22 replies to this topic

[Steve L]

I read in the latest Autosport magazine that a Japanese-based W25/W125 Mercedes may be coming to Europe for historic racing in 2008.

Anyone know the history of this one?!

Should be a highlight next year

[Dutchy]

I always believed the only W125 in private hands is the ex Crabbe/Corner car in BE's collection

[David McKinney]

I believe Crosthwaite & Gardner may have knocked out a couple of W125 replicas in recent years

[Steve L]

But iirc this one is said to have a W25 chassis and a W125 engine!

I think Bernie's ex-Crabbe and ex-Corner car was an original W125 that had in-period been converted from GP spec to hilclimb spec with small brake drums, and it has only in recent years been changed back to the former.

I believe I read somewhere that Bernie may also have a W25 closed cockpit class record breaker hidden away somewhere.....;) ?

[f1steveuk]

yep!

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by Steve L


I think Bernie's ex-Crabbe and ex-Corner car was an original W125 that had in-period been converted from GP spec to hilclimb spec with small brake drums, and it has only in recent years been changed back to the former.

Indeed it was. I think it had a shorter chassis too.
A pity to change it back

[Sharman]

Originally posted by Steve L


I believe I read somewhere that Bernie may also have a W25 closed cockpit class record breaker hidden away somewhere.....;) ? [/B]

I wonder what the etymological connection is between miser and miserable b-----d is?

[cstlhn]

There has been one in Japan for years. It was demonstrated at the Monterey Historics in 1986. I'll dig around for a photo I have of it.

David

[David McKinney]

I'm pretty sure the Japanese-owned car that was demonstrated at Laguna Seca in 1986 has not been Japanese-owned for some time

[Doug Nye]

Don't get muddled up with the ex-Colin Crabbe/Neil Corner W125 which went to Yoshiyuki Hayashi in Gotemba, Japan, and quite possibly passed subsequently to Mr E... ????

DCN

[Doug Nye]

Don't get muddled up with the ex-Colin Crabbe/Neil Corner W125 which went to Yoshiyuki Hayashi in Gotemba, Japan, and quite possibly passed subsequently to Mr E... ????

Incidentally the present owner once referred to it in my presence as "that umm WD40 thing...". And before you knife him I am confident it was a wind-up - right? - a wind-up...

DCN

[dretceterini]

Ernie Schmecklebone doesn't deserve to have a car like that!

[TooTall]

Well, I have photos of these two cars from Monterey 1986.


Herman Lang doing demonstration laps.


And this one which I seem to remember being run by Joel Finn and blowing up. But I could very well be wrong about that.

Cheers,
Kurt O.

[raceannouncer2003]

Originally posted by TooTall

And this one which I seem to remember being run by Joel Finn and blowing up. But I could very well be wrong about that.

Cheers,
Kurt O.

I think Joel Finn ran a W154/163 and blew up. I think Peter Giddings raced Mr. Hayashi's W125, but didn't finish the race.

Vince H.

[TooTall]

Originally posted by raceannouncer2003


I think Joel Finn ran a W154/163 and blew up. I think Peter Giddings raced Mr. Hayashi's W125, but didn't finish the race.

Vince H.

Thanks Vince, that sounds right. Here is a pic of the Finn W163 which I believe was the ex-Don Lee car.


And here is a shot of the chassis plate of the Hayashi W125.


Cheers,
Kurt O.

[raceannouncer2003]

Oh wow! W125/2...so that would be the one mostly driven by von Brauchitsch? (Don Capps, where are you?)

Vince H.

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by TooTall
Here is a pic of the Finn W163 which I believe was the ex-Don Lee car.

No, not the ex-Don Lee car
And of course there was never any such model as a W163 - as in Vince's post, it's a W154 (with M163 engine);)

[f1steveuk]

ah the Don Lee Special, I used to enjoy tripping over the bodywork of that in the workshop, where I suspect it still is after PFH brought the car into the UK. Just needs a replica chassis (go wash my mouth out!!)

[Roger Clark]

Originally posted by David McKinney

No, not the ex-Don Lee car
And of course there was never any such model as a W163 - as in Vince's post, it's a W154 (with M163 engine);)

Are you sure it's an M163?

[dretceterini]

Originally posted by f1steveuk
ah the Don Lee Special, I used to enjoy tripping over the bodywork of that in the workshop, where I suspect it still is after PFH brought the car into the UK. Just needs a replica chassis (go wash my mouth out!!)

Well, it really is no more of a "replicar" than the Wheatcroft Alfa Bimotore. As long as people are made aware that the car is substantially a replica, I don't mind. I's when people try to mislead others that POs me!

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Roger Clark

Are you sure it's an M163?

No, far from
It was the car type I was trying to correct

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by dretceterini
Well, it really is no more of a "replicar" than the Wheatcroft Alfa Bimotore. As long as people are made aware that the car is substantially a replica, I don't mind. I's when people try to mislead others that POs me!

I think you might have missed f1steve's point, Doctor
The way I read it was that he was saying the bodywork used to be somewhere, probably still is, and someone could use that - together with a replica chassis - to create a new car

[Peter Morley]

We don't seem to be any closer to identifying the Xiaizhu Racing team's car that Edward Cottam (Alan's son) plans to race.

Apparently it is a Mercedes W25 chassis with W125 engine and the collection also includes Alfa P3, Cooper Bristols and other GP cars.

Assuming the article is correct it isn't likely to be the BCE car (which was seen running fairly recently), since that is a W125 chassis and it would be surprising if he had sold it.

Likewise not a C&G Replica since they will also be W125s and they are still working on them - they aren't copying the BCE (who has apparently ordered a replica) one since it wasn't original enough!

Was there an engineless W25 chassis around (possibly the BCE record breaker?) that could have been recently fitted with a replica engine?

Presumably the car that Lang demonstrated at Laguna Seca was from the Mercedes collection - not that it would be the Chinese car since it is again a W125 chassis.