a new '55 chassis (when we are so sure it is not the '54 chassis with a new nosecone)?

For Martins, we could rule out the Hobart-Martin and Martin-Headland, and the John Brown and Noel Berrow-Johnson cars. But one story stands out - Dennis Taylor. Dennis drove the Revis once, which suggests a link. In 1953 he drove a Martin, but went to a Staride in 1954 - did he buy Reg's Staride and p/x his Martin. The only image I have of the Taylor Martin is very early, but we do know that it was heavily pranged and rebuilt in 1953.

It seems unlikely, and the evidence is negligible, but it might be worth considering.

[RWB]

Are you sure about NOEL Berrow-Johnson? A friend of the family told me firmly that it should be Norman.

[David Birchall]

Are you gentlemen aware of the Staride that has been owned by John Streets in California for many years? John used to be in partnership with Arther Mallock apparently, before moving to the US.

[David McKinney]

One went to NZ in 1953 (and has long since been lost)

Never knew which it was - one day I'll find as many UK Staride photos as I can and see if I can nail it down

[rbm]

Most importantly, Richard, is she going to out to play next season?

On the 1955 car, I tend towards it being a second Revis special. It seems to merge Revis Mk 1, Staride and Martin styles, without matching any one in particular. I don't think we know what happened to his 1953 Staride, and we have this gaping lack of reporting of the 1955 car so far.

But as a SWAG, I wonder if it might be a crashed & rebuilt Martin chassis?
- Chassis rails about right
- Swing arm mounts about right. But rather than rubber bands, Reg would logically have gone with the pushrod he knows so well?
- The front end proportions are very similar to the Roy Hunt/Mike Trackman car.
- But everything about the front suspension (wishbone angles, steering mount, damper mount/bulkhead) seems unique.
which might fit a theory of a front-end smash car. Take the Martin concept and upgrade it with the best of the Staride and '54 Revis. Conceivably, it could be sold on as a Martin and its history lost. The biggest question would be why - why not use the '54 chassis again in '55? Why was the '54 chassis not sold until '56? Why the complete lack of any reference to a new '55 chassis (when we are so sure it is not the '54 chassis with a new nosecone)?

For Martins, we could rule out the Hobart-Martin and Martin-Headland, and the John Brown and Noel Berrow-Johnson cars. But one story stands out - Dennis Taylor. Dennis drove the Revis once, which suggests a link. In 1953 he drove a Martin, but went to a Staride in 1954 - did he buy Reg's Staride and p/x his Martin. The only image I have of the Taylor Martin is very early, but we do know that it was heavily pranged and rebuilt in 1953.

It seems unlikely, and the evidence is negligible, but it might be worth considering.

Reg Bicknell's Revis as entered at Brand May '55 (Robin Fairservice's picture off another TNF thread)

point of interest
1. parallel chassis tubes
2. cast front top wishbone and spring mount
3. steering rack infront of axle
4. front of rear radius arm
5. front dunlop wheels on a standard 4 stud patten



bare chassis of the original Revis

1. chassis rails tapering to rear from back of cockpit
2. front spring and top wishbone attached directly to the chassis
3. rack behind front axle
4. lighter rear radius arm using track rod ends as pivots
5. front Jack Turner detachable rim wheels with a pre-war Morris (?) 6 very small stud hub fixing

In my opinion the 1955 car is not the same car as it would seam unlikely that having made major changes to the chassis (front suspension arrangement alone) that this wuld be changed back before selling the car on.


as for when will she be out - well how long is a bit of string?
Richard.

Edited by rbm, 16 December 2010 - 20:45.

[rbm]

The "Mike" referred to was Mike Saunders, an Englishman resident in Vancouver at the time who was friends with Trevor and Mark Wright. I recall Mike, Trevor and Mark bringing the car to the shop where I worked just after they had picked it up. Mike made a new fibreglass mould and nose for my racing car. Mike never had any money despite being incredibly creative. He returned to England (Southampton?) in the nineties.

David, do you have any contacts that might recall the Revis in Canada, I assume that the car was complete when it 1st arrived from the US and it seems likely that some one must know something about it.

Harry Reynolds has the US Staride as chassis 53-24-7 ex-Eric Fenning

thanks Mike Saunders name.

cheers

Richard.

Edited by rbm, 16 December 2010 - 20:58.

[David Birchall]

The person who started this thread TEJ--Tom Johnson-is the best person to ask. I only arrived here 37 years ago...

ps I think it was me who identified the car as the Revis for Mike Saunders. I had found the JP, that went back to the UK, in a barn on Vancouver Island and identified it by going page by page through Georgano and other books-hence I was 'in tune' with the various early F3 cars.

pps Pierre Mion was probably the most successful racer of the AC Bristol in n.america. He won the SCCA Championship in 1959 and 1961 and many races in between

Edited by David Birchall, 16 December 2010 - 21:04.

[rbm]

The person who started this thread TEJ--Tom Johnson-is the best person to ask. I only arrived here 37 years ago...

ps I think it was me who identified the car as the Revis for Mike Saunders. I had found the JP, that went back to the UK, in a barn on Vancouver Island and identified it by going page by page through Georgano and other books-hence I was 'in tune' with the various early F3 cars.

pps Pierre Mion was probably the most successful racer of the AC Bristol in n.america. He won the SCCA Championship in 1959 and 1961 and many races in between

I have been very fortunate, Pierre has copied me most of his information and pictures of the Revis - a great chap.

I'll try Tom (it was through him I ended up with the car)

Richard

[HiRich]

Are you sure about NOEL Berrow-Johnson? A friend of the family told me firmly that it should be Norman.

