18 replies to this topic

[David Beard]

I start this thread purely as an excuse to show you this newspaper cutting, which I thought to be of interest, which I found while clearing out my dad's magazines last weekend. (From " The Trader" , a free paper for St.Neots, Feb 7 1979).

[Barry Boor]

So what actually happened to the wandering minstrel, David?

[LOTI]

Keeping a free paper since 1979 now there is a man after my own heart.
Thanks for the article, I'll show it to Luke.
Loti

[David Beard]

Originally posted by LOTI
Keeping a free paper since 1979 now there is a man after my own heart.
Thanks for the article, I'll show it to Luke.
Loti

Please do And be sure to post his comments!

[Stephen W]

How do they know he was from Bolton?

[MCS]

Originally posted by Stephen W
How do they know he was from Bolton?

...have I missed something ???

Mark

[Stephen W]

Oh dear! Having to explain school-boy jokes at my age!

Bolton Wanderers Football Club!

[Mallory Dan]

Sorry Steve, I also don't get the Wanderers connexion ??

Btw, what Formulae did Titan build engines for, was it just the Ford ones, or anything more exotic too.

[Andrew Kitson]

Titan Motorsport is alive and kicking, on the same site as in the article but in a nice modern industrial unit rather than the old sheds in the days when they raced their works FF team from there in '72, with Derek Lawrence and Ken Bailey. Only about 2 miles up the road from me and Oz Timms still is the MD.
I am told that one on-going contact they have is making the steering racks for Lotus road cars.

[Stephen W]

Titan engines also featured in the one-litre Formula Three era. Powering several chassis besides the Titan Cars themselves.

Finally the original post featured an article about a 'wandering' minstrel. Barry Boor wanted to know his whereabouts hence the Bolton connection!

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Andrew Kitson
Titan Motorsport is alive and kicking, on the same site as in the article but in a nice modern industrial unit rather than the old sheds in the days when they raced their works FF team from there in '72, with Derek Lawrence and Ken Bailey. Only about 2 miles up the road from me and Oz Timms still is the MD.
I am told that one on-going contact they have is making the steering racks for Lotus road cars.

I have visited both old and new factories. The original was pretty ramshackle when I went there in the mid 70s. I think I recall two of Ted Martin's dynos still there, and being told that Surtees had run a DFV on them. A very solid FF chassis was under construction. I don't remember whether this was Titan Cars or Titan Motorsport. Oh, and parked at the front was a trailer containing a Dastle midget racer, something to do with Bubbles Horsley I seem to recall. (would that make sense?)

About three years ago I had a tour of the modern factory, which had a separate unit with fancy CNC machines churning out Elise racks. In the main building just about everything for everything has been made, but most if it ends up with someone else's name on. Dry sump pumps for Kents, racks and hubs for all sorts of single seaters, bell housings to fit transverse engines the right way round in sportscars, roller rockers, suspension parts for Gordon Murray's Rocket, bits for the Strathcarron which was made in the building round the back....the list goes on and on.

Ever see the prototype 3 cylinder Leyland engine in the Gaydon Museum? Much of that was made by Titan, too.

[Stephen W]

Charles Lucas was one of the main men behind Titan and Bubbles Horsley was also involved to a lesser extent.

The FF1600 cars were very successful especially at Oulton Park - home circuit for Ken Bailey and Derek Lawrence.

[Mallory Dan]

From memory didn't Hesketh Racing, pre Hunt, run 2 Dastle F3 cars ?

[ian senior]

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
From memory didn't Hesketh Racing, pre Hunt, run 2 Dastle F3 cars ?

Not sure about 2 cars, I thought Bubbles was the original driver and then James took over.

[MCS]

Originally posted by ian senior


Not sure about 2 cars, I thought Bubbles was the original driver and then James took over.

And didn't Barrie Maskell then race the car in 1974 ocassionally...?

(I'm assuming it was the same car)

Mark

[ian senior]

Originally posted by MCS


And didn't Barrie Maskell then race the car in 1974 ocassionally...?

(I'm assuming it was the same car)

Mark

And in 73 and 75 too, according to Gerald Swan's F3 site, although not under Hesketh colours, of course.

The same source tells me that Steve Thompson also drove a Dastle in 1972, which was news to me. And that Hesketh did run two cars at the same time for Messrs Hunt and Horsley, so I got that wrong too (as I often do).

[Stephen W]

'72 Dastle Racing drivers were James Hunt, Steve Thompson, Bubbles Horsley. One of the cars is now owned by Vernon Williamson in Scotland.

The car raced By Barrie Maskell was a new chassis not the same as the above and was a bit better.

[bill moffat]

The first ever Titan was a Maserati engined sports racer I believe, any photos ?

[David Beard]

The Titan website appeared fairly recently...

http://www.titan-mot....com/about.html