8 replies to this topic

[Terry Walker]

This first appeared in slightly different form deeply buried in another thread. I've seperated it out so it's easier to find using Search BB - having the key words in the subject.

Slough Tading Estate (apart from its recent fame as the site of a certain paper supplier) was also home to at least four major motor racing operations: Surtees, John Wyer, Ford Advanced Vehicles, and Lola.

Lola had premises in Yeovil Road.



The main premises sem to have been these, an end building, No 826 Yeovil.



The premises are now vacant, or at least were when I visited in June 2006. If you walk around the corner to the end of the building, you find the main access doors:



Further down the street they had additional premises at 839 Yeovil, still harbouring business activity:



Since those days it has been onward and upward...

[David M. Kane]

Terry wasn't Specialised Moulding nearby?

[Terry Walker]

I think so, but my notes are a bit disjointed at the moment. Probably left some in my brother's car in the Uk...

[kayemod]

Originally posted by David M. Kane
Terry wasn't Specialised Moulding nearby?

In a word, no. Specialised Mouldings (don't forget the 'S' on the end), started in a basement somewhere in North London, later moving to some derelict sheds in a Crystal Palace builder's yard. They moved to a smart new purpose built factory in Redwongs Way Huntingdon (that isn't a spelling mistake) in 1967, originally 10,000 square feet, and later enlarged to well over double that. They had one of the first wind tunnels in the racing business operating out the back, under the control of Peter Wright, who was later to do much of the work on the Lotus 78 & 79 wing cars. Just about SM's first 'proper' job in racing was the Lola Mk 1 prototype, and they did all the bodies for almost all other Lolas after that, including the T70 of course. Lola followed them to Huntingdon a few years later, and were just around the corner in Glebe Road, the Charles Lucas operation Titan Cars was more or less opposite Lola in Windover Road. Spaceframe chassis builders Arch Motors were right next door to SM. This subject deserves a thread of it's own.

[Terry Walker]

Yes indeed - Specialised Mouldings was a name even I had heard of way down here in the late 60s. Definitely a thread - maps, photos anyone?

[Sharman]

Interesting that the prototype Lola Mk 2 was fibreglass whilst the production cars were alloy. Not the normal way round!!

[LOTI]

There was a great bowling alley at Slough, I remember a needle match against Winkleman[?]
Loti

[HistoricMustang]

What a wonderful idea. Threads devoted to specific locations for easy searching at a future date by future motor sports fans.

Henry

[Barry Boor]

I wonder if there is some way that those 'in the know' might link all these location threads together?