24 replies to this topic

[condor]

...not as in smoker but as the best guy who could do anything with exhaust pipes ...think he had a small garage on Highgate Hill - near to a pub called something like 'the leather bottle'.
Any more info much appreciated

[jo-briggs]

Townsend Yard I think; you went in through a pair of arches under the buildings. The workshops were still there when I drove past a couple of weeks ago. I think it is the same place from which Charles Lucas ran his F3 Team (Lucas, Frank Williams, Piers Courage, Jonathan Williams & was Charlie Crighton-Stewart another?). I spent a few days there finishing a rebuild on Chris Moore's Brabham F3 in 1965 IIRC. We used to lunch at the pub on the other side of the High Street, the food was better!

Bob Evans said Paul Rendle and I could borrow his purple "Mother wouldn't like it" sponsored Merlyn M11A for a day if we got the exhaust system repaired, and as I lived in a dungeon in Harley Street at the time, Mike the Pipe, being nearest, seemed the logical man for the task! A can of white Sperex finished the job, and off to Castle Coombe for the day; where we had a whale of a time..........



(If you had already read this and are now confused, so was I, I lived in Highgate in 1971, and all the last part took place in '69 or '70. Somewhere I have a photo of PRs Mk11A having its gear ratios changed in a parking meter bay in Harley Street - well, we'd put the money in the meter!)

[jo-briggs]

Just spoke to Bob Curl, who thinks that M the P worked out of Hammersmith - but not always. He recalls that "Tom the Weld" was top man at Charlie Luke's workshop, and that he later went onto co-found "Titan", which may cross over to the Chris Meek thread, as IIRC, Chris had something to do with Titan, or maybe he just raced one in 1971.

[bill moffat]

Now I could have sworn that Mike the Pipe operated out of Wallington in Surrey.

He did a neat job on an Elan exhaust for me when I was working at the nearby St Helier Hospital in Carshalton.

[bill moffat]

..and a quick Google landed me on the Locost site..confirmation there that he worked out of Stanley Park Rd in Wallington before, allegedly, retiring on health grounds.

[RS2000]

Glad you posted that. I was beginning to think I was living in a parallel universe. I certianly had a pipe made up by him in Wallington.

[bill moffat]

A bonus point if you can remember the name of the Lotus engineer who ran the small garage next door to Mike the Pipe in Wallington....this would have been in the early 80's.

He had the dubious pleasure of looking after my Elan and also preparing my RS2000 sprint car. To my shame I can only remember him as "Bob" but he was a superb mechanic and raced both a baby Elan and a meticulously-prepared Turner.

[h4887]

He was in Wallington when I had something made for my Ginetta G4 but that must have been well over 20 years ago.

[RJE]

Mike the Pipe was indeed located in Wallington and was there for many years. He had previously worked at TDC Components in Kingston-on-Thames which was part of the V.W.Derrington company.

Mike (Randall) worked at TDC for a number of years with Len Hartley, another pipe wizzard, where between them they produced most of the exhaust systems for most of the British built racing cars built during the late 50's and the 1960's. This included such works of art as the 'snake pit' systems for the first Coventry Climax V8's.

Personel from Climax, Coopers, Lotus, Lola and most other manufacturers as well as many private teams were regular visitors to TDC's cramped 'Victorian' workshops where Len and Mike were on first name terms with most of them.

Great times.

[Alan Cox]

jo-briggs, Chris Meek's property company was Titan Properties - nothing to do with Titan racing cars.

[kayemod]

Originally posted by Alan Cox
jo-briggs, Chris Meek's property company was Titan Properties - nothing to do with Titan racing cars.

From what I remember of him, Charles Lucas never had any business partners in the money sense, he was always quite capable of financing everything all by himself. (My late Father was his bank manager).

[condor]

Originally posted by jo-briggs


(If you had already read this and are now confused, so was I, I lived in Highgate in 1971, and all the last part took place in '69 or '70. Somewhere I have a photo of PRs Mk11A having its gear ratios changed in a parking meter bay in Harley Street - well, we'd put the money in the meter!)

Perhaps he was only in Highgate for a short time - was listening to some stories from a team owner in the early 70s and he was mentioned quite a few times.
Would be great if you could find and post that photo

[jo-briggs]

It was Tom the Weld who went to Titan, not Lucas.

