23 replies to this topic

[Patrice L'Rodent]

At Eastern Creek yesterday I was telling my newfound TNF friends about the Ford 10 special single seaters they used race in Ireland many years ago. I recall they had razorblade thin bodys set obliquely over the Ford chassis. Looked a bit like the Indy Roadsters of the day.
The wheres and whens are lost in the mists of time, but I seem to remember seeing several at Phoenix Park in the early to mid 1950s (Gawd, am I that old??)
My dad often talked about building one (He did build an Austin 7 'special' between the wars) but it never happened.
I wonder if anyone else knows what I am talking about, and perhaps has a picture to post ? That would show that I really wasn't talking through my hat ;)
PDR

[David McKinney]

No PDR, your memory's sound
I don't have any pictures to post, but remember reading about them at the time. Races were run regularly at Kirkistown and elsewhere and produced some ingenious designs. Some of the best were the cars built by John Crossle, who went on to greater things. Once a year there was a 'flamour' event called the Ford Championship of Ireland (or somesuch) which were attended by some of the English competitors from the 1172 formula, who usually blew the locals off.
I guess the formula was killed off by the advent of Formula Junior

[eldougo]

It would be GREAT if someone had a photo????????? of these IRISH racers.

[Patrice L'Rodent]

I was talking with my Dad today and mentioned this subject. He reminded me of something I hadn't realised until tonight.
He reminded me of the rear axle assembly he had me clean with kerosene ('parrafin oil' in Ireland) and paint before it went into the rafters in the garage in Wicklow(Maybe it is still there??)
I remember that the differential lump wasn't in the middle, something I thought odd at the time (Being an expert on such things and all of 10 years old or so).
Dad informed me it was from a Fordson van, and was very desireable for his planned special as it had a shorter ratio, and the offset diff allowed a lower driving position. He also told me he had collected some early VW beetle wheels, as they allowed the fitment of 15" wheels to the Ford hubs.
I remember the axle, but not the wheels....maybe that's because I didnt have to clean them
PDR

[Fred Gallagher]

I've got some 1172 Ford Special photos that I would like to post but don't seem to know how to do it. They are saved as jpegs in "My Pictures". Help!

[Fred Gallagher]

Thanks to Wolf and the "Sticky" at the top which Iread afterwards I might be able to do this now!

This is from a Bishopscourt programme from May 1964.

http://members.atlas...lf/1172ford.jpg

[Patrice L'Rodent]

Thanks Fred, Interesting though that pic is, that is not at all what I remember. I think your picture is from the 60s, where as the front engined devices I remember were certainly at least a decade before that and some may even have dated back to before the war. They were front engined monopostos with the body obliquely mounted on a faired in standard type chassis. The one in my minds eye had a huge flared scuttle to fait the standard Ford steering wheel into the slimline body.
However...I have learned that memory is not a thing to be trusted. A couple of years ago I met the girl I lusted after in high school after nearly 40 years. Surely my memory of her sublime beauty could not have been that bad? ...Or maybe love (lust?) is blind ?
PDR

[Fred Gallagher]

Sorry this is what I meant to do:



Do you want to see any others?

[fines]

Originally posted by Patrice L'Rodent
However...I have learned that memory is not a thing to be trusted. A couple of years ago I met the girl I lusted after in high school after nearly 40 years. Surely my memory of her sublime beauty could not have been that bad? ...Or maybe love (lust?) is blind ?
PDR

Oh, I know that - has nothing to do with memory, just what that bad animal Time does to a girl's body...;)


__________________
Michael Ferner

Patriotism makes blind, and hinders critique - but it's a curable disease!

[Patrice L'Rodent]

Yes Fred, I would love to see some more.
Thank you
PDR

[Pete Stowe]

Came across this yesterday.


Is that the sort of machine you're thinking of.

