64 replies to this topic

[Stephen W]

Whatever happened to the plethora of hillclimb and sprint specials of the late 60s and early 70s?

Cars like:

7.2 Cooper-Chrysler T81B F1-1-67
3.5 Brabham-Buick BT18 F2-44-66
1.5s Brabham-Ford TC BT14/21
4.7 Brabham-Oldsmobile BT19 F1-1-65/BT21 Quattro
1.1s Gryphon-Ford/Cosworth 3AR
3.0 Brabham-Ford BT16/21B V6

There were many more but these are just the tip of the Missing In Actions.

[David McKinney]

You're probably ahead of me on most of these
Cooper-Chrysler T81B - last heard of 1972
Brabham-Ford TC BT14/21- if you mean John Butterworth’s, last heard of 1968
Brabham-Ford BT16/21B V6 - only BT16/21B I have a note of was a V8 - is this the car? If so, I know where it is
Brabham-Buick BT18 F2-44-66 - last heard of 1989
Brabham-Oldsmobile BT19 F1-1-65/BT21 Quattro - the real BT19 F1-1-65 was never sprinted - I last heard of a 4wd BT21-Olds was in 1970

[Allen Brown]

The T81 passed through many, many hands after its last event at the end of 1972. John Hewitt ran it at the 1981 British GP meeting 'demo' (still with the Chrysler) and also ran in historic hill climb events through the 1980s. He sold it to Richard Crump in 1989 and it appeared at Donington in the 25th anniversary celebrations in 1991. Some time between 1994 and 1997, Crump sold it to none other than Bernie Ecclestone. Amazing, huh? I haven't seen it since.

The real BT19 never appeared in a spped event so I don't know what you mean by "4.7 Brabham-Oldsmobile BT19 F1-1-65/BT21 Quattro". Also, the 3.0 Brabham-Ford BT16/21B V6 still looks like a typo to me. 3-litre V6 Ford?!?

Allen

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
3-litre V6 Ford?!?

Allen

Why not?

[Allen Brown]

David - you thinking of a GA? In a BT16!?!

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by Stephen W
Whatever happened to the plethora of hillclimb and sprint specials of the late 60s and early 70s?

Cars like:

7.2 Cooper-Chrysler T81B F1-1-67
3.5 Brabham-Buick BT18 F2-44-66
1.5s Brabham-Ford TC BT14/21
4.7 Brabham-Oldsmobile BT19 F1-1-65/BT21 Quattro
1.1s Gryphon-Ford/Cosworth 3AR
3.0 Brabham-Ford BT16/21B V6

There were many more but these are just the tip of the Missing In Actions.

OOOPS! Typo on the BT19 front. The chassis number should have read F1-3-65

This is the ex-David Hepworth chassis.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
David - you thinking of a GA? In a BT16!?!

Sounds odd, but not impossible. I'd suspect "3 litre V6 Ford" would be a production Essex or Cologne V6 though, rather than a 3.4 Cossie - which were always fairly rare!

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Stephen W


OOOPS! Typo on the BT19 front. The chassis number should have read F1-3-65

This is the ex-David Hepworth chassis.

OK. That was a BT11, built for David by Frank Coltman using the original BT11 jigs. I'm pretty sure it never carried a chassis number and the number F1-3-65 was, I believe, a number allocated by the F1 Register in the same way they allocated 'P' numbers to Parnell-built Lotuses.

Where does the BT21 bit come in? The BT21 Quattro was a different car wasn't it? The Blankstone ex-F3 BT21X with a Buick V8? And somebody's 4WD system.

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by petefenelon


Sounds odd, but not impossible. I'd suspect "3 litre V6 Ford" would be a production Essex or Cologne V6 though, rather than a 3.4 Cossie - which were always fairly rare!

Good point Pete - I hadn't considered someone using a stock Ford V6.

I still think it's a typo though...

[David Beard]

Originally posted by petefenelon


Sounds odd, but not impossible. I'd suspect "3 litre V6 Ford" would be a production Essex or Cologne V6 though, rather than a 3.4 Cossie - which were always fairly rare!

Yes, that's what I was thinking.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by David Beard


Yes, that's what I was thinking.

When I (finally!) get home this evening I'll have a skim through the relevant bits of Uphill Racers to see if there's any info on that car and if indeed it's the V8 that David McKinney thinks it is!

[MCS]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Good point Pete - I hadn't considered someone using a stock Ford V6.

I still think it's a typo though...

Me too, for what it's worth.

And certainly not the GA.

Question to Steve:

How did you compile the initial list at the start of the thread?
Was it from memory, or another source?

[Allen Brown]

It would be interesting to compile a list of specials season-by-season. Mason would be an ideal starting point and we could then figure out which were new cars and which were updates to older cars. Perhaps starting about 1967?

Any Mason-armed volunteers?

Allen

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
It would be interesting to compile a list of specials season-by-season. Mason would be an ideal starting point and we could then figure out which were new cars and which were updates to older cars. Perhaps starting about 1967?

Any Mason-armed volunteers?

Allen

I'll certainly volunteer to have a go. I don't have much time this calendar year, but I can certainly get onto it early in '06 -- it's about time I re-read that book anyway - always a pleasure to get it off the shelf!

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by MCS


Question to Steve:

How did you compile the initial list at the start of the thread?
Was it from memory, or another source?