It must the have been a coincidence that when I raced against Chris Meek in 1971 he was driving a Titan FF, IIRC he was teamed up with Johnnie Blades......

Maybe he raced the Titan because it had the same name as his property company - they were never particularly competetive against the likes of Merlyn, Elden et al.

[flat-16]

So does anyone know exactly when Mike retired? The reason I ask is that I was under the impression he was carrying out custom work for a variety of race and tuned road cars into the early '90s?

“Mike the Pipe” is the stuff of folklore amongst tuners - good basis for a thread I think!

It would be fascinating if we could see some pictures of his more elaborate systems…anyone? Or a shot of Mike slaving over the mandrels?

Justin

[eurocardoc]

Originally posted by flat-16
So does anyone know exactly when Mike retired? The reason I ask is that I was under the impression he was carrying out custom work for a variety of race and tuned road cars into the early '90s?

“Mike the Pipe” is the stuff of folklore amongst tuners - good basis for a thread I think!

It would be fascinating if we could see some pictures of his more elaborate systems…anyone? Or a shot of Mike slaving over the mandrels?

Justin

I remember going to Mike's for an exhaust repair or something when van driving for The Chequered Flag, late 60's. He was old school, sandfilling the pipes and then forming them, an unbelievable artist at work.

Brian

[flat-16]

Originally posted by eurocardoc


I remember going to Mike's for an exhaust repair or something when van driving for The Chequered Flag, late 60's. He was old school, sandfilling the pipes and then forming them, an unbelievable artist at work.

Brian

I don't suppose you got a photo or two, Brian? Anyone? Are there any books that show Mike's work in all its glory?


Justin

[antonvrs]

I seem to remember seeing a video of "Mike the pipe" building a beautiful set of headers for some vintage car but I can't remember any details. It must have been more than 10 years ago.
Anton

[RS2000]

I sold a piece of Mike the Pipe's work last year. Someone else had made me an intermediate pipe to connect a Pinto-engined Escort manifold to a supply of ex-Sutton/Rothmans team BDA rear silencers I bought in their closing down sale. I made up a spare such pipe myself and, since that was on the roof of the service vehicle for all to see, I suffered regular abuse about my untidy welding (at least it was solid...). In the end I got someone I knew in Wallington to take it to Mike and get a decent copy made. The abuse stopped - but it wasn't cheap achieving that...

[Gregor Marshall]

When trying to get my manifold done last year I found out that Mike the Pipe retired a good few years ago and his sons were lookin after the Business (maybe not as well as we'd like; I got sent somewhere else!!) but they were still going, so fingers crossed.

[a1topdog]

I believe the Longlife Exhaust place is the at the same location in Wallington as Mike the Pipe used to operate out of. I was told the Mike passed away about a year ago.

[ChasF]

As already reported. "Mike the Pipe" passed away in July 2004. By that time he had closed the business due to failing health.
His son did not continue with the business, but he does now renovate MG's to a very high standard from a large workshop somewhere in Wimbledon.
The "Len" referred to who was his top fitter has also now retired due to failing eyesight.
Incidentally, he did not work out of Wallington, but from Carshalton Beaches. (Maybe that comes under Wallington?)

Edited by ChasF, 29 October 2009 - 21:19.

[Allan Lupton]

Apropos of post 9, there is a one-man band near Wootton Bassett, Dave Tyler, trading as Len Hartley Developments. I understood from Dave that Len, who trained him, had died and he continued to use that name, rather than his own, to honour his mentor.
Dave is certainly very good at pipe-charming.

[Coxy the Bear]

Mike the Pipe, now there's a name from the past! Just about every modified car mag from Street Machine to CCC mentioned him! And yes, Carshalton Beaches does pretty much come under Wallington!

[VAR1016]

Yes I recall his advertisements: "Why not be 'exhausted' by Mike the Pipe?"

And yes it was definitely Carshalton.

Paul

[MickBN]

A bonus point if you can remember the name of the Lotus engineer who ran the small garage next door to Mike the Pipe in Wallington....this would have been in the early 80's.

He had the dubious pleasure of looking after my Elan and also preparing my RS2000 sprint car. To my shame I can only remember him as "Bob" but he was a superb mechanic and raced both a baby Elan and a meticulously-prepared Turner.

 

The "Bob" you're thinking of is Bob Mayfield. Did me a wonderful Clubmans A-Spec 1700 Kent for my Mallock....