I would be interested to know more. Everything I have seen has Noel, with a couple of references to Brian (BE).

Richard,
I agree with you totally. The 1955 chassis is something different from the 1954 (which has repeatedly been proven to be the 1954 car, born from the 1951 chassis). Whilst the history is messy, clearly the whole chassis front end would have to be cut off, replaced, and then refitted (nevermind changing chassis rail diameters). It didn't happen.
I know nothing about the Revis-Borgward sportscar, except that it too was built in 1955. Google knows even less. I wonder whether it has similarities - perhaps a very similar front suspension layout? Does anyone here have any information or images?
It could be a ground-up design, or it might be a based on an existing chassis. We can see several elements (fuel tank position, and especially the complete rear suspension) taken straight from the 1954 Revis, but we are really guessing what lies beneath (the images suggest more a twin-tube chassis like a Cooper Mk VI than the trapezium design that was born in the Moss-Kieft and continued through Staride, Martin and '54 Revis).

The real questions though are:
- Why did no one mention it? Somewhere in the late '54 and '55 press there must be some mention, however passing, that it was a new car
- What happened to it? Reg continued with it until May '56 (Goodwood). No mention of him crashing it. If he sold it (and it raced under a different name) I haven't seen it, and a car that good would probably stand out.

So let's take what we can get - one mystery is completely solved, two more take its place

[rbm]

The real questions though are:
- Why did no one mention it? Somewhere in the late '54 and '55 press there must be some mention, however passing, that it was a new car
- What happened to it? Reg continued with it until May '56 (Goodwood). No mention of him crashing it. If he sold it (and it raced under a different name) I haven't seen it, and a car that good would probably stand out.

So let's take what we can get - one mystery is completely solved, two more take its place

Rich,

Reg rolled the 2nd Revis at Ibsley in April 1955:



It seems that Reg gave up with the 500s about the same time as Cliff Allison which was the time that both became more involved as Lotus 'works' drivers, in 'From the Fells to Ferrari' it is suggested that Cliff found he could not run the 500 along with the Lotus works drive, but it has been suggested to me that Colin Chapman was involved in the decision. If so this may ring true for Reg as well?

The Revis Sports car is mentioned earlier - this was written off near Brigton on the road, the remains lay in an orchard for years and the engine was stolen from the wreck.

[RWB]

I would be interested to know more. Everything I have seen has Noel, with a couple of references to Brian (BE).

Richard,
I agree with you totally. The 1955 chassis is something different from the 1954 (which has repeatedly been proven to be the 1954 car, born from the 1951 chassis). Whilst the history is messy, clearly the whole chassis front end would have to be cut off, replaced, and then refitted (nevermind changing chassis rail diameters). It didn't happen.
I know nothing about the Revis-Borgward sportscar, except that it too was built in 1955. Google knows even less. I wonder whether it has similarities - perhaps a very similar front suspension layout? Does anyone here have any information or images?
It could be a ground-up design, or it might be a based on an existing chassis. We can see several elements (fuel tank position, and especially the complete rear suspension) taken straight from the 1954 Revis, but we are really guessing what lies beneath (the images suggest more a twin-tube chassis like a Cooper Mk VI than the trapezium design that was born in the Moss-Kieft and continued through Staride, Martin and '54 Revis).

The real questions though are:
- Why did no one mention it? Somewhere in the late '54 and '55 press there must be some mention, however passing, that it was a new car
- What happened to it? Reg continued with it until May '56 (Goodwood). No mention of him crashing it. If he sold it (and it raced under a different name) I haven't seen it, and a car that good would probably stand out.

So let's take what we can get - one mystery is completely solved, two more take its place

Have checked again with two people who knew the family. It is definitely NORMAN not Noel and B.E. is older brother BRYAN EDWARD. I am hoping for more information which I can pass on.

Edited by RWB, 14 December 2012 - 11:39.

[Geoff E]

It is definitely NORMAN not Noel and B.E. is older brother BRYAN EDWARD.

Bryan (1927) and Norman (1931) born in Kent.

[HiRich]

Thank you on both counts

[arttidesco]

Apropos nothing in particular, a pic of rbm testing the Revis at Mallory Park last year

[David Birchall]

It looks a little better than the last time I saw it!

Good work RBM.

[Graham Clayton]

Some footage of the Revis at the 2011 Goodwood Festival:

[Stephen W]

Revis at Oulton in August 1954



Revis at Snetterton also in August 1954

Images scanned from old Autosport magazines.

[David McKinney]

Any problems getting copyright clearance, Steve?

[Barry Boor]

Stirer!

[Geoff E]

Interesting to see that the F3s seemed to have lapped quicker than the ERAs.

[tsrwright]

Interesting to see that the F3s seemed to have lapped quicker than the ERAs.

And that a Cooper twin did 31 laps

[arttidesco]

Last time I saw Richard Bishop Miller in the Revis he was flying across the gravel trap having missed the entry to the Club Straight at Becketts during the VSCC Spring Start meeting.

 

I know Richard ended up in hospital and has since made it out, but is there any news of the Revis and a potential return to the tracks ?

[rbm]

Both the Revis and I suffered a fair battering when the Cooper mk8 landed on top of us at Maggots - that was a tad of a surprise ... but these things happen.

 

The Revis had got back home to the Lake District, been stripped to the chassis, the engine and box sorted and had been run whilst I was still on my sick bed not allowed to move in Northampton.

 

5 months after the accident the MSA let me have my licence back and we returned to the track at the Zandvoort Historic, qualified 15th (some un-found problem with the Revis) and finished 8th in the first race but 2nd race had problems again but after all it is a 500.