Selected from the BMSA website results (www.britishsprint.org)

;)

[Stephen W]

EXTRACTS from 25th September 1969 Autosport article written by Quentin Spurring on David Hepworth:

"David bought from Ian Raby the ex-works F1 Brabham-BRM BT3 and 'persuaded into that a brand-new 4.7-litre Corvette;...... He did most of the 1966 championship hillclimbs,...., he was tenth at Bo'ness."

"At the end of the season (1966) I sent a lad down to Brabhams to pick up some spares and he spotted in a corner of the works an almost new BT19-type rolling chassis which had been built up for exhibition work"

"David immediately....asked if the chassis was for sale; when Brabham himself had returned from the Tasman Series he was persuaded to sell 'as long as I used and aluminium engine and not a cast iron one.' David happily agreed and bought a dry-sump 4.5 litre Traco Oldsmobile,"

The car was delivered by Brabhams to the 1967 Daily Express International Trophy and picked up by Hepworth on the Friday. David then "drrove home to Brighouse, finished the car off to compete at Harewood on the Sunday morning."

"but the Brabham-Olds BT19 (chassis F1/3/65) was obviously a very competetive machine"

"The 19 was kept for the 1968 season"

IF this article is to be believed then F1/3/65 was 'allocated' in 1967 and the chassis was not built specially for David Hepworth.

[Allen Brown]

Yes, I've read that story too. Whether Hepworth was trying to talk up the history of his old car or whether he just didn't explain it to Quentin well enough, I couldn't say. Hepworth did indeed buy an old BT11 from the factory but the "BT19" was built by Coltman. Well, that's what Hepworth told me and also what Coltman told Ted Walker. This 67/68 car probably debuted at Harewood in Sep 1967.

Not long after this yarn appeared the "BT19" was sold to Tom Wheatcroft. Without going into detail here, as a TNF-er was involved (on the innocent side!), there was some trouble when Wheaty found out that it wasn't the real BT19.

The issue is clouded slightly by the Hepworth 4WD car, which was also built by Coltman to a BT11 pattern (the BT19, BT11A and BT11 being very similar cars) which debuted at Harewood in Sep 1968. One of these two Coltman-built cars was built with a shorter wheelbase and I had always thought that was the first car. However, Coltman couldn't recall building a second car until prompted by his wife (Ted told me this so I hope I'm getting it right). So there remains the possibility that the 1967/68 car was a real Brabham and it is this vague hope that partly explains the way it's presently described in historic racing.

Hepworth also had a third Brabham of similar type, this a BT7-ish machine. That came from the factory too and may have been F1-1-63. It is now in historic racing in the US and is said to be a BT11.

Did anyone say 'can of worms'?

Allen

[Ray Bell]

Surely the Brabham Buick mentioned is the one that's now racing in Historic events in Australia?

It was a former hillclimb car, but was pretty diabolical on the circuit when first tried out by Les Wright. He had Peter Hopwood drive it once and Peter's verdict was that it was lethal.

Since then a lot of work has been done on it and it's quite a good car. Les has had it for many years.

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Surely the Brabham Buick mentioned is the one that's now racing in Historic events in Australia?

That was a BT21C chassis 17 - Malcolm Eaves 1969 and fitted with Buick V8 and HD4 gearbox - Peter Boshier-Jones 1971 - Nigel Pows 1973 and fitted with Repco - John Harper 1979 - Clive Osborne 1981 and then to Wright. There were quite a few Brabham-Buicks in the late 1960s and early 1970s - I think it would be fascinating to try to come up with a complete list.

Allen

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
It would be interesting to compile a list of specials season-by-season. Mason would be an ideal starting point and we could then figure out which were new cars and which were updates to older cars. Perhaps starting about 1967?
Any Mason-armed volunteers?
Allen

Is this what you had in mind?

It’s taken a while, but here’s a list of some GM V8s in British sprint cars - new cars in bold
1962
Chris Summers ex-F2 Cooper + Chevrolet - placed second in both RAC Championship Shelsley Walsh rounds

1963
Bryan Eccles ex-F1 Cooper + 4.7 Chevrolet
Mike Eyre ex-F2 Cooper + Buick
George Keylock and John Macklin FJ Cooper + Buick
Chris Summers Cooper-Chevrolet

1964
David Hepworth Cooper T71 + Chevrolet
David Harrison Cooper T51 + Chevrolet
Ian McLaughlin ex-FJ Kieft + Buick
John Macklin Cooper-Buick - 4th RAC Championship
Michael Gray ex-Summers Cooper-Chevrolet

1965
Tony Marsh Marsh-GM + Buick - dominated RAC Championship
David Hepworth F1 Brabham BT3 + Chevrolet (November)
John Macklin Cooper-Buick - 5th RAC Championship
John McCartney-Filgate ex-Summers Cooper-Chevrolet
David Harrison Cooper-Chevrolet

1966
John Macklin F1 Cooper T73 + 3.5 Buick - crashed and written off
John Butterworth F1 Brabham BT11 + 3.5 Buick (built by Hepworth)
Bryan Eccles Brabham BT14 + 4.2 Olds - third in RAC Championship
Patsy Burt McLaren M3A + Oldsmobile
Tony Marsh Marsh-GM - won RAC Championship
John McCartney-Filgate ex-Macklin Cooper-Buick
David Harrison Cooper-Chevrolet
David Hepworth Brabham-Chevrolet BT3

1967
David Hepworth a second Brabham BT11 + 4.5 Traco-Olds
Bryan Eccles ex-F3 Brabham BT18 + Traco-Olds - 2nd RAC Championship
Gray and Agnes Mickel ex-F1 Lotus 21 + Buick V8
Tony Marsh Marsh-GM - won RAC Championship
John Butterworth Brabham-Buick BT11
Patsy Burt McLaren- Oldsmobile M3A