[eldougo]

Thanks Pete
Hey an Irish Ford Special --------- Hope Patrice L'Rodent comes back to check it out

[David McKinney]

Ford 10 specials raced in Ireland before the war, and the cars of Freddie Smyth, Wilbert Todd had lots of fun and no small measure of success (thanks to the reliance on handicap events on both sides of the north/south divide), but I think 1951 is a bit early for the inauguration of the specific series for these cars. More like 1954?

[Patrice L'Rodent]

AAaaahhh bliss Thank you Pete
That's exactly the sort of car I was remembering ! Even down to the Ford 'pop' grille. I imagine a car like this with 1172ccs of fire breathing E93A powerplant, three speeds and a Fordson van final drive would get uo, maybe even exceed, 80 mph ? Still, on tyres and brakes like that and on the narrow Irish roads, that should be thrill enough for anyone =]

Maybe I should build one ?
Thanks
PDR

[Catalina Park]

Pat, there is a complete Prefect in the yard up the street, no rust just pump up the tyres.....

[Ray Bell]

If you're quick, you'll get this one...

[David McKinney]

Nah - quite unsuitable - it's one of those Australian-spec models

[Patrice L'Rodent]

Ford Prefect ??
Wasn't he in Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy ?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by David McKinney
Nah - quite unsuitable - it's one of those Australian-spec models

Of course...

The boot's too big.

[Patrice L'Rodent]

Actually Ray, as I remember it, in Ireland the Anglia and the Popular had a two door body with the boot as on the Aussie prefect. The Anglia had a vertical slatted V type grille, whereas the pop had the slightly 'early BMW'ish grille seen in the special above. I think they both had '8 horsepower' engines (What ccs were they) whereas the Prefect had a four door body with the bullnose 'Pilot' grille as in the Aussie prefect, but with a flat, sort of very slow fastback rear. The prefect was a 10hp with the mighty 1172cc engine.
These things were very popular (pardon the pun) in Ireland, made in Cork, I think, but I am sure they have all rusted back to irin oxide and are colouring the soil by now.
I seem to remember the trick fuel was 'wink wink' poteen, oops, I mean ethanol, so it was no great problem if you broke down.
Ethanol and racing went together in Ireland. For instance, at Wicklow, you started near the cemetary, made a right hand turn between the Grand and Abbey hotels, up Marlton straight to the Beehive pub, and then down to Rathnew with its proliferation of pubs (I remember a bike crashing into a pub wall there) and then back to the cemetary and start line. If you broke down, and many did, there was always a local who would buy you a pint of Guinness...or a Jamesons
PDR

[Ray Bell]

I've never heard mention of any other engine capacity than 1172ccs... I had always assumed that the difference between the 8hp and the 10hp was that they had lobes on the cams of the latter or something.

Originally posted by Patrice L'Rodent
.....The Anglia had a vertical slatted V type grille..... the Prefect had a four door body with the bullnose 'Pilot' grille as in the Aussie prefect, but with a flat, sort of very slow fastback rear.....

Known in Australia as the 'English body Prefect'...

Apparently some people raced them here too!

[Geoff E]

More old Fords here (links to others on the left):-

http://www.philseed....rdanglia49.html

[Ray Bell]

Found some detail...

The 8hp engine had a 56.6mm bore instead of 63.5mm... all had the 92.5mm stroke. This gave them 933 throbbing ccs, and 23.7bhp (compared to 31.5 or something)... the engine designation was E494A.

Of course, finding stuff like that on the net, the only thing I can guarantee is that the valves never hit pistons when you got valve bounce...

[eldougo]

Originally posted by Patrice L'Rodent .
Ethanol and racing went together in Ireland. For instance, at Wicklow, you started near the cemetary, made a right hand turn between the Grand and Abbey hotels, up Marlton straight to the Beehive pub, and then down to Rathnew with its proliferation of pubs (I remember a bike crashing into a pub wall there) and then back to the cemetary and start line. If you broke down, and many did, there was always a local who would buy you a pint of Guinness...or a Jamesons
PDR [/B]

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Pat It sounds like a PUB crawl more than a race track --- a high number of DNF's i guess