1968
David Hepworth Brabham BT19 (so-called) + 4.5 Traco-Olds
Bryan Eccles Brabham BT21A + 4.2 Olds
Peter Blankstone factory-built Brabham BT21X + Buick
Roy Lane Brabham BT14 + Buick - 4th RAC Hillclimb Championship
Patsy Burt McLaren- Oldsmobile M3A
John Butterworth second ex-Hepworth Brabham-Olds BT11
Gray and Agnes Mickel Lotus-Buick 21

1969
Roy Lane TechCraft + Buick V8
John Butterworth Brabham-Buick BT11
Peter Blankstone Brabham-Buick BT21X
Jimmy Johnstone ex-Lane Brabham-Buick - 6th RAC Hillclimb Championship
Geoff Rollason Marsh-GM
Patsy Burt McLaren- Oldsmobile M3A

1970
Malcolm Eaves Brabham BT21C + Buick
Peter Blankstone and Tony Marsh Brabham BT21 + Olds
John Butterworth and John Myerscough Brabham-Buick BT11
Richard Thwaites ex-Eccles Brabham-Olds BT21A
Patsy Burt McLaren M3A + Chevrolet - won inaugural RAC Sprint Championship
Johnty Williamson ex-Rollason Marsh-GM
John Cussins TechCraft-Buick

B]1971
Bob Jennings Brabham BT30X + Buick V8
[/B]David Hepworth ex-Butterworth Brabham-Buick BT11
Malcolm Eaves Brabham-Buick BT21C
Gray and Agnes Mickel TechCraft-Buick
Jack Maurice Marsh-GM

1972
John Wallwork ex-Butterworth/Hepworth Brabham-Buick BT11
David Fyfe and Alex Brown ex-Jennings Brabham-Buick BT30X
Peter Boshier-Jones ex-Eaves Brabham-Buick BT21C
Ian Swift and Terry Smith TechCraft-Buick

1973
John Wallwork Brabham-Buick BT11 (with 5.6 engine)
Murray McGrath ex-Fyfe/Brown Brabham-Buick BT30X
Peter Boshier-Jones and Nigel Pow Brabham-Buick BT21C
Ian Swift and Terry Smith TechCraft-Buick

1974
Roger Willoughby TechCraft-Buick

1975
Roger Willoughby TechCraft-Buick

1976

1977
Roger Willoughby March 712 + Buick V8

E&OE
Principal sources contemporary reports in Motoring News and Autosport, updated by reference to Mason

[Allen Brown]

Nice one David! Very impressive list.

I'd add Bill Liddell in a Coper T53 (the ex-Camoradi F1-3-61) in 1964 with a 4.7 Ford and then Ian Swift in the same car in 1965.

Oops - sorry, forget that; you're just doing GM cars.

A few car identities: Lance Macklin's car was T73 F1-1-64; Eccles' BT18 was F2-44-66; the BT3 was F1-1-62; Burt's M3A was M3A/2; the Blankstone BT21X was BT21X/1; the Eaves Brabham BT21C was BT21C/17. Don't know either Lane car.

I didn't know that Butterworth had a Hepworth-built Brabham-Buick as early as 1966.

Allen

[Allen Brown]

Mason doesn't give any clues on the origins of Lane's 1968 car, the "BT14 with 3.5 Traco/Buick engine" (p207). This car went to Johnstone (p217) as you said when Lane built the Brabham-based Techcraft.

The other BT14-Traco, Eccles' 1966 car, was formerly John Bridges' circuit car (p195) and went to John Scott-Davis for 1967 (p198).

There were only ten of these 1965/66 libre cars (yes, I had to look that up ) so it may be possible to figure out more.

Allen

[Allen Brown]

Eccles' BT18 is described as "the almost-new ex-Clive Baker" BT18 (Autosport 14 April 1967 p571).

I was looking for something else but...

[Stephen W]

1969 Hillclimb Specials:

Jimmy Johnstone - BT14/21 Buick
John Butterworth - BT11/19 Buick (this was the spare chassis from David Hepworth)
Gray & Agnes Mickle - BT23B with 2.5 Climax Straigh 4 (this was the ex-Hawley/Rose car)
Spencer Elton - BT18 1.6 litre (the ex-Lawson/Blankstone car)
Peter Kaye - BT14 1.6 litre (ex-Fred Smith)
Nigel Woodisse - Lotus 31 1.6 litre (ex-Oakley/Court car)
Chris Court - BT21 1.6 litre (ex Tony Griffiths)
Clive Oakley - Cooper-Daimler T86 (ex Martin Brain)
Ian Swift - Swift-Ford V8 (ex F1 Cooper chassis)
Martin Brain - Cooper-Chrysley T81B

Just some of the 'specials' that were about.

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Mason doesn't give any clues on the origins of Lane's 1968 car...

... but Autosport does. Autosport 5 Apr 1968 p31 says it was the ex-Eccles car, lengthened and with a BT21 nose and BT21 "suspension bits".

This casts some doubt on Eccles' car having gone to John Scott-Davis, especially as I can't find any results for JS-D in a Brabham in 1967. Maybe the BT14 just 'rested' during 1967 as its engine was in Eccles' new BT18 and it's possible nobody fancied converting it back to a twin cam.

I also have to cast some doubts on the Eccles car being "John Bridges' circuit racer". John Bridges did indeed have a 1600cc BT14 twin-cam in 1965 but there are two problems with it being the Eccles car. Firstly, John Bridges continued to race a BT14 into 1966 and, secondly, Welshman John Davis (i.e. not JS-D) races the "ex-John Bridges BT14-t/c" at Llandow throughout 1966. It's quite possibly John Bridges had two BT14s, as his brother David also raced a BT14 in the latter half of 1965, but surely he can't have had three! To make it even more confusing, Autosport does indeed credit Eccles with having it in the 20 May 1966 edition, just two weeks before it credits Davis with having the same car.

My suspicion is that Davis actually had the ex-Bennett car as that vanishes in 1966 and then just as abruptly reappears in 1967 in the hands of the indecently quick Davie Powell, like Davis a Welshman. It's also possible that John took over brother David's BT14 for 1966, as that appears to have been the ex-Bloor 'F1' BT14.

Chris - have you ever done anything on the BT14s? I'm finding them quite difficult to understand.

Allen

[David McKinney]

Once again the words “can” and “worms” spring to mind. I can make the picture even cloudier:
The Bridges brothers campaigned several small Brabhams in this period, at least three of which were indeed BT14s (there were BT16s as well). Further confusion comes from an apparent association with Sports Motors (Rodney Bloor).
One of John Bridges’s BT14s was FL-1-65, raced in 1965 by David Bridges and John Taylor. This is the car which went to Eccles in 1966, then to John Scott-Davies in 1967.
John Bridges himself raced FL-6-65 in 1965 under the Red Rose Motors banner (it had been raced earlier the same season by Bloor for Sports Motors). This one went to John Davies in 1966 (although F1R has David Preston racing it for Sports Motors that year).
John Bridges also raced a Red Rose Motors BT14 (number unknown) in 1966, sharing drives with Brian Redman. The following year David Bridges campaigned F2-4-65 (earlier history not known).
I don’t know the history of Lane’s car before he used it on the hills with t/c power in 1967 and Buick in 1968. Then to Jimmy Johnstone 1969, Peter Scott-Walker 1970, Malcolm Dungworth 1971
Davey Powell’s car was FL-8-65, raced for Robert Aschroft by John Cardwell and Derek Bennett in 1965, by Jim Charnock first half 1966, and Powell from that year’s August Llandow meeting

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by David McKinney
Once again the words “can” and “worms” spring to mind.

I can't keep away from them

Originally posted by David McKinney
One of John Bridges’s BT14s was FL-1-65, raced in 1965 by David Bridges and John Taylor. This is the car which went to Eccles in 1966, then to John Scott-Davies in 1967.
John Bridges himself raced FL-6-65 in 1965 under the Red Rose Motors banner (it had been raced earlier the same season by Bloor for Sports Motors). This one went to John Davies in 1966 (although F1R has David Preston racing it for Sports Motors that year).

John Bridges raced a BT14 (or a 1600cc Brabham twin-cam at least) several times in the first half of 1965, before Bloor's FL-6-65 vanishes so would those races have been in FL-1-65? And how certain is the number FL-1-65; I've also seen that number associated with a BT14 that Bib Stillwell is supposed to have driven in 1965 (while also driving a BT11A).

David Bridges appears a few time early in 1965 with, according to Autosport, the "ex-John Romanes Brabham 1650 t/c" and with a 1600cc Cooper. Romanes had a Brabham? Is that a typo would you think? He starts appearing in a 1600cc Brabham in late June - presumably then his brother's FL-1-65 - and the two appear in races together from late July onwards - presumably with John now in FL-6-65. Sound right?

Originally posted by David McKinney
I don’t know the history of Lane’s car before he used it on the hills with t/c power in 1967 and Buick in 1968.

So not the ex-Eccles car then.

Originally posted by David McKinney
Davey Powell’s car was FL-8-65, raced for Robert Aschroft by John Cardwell and Derek Bennett in 1965, by Jim Charnock first half 1966, and Powell from that year’s August Llandow meeting

Excellent - thanks.

You say F1R has David Preston racing FL-6-65 for Sports Motors in 1966. Where on earth would F1R be documenting 1600cc Brabhams in 1966? Did I miss a book?

As far as I can see, BT14s were run in 1965 by the aforementioned John Bridges (FL-1-65), Rodney Bloor (FL-6-65) and Derek Bennett (FL-8-65) plus John Mitchell (maybe FL-3-65), Freddie Smith (maybe FL-4-65), Jackie Epstein (FL-7-65), John Butterworth, John Ewer and Malcolm Templeton; although the last two contain a distinct element of guesswork. That's nine, plus Stillwell makes ten. Far too neat - so that can't be right!

Allen

[Allen Brown]

I plugged all your information into what I had assembled and it starts to make a lot more sense. The 1966 John Bridges car is a puzzle but if we ignore that for the moment, only the John Ewer car (if indeed it was a BT14) goes missing at the end of 1965 and only the David Preston car appears in 1966. Far too neat!

At the end of 1966, Eccles' 1-65 goes missing (he advertised it in early April 1967 so that narrows it down) as does Mitchell's car, John Davis's 6-65 and Preston's car. Smith and Butterworth keep on racing theirs, Raby keeps 7-65, Powell keeps 8-65 and Templeton's is on its way to Smith. The only 'new' BT14 in 1967 is Lane's which I failed to spot in Autosport. I also haven't managed to spot JS-D's 1-65.

It gets much messier in 1968 with one BT14 turning up in Oregon and another in Singapore.

Allen

[Allen Brown]

By the way, Brabham list the BT14 as a 1965/66 car, implying at least one of them was in the 1966 production run. Maybe John Bridges bought a new 1966-spec BT14 - so FL-1-66 or something.

[David McKinney]

Allen
I also have FL-1-65 for Stillwell....seems there were two of them ;)
Lane's car could have been ex-Eccles - depends how long Scott-Davies had it
I'll comment on your other queries when I've got more time....

[Mallory Dan]

Did Roger Willoughby have a much later March (792 perhaps) after the 712 got a bit old ??

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
Did Roger Willoughby have a much later March (792 perhaps) after the 712 got a bit old ??

Yes, it was a 792 complete with Rover V8.

[Mallory Dan]

Steve, thought so, was it the ex-Max Harvey car do you know ???

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
Steve, thought so, was it the ex-Max Harvey car do you know ???

I'll try to back check. Have a feeling it came from the circuits as it didn't have all the modified bodywork that Max H used on his car.

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by Stephen W


I'll try to back check. Have a feeling it came from the circuits as it didn't have all the modified bodywork that Max H used on his car.

Wonderful thing memory! Roger 'Doc' Willoughby's March 712-Buick was written off at Wiscombe in 1983 (NB The 712 was the ex-Sir Nick Williamson chassis). The Buick V8 (not a Rover as I said earlier!) was transplanted into the ex-Max Harvey 792 but had to revert to the old bodywork once the Hart was removed as the reworked body panels wouldn't fit once the Buick was installed.

[David McKinney]

Some British libre and sprint Brabhams BT6-BT21

1964
John Romanes libre BT10 (1500 Ford) - F2-11-64?

1964? 1965?
Peter Blankstone hcs BT6 - ex-Prophet FJ-5-63

1965
John Romanes libre BT10 early, then David Bridges (1650)
John Bridges (drivers David Bridges, John Taylor) libre BT14 FL-1-65; to Bryan Eccles late in year
John Mitchell libre BT14 FL-3-65
Sports Motors/Rodney Bloor libre BT14 FL-6-65, then Red Rose Motors/J Bridges
Robert Ashcroft (drivers John Cardwell, Derek Bennett) libre BT14 FL-8-65 (1500)
Keith Jones libre BT14 (1650)
John Ewer libre BT14
B G Ford libre BT14
Fred Smith hcs BT14 (t/c) - FL-4-65?
John Butterworth hcs BT14

1966
Rodney Bloor BT14 FL-1-65, poss unraced; then Bryan Eccles hcs (4.5 Olds, 3.5 Buick)
John Mitchell libre BT14 FL-3-65 (reportedly sold to USA 1967)
John Davies libre BT14 FL-6-65
Jim Charnock libre BT14 FL-8-65 till July, Davey Powell from August
Fred Smith BT14
John Butterworth hcs s/c BT14
Sports Motors/David Preston libre BT14 (1600) - FL-6-65?
Red Rose Motors (drivers John Bridges, Brian Redman) 1600 libre BT14
Frank Lythgoe/Alan Rollinson libre ex-Bob Anderson BT16 F2-23-65; also driven by Robin Darlington, Dave Rees and possibly Redman
Mike Hawley hcs - described as BT16, but with BT18 no. F2-8-66; to Mike Fenwick Oct
Peter Lawson hcs BT18 F2-12-66 - t/c

1967
John Scott-Davies BT14 FL-1-65
David Bridges (drivers Norman Foulds and Fred Smith) libre BT14 FL-4-65 t/c
Davey Powell libre BT14 FL-8-65
Fred Smith BT14
John Butterworth hcs s/c BT14 1500 t/c
Roy Lane hcs 1600 t/c BT14
David Bridges libre BT16 F2-23-65 (drivers Brian Redman, Dave Rees)
Andrew Fletcher (and Jimmy Veitch) libre BT18 F2-5-66 t/c
Peter Lawson hcs BT18 F2-12-66
Bryan Eccles hcs BT18 F2-44-66 (ex-Clive Baker F3) + GM V8
John Bridges libre BT18
Frank Manning (drivers Mike Walker, Robs Lamplough) BT21A/8 - t/c
Tony Griffiths hcs BT21A/9 - t/c
Sir Nicholas Williamson hcs BT21A - t/c

1967? 1968?
Robin Darlington libre BT10 - ex-Prophet F2-10-64 (Darlington had raced a different BT10 in F3 1965/66)

1968
John Butterworth BT14
Roy Lane hcs BT14 (V8 Buick)
Jimmy Johnstone hcs BT15 F3-25-65 - s/c 1100 - ex Radio London and Ken Sheppard
Andrew Fletcher libre BT18 F2-5-66 t/c
John Fenwick ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Peter Blankstone hcs BT18 F2-12-66
Bob Marsland libre BT18 F2-37-66 - ex Frank Williams F3
Bryan Eccles and/or Chris Cox hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Chris Court hcs BT21/29 (SCA; as BT21B)
Allan Deacon BT21/41 - t/c
Bryan Brown BT21 + Oldsmobile V8 and 4wd; not used
Tony Griffiths hcs BT21A/9, later Gray and Agnes Mickel
Bryan Eccles hcs BT21A - 4.2 Oldsmobile V8, 4wd
Roger Hickman hcs BT21B/15
Nick Williamson hcs BT21C/6
Peter Blankstone hcs BT21X + Buick V8, 4wd

1969
Peter Kaye hcs ex-Fred Smith BT14
Jimmy Johnstone hcs ex-Lane BT14-Buick
Jimmy Johnstone hcs BT15 F3-25-65, later Chris Tipping (t/c)
Spencer Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Spencer Elton hcs BT18 F2-12-66, later Rod Pickering
Dave Santer BT18 F2-13-66 - t/c - F3 1966 (either Lanfranchi or Mike Keens)
Richard Thwaites hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Roy Lane used BT21/28 as basis for TechCraft-Buick
Peter Blankstone ex-Brown BT21-Olds
Tony Griffiths hcs BT21A/9, later Chris Court
Robin Darlington libre BT21A - ex-Stockbridge Racing (Howard Bennett and John Fenning) and before that Nick Williamson hcs
John Cussins hcs BT21A
Nick Williamson hcs BT21C/6
Peter Blankstone hcs BT21X

1970
Bill Creasey ex-Kaye BT14
Peter Scott-Walker (and Johnstone) ex-Lane BT14-Buick
Roger Willoughby hcs BT15 F3-25-65 (s/c)
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Rod Pickering hcs BT18 F2-12-66
Dave Santer BT18 F2-13-66
Bob Marsland hcs BT18 F2-37-66 - t/c
Richard Thwaites hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Peter Blankstone and Tony Marsh BT21-Olds
Spencer Elton hcs BT21C/6
Malcolm Eaves hcs BT21C/17 + Buick V8

1971
Geoff Lambert ex-Creasey BT14
Malcolm Dungworth ex-Lane etc BT14-Buick
Roger Willoughby hcs BT15 F3-25-65
unknown competitor in hcs BT15 F3-33-66 - 1000cc s/c - ex-Mike Knight F3 1966 and Tony Dean 1967
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Geoff Lambert BT18 F2-12-66
Malcolm Eaves hcs BT21C/17-Buick

1972
Geoff Inglis hcs s/c BT14 - ex-Butterwrth?
Roger Willoughby hcs BT15 F3-25-65
David Edwards hcs BT15
Tom and Spencer Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
John Walmesley and/or Paul Brindley - BT18 F2-22-66 ex-Ireland (see below)
David Hartley hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Fred Sloman hcs BT21-Rover
John Ravenscroft hcs BT21A/9
John Wingfield BT21A t/c - ex-Williamson/Stockbridge/Darlington
Peter Varley and Richard Shardlow hcs BT21C/6
Peter Boshier-Jones hcs BT21C/17-Buick

1973
Dick James hcs ex-Inglis BT14
Roger Willoughby and Peter Voigt hcs BT15 F3-25-65
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Dave Santer BT18 F2-13-66
David Hartley and Tony Bradwell hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Richard Hartley BT21A
Steve Makins hcs BT21A - ex-Griffiths/Ravenscroft?
Peter Varley hcs BT21C/6
Peter Boshier-Jones hcs BT21C/17-Buick, later Nigel Pow

1974
Chris Dowson hcs BT15 F3-25-65
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
David Hartley and Tony Bradwell hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Steve Makins hcs BT21A
Nigel Pow hcs BT21C/17-Repco

1975
Chris Dowson hcs BT15 F3-25-65
David Hartley hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
John Hart hcs BT18 - t/c

1976
Chris Dowson hcs BT15 F3-25-65
John Hart hcs BT18 - FVA

1977
John Hart and Jimmy Johnstone hcs BT18

1978
Jimmy Johnstone hcs ex-Hart BT18

1982-86
Jimmy Johnstone hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66 (1986 with Rover V8)

[David McKinney]

Some early Irish Brabhams (North and South)
1965
Malcolm Templeton BT14

1966
Malcolm Templeton BT18

1967
Malcolm Templeton BT18
Kevin Murphy BT18 t/c - ex-works F2-18-66
Reg Armstrong BT18 - ex-Winklemann F2-22-66

1969
Frank Keane BT18 (Kevin Murphy’s F2-18-66)

1970
Patsy McGarrity and Paddy Farrelly BT18 F2-18-66
Edmund Irvine ex-Templeton BT14 FF

1971
Vivian Candy BT18 F2-18-66

1972
Viv Candy BT21
Bob Beattie BT21
Paddy Farrelly BT18 F2-18-66

[David McKinney]

Some early Asian Brabhams

1963
Ted Carter BT2 FJ-6-62 (ex-Olthoff and Frank Williams)

1964
L C Kwan/Martin Redfern BT2 FJ-6-62
Arsenio Laurel - BT2? BT6? BT9? BT10?

1965
L C Kwan/Martin Redfern BT2 FJ-6-62
Arsenio Laurel - BT2? BT6? BT9? BT10?

1965
S Y Tam BT2 FJ-6-62
Arsenio Laurel - BT2? BT6? BT9? BT10?
Lee Han Seng BT16
Teddy Yip BT16 or BT18

1967
S Y Tam BT2 FJ-6-62
Jan Bussell BT14/16 t/c
Hengkie Ooi BT15
Lee Han Seng BT16
Lee Han Seng BT18 - F2-27-66? F2-44-66?
Mike Heathcote (unknown)
Albert Poon BT21

1968
Jan Bussell BT14/16 t/c
Heng Kyoey Ooi BT15
Lee Han Seng BT16 or BT18
Rodney Seow (unknown)
Mike Heathcote (unknown)
Masao Katagiri (unknown)
Albert Poon BT21

1969
Jan Bussell BT14/16 t/c
D P White BT15
Jiro Yoneyama BT16
Mike Heathcote (unknown)
Masao Katagiri (unknown)
K N Suen (unknown)
Fung Tak Ming (unknown)
Albert Poon BT21

1970
Keith Payne BT2 FJ-6-62 (t/c)
Jan Bussell BT14/16 t/c
Riki Ohkubo (unknown)
Albert PoonBT21

1971
Keith Payne BT2 FJ-6-62
Jan Bussell BT14/16 t/c
A N Other BT16 Japan
Lee Han Seng (unknown)
Kinoshi Misaki (unknown)
R Kurosu (unknown)
Peter Chow BT21

1972
Keith Payne BT2 FJ-6-62
Percy Chan BT14 - BT14/16?
Peter Chow BT21

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by David McKinney
Some early Asian Brabhams........

David, I have a friend who may be a good source of anecdotal information for this group and the era. My friend goes way back to the early 60s....he told me once about when he raced in Malaysia....for very wealthy Malays with lots of toys....a fella he raced open wheelers for was Eddy Chueng (spl?)...who had, amongst other things one of Brian Foleys racing Minis in his garage!

[Allen Brown]

David.

Wow!

So that's two more BT14s: Barrie (BG) Ford who I only spotted late in 1965 (Sep/Oct) in a 1650cc Brabham and Keith Jones who I didn't spot at all. With 1650cc engines mentioned for both, I wonder if the ex-David Bridges/Romanes BT10 could be involved here.

The connection of Smith with 'FL-4-65' seems tenuous as it appears to rely just on Smith's F2 outing in a Bridges-entered BT14. Maybe Smith was in a hired car that day that just happened to be the same type as his hill climb car?

I really couldn't recall Romanes connected with a Brabham. For some reason he connects to a ex-FJ Cooper in my memory. If only humans could get memory upgrades too.

Allen

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by David McKinney
Some British libre and sprint Brabhams BT6-BT21

1966
Mike Hawley hcs - described as BT16, but with BT18 no. F2-8-66; to Mike Fenwick Oct

1967
Bryan Eccles hcs BT18 F2-44-66 (ex-Clive Baker F3) + GM V8
Tony Griffiths hcs BT21A/9 - t/c

1968
John Fenwick ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Bryan Eccles and/or Chris Cox hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Tony Griffiths hcs BT21A/9, later Gray and Agnes Mickel
Nick Williamson hcs BT21C/6

1969
Spencer Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Spencer Elton hcs BT18 F2-12-66, later Rod Pickering
Richard Thwaites hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Roy Lane used BT21/28 as basis for TechCraft-Buick
Tony Griffiths hcs BT21A/9, later Chris Court
Nick Williamson hcs BT21C/6

1970
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
Richard Thwaites hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Spencer Elton hcs BT21C/6

1971
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66

1972
Tom and Spencer Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
David Hartley hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
John Ravenscroft hcs BT21A/9
Peter Varley and Richard Shardlow hcs BT21C/6

1973
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
David Hartley and Tony Bradwell hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
Richard Hartley BT21A
Steve Makins hcs BT21A - ex-Griffiths/Ravenscroft?

1974
Tom Elton hcs ‘BT16’ F2-8-66
David Hartley and Tony Bradwell hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66

1975
David Hartley hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66
John Hart hcs BT18 - t/c

1976
John Hart hcs BT18 - FVA

1977
John Hart and Jimmy Johnstone hcs BT18

1978
Jimmy Johnstone hcs ex-Hart BT18

1982-86
Jimmy Johnstone hcs BT18-GM F2-44-66 (1986 with Rover V8)

Working through the cars in chronological order as they appeared in the British Sprint Championship:

The Elton Brabham, The ex Hawley/Fenwick F2-8-66 - I have this as a BT18 not a 'BT16'
BT18 F2-44-66 - First picked up in 1970 with Thwaites, then to Hartley.
BT21A/9 - First seen in the hands of John & Arthur Ravenscroft. Then I have it with RODGER Hartley in 1973 not Richard.
BT21C/6 - picked up in 1970 with Spencer Elton at the wheel. It next appears in 1991 being driven by Tim Barrington.
Spencer's BT18 - Again picking up Elton in F2-12-66 in '71
The John Hart BT18 - I have the chassis number as F2-22-66 (first seen in 1976)

Additions:

1971
Tony Bradwell - 'BT19' F1-3-65 Quattro
David Pullen - BT21B Twin Cam

1972
Geoff Inglis - BT14 with BT21 upgrades running a Supercharged Twin Cam

1973
Spencer Elton - BT21 with BT30 upgrades running a Twin Cam

1976
Dennis Chorley - BT21B Twin Cam
John Taylor - BT16 with BT21 upgrades running a 3 litre Ford V6

1978
Leslie Stone - BT21B

1987
Robin Boucher - BT21 with 1.1 litre Holbay tuned Ford

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
David.

If only humans could get memory upgrades too.

Allen

Trouble is if they could it would probably be MICROSOFT who developed it and you would have to reboot three times a day!

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Stephen W
1971
Tony Bradwell - 'BT19' F1-3-65 Quattro

Hi Steve

I have to reiterate that I really don't think this is right. The Hepworth 1967/68 car, even it was a BT19 (which it wasn't) and even if it was F1-3-65 (which it wasn't), still was not the car that Tony Bradwell drove in 1971.

In 1971, the 1967/68 Hepworth car was in the hands of Bill Wood and being hammered round Croft and Rufforth before he gave up on it and bought a Lola T142. Wood sold it to Howlings who sold it to Wheaty in Jan 1972.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what Bradwell did drive in 1971.

Allen

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Hi Steve

I have to reiterate that I really don't think this is right. The Hepworth 1967/68 car, even it was a BT19 (which it wasn't) and even if it was F1-3-65 (which it wasn't), still was not the car that Tony Bradwell drove in 1971.

In 1971, the 1967/68 Hepworth car was in the hands of Bill Wood and being hammered round Croft and Rufforth before he gave up on it and bought a Lola T142. Wood sold it to Howlings who sold it to Wheaty in Jan 1972.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what Bradwell did drive in 1971.

Allen

It was said to be 'the spare Hepworth chassis' according to contemporary reports. It did have 4-w-d and an Oldsmobile engine so did Hepworth have all these spares for his Brabham which he sold as a job lot?

[Allen Brown]

Can you give me some event dates when he appeared and I'll read up on it.

Thanks

Allen

[Allen Brown]

Just talking to Ted Walker about this and he says the Bradwell car was the ex-Blankstone BT21 'Quattro'.

[Allen Brown]

Ted also had the chassis numbers of the Butterworth and Templeton BT14s in his records so the cars line up as follows:

FL-1-65 - Stillwell (delivered 4 Jan 1965) - John Harvey 1966 - Bob Jane 1966-1967 ...
FL-2-65 - John Butterworth 1965-68 ... missing in 1969-71 ... Geoff Inglis in 1972
FL-3-65 - John Mitchell 1965-66; sold to America...
FL-4-65 - Fred Smith 1965-68 - Peter Kaye 1969 ... Geoff Lambert 1971
FL-5-65 - Malcolm Templeton (Ire) 1965-66 ... John Smith (Ire) 1968 ... Edmund Irvine (Ire) 1970
FL-6-65 - Rodney Bloor 1965 - John Bridges 1965 - John Davis 1966 ...
FL-7-65 - Jackie Epstein 1965 - Ian Raby late 1965 and retained by team until at least 1969
FL-8-65 - Robert Ashcroft/Derek Bennett 1965 - Jim Charnock 1966 - Davey Powell 1966-67...
FL-9-65 - unknown
FL-10-65 - unknown

Other suspected BT14s are:
1. "the other FL-1-65" - John and David Bridges 1965 - Bryan Eccles 1966 -? John Scott-Davis 1967 -? Roy Lane 1967?-68 - Jim Johnstone 1969 - John Scott-Walter 1970 - Malcolm Dungworth 1971 ...
2. John Ewer 1965 (odd libre races from May onwards, advertised Jan 1966)
3. Barrie Ford 1965 (1650cc - two libre races in Sep and Oct 1965)
4. Keith Jones 1965 (1650cc)
------------------------------------
5. John Bridges/Red Rose Motors 1966
6. David Preston/Sports Motors 1966

When I mentioned 1650cc engines to Ted, he said "so that'll be a push-rod, not a twin-cam", which suggests that Ford and Jones may have been in older Brabhams. The only clue that Ewer's was a BT14 was a comment in Autosport that it was similar to Epstein's.

If the FL-1-65 plate really was duplicated (it happens), then there might have been eleven BT14s. It's possible Ewer had 9-65 and that it went to Preston and it's possible that Bridges bought another 10-65 as a new car for 1966. Ted has a note that 10-65 went to a John Illegible and then via Frank Williams to Rhodesia.

I wish I started a separate thread for the BT14s now. Nobody will ever find them here!

Allen

[David McKinney]

To that list you can add the Earl Jones FB car in the US (written off 1965) and a BT14 (apparently not a misprint) raced by Philippe Vidal in F3 in 1966
•Stillwell’s FL-1-65 went to R C Phillips late 65 (driver Johnny Harvey). From Phillips to Bob Jane 1968 (driver still Johnny Harvey)
•FL-2-65 - Mitchell still owned April 1967
•I’m a bit unsure about Raby and his car(s). I have FL-7-65 going to him new in July 1965, retained 1966 and 1967. Then I have an unnumbered car with Epstein in 1965, then Raby in 1966 and 1967. F1R gives Epstein’s no. as FL-7-65...
I then have the unnumbered Epstein/Raby car with Tony Barchou 1967-69 and Alan Jones 1970. So if “your” FL-7-65 is still with Raby in 1969, there must have been two of them
•I wouldn’t conclude that a 1650cc pushrod engine meant an older car than a 1500 twincam - it would probably have been torquier, and would have competed in a different class

[Allen Brown]

Earl Jones?! I didn't know about that one.

Thanks for the corrections on the Stillwell car.

I may have got FL-7-65 wrong. I got the chassis number of Epstein's car from F1R and that of the Barchou car from Race Report (p100). Entry lists for 1969 show Barchou's entrant as Ian Raby (Racing) Ltd. Epstein drove his car until June and then advertised it until October. I can't see a race for Raby in the F2 BT14 until the Boxing Day meeting. This seems reasonably solid as I tend to trust F1R on anything F1.

Alan Jones 1970? The Alan Jones? What was he driving it in?

Looking though 1967 to fill some gaps, I found Templeton winning the Irish 1600cc National Championship in his Brabham and also read that Lane "is much happier now he has put his Roots-supercharged Lotus twin-cam engine into Bryan Eccles old Brabham BT14 chassis instead of his Cooper". AS 8 Sep 1967 p416.

Allen

[David McKinney]

I don't think it was that Alan Jones